BL: I am very happy with how the city of Frisco responded to Covid-19. While the majority of what is mandated comes from the federal government, the governor of Texas and county judges, Frisco took a conservative approach to implanting these policies. We resisted the few requests to form healthcare committees that would only slow us down and create more bureaucracy, and let our medical professionals successfully guide us through this.

Our businesses are now opening, COVID-19 positive cases declining, schools opening back up and while we comply with state mandates we keep our citizens and businesses’ best interests in mind in making decisions.

I support shutting down when we did and would make the same decision again, but I am ready for Texas to open back up!

BL: I have served as your Frisco City Council member (Place 6) for the last three years and look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Frisco. I kept my original campaign promises of voting against high-density apartments, supporting first responders, improving traffic and making sure that Frisco is prepared to stay the best, safest and fastest-growing city in America for years. There is still a lot of work for us to do in Frisco, and given our nationally recognized successes, I believe that maintaining consistency is best for our future.

SH: 2020 found us with an unprecedented health crisis, over which I believe state and national authorities spent too long kicking the can on critical decisions down to local officials. One thing everyone can agree on is that COVID[-19] was an unimaginable challenge, and no one could have had a perfect playbook. But we can take lessons learned and use them going forward. I hope to help with more collaboration next time, and I’ve made a proposal that you can see on my website for how Frisco could drive a multi-jurisdictional and matrixed approach which brings all our partners to the table as we recover as one community.

These complex issues cannot be tackled in silos, but must be solved through a matrixed and interconnected approach–one that incorporates the Chamber of Commerce, our ISD partners, our higher education partners, our social services organizations, business leaders, and even retired and active military advisers. Frisco is a strong, resilient community–but if we are not afraid to have difficult conversations, together, we could lead the way for all cities in the nation on this.

This initiative can be funded via federal aid the city has received from the CARES Act.

SH: When I moved to Frisco four years ago, I got involved in the community immediately. I joined the Frisco Interfaith Alliance, which was similar to groups I had worked with before, and was appointed to the City’s Social Services and Housing Board, among several other volunteer roles. I was connected to a wide network of community volunteers this way, and soon, I was encouraged to apply for Leadership Frisco. I was honored to be chosen for that program and graduate with Class XXII, after which I was selected to serve on the Leadership Frisco Advisory Council, among several other leadership roles. Soon after, city and community leaders began asking me what was next and then asking me to consider a run for City Council. I felt I was being called to step up in my community service duties.

SH: I believe I have a myriad of experiences that prepare me for this role in our community. First, as someone with an education and professional background in community health, I believe I have a vocational training that is useful but not present on City Council now and hasn’t been in over a decade, since Dr. Jim Joyner served—the last medical professional elected to council.

Next, I believe my extensive work with the many houses of worship in Frisco gives me a unique insight to the diversity of not just our faith community but also the needs of our most vulnerable communities. Frisco’s faith-based groups are on the front line of serving the homeless, the hungry and the vulnerable; these are people helped by the private sector, and therefore, the city doesn’t have to step in. As our city grows and these populations in need also grow, my insight will be vital as we all work together—public and private agencies—to lift them up in the most effective and responsible ways possible.

Of all the other qualities about me which I believe prepare me for serving on City Council, I would close with the one I feel most significant: my ability to solve problems and seek solutions, as opposed to being vocally negative but with no contribution. It is not enough for an elected official to simply be against everything that comes across his or her desk. We deserve leaders who are FOR positive change, innovation, vision and community investment.

SH: Obviously, Frisco's biggest issue has changed dramatically in the last six months. I believe the most urgent issue facing our city is how we work through the physical, economic, and emotional tolls of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community. There remain a lot of questions about the data, whether it’s coming from the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], state or counties... so we are flying somewhat blind in our ability to project. But by working with our healthcare community, we can still be informed on immediate health impacts.

And there has been demonstrable impact socially and commercially as well. The city budget is going to be affected, over the next 2-3 years, especially as we begin to see the trickle-down effects of businesses closing, workers losing jobs, and homeowners and tenants being unable to make their monthly bills.

I would like to be a part of helping Frisco City Council develop and lead a bold recovery plan. Please see my COVID-19 response to understand my ideas on how Frisco can lead the metroplex and the nation.

SH: I have met with and am pleased to be supported by many people who have professional experience in matters of transportation, roads, infrastructure, capacity and other issues related to growth. Obviously, we all know that Frisco’s growth has created congestion and traffic; still, I applaud the city for the fiscally responsible choices made over the last two decades. They have done a good job balancing the demand for more roads with the need to allow population growth to fund its own infrastructure—in other words, "Don’t make the residents of today bear the full brunt of the cost for the solutions of tomorrow." Our city of Frisco staff is masterful at anticipating needs and being ready at the right time with solutions.

I think that the biggest concern we face is the uncertainty of what will happen with the approximately 30% of our city that is still open land and remains to be developed. Large, centrally located parcels, like Brinkmann Ranch, provide outstanding opportunity, but that kind of a blank canvas also brings a huge unknown; it could become a big commercial campus or another university project or a mixed-use, master-planned community, like Legacy West. If it becomes 5,000 acres of dense multifamily housing, that will irrevocably change the nature of our city. There is no question that zoning for dense, multifamily apartments is the most lucrative outcome for any developer, but it also puts the largest and most expensive strain on our infrastructure and roads. Frisco must ask whether our City Council will have the collective integrity to do what is right in these cases, thinking not just of today’s developers but also of tomorrow’s residents and neighbors.

As someone with a reputation for listening respectfully, keeping my word and collaborating with compromise, I feel that I can bring a more effective presence to City Council than the incumbent. Frustrated residents have relayed [to me] their feelings that he listens without hearing and serves a narrow political agenda driven by future campaign ambitions rather than what is right for Frisco right now.

SH: I believe the overall cost of living in Frisco is both good and bad. The bad is that our property taxes are high, but that is not a city of Frisco matter, since City Council has kept our rate low with a responsible budget. The biggest piece of everyone’s tax bill is to our local ISD, yet it is state legislative policies which drive those rates. I am fortunate to have a very open door with education leaders from all over our area, and we have discussed what could be done to lower school tax rates. I am proud of those positive and mutually supportive relationships built on kindness and respect. I will be able to utilize those mutually respectful relationships to be of assistance in helping lower our residents’ overall tax burden.

Then, the desirability of our community has created great demand, such that people want to move to Frisco from all over the world. This is good, but it has driven up housing prices. Improving how our homes are appraised and taxed by the county appraisal district is another area that could significantly ease the burden on homeowners. As someone who represented the residents of Frisco, I would not be afraid to ask hard questions of the county officials who drive those appraisal processes.

I believe the good and the bad here can all be improved by collaboration between our state, county, city and ISD partners. Respectful understanding that sets aside partisan ideology is how collaboration will happen. I do not filter public policy and people through a political lens, and that is the first step to finding solutions.

SH: I am proud to have built a successful medical practice in Frisco with my husband, and this experience has proven that we understand the financial and operational needs of a successful small business. I have a solid resume of community service with special experience in the public health, interfaith, public safety and leadership sectors, and I look forward to bringing those insights to bear for my Frisco neighbors. I am proud of my relationships with and strong support of the organizations in Frisco which serve our active-duty military and veterans. I am not bound to any developer, to any special-interest group or to any political ideology. If the day comes where I have to choose between leading with honesty and integrity or not, I will resign my office immediately.