Voters in the Viridian development of North Arlington will head to the polls May 4 to elect a new board member to the Viridian Municipal Management District.
Viridian is a 2,000-acre project from Johnson Development. Nature is at the heart of Viridian, and it is the only development in Texas to meet Audubon standards for gold level Signature Sanctuary certification.
Viridian’s master plan includes five major lakes, 500 acres of open space and an additional 500 acres of lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.
Clay Crawford, general counsel for the Viridian municipal district, said that one board seat is up for election on May 4. Crawford is an attorney for the Dallas office of Allen Boone Humphries Robinson. Crawford’s practice focuses on financing, construction and operation of public infrastructure by special purpose districts and public/private partnerships to serve master planned and mixed-use real estate developments.
Crawford said the seat was open because current board member Stephan Zimmer chose not to run. The candidates are Viridian residents John E. Smith and Bill Daley.
Early voting is set to begin on April 22.
Daley, however, said he is not actively campaigning for the seat any longer and said he will support Smith, should Smith be elected.
Daley said that not long after he filed for the seat, his family received news that changed his intentions.
“Shortly after I filed for this position, my family got some news, some medical challenges that might require my time and attention to try to move forward,” Daley said.
“After that, I found out that someone else had actually applied for the position, and I read John’s resume qualifications and I thought, well, he’s pretty well qualified,” Daley said. “I feel pretty confident to say that we’re going to be in good hands either way. I felt pretty confident after looking at his resume that I asked to have my name actually removed from the ballot.”
But Daley said by then, the time had already passed for him to have his name removed from the ballot.
“I’m not going to be actively campaigning for this position, because I expect that John is going to do a good job in this role, and so I’m supporting him if he’s elected.”
Daley, an IT management professional at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, has lived in Viridian since 2017. He served on the Arlington Planning and Zoning Commission, worked with nonprofits and is active in the Arlington community.
Smith said Daley’s announcement that he’s not actively campaigning will only change his plans slightly.
“I was going to put some signs along the road with my name on it in the neighborhood, but I may not do that now,” Smith said.
Smith, who is retired, has more than 42 years of experience with Oncor Electric and Atmos Energy in electrical system design, rate calculations and regulatory support.
“I have been attending almost every VMMD meeting since moving into the subdivision, so I feel I’m well-versed in the function of the district and its organization,” Smith said.
Viridian municipal district board
Viridian municipal district is governed by a board of five directors who serve four-year terms. The current board is composed of:
- Michelle Deuell, chairperson – term ends May 2026, elected
- Stephan Zimmer, vice chairperson – term ends May 2024, elected
- Terry Bertrand, secretary – term ends May 2024, appointed
- Valerie Landry, director – term ends May 2026, appointed
- David DeVries, director – term ends May 2026, appointed
“I hope residents see from my vision statement and personal and professional background that I offer beneficial services to Viridian MMD,” he said.
He and his wife, Carolyn, have lived in Viridian for four years.
A political subdivision of the state of Texas, the Viridian MMD is supervised by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. It was created in 2007 during the 80th regular session of the Texas Legislature for the public purposes of acquisition, construction, improvement, financing, operation, and maintenance of public water, sanitary sewer, drainage, road, landscaping, park, recreational facilities, cultural center, and other enhancements and features.
Crawford said that until 90% of the land in the district is developed, two of the directors are elected by the voters within the district and three are appointed by the mayor and the City Council of the city of Arlington. He said that once 90% of the district is developed, all directors — who serve four-year terms — will be elected by the voters within the district.
“The remaining residential single-family residential phases are being developed as we speak. They’re under construction right now. And the infrastructure is and so should be complete,” Crawford said.
He said the development should reach the 90% threshold next year, leaving just the commercial development for the neighborhood to come.
“As you drive down Collins, you’ll see a big open space,” Crawford said. “That is all going to be for commercial development. That will be what will come last.”
The Viridian municipal district conveys the water and sanitary sewer facilities to the city for operation and maintenance, but it maintains the drainage and flood control improvements, public roads, street signs, parks, lakes, the beach and the Sailing Center.
The district levies a tax each year to fund debt service on bonds issued to provide the water, sewer, drainage and roads serving the district, as well as to fund its operations and maintenance of some portions of those public improvements. District board meetings are held at noon on the second Tuesday of each month at the Lakeview Event & Conference Center, 1200 Viridian Park Lane.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details.
