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IF EVERYBODY WILL, IS THIS ON? IF EVERYONE WILL HAVE A SEAT, WE'LL GET STARTED AND THE CANDIDATES ARE READY.
GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO OUR CANDIDATE FORUM FOR THE RICHARDSON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL ELECTION.
MY NAME IS ELLEN STEGER, PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF RICHARDSON.
THE FORUM TONIGHT IS SPONSORED BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF RICHARDSON.
THE RICHARDSON LEAGUE IS A NONPARTISAN, GRASSROOTS CIVIC ORGANIZATION THAT ENCOURAGES INFORMED AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT.
THE LEAGUE WORKS TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF MAJOR PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES AND INFLUENCES PUBLIC POLICY THROUGH EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY.
MEMBERSHIP IN THE LEAGUE IS OPEN TO EVERYONE WITH OVER 100 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
THE LEAGUE IS ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST AND MOST TRUSTED CIVIC NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
ELECTION INFORMATION FOR THE CITY OF RICHARDSON ELECTIONS CAN BE FOUND ON THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF RICHARDSON'S WEBSITE, WHICH IS WWW.LWRICHARDSON.ORG.
THERE IS A QR CODE ON THE BIO SHEET THAT YOU GOT WHEN YOU CAME IN THE DOOR, AND THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO OUR LEAGUE'S WEBSITE.
THE SITE IS UPDATED AS NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE ELECTION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
NON-PARTISAN PRINTED VOTER'S GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE HERE TONIGHT, AND THEY'RE AVAILABLE OUT IN THE LOBBY DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS.
ONLY FOUR QUESTIONS AND THE CANDIDATE'S ANSWERS APPEAR IN THE PRINTED VOTER'S GUIDE.
THE PRINTED VOTER'S GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE TONIGHT, AND ALSO AT TEMPORARY RICHARDSON CITY HALL.
TEMPORARY RICHARDSON, LIBRARY HEIGHTS RECREATION CENTER, RICHARDSON SENIOR CENTER, AND HUFFINES RECREATION CENTER.
THE LEAGUE'S PRINTED VOTER'S GUIDE IS JUST GREAT, BUT EVEN BETTER IS THE RICHARDSON LEAGUE'S ONLINE VOTER'S GUIDE.
BECAUSE WE HAVE ASKED THE QUESTIONS MANY MORE.
WE HAVE ASKED THE CANDIDATES MANY MORE QUESTIONS AND THEY ARE IN OUR ONLINE VOTER'S GUIDE.
THE FOUR QUESTIONS IN THE PRINTED VOTER'S GUIDE ARE ALSO IN THE ONLINE VOTER'S GUIDE.
YOU'LL FIND A QR CODE IN YOUR PROGRAM, UH, A LINK TO THE ONLINE VOTER'S GUIDE ON ON OUR WEBSITE OR GO DIRECTLY TO WWW.VOTEFOURONEONE.ORG.
THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS DID NOT EDIT ANY OF THE CANDIDATES RESPONSES TO THE VOTER'S GUIDE QUESTIONS.
AND LET ME SAY THAT, UH, THANK YOU TO ALL THE CANDIDATES FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS.
UM, WE, THE LEAGUE FEELS THAT THE PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW, UH, HOW THEIR, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS, UH, FEEL ON THE ISSUES.
THE RESPONSES ARE IN THE CANDIDATE'S OWN WORDS AS THEY ENTERED THEIR RESPONSES INTO THE SYSTEM THEMSELVES.
BESIDES THE CITY OF RICHARDSON CITY COUNCIL RACES, YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RACES ON YOUR BALLOT, SUCH AS THE RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES, OR THE PLANO ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES, OR THE COLLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTIONS.
BUT THE FORUM TONIGHT IS ONLY ABOUT THE CITY OF RICHARDSON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL ELECTION.
MANY THANKS TO THE VOLUNTEERS WORKING HERE TONIGHT.
THE USHERS ARE VOLUNTEERS FROM THE CITY, THE GREETERS HANDING OUT CARDS, PENCILS, AND THE CANDIDATES BIOGRAPHIES ARE VOLUNTEERS FROM THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF RICHARDSON.
IF YOU WISH TO ASK A QUESTION OF THE CANDIDATES, PLEASE WRITE IT LEGIBLY ON ONE OF THE CARDS, AND IF YOU NEED A CARD, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND AND ONE OF OUR USHERS WILL BRING IT TO YOU.
UM, ONCE YOU HAVE WRITTEN YOUR QUESTION, UH, HOLD IT UP AND ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS WILL THEN COLLECT THE CARDS AND DELIVER THEM TO ME, AND THEN I WILL GET THEM TO THE SCREENERS BACKSTAGE.
THE QUESTION SCREENERS ARE VOLUNTEERS FROM THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS AT RICHARDSON, AND AS I JUST SAID, THEY ARE BACKSTAGE.
THE TIMEKEEPERS ARE IN THE FRONT ROW.
THEY ARE LEAGUE OF WOMEN, UM, VOTERS OF RICHARDSON VOLUNTEERS.
ALSO, IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO PUT ON A A FORUM LIKE THIS.
MANY THANKS TO THOSE WHO SUBMITTED QUESTIONS TO ASK THE CANDIDATES.
WE GOT SEVERAL QUES WELL, QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS AHEAD OF TIME.
UM, WE ASKED FOR QUESTIONS ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA, AND YOU DID
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RESPOND, AND YOU'VE ALSO RESPONDED TONIGHT.WE'VE HAD QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS TURNED IN ALREADY.
IF WE DON'T USE YOUR QUESTION TONIGHT, IT MAY BE BECAUSE WE COLLECTED MORE QUESTIONS THAN WE WILL HAVE TIME FOR.
IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE THAT YOUR QUESTION WAS USED IN THE ONLINE VOTER'S GUIDE.
WE'RE TRYING HARD NOT TO REPEAT QUESTIONS TONIGHT THAT ARE ALSO ONLINE.
CHECK OUT OUR, UM, ONLINE VOTERS GUIDE AGAIN AT VOTE FOUR ONE ONE.ORG.
I DO GUARANTEE THAT ALL QUESTIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED EITHER TONIGHT AT THE FORUM OR AHEAD OF TIME WILL BE CONSIDERED OR HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED.
ONE OF THE CANDIDATES WHOSE NAME APPEARS IN YOUR PROGRAM WILL NOT BE HERE THIS EVENING.
ALAN C NORTH, A CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR IN BALLOT POSITION ONE RECENTLY INFORMED THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS THAT HE WILL BE UNABLE TO ATTEND DUE TO A CONFLICT ACCORDING TO LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS POLICIES.
THE FORUM WILL PROCEED AS SCHEDULED.
MR. NORTH'S NAME WILL APPEAR ON THE BALLOT ON THE MAY 3RD ELECTION.
MANY THANKS TO THE CANDIDATES ON STAGE FOR ATTENDING OUR FORUM THIS EVENING AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY.
WE WISH EACH OF YOU GOOD LUCK.
THE MODERATOR FOR TONIGHT'S FORUM IS LYNETTE GREENHAW.
LYNETTE GREENHAW IS A RETIRED COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND EDUCATION NONPROFIT, PROFESSIONAL AND LONGTIME PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCATE.
SHE SERVED ON THE RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR 18 YEARS, AS WELL AS IN A NUMBER OF PTA COUNCIL, LOCAL PTA UNIT AND COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER POSITIONS.
LYNETTE SPENT THE LAST 10 YEARS OF HER CAREER AS VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE AT THE DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER LEADING POLICY, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD INITIATIVES.
SHE IS A GRADUATE OF LEADERSHIP RICHARDSON, UH, LEADERSHIP, TASB, WHICH IS THE, UH, TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS.
SHE'S A MASTER TRUSTEE, UH, FOR RICHARDSON, ISD AND A PRESTON HOLLOW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ELDER LYNETTE WAS NAMED THE 2017 RICHARDSON ALTRUSA OUTSTANDING WOMAN OF TODAY.
SHE HAS ALSO BEEN AWARDED THE NATIONAL PTA LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, UH, THE TEXAS PTA LIFE MEMBERSHIP AWARD, AND THE RICHARDSON, I-S-D-P-T-A COUNCIL EXTENDED SERVICE AWARD.
SHE AND HER HUSBAND BILL HAVE LIVED IN RICHARDSON FOR 43 YEARS AND HAVE THREE ADULT DAUGHTERS AND SIX GRANDCHILDREN.
SO I, I GIVE IT OVER TO LYNETTE GREENHAW, UH, TO CONTINUE THE FORM.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE A COUPLE HOUSEKEEPING THINGS THAT WE ALWAYS, THAT YOU'LL ALWAYS HEAR, AND THAT ONE IS TO PLEASE, UH, SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES AND ANY OTHER DEVICE, AND WE ASK YOU NOT TO TAKE ANY FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY.
UH, IT'S NOT ALLOWED DURING THE FORUM.
IT'S A DISTRACTION FOR THE CANDIDATES.
AND PRIOR TO THIS EVENING, THE CANDIDATES AGREED TO ABIDE BY ALL FORUM GROUND RULES.
THOSE RULES INCLUDE SHOWING RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AT ALL TIMES.
CANDIDATES HAVE AGREED NOT TO INTERRUPT ONE ANOTHER, NOT TO TALK OVER ONE ANOTHER, AND THEY'VE ALSO AGREED TO REFRAIN FROM PERSONAL ATTACKS OR CHARGES.
ALL RIGHT, IT'S TIME TO, UH, GET DOWN TO SOME OF THE SPECIFICS THAT WE'RE HERE FOR THIS EVENING.
ACCORDING TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE, THE RICHARDSON CITY COUNCIL CONSISTS OF THE MAYOR, TWO AT LARGE SEATS AND FOUR PLACE OR DISTRICT SEATS.
THOUGH MEMBERS REPRESENTING PLACE ONE THROUGH FOUR RESIDE IN THOSE AREAS.
ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL ARE ELECTED AT LARGE BY VOTERS.
ALL CITY COUNCIL SEATS CARRY TWO YEAR TERMS AND ARE UP FOR ELECTION DURING MAY OF EVERY ODD YEAR.
TERM LIMITS FOR MEMBERSHIP ON THE CITY COUNCIL ARE LIMITED TO SIX TERMS OR 12 CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
AUDIENCE, WE ALSO ASK YOU TO PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ANY APPLAUSE OR ANY OTHER SIGNS OF SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION TO ANY CANDIDATE.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS FORUM IS TO HEAR WHAT THE CANDIDATES HAVE TO SAY.
SO PLEASE, LET'S GIVE THEM AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE AND SAVE YOUR APPLAUSE.
CANDIDATES RUNNING IN CONTESTED RACES ARE SEATED ON THE STAGE AND THE ORDER THAT THEIR NAMES WILL APPEAR ON THE BALLOT TO INTRODUCE THE CANDIDATES, HERE THEY ARE FOR MAYOR PLACE SEVEN IN BALLOT POSITION TWO.
AMIR OMAR, FOR MAYOR PLACE SEVEN.
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BALLOT POSITION THREE, CURRENT MAYOR BOB DUBY FOR CITY COUNCIL PLACE IN BALLOT POSITION ONE CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBER PLACE, SIX ORHAN SAMSEL AND FOR CITY COUNCIL PLACE SIX AND BALLOT POSITION TWO.IN LIEU OF AN OPENING STATEMENT, EACH CANDIDATE SUBMITTED A SHORT BIOGRAPHY, WHICH WAS PRINTED AND HANDED OUT WHEN WE WHEN YOU ENTERED THE VENUE.
SO THAT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU TO READ THE FIRST THREE QUESTIONS, WHICH WERE WRITTEN BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF RICHARDSON WILL BE ASKED ONLY OF THE CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR.
WE WILL ROTATE THE ORDER IN WHICH THE CANDIDATES ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
ALL THE REMAINING QUESTIONS, WHICH ARE CHOSEN FROM THOSE EITHER SUBMITTED ONLINE OR AT THE FORUM, WILL BE ASKED OF ALL CANDIDATES.
AGAIN, WE WILL ROTATE AN ORDER IN WHICH THE CANDIDATES ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
CANDIDATES, YOU'LL HAVE ONE AND A HALF MINUTES TO ANSWER EACH QUESTION.
ALL RIGHT, YOU READY TO GO? LET'S GET THROUGH.
WE'LL BEGIN WITH THE MAYOR CANDIDATE IN BALLOT POSITION TWO.
MR. OMAR, THE RICHARDSON CITY CHARTER IS NOT VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE MAYOR AS DISTINCT FROM THOSE OF OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS MAYOR THAT YOU WOULD, THAT YOU COULD NOT DO AS A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT BENEFITS THE CITY OF RICHARDSON? WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING.
UM, TRADITIONALLY WHAT YOU'VE SEEN IS THE MAYOR BEING THE FACE AND VOICE OF THE CITY.
UH, SO VERY OFTEN YOU GET ASKED TO, UH, PARTICIPATE IN INTERVIEWS.
UH, YOU GET ASKED TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE CITY IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT INSTANCES.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EXCITES ME ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO SERVE OUR CITY IS, UH, THE FACT THAT I HAVE, UM, THAT IN MY BACKGROUND, UH, THAT I HAVE AS AN EXECUTIVE OF A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, UH, BEEN ABLE TO HAVE TO BE PUT IN SCENARIOS WHERE WE HAVE TO COMMUNICATE, UH, TO LARGE GROUPS AS WELL AS SMALLER, VERY IMPORTANT GROUPS.
ANOTHER PART OF BEING MAYOR IS YOU DO RUN THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
AND, UM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE NOT JUST TO SET THE TONE FOR APPLICANTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY KNOW, UH, THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH A CITY THAT'S INCREDIBLY PROFESSIONAL, UH, BUT FRANKLY, IN THOSE FEW MOMENTS WHERE AN APPLICANT MIGHT ACT OUT OF ORDER OR YOU MAY HAVE SOMEONE NOT ACTING IN A WAY THAT IS BECOMING, UM, THE MAYOR HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THINGS UNDER CONTROL, KEEP THEM FOCUSED ON THE ISSUES, AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY, UH, KEEP THE SUBJECTS TIGHT.
THE LAST THING IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND I'M RUNNING OUTTA TIME, SO I'LL JUST SAY I'M EXCITED ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM THAT WOULD BE PARTNERING WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.
I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THIS TONIGHT BECAUSE THIS, I GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE EXCITEMENT AND ENERGY THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS SINCE I'VE BEEN MAYOR.
BUT THE MAYOR POSITION IS A LEADERSHIP ROLE.
IT, IT REQUIRES AN INDIVIDUAL TO LISTEN TO THINK FORWARD, TO HAVE, BE VISIONARY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT I HAVE PROVEN THAT I CAN DO.
