On February 18, 2026, UT-Dallas Student Government hosted a town hall meeting with Richardson Mayor Amir Omar. At this third town hall, Mayor Omar shared the stage with Council member Joe Corcoran. Anyone who wants to know what's going on in Richardson government really ought to attend these town hall meetings. They are more informative than a year of attending City Council meetings. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but not by much. I thought the questions from UT-Dallas students were as good or better than those asked at many campaign forums.
Whan asked about progress of the mayor's campaign promises, Mayor Omar mentioned the open process for selecting the mayor pro tem, the audio recordings of meetings of boards and commissions, and the video record of the City Council meeting at which the council's goals for the term were set. All of these were decisions made by the whole council, but they were changes to prior practice that Omar promised to promote if elected.
When asked about initiatives to support entrepreneurs and small business owners, Mayor Omar mentioned the marketing efforts he has been making, including media coverage through community engagement.
Council member Joe Corcoran shared his positive experiences with UTD staff and students and the importance of proactive engagement with the campus.
Among the questions asked by the Student Government moderators was what infrastructure improvements have been prompted by recent natural disasters (e.g. tornado, wind storm, and grid failure during deep freezes). Corcoran discussed the city's efforts in sharing equipment and resources during natural disasters and the implementation of new training initiatives and software upgrades. Mayor Omar mentioned the upcoming bond proposal focused on infrastructure improvements, including streets, alleys, sidewalks, and drainage.
Another question asked about existing programs that could be improved or reevaluated for efficiency. Mayor Omar singled out the city council's recent focus on the Eisemann Center and how to make it more financially sustainable.
Another question asked about campaign goals, both short and long term. Corcoran reflected on his campaign goals from 2021, including walkability, bikeability, and missing middle housing. Corcoran mentioned the city's progress towards designation as a Bike Friendly City, and the ongoing review of zoning codes to support new developments and the planned update to the Comprehensive Zoning Code. Mayor Omar Mayor Omar emphasized his own proactive and visible approach to the mayor's role and his efforts to put Richardson on a bigger stage. He outlined his plans for future initiatives, including small business spotlights like his "Meals with the Mayor" video series and a planned mayor-on-campus video series with RISD, PISD, and UTD.
Turning to the audience, the first question asked about what agreements the City of Richardson has with ICE. This elicited a forthright and direct response from both Mayor Omar and Corcoran. It also prompted the first and only applause from the audience. Corcoran stated that the Richardson Police Department cooperates with ICE only as far as legally obligated to enforce local laws. Mayor Omar explained the city council's policy of not assisting ICE beyond legal obligations. He said this policy predated his election. He also cautioned that the City of Richardson has limited influence over federal authorities in any case. Because of that, he said, "Anytime a citizen sees more than four or five police officers together, especially if some of them may not be in uniform or they're in a nonstandard uniform, the immediate assumption is that 'We spotted ICE in Richardson.' I can tell you at least the three or four in the last few weeks that have come to us as 'We spotted ICE in Richardson' were absolutely not ICE in Richardson." He asked the public to contact their elected officials for clarification of police activities in Richardson.
A member of the audience asked about sustainability efforts in Richardson, specifically tree planting initiatives. After briefly discussing the history of the "Tree the Town" initiative, he introduced the concept of tiny forests and the potential planting of the first tiny forest in Richardson at a private school. Corcoran provided an update on parks and tree planting commitments, ongoing construction along Renner Road and the city's commitment to planting more trees there than it cut down.
A member of the audience raised concerns about DART's potential withdrawal from certain cities and its impact on vulnerable populations. Both Mayor Omar and Corcoran discussed the ongoing negotiations with DART and the importance of maintaining public transportation services, especially for high-ridership areas like UT-Dallas. Both Mayor Omar and Corcoran expressed support for using any allocation of funds received by Richardson from the General Mobility Program to active transportation and pedestrian infrastructure.
A member of the audience asked specifically about the construction delays on Glenville Avenue. Mayor Omar explained the challenges of road construction, including utility delays, and the need for better communication with the public, including the possibility of identifying the party responsible for any current delays and the potential that might have in getting faster action from utility companies.
A member of the audience asked about plans to address aging retail "along West Campbell, Coit and Arapaho. In many cases, it's decades old and declining. At the same time, there's a heavy investment in downtown CORE, the IQ, Interurban, Lockwood, all on the east side, right. So the investment on the west side pales. Can't even compare the two." Mayor Omar's response was candid. He said, "I've heard for years that it's been the east side that's always getting robbed, and all we care about is Canyon Creek and everything on the West. So this is a first. So thank you, because I always enjoy a good first. But that doesn't mean that your concerns are not relevant." He explained how the City prioritizes neighborhood economic development and that the city doesn't discriminate east vs west. He said, "If you don't mind, maybe sending me a few of your kind of, bigger concerned areas. I'd love to go put my eyeballs on it and see if there's something that I think we could do or be creative about."
The last question also addressed economic development. A person from Duck Creek asked if there are incentives to encourage reuse of the aging office buildings between Beltline and the IQ instead of building in the green spaces across the street. Mayor Omar said, "The short answer is there can be incentives." He went on to spell out the challenges of getting develpers, who all want to develop on green space, to go to the extra trouble to redevelop an empty office building. Mayor Omar did hold out hope for the future. "I personally believe that if we aggressively and continuously market ourselves to the specific sectors that we are trying to attract in Richardson, whether in the Innovation Quarter or elsewhere, we have a really high chance of being able to start repopulating a lot of those buildings."
On that promising note, Mayor Omar closed by encouraging the audience to participate in the "Healthier Texas Community Challenge" and tag Richardson as their city.
P.S. I am sometimes accused of being negative. This time I have nothing negative to say, from the UT-Dallas Student Government hosts' professionalism to Mayor Omar's candor to Joe Corcoran's informative answers, everything about this town hall was excellent.
"Third town hall this term.
Students, public quiz mayor.
Civics comes alive."
—h/t ChatGPT
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