Fuller, who has served in the role for nearly eight years, will end his time on McKinney City Council following the May 3 election, which will include the election of a new mayor.
The setup
Fuller, along with his wife Maylee Thomas-Fuller and family, have lived in McKinney for over 30 years. Fuller said he was drawn to the area, having gotten married in the city and also completed professional work here prior to becoming a resident.
A graduate of Norwich University, Fuller’s professional career is as a builder and developer of custom homes through his company, George C. Fuller Custom Homes, and also a developer of commercial properties through George C. Fuller Contracting. He is also the managing construction partner for Adriatica Village, a 46-acre mixed-use development modeled after a Croatian village and located in west McKinney.
Fuller and Maylee Thomas-Fuller are the co-founders of the Love Life Foundation, a McKinney-based nonprofit organization that aims to support the community through various means, including providing school supplies for local students, aiding homeless community members and supporting other local organizations, according to its website. Fuller is also a working musician and guitar player, and owner of The Guitar Sanctuary and The Sanctuary Music and Event Center.
A closer look
His first run for local office in 2017 was inspired by friends and community members that encouraged him to join the race, he said.
He has held other leadership roles in the community, including serving on the board of directors for both the McKinney Chamber of Commerce as well as Meals on Wheels Collin County. He also served as the chairman of the McKinney Community Development Corporation, according to the city’s website.
“I just have a passion for where I live, for community,” Fuller said.
When he was first elected in 2017, Fuller won nearly 59% of the votes cast in a three-person mayoral race, with just over 11,000 community members casting a ballot. The May 2021 election saw nearly 23,000 community members turn out to cast a ballot in another three-candidate mayoral race, with over 67% voting to re-elect Fuller, according to the Collin County Elections Administration.
Fuller said his experience as a developer has allowed him a unique perspective on the growth and development of the city.
“My business experience has always taught me to be purpose driven,” Fuller said. “Every decision I've made in the city has been purpose driven. I never allow partisan nonsense to ever enter into my decision making.”
The specifics
During his two terms as mayor, the City Council has tackled a number of community issues.
Fuller said one of the policy-making decisions he considers to be a notable achievement of the council included closing a loophole that allowed for the development of multifamily housing in business districts by right. This change allowed for the preservation of business districts such as the SH 121 corridor and the subsequent development of mixed-use projects, offices and other commercial uses.
He also cited consistent decreases in the city’s effective property tax rate as an achievement of the City Council. While the city has seen an increase in property valuations, the effective property tax rate has decreased by nearly 29% since 2015, according to the city’s website.
“Whether it's business development, economic development, preserving our corridors for commercial, entertainment, restaurant, business, office development; there's a reason behind that,” Fuller said. “It's not just because I want our corridor to have pretty buildings, because the purpose is, as we more than double our sales tax revenue, that relieves our property tax burden.”
His work as mayor has also contributed to securing federal funding for the Lower 5 Plaza park project, the advancing development of McKinney National Airport and the construction of McKinney’s new city hall, a facility he considers a “huge catalyst project” for East McKinney. Fuller also noted that council members and city staff have continued to develop partnerships with local entities, including McKinney ISD and Collin College.
“We were absolutely set up for this success by the decisions and leadership of the previous council before me,” Fuller said.
His time as mayor also included a handful of challenges, including the Coronavirus pandemic and global economic instability, he said. Fuller referenced select state legislation that implemented changes to local control at the municipal level as some of the most notable challenges during his time on council, citing examples like Senate Bill 6, a piece of legislation from 2017 that limited the ability of city officials to annex land from the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction into city limits.
“I understand that's not the intent,” Fuller said of the challenges caused. “In some of these bills that are responding to crises in other parts of the state, unfortunately when you're going to fix a problem across the state, that size shoe doesn't fit over here.”
What else?
Fuller said he expects the next council to continue working on initiatives to address homelessness in the community. As more resources are made available within the city, which also serves as the county seat, Fuller said he anticipates that the city’s homeless population will continue to grow.
“As much as we have to be humane and have humanity and try to help, I also know that we have a responsibility to our residents and our businesses, and we have to try to find that balance to where we protect those things too,” he said.
During his time as mayor, the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness was established, which later evolved into the McKinney Homeless Coalition and consists of city officials, mental health providers and other community members.
Quote of note
“I would ask people, moving forward, give your elected official the benefit of that doubt. You can still disagree and articulate those things in a respectful way,” Fuller said.
Looking ahead
Following the end of his time on the council, Fuller said he doesn’t know whether he will pursue further political offices.
“A lot of politicians make their decisions with a forward-thinking calculus,” he said. “I think I've demonstrated sufficiently that ain't me.”
Instead, he said he is looking forward to prioritizing personal interests.
“My immediate goal is to enjoy more time with my family and the things I enjoy doing: music, biking, traveling,” he said.