AND SOME OF THE IN INFORMATION THAT WE'LL SHARE LATER, WE WILL DOCUMENT THAT AS WELL.
THE MAYOR, ACCORDING TO OUR CITY CHARTER, AND OUR CITY CHARTER IS THE CONSTITUTION OF THE CITY IS A CEREMONIAL MAYOR.
THAT MEANS YOU ARE RUNNING THE MEETINGS, YOU ARE THE FACE OF THE MEETINGS, AND LIKE AMIR SAID, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND GREET AND GO TO LOTS OF FUNCTIONS.
SO YOU ARE THE FACE AND YOU REPRESENT THE ENTIRE COUNCIL.
OFTENTIMES, UM, THE WAY I DO IT IS THE ENTIRE COUNCIL IS WELCOME TO COME TO ALMOST EVERY SINGLE EVENT THAT I GO TO, AND WE WANT THEIR INPUT AND WE CHALLENGE THEM TO BE A PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS.
UM, AS A LEADER, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AS A CEREMONIAL LEADER, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DON'T STEP OUTTA YOUR LANE.
IT'S NOT MY JOB TO RUN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
IT'S NOT MY JOB TO DO CERTAIN THINGS, BUT I DO AS MANY THINGS AS I CAN TO REPRESENT THE CITY POSITIVELY.
QUESTION TWO, WE'LL BEGIN WITH THE MAYORAL CANDIDATE IN BALLOT POSITION THREE, MR. DEBE, THAT'S YOU.
UNDER FEDERAL LAW, DISASTER DECLARATIONS ARE MADE BY THE CHIEF ELECTED OFFICER OF A JURISDICTION IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, THAT IS THE MAYOR.
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CAN OR SHOULD THE MAYOR TAKE DURING AN EMERGENCY? HOW CAN YOU PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THIS ROLE? WELL, THANK YOU.YOU, FIRST OF ALL, YOU ARE PREPARED TO DO THAT.
YOU WORK WITH THE, UH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM, AND WE HAVE A WHOLE TEAM THAT DO THAT.
THE CITY MANAGER IS IN THAT POSITION.
EVENTUALLY, IF WE HAVE A STATE OF EMERGENCY, A CRISIS OF A TORNADO OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE, AND IT IS WARRANTED AFTER ALL THE MINES THAT ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES AND SO FORTH, THEN THE MAYOR WOULD WORK WITH THEM AND THEN MAKE THAT DECLARATION.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES IT MEANS YOU GET THE FEDERAL FUNDING BACK, YOU GET, UH, MONEY THAT COMES TO HELP, UM, COVER THE EXPENSES OF A DISASTER THAT MAY HIT THE CITY.
SO I CAN HONESTLY TELL YOU THAT IT'S REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FIRST THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING FOR THE MAYOR.
YOU GET CALLED IN SO YOU KNOW THE TRUTH OF HOW BAD IT IS OR WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE TO ELIMINATE OBSTACLES FOR OUR CITIZENS.
AND SO WHEN IT'S APPROPRIATE, THEN THOSE STATEMENTS ARE MADE APPROPRIATELY.
UH, IT'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION AND, AND DEFINITELY AGAIN, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE MAYOR TO BE THE FACE AND VOICE OF THE CITY IN SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT TIMES.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT AS MAYOR, YOU TRY TO TAKE AN ASSESSMENT OF WHAT THE IMPACT IS FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, AS, AS MAYOR, I'M GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE SAFE, UH, MAKING SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE IMPACT ON THOSE RESIDENTS, UH, ARE.
UH, WE ONLY HAD, UH, ONE OF THOSE TYPES OF DES DISASTERS JUST A YEAR OR SO AGO, UH, WHERE A LARGE NUMBER OF HOMES WERE DESTROYED OR HURT.
UH, OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF TREES WERE DOWNED.
UM, WE HAD A WHOLE LOT OF RESIDENTS WITHOUT POWER FOR, UH, AN ENTIRE SECTION OF OUR CITY.
AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS MAYOR, I WOULD BE LOOKING AT THE IMPACT ON THOSE RESIDENTS, SEE WHAT WE CAN DO AS A CITY, WHICH I THINK ACTUALLY THE CITY DID A FANTASTIC JOB WITH ITS RESPONSE, UH, AND THAT PARTNERSHIP IS, IS VERY CLEAR.
UH, BUT AS MAYOR, I WOULD ALSO TAKE SCENARIOS LIKE THAT, AND I WOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, HEY, IF THERE'S A COUNCIL MEETING THAT'S GOING TO BE ADDRESSING AN ISSUE THAT AFFECTS A PART OF THAT CITY THAT'S BEEN DAMAGED OR DESTROYED OR HAS A POWER OUTAGE, I WOULD DELAY COUNCIL MEETINGS THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY IMPACT THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS SO THAT THOSE PEOPLE CAN FEEL LIKE THEY CAN WEIGH IN AT A TIME WHEN THEIR POWER ISN'T ALL THE WAY DOWN.
PRIOR TO 2024, THE CITY SPONSORED A SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON.
THAT PROGRAM WAS DISCONTINUED, AND OUR ISD PROGRAM IS NOW IN PLACE, BUT IT IS NOT OPEN TO RICHARDSON RESIDENTS WHO ATTEND PLANO ISD SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, OR WHO ARE OR WHO ARE HOMESCHOOLED.
IF ELECTED, WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF REINSTATING THE RICHARDSON MAYOR'S SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM? WHY OR WHY NOT? ALL, ALL TOO OFTEN, WHEN AN ELECTED OFFICIAL GETS ELECTED, THE FIRST THING THEY DO IS POTENTIALLY LOOK AT WHAT THEY CAN CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS PERSON.
UM, MY INCLINATION AS MAYOR WOULD NOT BE TO DO THAT.
UH, SO THERE WAS A CHANGE MADE.
UH, THERE WERE FUNDS DIVERTED TO THE PIP PROGRAM, A PROGRAM THAT I THINK IS AN EXCELLENT PROGRAM AND ONE THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO FUND.
THAT SAID, WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO HAVE A SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.
IT, IT'S, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO GET VALUABLE EXPERIENCE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT HELPS THOSE STUDENTS BE ABLE TO GET INTO BETTER COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AS WELL AS HAVING EVEN BETTER OPPORTUNITIES.
PISD, PRIVATE SCHOOL, HOMESCHOOL, PAROCHIAL SCHOOL, ALL OF THOSE STUDENTS WERE ESSENTIALLY PUT IN THE DARK.
THERE WERE OPPORTUNITIES TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM THAT WERE THERE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS BEFOREHAND.
THE SYSTEM WAS THERE, THE PROCESS WAS THERE.
IT SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN PLACE.
AND AS MAYOR, I ABSOLUTELY WOULD BRING IT RIGHT BACK.
TO CLARIFY, THE PROGRAM WAS ENHANCED.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM? IT WAS EXTREMELY FINANCIALLY DRAINING ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
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AS A CITY LOOKED AT IT AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO? WE WANT TO BE A PARTNER WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND WE STILL ARE.AND WHAT THEY DID IS EXPANDED FROM JUST BEING THE SUMMER TO FIRST SEMESTER AND SECOND SEMESTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE STUDENTS.
THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENGAGED ACTUALLY HAS INCREASED, AND IT IS A VERY GOOD PROGRAM.
UM, I PERSONALLY HAVE WRITTEN, I I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, BUT I HAVE PERSONALLY WRITTEN, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THESE STUDENTS TO GET INTO COLLEGE, INTO, UH, REFERENCES FOR JOBS AND THINGS OF THIS NATURE.
ONE OTHER THING THAT WE ADDED WAS I ALSO ALLOWED SHADOWING THE MAYOR.
I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE STUDENTS THAT SHADOWED ME AS WE GO THROUGH THE DAY-TO-DAY CHORES THAT THE MAYOR HAS.
I I'M PRETTY FIRED UP ABOUT IT, AND I THINK WE ENHANCED A PROGRAM.
NOW, THE SCHOOLS THAT DIDN'T GET TO PARTICIPATE IN IT, UM, THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S RI, SDS TAXPAYERS WHO ARE FUNDING THIS PROGRAM, THE OTHER INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.
AND WE'RE, I, I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO IT THE WAY WE'RE DOING AT THIS POINT.
THAT CONCLUDES THE QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE ASKED OF THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES ONLY.
ALL OTHER QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED OF THE ALL FOUR CANDIDATES, BEGINNING WITH PLACE SIX.
SO, MR. ORPHAN, YOU'RE GONNA BEGIN WITH THIS QUESTION TO YOU.
WHAT QUALITIES OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS DO YOU BRING TO THE POSITION YOU'RE RUNNING FOR THAT MAKE YOU THE PERSON I SHOULD VOTE FOR? THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IT'S AN ONGOING PROCESS, AND I'M VERY HAPPY THAT WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED LAST FOUR YEARS, ESPECIALLY LAST TWO YEARS, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER.
I DO MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THIS IS THE ONE THING THAT I REALIZE THAT IF WE DON'T TAKE CARE OF THIS THING TODAY, UH, THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN.
ALL, YOU KNOW, SAME TIME, WE HAVE TO FIX ALL THOSE THING IN CERTAIN YEARS.
SO MANAGING THE TAX MONEY OVER THE YEARS WAS IMPORTANT, AND I DO THOSE THINGS VERY BEST.
AND I DO REALIZE THAT I'M NOT GOING TO BE THE CITY ENGINEER, BUT I'M THE COUNCIL THAT I WOULD BE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF YOU ALL.
I THINK WE HAVE DONE GREAT JOB.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE INCREASED THE BUDGET ON THAT ONE OVER 27% LAST FEW YEARS.
YOU SEE CONSTRUCTION GOING ON EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHERE.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT TAX RATE HAS, TAX HAS GONE UP SO MUCH BECAUSE WHEN YOU TAKE CARE OF THE CITY NICELY, YOUR TAX GOES UP, UH, BECAUSE YOUR HOUSE BILL GOES UP.
SO WE REDUCED THE TAX RATE LAST, UH, FOUR YEARS, WHICH IS ABOUT 13% 0.65 CENTS, $0.65 TO NOW 0.54 CENTS.
UH, AND ALSO WE HAVE INCREASED THE SENIOR TAX EXEMPT.
WHEN I GOT ELECTED, IT WAS A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
NOW IT'S 160,000, 60% INCREASE.
AND, UH, WE WOULD BE DOING, I WOULD BE CONTINUING DOING THIS THING AS I MOVE FORWARD.
SO, LOVE TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FOR HOSTING THIS FORUM.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING.
I HAVE OVER 10 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY IN VARIOUS VOLUNTEER CAPACITIES.
UM, I'VE SERVED AS PAST PRESIDENT OF, UM, THE RICHARDSON CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, PAST PRESIDENT OF THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY, UH, PAST PRESIDENT OF JUNIOR LEAGUE, CURRENTLY SERVE ON THE RICHARDSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BOARD.
UM, AND THEN AS FAR AS CITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH VOLUNTEERISM, I'VE ALSO SERVED ON THE LIBRARY BOARD.
AND MOST RECENTLY, UNTIL I NEEDED TO STEP DOWN TO PURSUE THIS OPPORTUNITY ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT.
SO I HAVE DEDICATED MY TIME
I BELIEVE I HAVE A VARIETY, UM, OF INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE, UM, AND I FEEL LIKE I COULD CONTRIBUTE MORE DEEPLY TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT IS WHY I FEEL LIKE I AM WORTHY OF YOUR VOTE.
I FEEL LIKE MY QUALIFICATIONS ARE ON PAR WITH, UM, A LOT OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND A LOT OF FOLKS THAT HAVE PURSUED OFFICE.
SO I WANT THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AND SERVE MORE DEEPLY.
AND AGAIN, I WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VOTE.
YEAH, SO I THINK THE QUALITY THAT I BRING, UH, TO BEING MAYOR WOULD BE BEING PROACTIVE.
UH, THERE'S TALK OF CEREMONIAL MAYOR VERSUS WHATEVER THE OTHER OPTION IS.
AND I THINK WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE IS BEING A PROACTIVE MAYOR, A MAYOR THAT WOULD ACTUALLY WORK HARD TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE'VE TRADITIONALLY DONE IN TERMS OF RIBBON CUTTING.
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SO LET'S TAKE THE EXAMPLE OF THE RISD INTERNSHIP.THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR A MAYOR TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND RAISE THE FUNDS, TO BE ABLE TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE A SUMMER INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY.
AND AS YOUR MAYOR, I WOULD MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ONE OF THOSE PROMISES THAT SOMETIMES YOU SEE POLITICIANS MAKE.
IT'S SOMETHING I'VE ALREADY DONE WHEN I WAS A COUNCIL PERSON, WHEN WE HAD THE TELECOM CRASH AND WE HAD VERY LITTLE BUDGET TO BE ABLE TO SPEND ANY KIND OF EXTRA MONEY, I WAS TAKING THE LEAD ON FIGURING OUT HOW WE COULD MAKE A TREE PLANTING INITIATIVE HAPPEN.
AND I WENT AND FOUND THE CORPORATE SPONSORS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD IT ALL FUNDED.
AND IN CASE YOU'RE CONCERNED THAT I MIGHT TRY AND DO SOMETHING ALL BY MYSELF, THAT IT RESULTED IN A SEVEN ZERO VOTE BY THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT IT AS AN ACTUAL PROGRAM IN THE CITY CALLED TREE THE TOWN.
SO I'VE GOT EXPERIENCE DOING THESE SORTS OF PROACTIVE THINGS, AND IT'S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT OF ME AS MAYOR, YOU CAN EXPECT THE SAME THING ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FRONT.
YOU CAN SEE ME REACHING OUT BOTH TO THE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES WE HAVE IN RICHARDSON TODAY, AS WELL AS REACHING OUT TO THOSE THAT WE WANT TO BRING OVER HERE TO RICHARDSON TOMORROW.
I BELIEVE, WITHOUT A DOUBT, I'M YOUR BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE MAYOR POSITION.
I THINK, UH, MY LOYALTY, AND I CAN GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
I'VE LIVED HERE BASICALLY MY ENTIRE LIFE, K THROUGH 12 IN RISD, WORKED FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR 40 YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WITH ONE COMPANY OVER AND OVER, AND I'VE COMMITTED TO THAT.
AND I THINK THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES FOR A PERSON WHO HAS INTEGRITY AND A PERSON THAT'S PROVEN TO BE LOYAL TO THE CAUSE.
AND I'M, AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I DO.
