Bill Lisle III, president of landscape management company Lisle Inc., has announced his candidacy for the Plano mayor spot, which holds Place 6 on the Plano City Council. Lisle is challenging Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere’s re-election bid, as are candidates Douglas Reeves and Lily Bao. