Candidates want to keep Keller’s family lifestyle, but their approaches are different
Two former council members are challenging one another in the Dec. 8 runoff election for mayor, emphasizing strong leadership and a need to maintain Keller’s family atmosphere.
Tag Green, 61, a real estate broker who owns a property management company is facing attorney Armin Mizani, 33.
Green, who served on the city council for three and a half years, said he chose to run for mayor because “we felt as a family that God wanted me to step out and be a positive influence in our community.”
Green said issues such as zoning requests and variances have grown more complicated and affect more people.
Keller has large parcels of land, with some that are 40 and 50 acres with one home, and those can be sold where more homes can be built, he said.
Green discussed Center Stage, a 38-acre mixed-use development featuring urban lofts and commercial development that was approved earlier this year.
He said that he wants Center Stage to “succeed,” but the city council did not listen to citizens who opposed the project.
“That changes the dynamic. People think our citizens are upset about traffic, school and crime. What they are upset with is the lack of integrity in our council that when they (council members) told people they wouldn’t support apartments and then, they voted for it,” Green said.
Green said he wants to look at commercial development that compliments the residential development in Keller.
Keller needs to fight the temptation to “overdevelop”, Green said.
“We are not going to be a Southlake or a Grapevine,” he said. “We’ve got to fight that temptation to overdevelop.”
Green said it is also important to make sure that the police officers and firefighters have proper training and protection to do their jobs.
He said the first responders are facing more challenges, such as more calls about suicide.
Mizani, who served on the council from 2014 to 2018, said the police department is understaffed and officers need salaries that are competitive with other cities. “We lost four officers to other communities. We need to provide adequate training and resources,” he said.
Mizani said it is also important to lessen the property tax burden on homeowners and encourage development, such as unique restaurants that will keep tax dollars in Keller.
It is also important that Center Stage is a success, Mizani said.
He wants to hold the developers to the promises that were made and to work with them on bringing in restaurants and other commercial development.
“It’s critical as a city that this (Center Stage) be a successful project,” Mizani said.
When he was on the city council Mizani said he fought to increase Keller’s homestead exemption. He said he wants to increase the amount from the current 14% to 20%.
Mizani said he also wants to emphasize building relationships with small businesses, the Keller Chamber of Commerce and the Keller school district.
Mizani said he organized roundtable discussions and meetings with businesses when he served on the city council.
Other races
In Mansfield, Michael Evans is challenging Brent Newsom for mayor. Ronald White and Jerry Burns are facing off in White Settlement mayor’s race.
In Haltom City Bob Watkins and Kyle Smith are in a runoff for the Place 6 council seat.
In the Grapevine-Colleyville school board race, Coley Canter and Tommy Snyder are challenging one another, and in the Mansfield school board Place 7 runoff, incumbent Courtney Lackey Wilson is challenging Yolanda McPherson.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 5:30 AM.
CORRECTION: Keller mayoral candidate and former council member Armin Mizani wants to increase the current homestead exemption of 14 percent to 20 percent. The amount when he left office in 2018 was incorrect in a previous version of this story.