THE OTHER THINGS OTHER THAN, OTHER THAN JUST ME PERSONALLY, I, IN MY POSITION FOR THE LAST 17 AND A HALF YEARS BEFORE I BECAME ON COUNCIL SIX YEARS AGO, IS I WORKED A BUDGET MULTIMILLION DOLLAR BUDGET FOR ATHLETICS.
I HAD OVER 240 COACHES UNDER MY GUIDANCE AND EVALUATIONS.
I WORKED TAX PAYER DOLLARS WITH, UM, THE BUDGET, AND I KNOW HOW TO DO THAT AND, AND TAKE CARE OF IT.
NOT A SINGLE TIME DID I GO OVER BUDGET.
UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT, UM, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IN MY PREVIOUS JOBS, I TOOK CARE OF SAFETY.
I COULD TOOK CARE OF LARGE CROWDS AT EVENTS.
UM, THERE WERE ORGANIZATIONS, LOTS OF PLANNING, AND IT WAS DRIVEN ON WHAT'S BEST FOR PEOPLE.
AND I LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE WANNA SAY AND HOW THEY'RE INVOLVED.
AND YOU HAVE A VERY ACTIVE MAYOR RIGHT NOW, AND I'D HATE TO SEE YOU GO BACKWARDS.
AND MR. DUBY, WE WILL START WITH YOU FOR THIS ONE.
THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION HAS BEEN MEETING AND WILL SOON MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
THAT MAY BE, I'M SORRY, WILL SOON MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT MAY THEN BE VOTED ON BY RICHARDSON VOTERS THIS FALL.
WHAT ASPECTS OF THE CITY CHARTER DO YOU BELIEVE SHOULD BE CHANGED IN ORDER TO KEEP RICHARDSON CURRENT AND COMPETITIVE? THANK YOU.
AND I HAD THE HONOR OF ACTUALLY CHAIRING THE CITY, UH, CHARTER COMMISSION 10 YEARS AGO.
WE HAD A LOT OF CHANGES ON THAT PARTICULAR, UM, VOTE AT THAT TIME.
SO WHAT I WOULD WANT TO DO, FIRST OF ALL, IS LISTEN TO WHAT THE CHARTER HAS SAID TO THE COUNCIL THAT'S GONNA COME TO THE COUNCIL THROUGH THE PROCESS.
ONCE WE GET IT, THEN WE CAN EITHER AGREE WITH IT OR DISAGREE WITH IT.
AS FAR AS CHANGES GO, UM, ANY CHANGES WE AGREE ON WOULD THEN GO TO THE VOTERS, AND THEN THE VOTERS WOULD PASS THOSE.
SO IT'S A PROCESS THAT'S REALLY SPECIAL BECAUSE EVERYONE'S ENGAGED.
EVERYONE GETS TO HAVE A VOICE IN WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD.
NOW, AS I, I'M NOT REAL SURE WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE COMING OUT OF THE, UH, RE CHARTER COMMISSION YET, BUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM, I THINK, UM, THE TERM AS FAR AS EVERY TWO YEARS FOR A COUNCIL MEMBER, I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE SHORT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
UM, BECAUSE IT, IT REALLY, EVERY TWO YEARS, IT WEIGHS HEAVY ON OUR STAFF.
THE STAFF IS THE ONE THAT HAS TO TRAIN EACH COUNCIL MEMBER, AND THERE'S A LOT TO LEARN TO BE A COUNCIL MEMBER.
SO AS YOU'RE LEARNING, THAT MEANS THE STAFF IS PULLED AWAY FROM PROJECTS, PULLED AWAY FROM THINGS THAT THEY COULD BE WORKING ON TO HELP THE COUNCIL BE SUCCESSFUL AND TO HELP THE CITIZENS HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
[00:30:01]
MR. OMAR.YEAH, I, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE MAJOR, UH, DESIRES IN TERMS OF THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION, AND I TOO TRUST THE PROCESS.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING ABOUT THE PROCESS THOUGH, IS THAT THIS IS NOW THE SECOND CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION PROCESS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH, THAT NONE OF US CAN GO BACK AND WATCH.
NONE OF US HAVE THE ABILITY TO WATCH A VIDEO OF IT.
THERE'S ZERO TRANSPARENCY IN TERMS OF THE ABILITY TO WATCH ANYTHING AFTER THE FACT.
SO UNLESS YOU'RE DEDICATED TO BEING THERE ON A THURSDAY, UM, YOU REALLY CAN'T HEAR IT OR SEE IT OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF THE PEOPLE AS THEY'RE MAKING THE DECISIONS.
THERE, THERE, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO CHANGE THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S A SIGN OF, UH, OF A NEED FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY AND WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT GETS ADOPTED IN A CHARTER OR NOT.
I DO THINK AS MAYOR, I WOULD BE PUSHING FOR INITIATIVES THAT MAKE MEETINGS, NOT JUST THE CHARTER REVIEW MEETING, BUT EVERY COMMISSION MEETING, EVERY BOARD MEETING.
MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ALL RECORDED.
MAKE SURE THAT AS RESIDENTS, UH, IF YOU'RE CURIOUS WHY THE ARTS COMMISSION DID X OR Y, YOU COULD GO BACK TO THAT COUNCIL MEETING OR TO THAT ARTS COMMISSION MEETING AND, AND WATCH IT AND ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THE DISCUSSION AND HOPEFULLY, UH, RECOGNIZE THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE DECISION.
ALSO, IF YOU ONE DAY WANT TO BE A PART OF A PARKS COMMISSION OR, OR AN ARTS COMMISSION OR, OR A LIBRARY BOARD, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF YOU COULD WATCH A YEAR'S WORTH OF THOSE MEETINGS AND LEARN FROM THEM? SO TRANSPARENCY TO ME WOULD BE A GREAT PART OF WHAT WE COULD DO.
UM, I WILL ECHO MAYOR DUBBY AND MR. OMAR, WHEN THEY SPEAK OF TRUSTING THE PROCESS, I THINK OUR CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION IS DOING THE HERO'S WORK
UM, AND IT'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, DRY LEGAL
UM, I CAN SPEAK TO SPECIFICALLY EARLY ON THE, SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE COUNCIL PUT FORTH TO CONSIDER TO THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION THAT STUCK WITH ME.
AND ONE WAS CONSIDERING LONGER TERMS. I PERSONALLY DO NOT SUPPORT THAT.
I FEEL LIKE RESPECTFUL CHALLENGE IS A HALLMARK OF HEALTHY DEMOCRACY.
UM, AND WHEN WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY A FEW OF US UP HERE TODAY.
WE HAVE EVERY OTHER POSITION RUNNING UNOPPOSED.
I DON'T THINK THAT IS NECESSARILY AN ISSUE.
UM, I THINK ELECTIONS KEEP US HEALTHY, KEEP US ACCOUNTABLE, AND ALSO PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GOOD DISCOURSE.
UM, THE OTHER PIECE OF IT, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION ARE TO CONSIDER POTENTIALLY, UM, LIMITING SOME OF THE, UH, RESTRICTIONS AGAINST, UM, BOARDS AND COMMISSION MEMBERS BEING ABLE TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY.
I FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD BE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD AS OUR COUNCIL OFFICIALS.
SO THAT IS ANOTHER THING THAT I WOULD BE OPPOSED TO.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE RESULTS AND THE WORK THAT IS DONE.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU TO OUR CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS AND MR. ARFON.
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, BUT I'LL GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, I STARTED MY LIFE HERE, LIKE FROM ZERO, YOU CAN SAY NEGATIVE, I HAD TO SAVE S EVERY SINGLE PENNY TO START MY OWN ENGINEERING FIRM.
IF IT IS A PUBLIC MONEY THAT'S SERIOUS THINGS.
SO, AND YOU KNOW, I WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL HOW I PROPOSED OR HOW I SPEND CITY'S MONEY.
UH, IF I DON'T SEE RETURN, I WOULD NOT BE SUPPORTING.
UH, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION, THEY'RE WORKING, I THINK THEIR BEST.
THESE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH OUR CITIES.
SO, AND ALSO THE WHOLE THING IS ABOUT YOU.
SO SERVING AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IS NOTHING MORE THAN THAT, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
IT'S ABOUT SERVING YOU, SERVING US FOR OUR BEST INTEREST FUTURE.
SO I WOULD NOT BE INFLUENCING THEM AT THIS POINT, WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO SAY BY SAYING SOMETHING FROM THE PODIUM OR OUTSIDE.
I WOULD LET THE PROCESS GO THE WAY IT IS GOING, UH, TRANSPARENT, AND EVENTUALLY THE WATERS WILL DECIDE HOW THIS WILL GO THROUGH.
I DO HAVE MY PERSONAL CHOICE, BUT AT THIS POINT, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I STAY AWAY, UH, RECOMMENDING SOMETHING BECAUSE THAT WILL INFLUENCE INDIVIDUAL OR THAT COULD INFLUENCE THE INDIVIDUAL DECISION THERE.
THANK YOU, MS. CUFFER, WE WILL START WITH YOU FOR THIS NEXT QUESTION.
IN RECENT YEARS, HOUSING HAS BECOME LESS ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE FOR YOUNG FAMILIES.
DOES THE CITY HAVE FIRST TIME HOME BUYER INITIATIVES? AND WHAT OTHER IDEAS DO YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES? THAT'S A WONDERFUL
[00:35:01]
QUESTION AND REALLY A PERSONAL ONE FOR ME.UM, MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED OUR HOME IN RICHARDSON SEVEN YEARS AGO.
WE WERE A LITTLE BIT LATE BLOOMERS.
UM, 'CAUSE WE MOVED AROUND A LOT AND DECIDED RICHARDSON WOULD BE OUR HOME.
UH, WE QUALIFIED FOR A FIRST TIME BUYERS PROGRAM, UM, WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THEN WHEN WE ON ESCROW CLOSING DAY, UH, WE HAD OUR LOAN OFFICER, WHO IS AN INCREDIBLE PERSON, SAY, OH, BY THE WAY, UM, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NO LONGER QUALIFIES FOR THIS PROGRAM.
BUT DON'T WORRY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GRANDFATHERED IN.
SO HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UM, PERSONAL TO ME.
THAT SAID, HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IS ALSO A REGIONAL ISSUE.
UM, IT'S HAVING AFFORDABLE JOBS, IT'S HAVING TRANSPORTATION TO THOSE JOBS.
UM, I THINK THAT THE CITY IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED IN WHAT THEY CAN DO TO PROMOTE SPECIFIC AFFORDABLE HOUSING BEYOND BUILDING A GOOD ECONOMY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, PROVIDING JOBS AND PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, AFFORD A HOME.
SO I THINK THERE'S ALSO SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AS FAR AS, UM, PROMOTING ACCESSORY, DUCT DWELLING UNITS, UM, SOME OF THE WORK IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR MISSING MIDDLE.
UM, THOSE ARE THINGS I'D LIKE TO EXPLORE FURTHER, BUT I DO BELIEVE IT IS MORE, IT'S A REGIONAL ISSUE AND MORE COMPLEX THAN ANY ONE MUNICIPALITY.
THAT'S, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY SERIOUS QUESTION.
UH, YOU KNOW, NUMBER ONE, AFFORDABILITY.
I MEAN IT, YOU KNOW, IT MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE FOR RESEARCH.
UH, WE HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH LAND LEFT OUT, SO WE CAN'T REALLY DO THAT MUCH ABOUT THAT.
AND ALSO, I BELIEVE IN OPEN MARKET, FREE MARKET.
SO WE DON'T CONTROL THE PRICE OF HOUSING, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN DO MANY THINGS TO INFLUENCE THAT.
UH, WE, WE NEED, UH, HOUSING FOR, UH, YOUNGER FAMILIES.
UH, AND WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE HAVE TAKEN SOME, UH, STEPS JUST FROM THE RECENT, UH, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WE, UH, WE JUST UPDATED, UH, THAT HAS SOME GREAT IDEA, SMALL HOUSING, UH, MIDDLE HOUSING, YOU KNOW, MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SOMETIMES.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE SOMETHING THAT, BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THOSE 1500, 2000 SQUARE FEET HOUSINGS ARE COMING, THE PRICE ARE STILL LIKE 500, 600,000.
SO THAT'S BECOMING CHALLENGING.
SO WE NEED TO ATTRACT MORE BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA SO THAT THAT PAYS HIGH, UH, SALARY.
UH, AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.
WE HAVE MICRONS COMING IN RECENTLY AND SOME OTHER, YOU'LL BE HEARING MORE BUSINESS COMING IN SOON.
WE JUST CAN'T TALK ABOUT THIS THING TODAY UNTIL THOSE ARE ANNOUNCED.
SO GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
UH, WE JUST NEED TO KEEP UP WITH THE MARKET.
UM, WE, LIKE MR. SHAM, SCHUEL JUST STATED, WE HAVE LIMITED GREEN SPACE.
WE, MATTER OF FACT, WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT 3% GREEN SPACE LEFT WITHIN THE CITY.
SO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING AS A COUNCIL IS, AND, AND I'M IN FAVOR OF THIS, IS REPURPOSING CLASS B OFFICE SPACE, THOSE TYPE OF THINGS, GETTING RID OF THE THINGS THAT ARE EYESORE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND FINDING A WAY TO DO MULTI HOUSE, MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING.
AND SOME OF THOSE NOW I KNOW APARTMENTS AREN'T, UM, VERY POPULAR AND THEY'RE NOT REALLY POPULAR FOR ME EITHER.
I DON'T WANT ONE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THE WE, WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT TRY TO PUT THESE, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN DIFFERENT UNITS, TOWN HOMES, THOSE TYPE OF THINGS IN AND AROUND TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT TO WHERE THERE IS A OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN, IN THE MIDDLE HOUSING, IF THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
BUT LIKE ORPHAN JUST SAID, WE DON'T CONTROL THE LAND.
IF WE DON'T OWN IT, WE CAN'T TELL 'EM WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.
NOW WE CAN APPROVE IT, BUT THE PLAN IS THERE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IF IF IT'S ZONED A CERTAIN WAY BY RIGHT, THEY CAN DO IT.
SO WE REALLY DO A LOT OF WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TRYING TO GET DEVELOPERS TO BE VERY MINDFUL OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND TO WORK WITH US.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
SO THERE IS A HOUSING STUDY THAT'S GOING ON.
UH, AND LIKE ANY OTHER STUDY THAT WE INVEST IN, UH, I WOULD OBVIOUSLY WANNA LOOK AT THE RESULTS OF THAT AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT THEY PROPOSE FOR THINGS LIKE MISSING MIDDLE AND, AND IDEA OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
[00:40:04]
I WAS ABOUT TO SAY WHERE WE DIFFER, I THINK THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES.SO WHAT I'LL SAY IS THAT I BELIEVE THAT THE ANSWER ISN'T MORE APARTMENTS AND MORE APARTMENTS AND MORE APARTMENTS IN PLACES THAT THEY'RE NOT PLANNED.
