Chris Turk, former City Planning Director, City of Boerne

I have known Laura for nearly 20 years, and we worked together in the Boerne Planning and Community department 12 of those years. Laura came to us with a background of design review and real estate both of which served her well in the planning department. I was impressed by her initiative to gain knowledge and improve herself. Early on she would stand in the doorway (with permission) listening to conversations not only to learn but to gain perspective on what we were trying to accomplish for the city and always asking “why.” Laura not only wanted to do her job well she also wanted to expand it, and in time she did. 

Along her professional planning track Laura participated in the development of two Master Plan updates. She loved interacting with the consultants and the citizen committees, anticipating the future and molding new planning concepts into the city’s path. Laura frequently was the lead in the preparation of ordinances, amendments to ordinances and all the research that entails as well as participating in the necessary public hearings pertaining to the ordinance and changes to them as well zoning changes, an integral part of her job.

More than anything else was Laura’s ability to work one on one with concerned or interested citizens or developers, to explain and educate them about the nuances of the city, the ordinances, and how they pertained to the individual. She was always willing to accept ideas and suggestions on how we could improve.

I would like to add that when I retired I recommended Laura for my position. I knew she would carry on and improve the Department of Planning and she did. Laura was the major force behind the development of the Unified Development Code which the City Council desired.

Unlike some of the past mayors, Laura has a wide breadth of knowledge of the workings of many of the city’s departments and how the city can function. While such a background is not a necessity to be an excellent mayor it will certainly help her working with the council in weighing the options that will be provided to council by city staff.

You may ask why, Mayor? What many folks may not understand is the depth of concern and feeling a planner has for their community especially if they have been in a smaller city for an extended length of time and have watched it evolve because we hear and see people's aspirations to grow and succeed. The position becomes more than a job because the planner has put so much into the people, so many hours in the development of rules to try to ensure that the city matures into the best that community can be. What I am trying to say is that the city — its citizens — have become personal to Laura, and she would like to take this next leadership role to continue Boerne’s evolution following her goals as outlined on her website.

In closing, the not-too-distant transition between city managers — especially when the retiring city manager had such a long outstanding tenure — can be extremely difficult.  During a conversation with the Deputy City Manager he told me Laura was the “rock” that held things together during this time. It is that Rock that I recommend to you.