Q&A: Meet Chris Schulmeister, Allen’s new mayor

1. What do you think makes the city of Allen unique?

The people. I really believe that. When you've been around so long and you've seen so much, there used to be a day when you could go into a restaurant and you would know pretty much everybody. Today, that's not necessarily the case. You may see a couple. That's really why I'm here, is because I have faith in the people of the community, and I always say to people in a lot of these forums: we're a unique city. We're 27 square miles, surrounded by cities that are two and a half, three times our size, like McKinney, Plano and Frisco. And there's one Allen spirit.

Every time you run a campaign, you learn of people that can't find anything good to say about the city, but for the most part, those are the vocal minority.

Long ago, the decision was made to make Allen a one-high-school town, and I wasn't part of that decision, but I think it was one of the best decisions we made as a city. I know we're the largest, but Friday night lights is big in Texas, right? But in Allen, it's even more special, because the community rallies around the school district and the city.

2. How does your prior experience prepare you for this role?

I was on Economic Development [Corporation] as well as Community Development Corporation before City Council. ... I learned a lot, which I'm going to take and use going forward. I'm a very strategic-oriented guy, and we're a very strategic-oriented city, so we have a lot in common. That's what I did for 40 years in the profession.

3. What are some of your priorities for your term as mayor?

We have a 2045 Comprehensive Plan that was created the last year I was on City Council. In that plan are some really, really good things, and we as a council, when I rolled off, I don't think we gave it the level of attention it deserved. I talked to them yesterday at a two-hour meeting about revisiting and revising. ... Not only do we have new council members, a couple that weren't there, we have a new community development director. I think it's wise for us—and again, this is my strategic planning background— to revisit that. There's things in there, like land use, transportation, housing, economic development, really deep topics that we as a city because we're transitioning from a growth city to a mature city and I’ve said that all along. With that comes new challenges, new responsibilities. I think that 2045 Comprehensive Plan sets the stage for the next chapter of our success story here in our city.

4. What is the best way for residents to share feedback with you?

Mayor Brooks did a terrific job of being out [in the community], but he had an advantage. He owns a restaurant. I don't own a restaurant, so I’ve got to be more creative on how people can come and see me. If you ask people in the community, they would tell you that I'm very much engaged with the community and letting them hear from me is important to me. We're going to look at different ways to do that. I want to be out in the community, so I'm going to be at most things. ... I'm going to be a working mayor. I'm not doing this for ribbon-cuttings and proclamations. I'm doing this because I love the city and the people, and they're going to hear from me, even my adversaries.

5. What do you want your legacy to be at the end of your term?

It's not about a building being built or something. It's more about just preserving our city and the relationships. I want us to continue to thrive and be relevant in this sprawling North Texas area.