INTERVIEW WITH A MAYOR WHO VALUES US:
MAYOR ALLEN OWEN AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a child growing up? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: My mother was an Elementary Teacher and my dad owned an Insurance Company. I was the middle child with an older and younger sister. I grew up in East Texas and graduated from college at Stephen F. Austin State University. I played sports like most kids and even played minor league baseball during my college days. I knew I would not be a big leaguer so I decided to coach and got my coaching/teaching certificate. During that time I began working in a bank and decided that I would like to do that instead. Job was much more secure and you didn't have to have a winning season to keep your job. I had just married and wanted a better future for us. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dream of becoming as you were a child growing up? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I really wanted to be a doctor as a child but science courses in college changed my mind. They were too much of a struggle. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did you achieve your childhood dream, or did it evolve into something different? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I did play minor league baseball and that was not necessarily a dream, but something I enjoyed doing. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: My mission was just to be successful in whatever I did with my life. I have always said that I thought God put me on this earth to serve others and I have strived to do that in the best way I could. Not only as Mayor but through the many non-profit organizations I serve on. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplishment you would like to share? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I have always said that I hope to be remembered after leaving office for helping guide the City in the development of it being one of the best in the USA to call home. This has been done through the development of Sienna Plantation, River-
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stone, Lake Colony, Colony Lakes, Brightwater, Lake Olympia, and the acquisition of Quail Valley Country Club and the preservation of the 400 acres of parkland. Being named one of the safest cities in the USA is another accomplishment I am proud of for our City. I did none of this alone. It took a good Council and dedicated staff to accomplish it all. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: I see a very bright future for our City. Increased property values give our citizens equity in their largest investment-their homes. I see continued growth in our commercial and industrial segments. Placing more value on the ground and creating more jobs for our community means that we can continue to look at ways of taking the tax burden off of the roof tops and placing it on sales and commercial property taxes. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to someone out there striving to achieve their dream? MAYOR ALLEN OWEN: Never give up trying.
ON THE COVER MAYOR ALLEN OWEN – Mayor Allen Owen is Missouri City's 10th mayor since the city's incorporation in 1956. He’s faithfully served as Missouri City’s mayor since 1994. He has a long-standing documented track record of placing the citizens of Missouri City first. His track record and dedication was part of the reason Missouri City was honored as one of the top 10 safest cities in Texas by real estate website Movoto back in August of 2014. Movoto combined crime data from the top 100 most populous municipalities in Texas, and used the FBI’s 2012 Uniform Crime Report to determine that Missouri City is the sixth safest city in Texas. 24/7 Wall St., a web-based corporation designed to report financial news and opinions, also recently ranked Missouri City 16th on their list of the top 50 places to live in the United States.
HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE -