In the spirit of a traditional town hall meeting, The Wheel has offered the members of the Richardson City Council the opportunity to answer questions posed by the public (and by public I mean me). Call it the first (and possibly last) informal online town hall meeting sponsored by The Wheel. All council members graciously cooperated with this imposition on their time. The questions and their answers follow.A town hall meeting is an informal public meeting derived from the traditional town meetings of New England. Typically open to everybody in a town community and held at the local municipal building, attendees generally present ideas, voice their opinions, and ask questions of the public figures at the town hall.
Source: Adapted from Wikipedia.
Paul Voelker, Mayor
Q1. You have been on the Richardson City Council since 2013. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
As a member of the Richardson City Council (2013-2014) we had the opportunity to acquire nearly 60 additional acres and expand the Spring Creek nature area to the south side of Renner Rd. This land is a combination of virgin hard wood and grass land prairie. The transition with the land owners was a combination of cash, infrastructure investments and property rights transfers. The creative combination of development tools and the end result of preservation will always be my most treasured accomplishment, no matter how long I serve the city.
Q2. What accomplishment do you most hope to achieve during the remainder of the current council term, which expires in May, 2017?
As Mayor I am called upon more and more to participate and review what Richardson's role is and should be with respect to our place in the North Texas region. I have long been interested in the DART Cotton Belt Commuter Rail system. I believe we are very close to having decisions made this year that will drive a new timeline that is more likely to have a positive impact on Richardson within the next 4 to 5 years.
Mark Solomon, Place 2, Mayor Pro Tem
Q1. You have been on the Richardson City Council since 2009. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Over the past seven years I have had the opportunity to participate in many actions that I believe have and will continue to have a long term positive affect on our quality of life here in Richardson. Some of these actions involve the several purchases of land adding to our our already extensive parks system, the work we have done in expanding public art, the commitment to improving our aging infrastructure, and others. However, the zoning work that was started in 2009 along Spring Valley and has extended to the Renner Road / US 75 area (CityLine), the Central Expressway Corridor and the zoning that is now being proposed in the Main Street area of town, will have the broadest long term effect on the City. This zoning has created the base on which the City will continue to benefit for years to come.
Q2. What accomplishment do you most hope to achieve during the remainder of the current council term, which expires in May, 2017?
Looking forward, I am most excited about the work that will be accomplished this next year in improving our first responders workplace environment. Our police and fire departments continue to evolve in their roles in our growing and changing community. The confidence our residents expressed in their vote last November to move forward with this critical project is vastly important. This new campus for both fire and police will replace buildings that were never intended for use in this modern society enabling them to respond to our ever expanding needs.
Bob Townsend, Place 1
Q1. You have been on the Richardson City Council since 2001. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
To your first question, there are so many accomplishments by the City Councils I have served with that I am extremely proud of. Some of them, in no particular order are.
- The attaining and maintaining the Triple A bond rating by both Moody's and Standard and Poor's.
- The development of CityLine.
- The development of plans for revitalization of certain sections of the City.
- The revitalization of Heights shopping center.
- The opening of Galatyn Park and the Eisemann Center.
- The development of the trail system.
- The purchase of the remainder of the Spring Creek Nature Area.
- The arrival of DART in the City and the transit-oriented developments around some of the stations.
Q2. What accomplishment do you most hope to achieve during the remainder of the current council term, which expires in May, 2017?
Regarding your second question, I want to see the development of a plan, including financing, for major upgrades to the City's infrastructure. That is the critical issue facing the City now.
Steve Mitchell, Place 6
Q1. You have been on the Richardson City Council since 2005. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
The accomplishment that I'm most proud of is the passage of a series of 'quality of life' initiatives:
- Placing before our voters 3 separate, overwhelmingly approved general obligation bond packages, which, among other things, centered on public safety and the repair and replacement our aging infrastructure.
- Limiting the number of check cashing and title loan businesses. Since the ordinance was passed, no new ones have been established in our city – and the number has actually decreased.
- Crafting a ‘no smoking ordinance’ which enables our residents to dine without being exposed to second hand smoke.
- Advocating for the Neighborhood Home Improvement Incentive program which has fostered over $90 million in home improvements, with over 400 homeowner participants.
