Although the results from the Nov. 3 local election have not been formally approved yet, Dan Stricklin and Laura Rummel are the expected candidates to proceed into a runoff election tentatively set for Dec. 8.
The forum was hosted by the Frisco Chamber of Commerce. Candidates were asked questions on a variety of issues that included roads, local control, Grand Park, economic development and higher education programs.
When it came to roads, both candidates said the abundance of roadwork is necessary in Frisco.
“A lot of [road projects] happen for budgetary reasons at different points in time,” Rummel said. “We have the funds and the projects are available now, so we need to get it done.”
Stricklin pointed to the MyFrisco app, which sends resident concerns regarding roads to the city to better identify areas where improvements are needed.
“If you can, report it, and a ticket will come up and the city will follow through and say, 'Hey, we took care of this in a specific area,'” Stricklin said.
When it came to how City Council should address COVID-19, Rummel said the city did not need to take a lot of action since the governor had handed down pandemic regulations.
“Really the only time the city had to get involved was when our counties did not align,” she said. “Both the mayor and the current City Council are going to do their best to keep the economy growing while also keeping everybody safe. And that is something that I would also be very encouraging of. That's one of the things we worked on during the pandemic was helping our clients become converted to virtual and remote organizations, to where they could still be successful and still maintain their business.”
Stricklin said the mayor and council have handled the pandemic well so far and said he has been paying attention to data regarding hospital beds and ventilators.
“I really care about the metrics,” he said. “If we have a bunch of cases go up and things are happening, I'm going to watch that, and I'm going to do my best. The city does a good job getting information out as much as they possibly can. But I'm really paying attention to, 'What's our capacity? Do our counties have the ability to care for the people in case this happens?' And the good news is, is Collin County has plenty of hospital beds and plenty of ventilators.”
Both candidates emphasized the importance of voting in this local election.
“This has been a 13-month ride for some of us that have been involved in the process,” Stricklin said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to exercise your civic duty.”
“Local politics are incredibly important,” Rummel said. “They have more impact on our day to day than what national politics do, so having a say in who's going to help make the decisions for your city is incredibly important.”
Per the Collin County Elections website, early voting for the runoff election is slated to be held Nov. 23-25, Nov. 28 and Nov. 30-Dec. 4.
To see the full candidate forum, click here.
