Garland council interviews multiple candidates for North Texas Municipal Water District board; incumbents stress raw water pressure

On May 18 the Garland City Council interviewed a slate of candidates for appointment to a seat on the North Texas Municipal Water District board, hearing from long‑time incumbent Jack May and a mix of private‑sector and civic applicants.

Jack May, who described decades of municipal water utility work and service on North Texas, said the region’s most urgent challenge is supply. In his remarks he said, “Water. Raw water,” and warned that securing raw water and containing future rate increases were the board’s top priorities. May detailed years of operational and committee experience at North Texas, including reuse projects and new treatment plants.

Other applicants described complementary approaches. Peter Zaire (speaker 23), a local business owner, said his manufacturing experience gave him a view of large water users: “We consumed an immense amount of water,” he said, and urged the board to manage capital expenditures and pursue efficiency to blunt rate pressures. Clayton Waddle (speaker 24) emphasized construction and infrastructure experience and said he would recuse where conflicts arise; Joseph Derrick (speaker 25) and Jennifer Brown (speaker 11) highlighted engineering, legal and technology backgrounds; Eric Beshears (speaker 26) described a career in hospital administration and nonprofit service.

Council members pressed applicants on conservation, long‑range resource planning, regional v. local priorities and time commitment. Several councilors thanked each candidate for applying and noted the appointment will be made at the council’s regular meeting the following day.