- Championing the Neighborhood Development Overlay and Traffic Calming policy which enables neighborhoods to join together to formulate strategies on home design/placement and traffic calming devices in their neighborhoods.
Q2. What accomplishment do you most hope to achieve during the remainder of the current council term, which expires in May, 2017?
The accomplishment that I most hope to achieve between now and May is action on several initiatives:
- Issuing of general obligation bonds from our most recent voter approved bond election to fund initiatives like the reconstruction of our downtown public safety complex.
- Finalizing our 4 redevelopment sub-districts, predominantly south of Belt Line/Main St and east of US 75/Central, so that the business and development communities can catch the vision set by the council; a vision based on feedback from extensive community stakeholder meetings in those areas.
Scott Dunn, Place 3
Q1. You have been on the Richardson City Council since 2011. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Mark, since being on Council from 2011 there is a “laundry list” of accomplishments we, The City, have done. Any one of these could be considered “a most proud” accomplishment, but it’s like my children I love them all the same.
It could be the City Line development approval and seeing it all come together in a very short time. It could be the much requested The Bush Central Barkway dog park. Or it could be the purchase of Spring Creek Nature Area. What about the increase funding for roads? Or it could as simple as approving the Richardson Food Truck Park or agreeing to the incentive to have the first Alamo Drafthouse in north Texas located in Richardson. All of these plus many more I am very proud to have been a part of.
Q2. What accomplishment do you most hope to achieve during the remainder of the current council term, which expires in May, 2017?
For the rest of the current term I think we will see the continued of growth of businesses, retail, housing and amenities, all of what make Richardson a great place to be.
Mabel Simpson, Place 4
Q1. You have been on the Richardson City Council since 2015. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I will tell you that I am most proud of our accomplishment of identifying the funding to make the necessary repairs and replacement to so many pieces of our aged City infrastructure as well as streets and most importantly our Public Safety facilities. Achieving a bond package with the support of the community is clearly a collaborative effort and should be how City Government works for its citizens. The recent bond package involved long hours put in by City Staff and Council to identify all needed projects then narrowing down what projects were higher priority and affordable, and finally seeking out the support of our Citizens to allow us to raise only the funds we could debt service allowing us to tackle the needs of our aged City.
Q2. What accomplishment do you most hope to achieve during the remainder of the current council term, which expires in May, 2017?
In the remaing months of this term I look forward to the businesses and residential developers continued attention on Richardson as the best community opportunity for their long term investment dollars as each of these projects that have been completed and require spending real dollars. These developers and companies that have chosen Richardson as the best option for their investment dollars are helping to revitalize Richardson allowing us to continue to offer our residents a place to call home and have the option for a great job all within our city. Additionally this refreshed and revitalized city we are all benefitting from takes someone willing to put up hard money-- investment dollars, and Richardson continues to be a great place to raise a family and offer options within our community for those that choose to pursure a higher education. Achieving a balance between residents and businesses is critical and these goals for all stakeholders (citizens and businesses) is a constant focus of Council. I hope to be able to continue to have those opportunities for thoughtful analysis presented to us on Council as it is continued evidence that our community is a great place to live, work, raise a family and play, not to mention the best Parks around!
Marta Gómez Frey, Place 5
Q1. You have been on the Richardson City Council since 2015. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
The City has accomplished many great things in the last year. One of the tasks that I'm most proud of is our continued commitment to public safety. Our citizen's support of the 2015 Bond Program, confirmed the need for a Public Safety Campus Improvement Project that will re-purpose and replace aging infrastructure. This crucial project will enhance site security for our police officers and fire fighters, create better defined entry points for easier public accessibility, and improve vital workflow while maximizing construction costs.
Q2. What accomplishment do you most hope to achieve during the remainder of the current council term, which expires in May, 2017?
I'm looking forward to expanding our work within the Richardson small business community. With the addition of REDP's Small Business Resource Guide, the City continues to explore new ways to engage entrepreneurs. Not only will we examine processes to make it easier to do business in and with the City of Richardson, but also I hope we develop programming that helps increase sustained small business growth within our community.
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