WE TODAY HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THREE, FOUR, 5,000 ALREADY, UH, APPROVED BUYRIGHT APARTMENTS ZONING WISE, MEANING THAT THOSE PEOPLE CAN BUY THOSE PROPERTIES, BUILD APARTMENTS RIGHT THERE IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
BUT WHAT I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF IS TAKING A PLAN, TEARING IT UP, AND THEN MOVING FORWARD WITH APARTMENTS BECAUSE WE THINK SOMEHOW IT'S GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AFFORDABILITY.
OR WE SOMEHOW THINK THAT 270 MORE APARTMENTS DOWNTOWN ARE GONNA HELP US HAVE A BOOMING RETAIL IN DOWNTOWN.
I JUST THINK THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HOUSING, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE A, THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE EXPERTS THAT ARE GONNA GIVE US ANSWERS.
BUT B, THAT THE ANSWER ISN'T JUST APPROVING ANYTHING ANYWHERE.
AND WHEN RESIDENTS ARE REACHING OUT TO US AS LEADERS AND ASKING US TO STICK WITH OUR OWN PLANS, THERE SHOULD BE A WAKE UP CALL.
THERE SHOULD BE A MOMENT WHERE WE SAY, GOSH, WHAT ARE WE DOING AS A CITY THAT WE'RE NOT EVEN FOLLOWING OUR OWN PLANS? SO MR. OMAR, THIS QUESTION WILL COME TO YOU FIRST.
RICHARDSON IS ONE OF THE CITIES IN NORTH TEXAS THAT DOESN'T OFFER A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO LEAD AN INITIATIVE FOR AN EXEMPTION AND VOTE FOR IT? SO LET'S START WITH ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT I WANNA BRING TO THE TABLE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT I DID AS A COUNCIL PERSON, AS A CEREMONIAL COUNCIL PERSON.
UH, I CREATED A BEST PRACTICES TEAM OUT OF UT DALLAS.
WHAT THEY DID FOR ME IS THEY HELPED ME RESEARCH, UH, IDEAS, MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE ANSWERS TO THOSE IDEAS AND PUT THEM TOGETHER, AND THEN IDEALLY BRING THEM AT THAT POINT TO THE REST OF THE COUNCIL AND SEE IF WE CAN GET APPROVALS.
WE DID THAT WITH THE TREES, WE DID IT WITH COMMUNITY GARDENS, BOTH TIMES SEVEN ZERO VOTES.
AND WE DID IT VERY, VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE OF THE SPEED OF THAT KIND OF RESEARCH.
I AM IN FAVOR OF ABSOLUTELY LOOKING AT, UH, DOING HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS.
I THINK THAT IT'S ONE THING TO HAVE TAXES OR AT LEAST THE TAX RATE BE LOWERED BECAUSE THE STATE HAS FORCED IT.
BUT I THINK IT'S ANOTHER THING TO PROACTIVELY LOOK FOR WAYS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY HELP GIVE RELIEF TO OUR HOMEOWNERS.
NOW THAT SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO DO IT BY WAY OF RESEARCH.
I'D LIKE TO DO IT BY WAY OF MAKING SURE THAT THE COUNCIL ALSO AGREES.
AND MY HOPE IS, IS THAT AS WE LOOK AT BEST PRACTICES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE REGION, THAT AS A CITY WE CAN ADOPT SOME OF THOSE BEST PRACTICES AND DETERMINE EXACTLY HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN MAKE THOSE KINDS OF MOVES APPROVABLE, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO HURT OUR OVERALL BUDGETS.
THIS IS A, A INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ABILITY, AND FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN THE MAYOR, WE'VE LOWERED TAXES EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
SO IN ESSENCE, YOU'RE GETTING A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION WHEN WE LOWER YOUR TAXES IN A, IN AN INDIRECT WAY.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE TAX EXEMPTION THAT WE OFFER FOR ALL SENIORS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE DISABILITIES.
SO SENIORS THAT ARE 65 AND OVER ARE GOING TO GET A TAX DEDUCT.
FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT NOW, WE JUST RAISED THAT UP TO $165,000 FOR EACH HOUSE.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS IF YOU HAVE A HOUSE THAT SELL IS APPRAISED BY THE DALLAS OR COLLIN COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT, WE DON'T DO THAT AS A CITY.
BUT IF THAT APPRAISAL COMES IN AT 565,000, THEN YOU WOULD ONLY HAVE TO PAY TAXES ON 400,000.
AND I THINK BY GOING THE OTHER WAY, IT IT, IT'S ABOUT THE SAME THING.
I THINK WE ARE BEING, WE'RE FINDING WAYS TO BE VERY, VERY CREATIVE, I THINK, AND TAKE CARE OF OUR CITIZENS IN A VERY MINDFUL WAY THAT IS VERY EFFECTIVE.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD PLAN AND I THINK WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. OREN.
THIS IS A, IT IS A, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UH, I DID THINK ABOUT IT WHEN I WAS NOT AT THE COUNCIL, BUT REMEMBER THAT THE, THE QUESTION IS THAT WHETHER I, I WOULD DO IT, YES, IF THERE WAS A WAY TO DO IT, I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT.
BUT REMEMBER THAT, REMEMBER ONE THING THAT TO RUN A CITY, YOU HAVE CERTAIN BUDGET AND YOU CAN CUT DOWN LOTS OF THINGS, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO CUT DOWN SO, SO MUCH, SO MANY OTHER SERVICES SAME TIME.
SO KEEPING THE SAME SERVICE, SAME LEVEL, ALL THIS, NOW WE HAVE, IT'S THE EQUATION TO ME, I'M AN ENGINEER, SO I LOOK AT EQUATION, YOU, IF YOU CHANGE CERTAIN THINGS, YOU HAVE TO ADJUST OTHER THINGS.
[00:45:01]
WAY.WE DID, UH, LOWER THE TAX RATE, UH, LAST FEW YEARS.
IT IS NOW, UH, YOU KNOW, FROM 65 CENTS NOW IT IS 54 CENTS.
IT HAS BEEN LIKE MORE THAN 15 YEARS AGO.
I THINK IT WAS LIKE THAT BEFORE.
SO IN 2009, 2010, TAX RATE WAS GOING UP, BUT NOW WE HAVE, IT'S GOING DOWN.
UH, NOW, NOW IF YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER CITY, HOW THEY DO THESE THINGS, THEY HAVE, IT'S NOT JUST, THEY HAVE THE HOME STATE EX EXEMPTION AND THEN THEY'RE DOING GREAT.
SO THEIR TAX RATE AND OTHER WAY DOING THINGS ARE DIFFERENT.
SO END OF THE DAY IS PRETTY MUCH COMING, YOU KNOW, SAME FROM YOUR POCKET, MY POCKET.
UH, BUT BY DOING, LIKE GIVING THE SENIOR MORE, YOU KNOW, EXEMPTION, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.
UH, OTHERWISE THE WAY HOME PRICES ARE GOING UP IS GONNA BE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO STAY IN IN THE CITY.
WELL, I AM OVERWHELMINGLY IN AGREEMENT WITH A LOT OF WHAT WAS SAID.
UM, I DO THINK IT'S A COMPLICATED ISSUE.
RICHARDSON DOES HAVE A VERY COMPETITIVE, UM, PROPERTY TAX RATE WHEN YOU LOOK WITHIN THE REGION.
IT IS A BALANCING ACT WITH BUDGETS, AND YOU'RE ALSO FIGHTING AGAINST, UM, YOU KNOW, COUNTY ASSESSMENTS AND ISSUES.
I KNOW OUR LAND VALUE DOUBLED
I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY WORTH EXPLORING.
I THINK THERE ARE ALSO OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT AS A MUNICIPALITY WE CAN DO TO EDUCATE FOLKS.
UM, YOU KNOW, HELPING FOLKS REALIZE WHAT GOES INTO THEIR TAX ASSESSMENT AND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU DISPUTE
UM, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT THE PROBLEM BEYOND JUST EXPLORING A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT CAN PROVIDE A SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.
MR. FIN, THIS QUESTION COMES TO YOU FIRST.
DO YOU THINK THERE IS ENOUGH TRANSPARENCY IN THE WAY THE CITY COUNCIL APPOINTS MEMBERS TO CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS? WHAT MORE, IF ANYTHING, WOULD YOU DO TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY AND HOW SHOULD THAT TRANSPARENCY BE MEASURED? OKAY, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IF YOU LOOK AT THAT TRANSPARENCY, YES, WE ARE FOLLOWING, YOU KNOW, THE BEST PRACTICE, WHICH CITY JUST RECEIVED THE, ONE OF THE BEST CITY IN THE STATE, NOT BY THE ANY POLITICAL PARTY.
IT WAS FROM THE TEXAS COMPTROLLER OFFICE.
TRAILBLAZER AWARD TRANSPARENCY.
BUT OF COURSE, I MEAN, AS A PERSON, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I AM I SATISFIED WITH THAT.
I'M NOT, BECAUSE THIS IS ONGOING PROCESS.
WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO IMPROVE THINGS EVERY DAY.
EVEN THOUGH THINGS ARE GOING GREAT TODAY, WE NEED TO KEEP IT UP MOVING FORWARD, DOING GREAT THINGS.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, CITIES DOING THE SAME THING.
THEY'RE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, AS A WHOLE, UH, THE WAY TO MAKE THINGS MORE TRANSPARENT, MORE EASY TO ACCESS, UH, THINGS, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A BUDGET ISSUE.
WE JUST TALKED ABOUT EXEMPTION, HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
AND, UH, TO RECORD ALL THE BOARD AND COMMISSION, YOU HAVE TO EQUIP EQUIPPED EVERY ROOM.
THEY HAVE MEETINGS WITH THE VIDEO CAMERA, YOU HAVE TO HIRE A COUPLE MORE PEOPLE.
SO A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
UH, SO THERE IS, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, I MEAN, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE ALL THE BOARD AND COMMISSION, UH, BEING RECORDED LIVE BROADCAST, BUT WE HAVE TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, REMEMBER I SAY THAT I CARE ABOUT EVERY SINGLE PENNY THAT WE SPEND FROM THE TAX MONEY.
SO WHEN I WORK, I EARN WHATEVER DOLLAR I SAVE MONEY BY NOT EATING MCDONALD'S FRIES, JUST $1 TO MAKE SURE THAT I CAN DO THINGS BETTER.
THANK YOU, MS. FER, THIS IS TOUGH BECAUSE I, THIS IS WHAT I HAD WRITTEN DOWN KIND OF FOR MY CLOSING REMARKS AND SAYING IT A LITTLE BIT EARLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK RICHARDSON, WE LOOK AND WE CAN SAY WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE REPRESENTATION WITHIN OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND AGGREGATE.
UM, I SIT BEFORE YOU AS A WOMAN
UM, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR QUASI-JUDICIAL BOARDS, THEY ARE OVERWHELMINGLY MEN.
WE HAVE ONE WOMAN
YOU HAVE SOME THAT ARE PRETTY MUCH IN LINE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE MUNICIPALITIES THAT DO A MUCH BETTER JOB OF ENSURING THAT THERE IS REPRESENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT, I THINK A STEP TOWARDS HAVING MORE WOMEN LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS IS PUTTING MORE WOMEN LEADERS IN THOSE QUASI-JUDICIAL POSITIONS.
UM, I THINK THAT COMES INTO TRANSPARENCY AND BEING ABLE TO
[00:50:01]
ARTICULATE, YOU KNOW, WHY FOLKS ARE APPOINTED, WHO FOLKS WERE, WERE REACHED OUT TO, WHAT APPLICATIONS WE HAVE COME IN.UM, I DO THINK THAT'S AN AREA THAT RICHARDSON CAN DO BETTER.
UM, WHILE I ASK FOR YOUR VOTE, UM, I AM, I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SELECTION CAN GO ONE OF TWO WAYS AND I WANTED TO USE MY TIME AT THE MIC TO MAKE THAT POINT AND REALLY HUMBLY ASK THAT WHOMEVER IS SITTING IN THE CHAIR, UM, LOOKS AT APPOINTING MORE WOMEN TO THE QUASI-JUDICIAL BOARDS.
NO, UH, I DON'T THINK WE'RE TRANSPARENT ENOUGH.
UH, AND I DON'T THINK THAT OUR APPROACH IS PREDICTABLE ENOUGH.
UH, IMAGINE YOU ARE A RESIDENT THAT IS INCREDIBLY QUALIFIED, UH, FOR A PARTICULAR BOARD OR COMMISSION.
AND IMAGINE THEN THAT YOU APPLY AND YOU DON'T EVEN GET AN INTERVIEW.
WHAT HAPPENED? WHY DID IT HAPPEN? WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS CAN'T BE ANSWERED TODAY BECAUSE ALL OF IT IS DONE IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T ACTUALLY SHARE THE INFORMATION.
SO WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENT IS I WOULD DO A PART OF THIS A LOT, LIKE WE DO IT IN CORPORATE AMERICA.
FIRST, THERE WOULD BE A JOB DESCRIPTION FOR EVERY SINGLE BOARD OR COMMISSION MEETING.
SO, OR, UH, POSITION SO THAT YOU WOULD KNOW, SO THAT YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT THE QUALIFICATIONS WERE THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT.
AS THE COUNCIL AND MAYOR ARE LOOKING AT SUGGESTIONS OR SELECTIONS, I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS A RUBRIC SET UP TO WHERE THERE WOULD BE THAT POINT SYSTEM THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO NOT JUST PICK PEOPLE BECAUSE OF WHO WE KNOW, BUT PICK PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN TO HAVE QUALIFICATIONS THAT WOULD MAKE THEM REALLY EXCELLENT IN THAT PARTICULAR ROLE.
I WOULD WANT THE MEETING TO HAPPEN IN AN OPEN MEETING RECORDED VERSUS IN A CONFERENCE ROOM THAT SOMEONE HAS TO DECIDE TO GO TO IF THEY WANT TO OVERHEAR HOW THE COUNCIL'S MAKING THEIR DECISION.
BECAUSE IF THERE'S NOTHING TO HIDE, THEN THERE'S NOTHING TO HIDE.
AND I'VE BEEN IN THAT ROOM, THERE'S NOT ANYTHING TO HIDE, BUT WE SHOULD ACT LIKE IT.
WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND RECORD AND TELEVISE THOSE MEETINGS.
THE, THE PROCESS IN MY OPINION IS WORKING REALLY PRETTY WELL.
YOU, THERE IS A, A FORM A, YOU HAVE TO APPLY TO BE ON A, ANY OF THE BOARDS, YOU THE BOARD, AND THEN YOU CHOOSE WHICH BOARDS YOU WANT.
