Chad LaPrelle is running for Colleyville City Council.[/caption]Chad LaPrelle, a police sergeant, is running for Colleyville City Council Place 4 for the May 6 election.
Place 4 is currently held by Jody Short, whose term ends in May.
Community Impact Newspaper sent LaPrelle a series of questions. His written responses, edited for publication style, are below.
1. Why are you running for Colleyville City Council?
I’m running because I care about people and I care about Colleyville. We have great residents who have chosen to make Colleyville home because something special drew them here. We must keep that something special alive.
Having grown up in Colleyville, I’ve seen a lot of change within the city. I’m a product of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, having attended Colleyville Middle and Grapevine High School. The changes Colleyville has experienced in the last 11 years has been amazing and all for the greater good. That growth, however, is stagnating since the last May election. The city was so positive and full of life, but that has since changed. A cloud of infighting and negativity has returned.
I’m running because I want to see Colleyville continue to thrive. We need to continue economic development all the while being good stewards of the community. We need to be business friendly to help maintain our aging infrastructure. Our water infrastructure needs fixing and roads will continuously need repair. We need a thriving business corridor to promote a healthy city. Without a healthy economy within the city, we won’t be able to maintain the level of service currently provided. We all must maintain a budget for our finances and family, one that plans for today and future needs. The city of Colleyville is no different. We must allocate funds for future improvements and not squander savings.
I’m running because I want to see Colleyville continue to recruit and maintain the best employees. Great employees provide excellent service to residents. Concerning since the last May election, however, is that many great employees are no longer with the city. Several employees with amazing service records were shown the door by the new majority council, and that simply is unacceptable. People are our biggest asset, and when you don’t value people the city will suffer. It will be extremely difficult to recruit top notch talent to want to serve in Colleyville if we don’t provide a positive work environment for them. You can't be a great city if you don't have great people in place. Someone must be an advocate for both residents and employees alike.
This election is not just about a person running for office; it is about our community taking a stand. Together we can join forces to make Colleyville great today, tomorrow and for the future.
2. If elected, what will you focus on?
Caring about all of Colleyville and the residents and employees that make Colleyville great will be my guiding focus. The focus will be back on the people that make Colleyville great, not on special interest or projects that only benefit a select few. A return to long-range fiscal planning is a must. We must plan now for the future and reimplement a savings plan for our infrastructure. We must focus on being good community stewards not only today but long term as well. The focus will be back on the people that make Colleyville great.
George Dodson and Mike Sexton have also filed for Place 4.
Election day is from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. May 6, and early voting will run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April 24-29 and from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. May 1-2.
