Stricklin announced his campaign for the Precinct 2 seat on the Commissioners Court in a news release posted Nov. 26 on his campaign Facebook page. Stricklin said he intends to “stand and fight against special interests, focus on public safety and ensure ... taxes stay low.”
The council member said he hopes to serve both his hometown of Carrollton and other communities in Denton County. That prospect, he said, was “really attractive” when Precinct 2 Commissioner Ron Marchant announced he will not seek re-election Nov. 16.
“This is a really unique opportunity and one that doesn’t come up that often,” Stricklin said. “Not only do I get to serve the folks where I live, but I also get to serve a good part of Denton County and where I grew up and have a business.”
Stricklin shared four top priorities in his campaign:
- Focusing on building economic development opportunities to help lower the tax burden on homeowners;
- Supporting public safety and law enforcement to help protect families and build strong communities;
- Supporting transportation infrastructure needs for “our growing county” and to help increase commerce; and
- Being a fiscally conservative steward of taxpayer money.
Frisco Director of Communications Dana Baird said under the state’s "resign-to-run" provision, Stricklin's candidacy is considered an automatic resignation from City Council, effective immediately.
However, he will “hold over” his seat on City Council until a successor is chosen in a spring special election.
“Stricklin may continue to perform duties of the office until his successor takes office,” Baird said.
The eventual successor will serve the remainder of Stricklin’s term, Baird added.
Stricklin said City Council will review specifics for a special election in a future meeting.
Stricklin said his time on City Council has been "incredible." He praised the city's quality of life for residents and reflected on voting to approve the city's upcoming performing arts center to be located at Hall Park. Stricklin also said he "fulfilled a campaign promise to make sure ... police officers, firefighters and first responders are taken care of in case of a catastrophic injury."
He said those who seek to fill his seat on City Council should spend time with Frisco leadership and attributed much of the city’s success to the staff in all departments.
“Learn what’s going on from the inside," Stricklin said. "A lot of what you see in Frisco, the success, is because of the hard work of [Frisco City Manager] George Purefoy and his leadership and city staff.”