ACCORDING TO OUR CITY CHARTER, MANY OF OUR BOARDS REQUIRE REPRESENTATION FROM EACH OF THE FOUR LOCATIONS WITHIN THE CITY.
SO YOU GOT PLACE 1, 2, 3, AND FOUR.
AND WE TRY TO GET A BALANCED REPRESENTATION FROM THOSE AREAS OF THE CITY BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THOSE C EACH OF THE GROUPS IN THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE CITY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE REPRESENTED.
AND THAT'S REAL IMPORTANT IN MY OPINION.
SO WE COULD, WE HAVE TO START THERE WITH THE PROCESS WHO REALLY IS ELIGIBLE.
SO THEN WE LOOK AT, OKAY, WHO, WHO WANTS TO BE ON THIS PARTICULAR BOARD? I CAN TELL YOU THAT ALMOST EVERYONE IN RICHARDSON WANTS TO BE ON THE PARKS BOARD.
OKAY, THEY WANT TO DO THAT, BUT NOT EVERYBODY CAN DO THAT.
OKAY? SO WE TRY TO FIND THE SKILLSET AND APPLY IT TO WHERE THOSE PEOPLE CAN SHINE THE BRIGHTEST AND HELP THE CITY IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY THEY CAN.
DOES IT NEED TO BE TELEVISED? I DON'T THINK IT REALLY DOES BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ASSESSING PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY AND MAYBE THEY DON'T WANT THAT.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU MR. DEBE.
YOU'RE GONNA BE UP FIRST FOR THIS QUESTION.
WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE REVITALIZATION OF DOWNTOWN RICHARDSON? SHOULD THE RICHARDSON PANHANDLE HAVE MORE CITY AMENITIES, SUCH AS A REC CENTER LIBRARY, OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT? GREAT QUESTION.
I THINK THAT DOWNTOWN, THE CORE IS THE VISION IS FOR IT TO BE A DESTINATION.
AND I GUARANTEE YOU THAT WE SEE IT THAT WAY AND WE WANT IT TO BE ACTIVE.
MATTER OF FACT, WE ARE HAVING THE CULTURE IN THE CORE WHERE WE HAVE DOWN IN THE GREEN SPACE WHERE WE CELEBRATE ALL OF OUR CULTURES AND BRING PEOPLE THERE SO THAT THEY CAN ENJOY THAT.
THAT'S GONNA GET BIGGER AND BETTER AS WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE LIVING DOWN THERE AND MORE RETAIL SPACE DOWN THERE.
WE ARE JUST FINISHING UP THE, UH, INTERURBAN PARK THAT'S JUST TO THE NORTH.
WE SPENT OVER $5 MILLION ON THE PARK, AND IT'S GONNA ALLOW FOOD TRUCKS, IT'S GOING TO ALLOW WALKABILITY.
IT'S GONNA BE A FUN DESTINATION, I THINK FOR LOTS
[00:55:01]
OF PEOPLE.UM, YOU KNOW, WE CELEBRATE ALSO CHINATOWN AS PART OF THE DOWNTOWN.
WE HAVE THE LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION.
IF Y'ALL DIDN'T GO TO IT THIS YEAR, YOU REALLY NEEDED TO GO TO IT NEXT YEAR BECAUSE IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS.
IT, IT, IT WAS A HUGE, HUGE TURNOUT WITH LOTS OF PEOPLE.
WE ALSO HAD LIGHT UP LOCKWOOD, WHICH IS ANOTHER ONE.
AND BY THE WAY, LOCKWOOD IS OFFICIALLY A HUNDRED PERCENT LEASED OUT AS OF NOW.
SO PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE COMING TO THAT AND WE WERE GONNA REALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT ANY PLACE THAT YOU ENJOY GOING, LIKE WHERE YOU MIGHT WANT TO GO AND SPEND A FEW HOURS, THINK OF DOWNTOWN PLANO.
A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES YOU CAN GO.
BISHOP ARTS, A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
YOU DON'T GO THERE BECAUSE THERE ARE A WHOLE BUNCH OF APARTMENTS THERE.
YOU GO THERE BECAUSE THERE ARE INTERESTING THINGS THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY TAKE UP YOUR TIME OR BE A GREAT WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON.
WHEN WE LOOK AT DOWNTOWN RICHARDSON TODAY, THE CONCERN THAT A LOT OF RESIDENTS HAVE IS THAT WE'RE LOSING OPPORTUNITIES TO KEEP THINGS THAT ARE DRAWING PEOPLE IN PLACE FOR APARTMENTS.
AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO DOUBLE DOWN ON FIRST BRINGING THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO.
AND IT CAN'T HAPPEN IF WE JUST KEEP USING UP THE FEW SPACES WE HAVE FOR MORE APARTMENTS.
RELATED TO CITY LINE AND RELATED TO THAT AREA, AGAIN, WE HAVE AN AREA IN CITY LINE THAT'S UNDEVELOPED, ONE OF THAT 3% OF OPEN SPACE THAT WAS TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
AND INSTEAD OF HOLDING OUT FOR ENTERTAINMENT AREAS AND OFFICE BUILDINGS, OTHER DECISIONS WERE MADE.
AND AS MAYOR, I WOULD DO WHAT I COULD TO TRY AND DOUBLE DOWN ON THE IDEA OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GOING AND FINDING THOSE ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS AND CLASS A OFFICE BUILDING OPTIONS.
I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF STRIDES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE DOWNTOWN, AND I THINK A LOT OF THAT COMES FROM THE INVESTMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.
WHEN I THINK OF, UM, YOU KNOW, BEYOND THE BAR OR WHEN I THINK OF UM, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME OF THE DIFFERENT SHOPS, LIZZIE BEE'S, THE LOCKWOOD'S, THINGS LIKE THAT, THOSE ARE SUCCESS STORIES THAT HAVE HAPPENED THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY AND HAVE HAPPENED REALLY SOMEWHAT, AT LEAST TO A CITIZEN'S PERSPECTIVE ORGANICALLY.
UM, I THINK THAT DOWNTOWN IS WELL POSITIONED.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT WE'RE SEEING A GOOD MIX OF BUSINESS NOW.
THAT SECOND PIECE OF THE QUESTION WAS PANHANDLE.
UM, AND SHOULD THERE BE AMENITIES THERE AS WELL? AND YES, OF COURSE.
I THINK IT'S WORTH REVIEWING IN SOME CASES A CENTRALIZED MODEL.
UM, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY WITH OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY, YOU KNOW, RICHARDSON HAS FOUND THAT THAT WORKS AND WE HAVE PEOPLE TRAVELING FROM OTHER AREAS TO VISIT OUR LIBRARY BECAUSE IT'S THAT GOOD.
HOWEVER, WE'VE ALSO INCORPORATED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MOBILE MOBILE LIBRARY, WHICH IS AN OPTION AS WELL.
SO I THINK LOOKING AT THOSE THINGS, UM, IS VERY COMPELLING AND A WAY TO BALANCE BOTH.
ALRIGHT, WELL THAT'S ANOTHER GREAT QUESTION.
UH, I'LL GO WITH THE SHORT QUESTION THAT'S ON THE PANHANDLE IDEAS.
OF COURSE, THEY WOULD HAVE SOME, THEY NEED TO HAVE SOME OTHER AMENITIES, BUT ALSO THINK ABOUT THE BUDGET THAT WE HAVE.
WE CAN BUILD THINGS, BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN IT WITH EMPLOYEE AND OTHER THINGS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME, SO MANY WISH THAT I HAVE, BUT CERTAIN THINGS WE JUST CAN'T DO IT NOW.
BUT YES, IN THE FUTURE THERE ARE PLAN FOR OTHER AMENITIES THERE.
UH, AND THE LIBRARY, WE HAVE A GREAT ONE LIBRARY, UH, UH, IT'S A SMALL CITY, UH, BUT WE HAVE A GREAT LIBRARY THAT THE MOST VISITED PLACE IS OUR LIBRARY, AND WE ALREADY HAVE THAT, UH, MOBILE LIBRARY GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
SO, BUT THE DOWNTURN, THAT'S THE THINGS I GET REALLY EXCITED MORE.
I TRULY CALL THAT DOWNTOWN RICHARD ON, I'VE BEEN CALLING THIS FOR MANY YEARS.
MY CHILDREN LAUGHED AT ME 10 YEARS AGO THAT YOU'RE CALLING THAT DOWNTOWN.
I WANNA SEE LOTS OF THINGS HAPPEN.
AND FINALLY THINGS ARE HAPPENING LATELY, LAST, UH, FEW YEARS.
AND I WANNA SEE DOWNTOWN BECOME, YOU KNOW, MORE WALKABLE WHAT I SAID THAT I WANT TO SEE BECAUSE THIS
[01:00:01]
IS ACTUALLY FROM YOU.MOST OF YOU WANT THAT THING HAPPEN.
SO YOUR DREAM IS NOTHING DIFFERENT THAN MY, YOU KNOW, MY DREAM IS NOTHING DIFFERENT THAN YOUR DREAM.
SO I PRETTY MUCH DOUBLE THIS THING BY TALKING TO SO MANY PEOPLE.
UH, WANT TO HAVE WALKABLE BROWN TOWN, HAVE SOME RETAIL THERE, ENJOY, UH, FOOD, ENJOY FRIENDSHIP, ENJOY OTHER FRIENDS MEETING PLACE.
WE HAVE THAT ONCE A YEAR TIME REALLY FAST.
THANK YOU MS. CFER, YOU'RE UP FIRST FOR THIS QUESTION.
THERE ARE MANY ISSUES REGARDING DART SERVICES.
HOW WILL YOU FIGHT TO PROTECT DART SERVICES IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON? I LOVE THAT QUESTION.
UH, I THINK RICHARDSON HAS LED BY EXAMPLE IN COMING FORWARD IN SUPPORT OF CONTINUING TO FUND DART AT THE CURRENT LEVELS.
UM, I THINK THAT THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, CONTINUE TO DO MORE WITH THAT AND SERVE AS AN ADVOCATE FOR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
THERE IS ALSO THE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT AREAS CAN BE IMPROVED UPON.
UM, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AT CURRENT FUNDING LEVELS.
UM, I DO WORRY DEEPLY ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN AUSTIN TO TRY TO KIND OF RESTRICT THAT A LITTLE BIT.
UM, SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE I FALL ON DART.
COULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT THAT QUESTION AGAIN? YES, THERE ARE MANY SER THERE ARE MANY ISSUES REGARDING DART SERVICES.
HOW WILL YOU FIGHT TO PROTECT DART SERVICES IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON? OKAY, THIS IS, THIS IS VERY COMPLICATED QUESTION FOR THIS TIME.
UH, IF THERE WAS A EASY SOLUTION, WE WOULD NOT HAVE THIS DISCUSSION ONGOING.
SO, YOU KNOW, DART STARTED LIKE 20 YEARS AGO ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A GREAT VISION, OTHERWISE THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN.
WE NEED DART AND, UH, I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT.
WE ARE NOT DONE YET WITH THE DART UH, DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT ANOTHER 10 YEARS PROBABLY BEFORE WE ARE GONNA SEE, UH, THE, THE BENEFIT, A HUNDRED PERCENT BENEFIT FROM THE DART.
SO DEFINITELY I'M GONNA BE, I I I STRONGLY SUPPORT, UH, UH, THE FUNDING THAT'S DART NEEDED.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT THE AUSTIN ONLY, IT'S BASICALLY COMING FROM, UH, OUR NEIGHBORING CITY.
UH, SPECIFICALLY, I DON'T MIND SAYING THAT CITY OF PLAN IS ONE OF THE CITY OF PLANO IS ONE OF THE CITY THAT REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO CUT THE FUNDING FOR DART.
UH, BUT THE EQUATION OF THIS, THE SETUP FOR THE DART IS, YOU KNOW, TODAY THEY ARE PAYING MORE, UH, GETTING BACK LESS.
BUT BEFORE IT WAS OTHER WAY, THEY WERE PAYING LESS, GETTING MORE.
BUT MOVING FORWARD, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING THINGS FOR TOMORROW.
SO THIS IS IMPORTANT THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE DARK SERVICES BECAUSE, UH, THIS IS NOT FOR TODAY.
WE ARE GONNA SEE MUCH MORE BIGGER BENEFIT COMING FORWARD.
SO WE CANNOT BE JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, SHORTSIGHTED FOR THIS.
I THINK WE NEED TO CONVINCE, UH, OTHER CITIES, THERE ARE SOME OTHER STUDY GOING ON, I THINK, I HOPE OTHER CITIES WILL UNDERSTAND THAT.
YES, I, I'M A BIG FAN OF DART.
AND DART HAS HELPED MAKE RICHARDSON ONE OF THE PREMIER SUBURBS TOWNS IN ALL OF THE METROPLEX.
DART IS REGIONAL AND IT'S REAL IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT DART THE FUNDING.
RIGHT NOW THAT'S IN QUESTION IS THAT WE HAVE SOME CITIES THAT ARE WANTING, AND RICHARDSON'S NOT ONE OF THEM, BUT WE HAVE CITIES THAT ARE WANTING TO TAKE A 25% OFF OF WHAT THEY PAY IN.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY PREMATURE FOR THAT TO, FOR THE LEGISLATE LEGISLATORS TO PUT THAT INTO ACTION AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN RIGHT NOW.
BECAUSE LET'S GET THE SILVER LINE UP AND RUNNING.
WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THE SILVER LINE IS DEFUNDED, UH, BY DART OR BY THE STATE LEGISLATORS, IS INSTEAD OF HAVING 30 TRIPS A DAY, YOU MIGHT MINIMIZE IT DOWN TO 10, UH, 10 TRIPS A DAY.
UM, WE WANT THE FULL ADVANTAGE OF ALL OF IT, BUT THE DART HAS BEEN ABLE TO HELP US A GREAT DEAL.
WE HAVE MORE, UM, PLATFORMS FOR DARK STOPS THAN ANY OTHER CITY OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO FOR REGIONAL REASONS, THERE IS A 2.0 STUDY.
I THINK WE NEED TO REALLY FIND OUT WHAT THO THAT STUDY TELLS US HOW WE CAN, UH, IMPROVE AND LET DARK CONTINUE TO, TO DO WHAT IT'S DOING, UM, AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
UM, IT'S REAL IMPORTANT FOR OUR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION, AND I DIDN'T GET TO THE PART WHERE WE NEED SHUTTLES WITH DART TO HELP OUR KIDS AT UTD AND
[01:05:01]
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.THANK YOU, MR. OMAR? YEAH, I THINK, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I SUPPORT THE 1% AND, UH, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH TO JUST SAY, OKAY, WELL I SUPPORT THE 1% I AND, AND PLATITUDES ABOUT HOW GREAT IT'S BEEN FOR RICHARDSON IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT I'M, I'M NOT SUPER COMFORTABLE WITH.
AND LET'S LOOK AT WHAT WE MIGHT ALL THINK A DART STOP THAT'S REALLY FULLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE PLACES TO LIVE.
IT SHOULD HAVE PLACES TO WORK.
IT SHOULD HAVE PLACES WHERE YOU CAN GET ENTERTAINED AND PLACES WHERE YOU CAN DO RETAIL, ACTUAL RETAIL, NOT JUST RESTAURANTS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR DART STOPS SPRING VALLEY, THERE'S UH, PLACES TO LIVE, BUT NOT REALLY PLACES TO WORK.
DEFINITELY NONE OF THE OTHERS.
COUPLE RESTAURANTS, BUT THAT'S NOT RETAIL.
OKAY, LET'S GO DOWN TO ARAPAHOE.
LIVING QUARTERS NEARBY, BUT NONE OF THE REST.
GALLATIN WHERE WE ARE RIGHT HERE, WE HAVE ENTERTAINMENT.
WE HAVE SOME WORK, WE HAVE SOME LIVES, SO WE'RE PRETTY CLOSE, BUT WE REALLY HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THE RETAIL PART.
AND THEN AT CITYLINE THERE, THE ONE LITTLE BIT OF AREA WHERE WE COULD HAVE HAD ENTERTAINMENT IS BEING CONVERTED INTO 3000 APARTMENTS.
AND WE REALLY DON'T HAVE FULL RETAIL.
THERE NO PLACE TO BUY CLOTHING, NO PLACE TO BUY ANYTHING FOR YOUR HOME.
IF WE'RE GONNA BE SERIOUS ABOUT DART, WE HAVE TO HAVE A MAYOR THAT FIGURES OUT HOW THEY CAN MAXIMIZE THOSE STATIONS, IN MY OPINION.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MR. ARMOUR.
YOU'RE UP FIRST FOR THIS QUESTION.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A COUNCIL OR CITY TO BE QUOTE, BUSINESS FRIENDLY? IS RICHARDSON BUSINESS FRIENDLY? SHOULD IT BE WHY OR WHY NOT? OKAY.
I, I'M GLAD THIS GUY ASKED 'CAUSE IT'S AN IMPORTANT ISSUE SOMETIMES, AND I MENTIONED PLATITUDES EARLIER, SOMETIMES WHAT WE WANT TO TRY AND DO IS WE WANT TO USE A WORD LIKE BUSINESS FRIENDLY TO EXCUSE WHAT IT IS WE'RE ABOUT TO DO.
AND THAT'S JUST NOT THE KIND OF LEADER I WOULD BE.
TO ME, BEING BUSINESS FRIENDLY MEANS MAKING SURE THAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY A, KNOWS WHAT OUR PLAN IS AND B SEES US CONSISTENTLY STICKING TO THAT PLAN.
IF WE TELL THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, LIKE THE AREA ON INTERURBAN, WHERE FOUR BULLETS AND A LOT OF THOSE, UH, UH, ISLAND COFFEE AND THERE'S A COUPLE DESIGN SHOPS OVER THERE.
IF WE TELL THEM THAT'S THE PLAN, AND IF THEY PUT THEIR HARD-EARNED MONEY INTO INVESTING IN THAT PLAN, THE LAST THING YOU WOULD SEE ME DO AS MAYOR IS GO AGAINST THE PLAN AND BETRAY THE TRUST OF ALL THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO FOR ME, BEING BUSINESS FRIENDLY IS FIRST AND FOREMOST, LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT THE EXISTING BUSINESSES THINK.
TODAY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, I THINK IT GOT CONTINUED, BUT I'M NOT SURE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRONE SERVICE.
OKAY, WE COULD DO DRONE SERVICE IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES.
THEY WOULD BE BUSINESS FRIENDLY IF WE DID IT.
BUT IS THAT REALLY GREAT FOR THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS? IS THAT REALLY GONNA BE GREAT FOR THE BILLION DOLLAR DATA CENTERS THAT DON'T WANT SOMETHING FLYING ABOVE THEM? SO WE GOTTA THINK ABOUT WHO'S HERE FIRST, HOW WE RETAIN THEM, HOW WE GROW THEM, AND HOW WE BUILD CONFIDENCE IN THE REST OF THE INVESTMENT COMMUNITY THAT RICHARDSON STICKS WITH THE PLAN VERSUS JUST WILLY-NILLY CHANGING IT WHENEVER WE FEEL LIKE IT.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY THRIVING RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE DOING SOME AMAZING THINGS.
MATTER OF FACT, WE'RE HAVE INCREASED COMMERCIAL BUSINESS 6.4% IN 2024.
WE HAVE HAD OVER 5,000 JOBS CREATED IN RICHARDSON IN THE LAST TWO YEARS.
WE HAVE 328 CONTRACTS THAT ARE GOING TO DO BUSINESS IN OUR CITY ON THE BOOKS RIGHT NOW WITH 110 OF THEM ACTIVE.
SO WE ARE IN A GREAT POSITION RIGHT NOW WHERE PEOPLE ARE WANTING TO WORK WITH US, AND IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE TOOK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OUT OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE UNDER THEIR UMBRELLA, AND WE WERE WORKING, WE HAVE A WHOLE DEPARTMENT THAT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RIGHT NOW, AND THEY'RE DOING A FABULOUS JOB.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BEING BUSINESS FRIENDLY, WHAT THIS ALLOWS US TO DO IS WORK DIRECTLY WITH THOSE CEOS, THE PRESIDENTS OF THE TOP BRASS OF THOSE COMPANIES, AND FIND OUT WHAT IS IT THEY REALLY NEED, WHAT IS IT THEY REALLY WANT? THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING AND WE'RE ALLOWING BUSINESSES TO WORK WITH OTHER BUSINESSES.
WE HAVE A PLATFORM WHERE WE'RE DOING THAT AT THE IQ RIGHT NOW WHERE WE HAVE INCUBATION FOR STARTUP COMPANIES.
[01:10:01]
STARTUP RUNWAY AND THOSE THINGS ARE WORKING, AND WE HAVE UT DALLAS IN THERE HELPING US WITH A LOT OF THOSE PROBLEMS THAT ARE TRYING TO BE SOLVED.TO ME BUSINESS FRIENDLY, THAT THAT QUESTION IS MUCH WIDER THAN THAT.
UH, THIS IS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I I WORK WITH MANY OTHER CITY.
UH, I DON'T DO ANYTHING WITH THE, WITH RICHARD.
I LIVE HERE, I VOLUNTEER A HUNDRED PERCENT, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY, ANY BUSINESS WITH RICHARD.
IF, IF YOU TALK ABOUT FINANCIAL THINGS, BUT YOU KNOW, TO ME, I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU WORK WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME OTHER CITY JUST SOUTH OF US, UH, THE RATE TIP THEY HAVE, IF YOU WANT TO GET SOMETHING DONE CONSTRUCTION, DONE BUSINESS, DONE, RETAIL BUSINESS RUNNING, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH SO MANY STEPS.
SO THOSE ARE NOT BUSINESS FRIENDLY.
BUT IF YOU GO TO CITY OF CONSTRUCTION, YOU GET THINGS VERY QUICKLY.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH LIKE WAIT TWO MONTHS, THREE MONTHS TO APPROVE SOME OF THE PLANS, SOME OF THE THINGS.
SO TO ME, THOSE ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE, AND BUSINESSES OUTSIDE, THEY SEE THAT HOW THE CITY STAFF WORK.
SO IN THAT SENSE, WE ARE VERY BUSINESS, BUSINESS FRIENDLY.
AND, UH, NOW OTHER PART BRINGING DEVELOPMENT HERE, THAT'S DIFFERENT THINGS.
OUR RESIDENTS HAS EXPECTATION.
SO WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE FOCUSING WHAT'S OUR LONG-TERM VISION SO THAT, THAT NO MATTER WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE ARE, OUR FOCUS HAS NOT CHANGED.
SO WE ARE BUSINESS FRIENDLY IN THAT SENSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OUR EXPECTATION IS ALREADY SET THERE.
UH, SO WHEN BUSINESS COME, THEY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THERE.
UH, WE WOULD NOT SEE NEW BUSINESS COMING IN IF WE ARE NOT BUSINESS FRIENDLY.
WE WOULD NOT BE HAPPY IF WE DID NOT.
WE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH OUR, THE CITY THAT'S GOING ON.
UM, I DO THINK OVERALL RICHARDSON IS A BUSINESS FRIENDLY CLIMATE.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE A PHENOMENAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WE HAVE A GREAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, DEPARTMENT.
WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF PLANNING INVOLVED.
UM, WHAT I DO THINK WE CAN BENEFIT FROM IS LOOKING AT SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, RETENTION AND TAKING SOME OF THAT INCUBATOR APPROACH THAT WE USE VERY HEAVILY FOR OUR TECH BUSINESSES.
AND HOW CAN THAT BE SCALED AND APPLIED TO SMALL BUSINESS? HOW CAN IT BE APPLIED TO NONPROFITS? WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE THOSE A FORCE MULTIPLIER IN OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE THAT IS GOING TO BE NEEDED, UM, WHERE CAN WE GET THOSE ECONOMIES OF SCALE? SO I THINK LOOKING FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, THERE'S VALUE.
AGAIN, RICHARDSON HAS A PROUD TRADITION OF BEING, YOU KNOW, VERY BUSINESS FRIENDLY AND TECH HEAVY.
UM, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO BRING ABOUT MORE DIVERSE RETAIL, PARTICULARLY ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE HEARD FROM FOLKS REPEATEDLY.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO REFRESH AND REVITALIZE SOME OF OUR AGING SHOPPING CENTERS? TO ME, THAT IS ALL PART OF A BUSINESS FRIENDLY CLIMATE, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD BE COMMITTED TO DIGGING INTO IF ELECTED.
MR. ORHAN, YOU'LL BE UP FIRST FOR THIS ONE.
IN LIGHT OF RECENT CHANGES IN FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING AND MANDATES, LET ME START AGAIN.
IN LIGHT OF RECENT CHANGES IN FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING AND MANDATES, HOW DO YOU SEE THE CITY OF RICHARDSON MAINTAINING SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL RESIDENTS? THAT'S VERY COMPLICATED QUESTION.
UH, IT'S NOT JUST INTERESTING.
I THINK WE NEED TO, AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION.
UH, AND I WILL TELL YOU ONE THING THAT OUR CITY IS VERY CONSERVATIVE ABOUT, ITS BUDGETING.
SO I FEEL COMFORTABLE SOME, YOU KNOW, THAT WE, WE HAVE ENOUGH SAFETY NET MOVING FORWARD, UH, AND, UH, AND OUR CITY STAFF ALSO, I SEE THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CHECK ON THINGS PRETTY MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY THAN YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, THINK OF.
SO WE KNOW WHEN THE SALES TAX ARE COMING, WE KNOW UPFRONT WHAT, WHERE THOSE THINGS ARE COMING AND, AND HOW THOSE ARE AFFECTING MY, OUR, YOU KNOW, UH, OVERALL BUDGET.
AND WE KNOW EXACTLY WHY THOSE ARE REDUCING OR INCREASING.
SO, BUT WE DON'T SPEND OVER, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SELF CHECKS COMING MORE.
SO WE ARE VERY CAREFUL ON THAT.
AND THOSE FUNDING WE'RE NOT, UH, SOME OF THE MANDATES, SOME OF THE THINGS, UH, WE ARE NOT THERE YET.
I THINK, UM, UH, OVERALL I THINK CITI IS MAINTAINING ITS BUDGET, UH, PRETTY MUCH ON ITS OWN.
SOME OF THE GRANTS THAT'S COMING IS COMING FROM, UH, THOSE ARE MATCHING FUNDS, SOME OTHER THINGS.
SO I THINK, UH, I THINK MOVING
[01:15:01]
FORWARD, I THINK WE JUST HAVE TO BE, UH, CAREFUL, UH, HOW WE, UH, BUDGET AND HOW WE SPEND.I THINK THAT'S THE, THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT'S UNKNOWN FACTOR THAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, MS. FER.
SO I THINK WE CAN ALL BE VERY GRATEFUL WITH OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE NOT BUILT A RELIANCE ON FEDERAL FUNDING
UM, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO OUR RESILIENCY AND WILL HELP US OVERALL.
BUT THAT SAID, A LOT OF OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, DO RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE FILL THAT GAP AS A COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A CITIZEN, ALL CITIZENS WITHIN RICHARDSON.
UM, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON WHEN I FIRST DECIDED TO RUN WAS I WAS VERY CONCERNED, UM, ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF WHEN YOU EVALUATE FEDERAL FUNDING, OKAY, WELL NOW YOU'RE TIED TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS OR ML S FUNDING, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANT YOUR LIBRARIES TO SHUT DOWN IF YOU'RE TOO OVER, UM, OVER FOCUSED ON THAT.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE NATIONAL DISCOURSE HAS KIND OF TAKEN THAT PROBLEM OFF MY SHOULDERS, UNFORTUNATELY.
UM, SO AGAIN, I REALLY DO FEEL LIKE RICHARDSON IS WELL POSITIONED, BUT WE NEED TO BE VERY COGNIZANT OF THE FACT THAT ALL OF THIS IS INTERCONNECTED AND A LOT OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING FLOWS THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR DAILY PROGRAMS. AND WE'RE GONNA NEED TO LOOK AT FILLING THAT GAP.
MR. OMAR, DO YOU MIND REPEATING THE QUESTION? SURE.
IN LIGHT OF RECENT CHANGES IN FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING AND MANDATES, HOW DO YOU SEE THE CITY OF RICHARDSON MAINTAINING SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL RESIDENTS? OKAY, SO THANK YOU.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD THE FRAMING PROPER.
UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE, UH, THE CITY STAFF DOES AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB AND WE DO HAVE AN EXCEPTIONAL SCENE.
UH, THE CITY MANAGER AND THE ENTIRE STAFF DOES, DOES A WONDERFUL JOB KIND OF KEEPING US, UM, ON BUDGET AND, AND KEEPING US CONSERVATIVE.
I'VE, I SERVED FROM 2009 THROUGH 2013, AND DURING THAT TIME WE ALSO HAD, UH, A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE THINGS WERE A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT ON THE CITY.
UH, THE TELECOM CRASH HAD HAPPENED.
THERE WERE, UH, A FEW AUSTERITY TYPE MEASURES THAT WE WERE TAKING TO MAKE SURE, UH, THAT WE COULD WEATHER THE STORM.
AND THERE ARE SOME SIGNS THAT CONCERN ME TODAY.
IF YOU LOOK AT OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR, COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, WE'RE EXPECTING A 10% YEAR OVER YEAR DROP IN COMMERCIAL OFFICE BUILDINGS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET VERSUS LAST YEAR'S, WE'RE LOOKING AT A 9% SALES TAX DROP YEAR OVER YEAR.
NOW, WHY THAT'S HAPPENING IS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT AS OCCUPIED AND AS, UM, SO OVERLY DEVELOPED.
WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT SO BOOMING WITH BUSINESSES THAT THOSE BUILDINGS ARE FULL.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THOSE VALUES ARE DROPPING.
SO, AS MAYOR, ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND IT'S A CEREMONIAL ROLE, I'M WILLING TO GET IN THERE AND WORK AND WORK WITH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM, WORK WITH OUR CITY MANAGER TO GO AND ATTRACT THOSE SMALL, MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY COME TO RICHARDSON.
HAVING AN EXTRA PERSON OUT THERE, SELLING IS GONNA BE A BIG PART OF HOW WE CAN GET EVEN MORE PEOPLE TO COME TO RICHARDSON AND HELP OUR TAX BASE.
UM, IN 2024, OUR TAX BASE IS UP 6.4%.
AND I WANT TO YOU TO UNDERSTAND ALSO THAT THE AUSTIN, THE GOVERNMENT IS THE UNFUNDED MANDATES ARE THE THINGS THAT HURT US MORE THAN ANYTHING.
AND LIKE LISA WAS TALKING ABOUT, WE DON'T TAKE A LOT OF FEDERAL MONEY.
WE TAKE A LITTLE BIT, BUT MOST OF OUR FUNDING COMES FROM TAXES, UH, FRANCHISE TAXES, THINGS OF THAT, THOSE TYPE THINGS THAT COME THROUGH, BUT OUR TAXES ARE HOLDING THEIR OWN.
ONE THING THAT'S REALLY CONCERNING IS A BILL THAT WOULD DETERMINE ON THE DESTINATION WHERE YOU, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, IT'S HARD FOR US TO JUDGE HOW MUCH TAX DOLLARS WE'RE GONNA GET IF THEY CHANGE IT.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU LIVE IN ARLINGTON AND YOU BUY IT FROM RICHARDSON, WE WOULDN'T, ONE OF THE BILLS SAYS WE DON'T GET CREDIT FOR IT.
ARLINGTON GETS CREDIT FOR THE TAX DOLLARS.
SO IT WOULD FLIP, IT WOULD FLIP THE DESTINATION TYPE OF HOW MUCH MONEY WE GET.
SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WILL THAT WILL HARM US IN THE, IN THE BIG SCHEME OF TAXING.
[01:20:01]
UH, STAFF DOES AN AMAZING JOB OF PUTTING THOSE NUMBERS TOGETHER AND BEING ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF IT.AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE AAA BOND RATING AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE ONE OF THE TOP, UM, TRANSPARENT CITIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
ALRIGHT, AND THIS WILL BE OUR LAST QUESTION BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO CLOSING STATEMENTS.
CANDIDATES, UH, MR. DUB AND YOU WILL, WILL START WITH YOU.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE COMMERCIAL OPERATION OF DRONES OVER RESIDENTIAL AREAS MORE GENERALLY? HOW DO YOU VIEW THE TRADE-OFF BETWEEN RICHARDSON APPEARING OPEN TO TECHNOLOGY AND THE SERENITY OF OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS? THANK YOU.
UH, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND IT'S A QUESTION THAT, UM, I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS TO YET, BUT I'M GONNA HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS AS SOON AS THEY COME IN FRONT OF US.
WE'RE GOING TO ASK, UH, THE COMPANY THAT WANTS TO USE THE DRONES, UM, FOR THEM TO DO A DEMONSTRATION FOR US.
WE'RE GONNA EVALUATE THE DECIMAL LEVELS OF THE NOISE.
WE'RE GONNA EVALUATE ALL THAT BEFORE WE DO IT.
REMEMBER, THE CITY OF RICHARDSON HAS ZERO CONTROL OVER AIRSPACE.
WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO CONTROL THAT.
THE ONLY THING WE COULD DO IS EITHER DENY IT OR ALLOW OR LET 'EM COME IN.
WE KNOW THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PRACTICING, UM, IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON WITH DRONES, NOT, NOT THIS COMPANY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW, BUT OTHER COMPANIES HAVE DONE SOME OF THAT.
THEY'VE ALSO HAD UNMANNED LITTLE CARS THAT GO THROUGH THE CITY.
AND SO TECHNOLOGY IS PART OF WHAT WE DO.
WE ARE KNOWN FOR BEING A CITY THAT THRIVES ON THE LATEST AND GREATEST.
AND WHETHER IT'S AI OR IT'S TECHNOLOGY, OR WE GOT LITTLE CARS DELIVERING YOUR FOOD TO YOU, THINGS ARE GONNA CHANGE.
IT, AS FAR AS IT IMPACTING, IF IT'S GONNA IMPACT IN A NEGATIVE WAY, I'M OPPOSED TO IT.
SO I, I WILL SAY THAT STRAIGHT UP, BUT I THINK I NEED TO KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS, GET THE TRUTH ABOUT IT BEFORE WE JUST ASSUME THAT IT'S NOT GOOD FOR US.
AND THINGS LIKE, UM, THOSE DRONES, THEY CAN'T GO BY THE HOSPITAL.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE SAFE ZONES AND, UH, AREAS THAT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO GO.
SO I THINK WE WILL EVALUATE ALL THAT AS THAT COMES IN FRONT OF US.
UM, AND I'LL, I'LL MAKE IT VERY CLEAR.
WHY IN, IN THE TECH WORLD, AND I'VE WORKED IN THE TECH WORLD FOR NOW, GOSH, ALMOST 30 YEARS.
UM, WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED THE CUTTING EDGE AND WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED THE BLEEDING EDGE.
AND THE BLEEDING EDGE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT WHERE YOU EVER WANT TO BE, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH THAT YOU DON'T KNOW.
THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH CITIES ALLOWING THE TYPE OF THINGS THAT ARE BEING ASKED OF RICHARDSON THAT HAVE, THAT WE CAN LOOK AT.
AND WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT THE TRACK RECORD IS.
HOW MANY DRONES HAVE FALLEN OUT OF THE SKY? HOW MUCH DOES IT REALLY BOTHER THE RESIDENTS? WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT SORT OF DATA, NOT ON MASS.
AND WE HAVE TO THINK IF WE ARE BUSINESS FRIENDLY, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THE EXISTING BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE.
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT OUR RESIDENTS.
WHEN OUR RESIDENTS SAY THEY DON'T WANT AN AMAZON DELIVERY, UH, UH, UH, AREA RIGHT BESIDE THEM.
'CAUSE THEY DON'T WANT DRONES FLYING OVER THEIR HOMES, I'M GONNA LISTEN TO THEM BECAUSE I WOULDN'T WANT IT FLYING OVER MY HOME EITHER.
AND IF A BUSINESS THAT'S PUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN LIKE DATA CENTERS SAYS WE DON'T WANT STUFF FLYING OVER OUR AREA BECAUSE THE FAA WE CAN'T CONTROL IT, WELL GUESS WHAT? WE CAN CONTROL.
WE CAN SAY YES OR WE CAN SAY NO TO A DEVELOPER.
WE CAN SAY YES OR WE CAN SAY NO TO A BUSINESS.
WE CAN SAY YES OR WE CAN SAY NO TO A SALVAGE CAR LOT WHEN SOMEONE WANTS TO BRING ONE OF THOSE, WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHOOSE.
AND THAT'S WHAT LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE TO ME.
SO I'LL ADMIT I'M NOT THE TECHIEST PERSON.
I DID HAVE TO FISH A NEIGHBOR KIDS DRONE OUT OF OUR GUTTER ONCE, AND THAT WASN'T THE MOST FUN
UM, BUT AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK INTELLIGENTLY ON THIS.
THE ONE THING I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN IS ANY SORT OF PUBLIC SAFETY IMPLICATIONS.
UM, WE ARE USING DRONES MORE AND MORE, UM, TO PROTECT OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
YOU KNOW, SEND THEM IN, SEND A DRONE INTO A DIFFICULT SITUATION OR TO GET RECONNAISSANCE OR ADDITIONAL, BASICALLY LEAD INFORMATION, UM, BEFORE WE SEND A PERSON.
UH, SO I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT, WELL, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT WHEN WE HAVE MORE THINGS FLYING AROUND? UM, THAT'S REALLY, I MEAN, MY PRIMARY CONCERN WITH THAT.
I WOULD WANT TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION THOUGH.
THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING NEW FOR US.
AND, UH, BY THE WAY, I DO HAVE A DRONE, UH, 2015
[01:25:01]
I BOUGHT 1D JI, UH, YOU CANNOT FLY IT.WHERE IS A RESTRICTED ZONE? I DON'T HAVE, IT'S NOT THAT I'M NOT GOING TO FLY IT.
THE DRONE JUST WOULD NOT TAKE OFF, PERIOD.
SO I HAD A JOB IN NEAR LOCKWOOD MARTIN.
WE DID SOME DRAINAGE PROJECTS THERE, BEAUTIFUL PROJECTS.
I WANTED TO TAKE SOME AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, AND WE ARE LIKE THREE, FOUR MILE AWAY FROM THAT.
I COULD NOT FLY THAT THING LIKE EVEN ONE FEET, YOU KNOW, FROM THE GROUND.
SO OF COURSE SAFETY IS IMPORTANT BUSINESS, UH, YOU KNOW, EXISTING BUSINESS IMPORTANT.
BUT IF GARLAND APPROVED FLYING FROM THEIR LAND, THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO.
THEY CAN FLY IN ION AND DROP THE MATERIAL, WHATEVER THEY WANT TO.
RIGHT NOW, PLANO HAS APPROVED, FRISCO IS GOING THROUGH COLLEGE PARK HAS APPROVED.
SO WE DO HAVE TO LOOK AT LOTS OF DATA, LOTS OF THINGS, HOW TO MANAGE THIS.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN TOTALLY CONTROL THAT.
UH, WE CAN SAY NO HERE, BUT THEY'RE GONNA GO NEXT TO RICHARD ON JUST ONE FEET BEYOND THE BORDERLINE AND FLY FROM THERE.
SO, UH, IT'S A LONG TERM ISSUE AND CONCERNING BECAUSE LOTS OF UNKNOWN, I THINK TO ME, I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT UNKNOWN.
IT'S LIKE, I THINK OUR JOB IS LIKE, MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION, SAFEST DECISION, PROTECT OUR CITY, PROTECT OUR BUSINESS, PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS, AND WE'LL BE DOING THAT.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH.
OUR TIME FOR QUESTIONS HAS EXPIRED THIS EVENING.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON NOW THAT BEFORE WE ASK OUR CANDIDATES IN THESE CONTESTED RACES TO GIVE THEIR CLOSING STATEMENTS, WE'D LIKE TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THOSE THAT ARE IN UNCONTESTED CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES, THOSE UNCONTESTED CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AS THEY WILL ALSO BE ON THE MAY 3RD BALLOT.
EACH WILL HAVE ONE AND A HALF MINUTES, AND WE WILL ASK THEM TO COME FORWARD.
UH, INTRODUCE YOURSELF, WHAT PLACE YOU HOLD AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND GIVE YOUR REMARKS.
WE'LL START, UH, WITH IN PLACE ONE COUNCIL MEMBER CURTIS DORIAN.
UH, I, I'M CURTIS DORIAN AND I'M IN RICHARDS RICHARDSON, CITY COUNCIL PLACE ONE.
AND I AM THRILLED TO BE UNOPPOSED
YOU KNOW, I LOVE THIS CITY AND I LOVE THIS JOB, AND I GET TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE FOR TWO MORE YEARS AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO GROW.
CURRENTLY THE CITY COUNCIL SPENDS 30 TO 40 HOURS A WEEK ON AVERAGE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY INCREASE AS OUR POPULATION INCREASES AND THE BUSINESSES RELOCATE TO RICHARDSON.
I'D LIKE TO READ SOME OF THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE RESEARCH, THE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE TIME COMMITMENTS DURING MY TIME ON THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND WITH THE ONGOING COLLABORATION WITH THE CURRENT CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER, AND CITY STAFF, WE HAVE LOWERED THE PROPERTY TAX RATE BY 0.018.
SINCE WE HAVE INCREASED THE SENIOR TAX EXEMPTION BY 22.5% FROM 130 TO 160,000, WE HAVE INCREASED SPENDING ON PUBLIC SAFETY BY 12.5%.
WE HAVE INCREASED SPENDING ON INFRASTRUCTURE BY 14.5%.
WE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE ENVISION RICHARDSON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE AQUATICS PLAN AND SOLID WASTE MASTER PLAN.
WE CREATED THE COMMUNITY INCLUSION AND ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION AND THE BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
WE HAVE TAKEN, I'M ALREADY, I'VE ALREADY DONE.
THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS A FAST LITTLE 90 SECONDS.
WELL, MY WRAP UP IS, IS THESE ARE SOME OF THE POSITIVE SIDES OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, UH, FOR YOU TO SEE OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND CITY MANAGER AND STAFF COMMIT.
UM, I WAS CROSSING OUT SOME THINGS THERE AS HE WAS GOING THROUGH, SO I DIDN'T, UM, REPEAT ANYTHING.
I'M JENNIFER JUSTICE, YOUR CITY COUNCILWOMAN FOR PLACE TWO FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE ON THE CITY COUNCIL IN RICHARDSON, THE PLACE WHERE I GREW UP.
UM, AND, AND LIKE COUNCILMAN DORIAN, I'M EXCITED THAT I GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE YOU AGAIN FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
UM, I WANT TO THANK THE LEAGUE FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UNCONTESTED CANDIDATES DON'T ALWAYS GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS, UM, AT FORUMS, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND I'LL TAKE THE REMAINDER OF MY 90 SECONDS TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE, UM, SORT OF STRAIGHTFORWARD FACTS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN RICHARDSON FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WAS DISCUSSED HERE ON THE STAGE TONIGHT.
IN 2024, RICHARDSON HAD 40 NEW BUSINESSES, RELOCATIONS, RETENTIONS AND EXPANSIONS OR TRANSACTIONS REPRESENTING MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF LEASED OR OWNED SPACE.
AND JUST THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025, UH, WE HAD 4,000 SQUARE FEET OF LEASED AND OWNED SPACE AND MORE THAN 1600
[01:30:01]
JOBS.UM, WE MEET MONTHLY WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS, UM, UH, EITHER WITH THE PRESIDENTS OR JUST YESTERDAY AT, AT THE SPRING, UH, WORKSHOP.
UM, OUR COMMUNITY SERVICES TEAM ALSO DEVELOPED AND LAUNCH THE HOME SUITE HOME PROGRAM TO HELP FOSTER AND INSPIRE, ENHANCE CURB APPEAL AND BASIC MAINTENANCE TO FOSTER CITY PRIDE, BELONGING, AND COMMUNITY.
THE COUNCIL HAS FOCUSED ON ATTRACTING VERY, UH, VARYING TYPES, UM, UH, OF HOUSING.
UH, THIS INCLUDES, UH, NOT ONLY TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENTS, BUT, UH, TOWN HOMES, COTTAGE HOMES, AND BUNGALOW HOME, UH, BUNGALOW COURT HOMES.
UM, AS WAS MENTIONED TONIGHT, THE COUNCIL HAS ALSO ASKED STAFF TO PERFORM A HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT.
UM, I'M OUT OF TIME, SO I'LL SAY THE, THE MORE FACTS, UH, I CAN GIVE YOU OUT THERE ABOUT OUR POLICE, OUR AMAZING POLICE DEPARTMENT, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR AWARD-WINNING LIBRARY.
UM, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE TAX RATE AND THE SENIOR, UH, EXEMPTION.
UM, I'VE RUN OUT OF TIME, SO I INVITE YOU TO COME OUT AND, AND SPEAK TO ME IN THE LOBBY AFTERWARDS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I HUMBLY ASK FOR YOUR VOTE.
MY NAME IS DAN BARRIOS AND I'M COUNCILMAN FOR PLACE THREE.
UH, BUT I HAVE HAD A OPPOSITION, OBVIOUSLY.
THIS IS, UH, MY FIRST TIME UNOPPOSED.
SO I WANNA SAY FIRST THANK YOU Y'ALL FOR BEING ENGAGED.
THANK YOU FOR THE LEAGUE AND THANK YOU TO THE CANDIDATES BECAUSE I KNOW IF YOU'RE ANYTHING LIKE ME, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SAID SOMETHING YOU LOVED.
AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SAID SOMETHING THAT MAYBE YOU DIDN'T DISAGREE, YOU DIDN'T AGREE WITH.
UM, AND THAT'S THE NATURE OF IT.
THAT'S THE NATURE OF THE PROCESS OF GOVERNMENT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THAT PROCESS.
AND THANK YOU EVERY CANDIDATE FOR BEING A PART OF THAT PROCESS.
I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT PROCESS AND I HOPE THAT EVERY PERSON UP HERE WIN OR LOSE, CONTINUES TO BE A PART OF THAT PROCESS OF GOVERNING.
UM, I, THE NATURE OF IT, YOU KNOW, I'M A PROUD FATHER AND I'M A PROUD HUSBAND.
AND SERVING WILL BE ONE OF THE GREATEST HONORS OF MY LIFE BEHIND THAT, THOSE TWO ROLES.
UM, AND SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I YIELD MY TIME.
I'M YOUR PLACE FIVE CITY COUNCIL PERSON.
I'VE BEEN, UH, IN CITY COUNCIL NOW FOR SIX YEARS.
UM, AND SO THIS WILL BE MY FOURTH TERM.
I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE SERVING AN ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS.
UM, AND IT'S INTERESTING TO ME AS I SIT HERE THIS EVENING, I SIT DOWN, I'M UNOPPOSED, WHICH I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF.
AND IT'S INTERESTING TO ME TO HEAR WHAT I HEARD TONIGHT.
SITTING ON THE ACTUAL CITY COUNCIL AND HEARING, WOW, WE LIVE IN RICHARDSON A LOT THAT WAS SAID.
SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE NOT IN SUCH A, WE'RE NOT DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB.
BEST CITY, 14TH, BEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY BY NICHE MAGAZINE.
THAT'S NOT YOUR CITY COUNCIL'S WORDS.
THAT'S A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ENTITY WHO SAID WE'RE THE 14TH BEST PLACE IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY TO LIVE.
MY WIFE, MELINDA AND I, WE'VE LIVED IN A LOT OF CITIES.
I CAN TELL YOU BY FAR, THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST CITY I'VE EVER LIVED IN.
SECOND THING I WILL TELL YOU IS MOST OF YOU KNOW ME PROFESSIONALLY AS THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE HOSPITAL.
WE WOULDN'T HAVE TRIPLED THE SIZE OF THE HOSPITAL IF WE WERE NOT ACTIVELY GROWING, ADDING JOBS, ADDING BUSINESSES, BEING THE STRONG CITY THAT WE ARE.
THAT'S WHY I SERVE ON THE CITY COUNCIL.
THAT'S WHY WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND THE HOSPITAL 'CAUSE WE'RE A STRONG, STRONG, STRONG GROWING CITY.
EVERY ONE OF US NEED YOUR VOTE.
AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART TO SERVE AS YOUR CITY COUNCIL PERSON.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE CLOSING CANDIDATE STATEMENTS FOR OUR CANDIDATES IN CONTESTED RACES WILL NOW BE MADE IN REVERSE BALLOT ORDER.
EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE ONE AND A HALF MINUTES FOR A CLOSING STATEMENT.
LET ME BACK UP 'CAUSE I FORGOT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING.
WE WANNA WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW THAT IN PLACE FOUR, COUNCILMAN JOE COCHRAN WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND TONIGHT.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO OUR CLOSING STATEMENTS.
UM, WE WILL BE BEGIN WITH PLACE SIX.
ALRIGHT, THANK Y'ALL FOR ATTENDING TONIGHT.
THANK YOU LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FOR HOSTING.
THE ONE THING THAT I REALLY WANNA SAY WITH A BRIEF AMOUNT OF TIME I HAVE REMAINING IS TO PLEASE BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER.
WE HAVE A NATIONAL POLITICAL DISCOURSE HERE THAT IS JUST SO DIVISIVE AND SO UGLY.
AND PART OF THE REASON I CHOSE TO RUN IS TO SHOW THAT, UM, CHALLENGE IS RESPECTFUL.
CHALLENGE IS A HALLMARK OF A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY,
[01:35:01]
AND WE SHOULD HAVE MORE PEOPLE THROWING THEIR THEIR NAME IN THE HAT.UM, AND I THINK, AND MY ASSUMPTION ANYWAY IS A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T DO IT BECAUSE IT'S SO UGLY OUT THERE NOW.
AND I FEEL THAT WE ARE A VERY SOPHISTICATED CITY.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE A VERY CUTTING EDGE CITY.
WE'RE BETTER THAN HAVING RACES THAT ARE LARGELY UNOPPOSED.
YOU CAN GO IN THEIR CHALLENGE AND BE RESPECTFUL AND GIVE FOLKS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK THEIR MIND AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THEIR POSITIONS ON THINGS THAT IS A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY.
SO I WILL SHUT UP RIGHT NOW WITH 19 SECONDS REMAINING AND JUST SAY THANK Y'ALL.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR NEIGHBORS TO VOTE AS WELL.
UH, ABOUT 33 YEARS AGO, I CAME TO THIS COUNTRY AS A STUDENT WHEN I WAS ABOUT 25 YEARS OLD.
I'VE TAKEN MANY PUNCH, BUT NEVER LOSE MY FOCUS.
I'M ONE OF THE VERY POSITIVE PERSON.
WHENEVER I SEE PROBLEM, I SEE THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO FIX IT AND MAKE SOMEBODY HAPPY AND SMILE.
I HAVE, UH, I'M A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL CIVIL ENGINEER.
I HAVE STARTED MY OWN BUSINESS WITHOUT ANY LOAN BY SAVING SINGLE, YOU KNOW, PENNY AT A TIME.
AND, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE BEST DECISION.
ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO, I MOVED TO RICHARD WITH MY FAMILY AND THEY LOVE THIS PLACE.
UH, THAT'S ANOTHER BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE.
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST CITY THAT YOU HAVE HEARD LOTS OF STATISTICS AND I'M SURE YOU FEEL THAT.
I FEEL THAT, UH, LOTS OF POSITIVE THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
AND, UH, FOUR YEARS AGO YOU HAVE ELECTED ME FIRST TIME AND TWO YEARS AGO, YOU GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY AGAIN.
I WAS, I I'VE BEEN, UH, VERY HUMBLED AND BLESSED AND, UH, WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE THAT THI JOURNEY WITH YOU ALL.
AND I THINK NO MATTER WHAT I SAY THAT GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT.
THAT THE THINGS THAT I HAVE GOT SO MUCH FROM THIS COUNTRY, FROM THIS PLACE, THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE EVERYTHING BACK.
EVERYTHING I DO, I GET A LOT MORE BACK.
SO I DON'T HAVE MY FAMILY OVER HERE OTHER THAN MY WIFE AND MY CHILDREN, BUT YOU ALL MY FAMILY, AND THAT'S HOW I FEEL IT RICHARDSON, IS MY FAMILY.
THAT'S WHAT I GOT INVOLVED AND I'LL BE DOING MY BEST THROUGHOUT MY
I WILL ASK YOU TO HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE.
WE'LL GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT IN A FEW MINUTES.
UH, MR. DUBY, THANK YOU MA'AM.
YES, I AM TRULY HONORED TO BE HERE TONIGHT, SITTING HERE TO HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE MAYOR OF RICHARDSON.
I FEEL THAT I'VE DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF BEING THE MAYOR.
I THINK WE'VE BEEN EXTREMELY TRANSPARENT.
I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT WE'VE CHANGED SOME THINGS TO MAKE US EVEN MORE TRANSPARENT AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
I ALSO WANNA LET YOU KNOW, I PUT IN THE TIME YOU HEARD MR. DORIAN SAY HE'S WORKING 40, 42 HOURS A WEEK.
WELL, I GUARANTEE YOU I'M WORKING THAT AND MORE AS, AS YOUR MAYOR, BUT I'M RETIRED.
I HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET UP EVERY MORNING AND GO TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OR DO WHAT YOU NEED ME TO DO TO REPRESENT YOUR CITY.
I'M, I LOVE DOING IT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I AM HEARING AND LISTENING TO WHAT THE CITIZENS WANT US TO DO.
AND I'M OUT THERE DOING THAT FOR YOU SO YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO DO IT.
I'M LOYAL, YOU KNOW, FOR A FACT, BASED ON THE FACT THAT I HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME SPOTS AND I'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED AND HONORED TO DO THOSE INDIVIDUAL JOBS.
SO PLEASE KNOW THAT I DO WANT TO BE YOUR MAYOR.
I WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT HARD FOR EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, WHETHER WE AGREE A HUNDRED PERCENT ON EVERY DETAIL, THAT'S NOT GONNA NECESSARILY HAPPEN, BUT YOU KNOW THAT I WILL AT LEAST LISTEN AND I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU.
THE CITY OF RICHARDSON IS IN GREAT SHAPE AND I WANT TO CONTINUE DRIVING THAT FORWARD.
AND WE DON'T WANNA LOSE ANY STEPS GOING BACKWARDS.
I'M NUMBER THREE ON YOUR BALLOT.
BUT NUMBER ONE IN YOUR HEART, THANK YOU
AND BEFORE I EVER DECIDED TO RUN THIS PARTICULAR ELECTION, UM, I DECIDED TO HAVE ONE-ON-ONE COFFEES WITH 200 PEOPLE, NOT THE 200 MOST POPULAR PEOPLE, NOT THE 200 MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE, BUT 200 PEOPLE THAT LIVED IN EVERY SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD IN OUR CITY.
JUST SO I COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WHO ALSO LOVE OUR CITY THINK WE COULD DO BETTER, BECAUSE YOU CAN LOVE SOMETHING AND STILL WANT IT TO IMPROVE.
THAT WAS SO, SUCH A MOVING PROCESS FOR ME THAT I DECIDED
[01:40:01]
THAT I WOULD CONTINUE IT EVEN AFTER MAKING THE DECISION TO RUN.AND I'VE SINCE DONE 200 MORE COFFEES ALL WHILE BEING EMPLOYED.
I'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN THE TIME IT'S ALSO AS MAYOR, SOMETHING THAT I WOULD CONTINUE.
I WOULD DO QUARTERLY TOWN HALLS IN EACH OF THE FOUR QUADRANTS OF OUR CITY EVERY SINGLE YEAR I WOULD DO MONTHLY COFFEE MEETINGS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR CITY SO THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN COME AND SEE THE MAYOR IN A PARTICULAR SPOT ONCE A MONTH.
IF YOU WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH THE MAYOR, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR CITY, UM, TO MOVE IN A MORE AGGRESSIVE DIRECTION TOWARDS REALLY HELPING WITH THINGS LIKE THE OFFICE SPACE ISSUE AND THE SALES TAX ISSUES THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER.
ACTUAL NUMBERS FROM THE ACTUAL BUDGET.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS LISTENED TO THE TWO OF US AND MADE A DECISION THAT I WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE.
I HAVE THE ENDORSEMENT OF PAUL VEER AND STEVE MITCHELL, TWO FORMER MAYORS THAT KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO DO THE JOB.
I HOPE I CAN EARN YOUR VOTE AND YOUR SUPPORT.
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU CANDIDATES VERY MUCH.
AND NOW AGAIN, LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
THIS IS YOUR TIME TO THANK THEM FOR BEING HERE AND LET'S DO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR, FOR LYNETTE.
SHE ALWAYS MAKES IT LOOK EASY, BUT IT IS NOT.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE CANDIDATES FOR COMING TONIGHT.
I JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW, I I REALLY LIKE, UM, NUMBERS AND STATISTICS.
CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 75,000, OVER 75,000 REGISTERED VOTERS IN RICHARDSON IN 2013.
SO A FEW YEARS AGO, MORE THAN 14,000 PEOPLE VOTED IN THE RICHARDSON MAYOR'S ELECTION.
THIS WAS OUR FIRST ELECTION, DIRECT ELECTION FOR THE MAYOR IN RICHARDSON.
TWO YEARS AGO IN 20 TH EXCUSE ME, 2023, JUST OVER 7,000 PEOPLE VOTED IN THE RICHARDSON MAYOR'S ELECTION.
REMEMBER, WE HAVE 75,000 REGISTERED VOTERS.
7,000 VOTED IN THE ELECTION IN 2023.
THE DIFFERENCE TWO YEARS AGO BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES WAS IN THE 2023 MAYOR'S ELECTION WAS 488 VOTES.
YOUR VOTE ONLY COUNTS IF YOU VOTE.
Y'ALL GOT HOPEFULLY A, UH, PARKING, UM, UH, TICKET WHEN YOU CAME IN.
UH, THAT NEEDS TO BE VALIDATED.
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN THE LOBBY OUT HERE THAT WILL VALIDATE THOSE TICKETS FOR YOU.
SO LOOK FOR THE EISMAN STAFF, UH, WHO CAN VALIDATE THOSE TICKETS FOR YOU.
SO THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT.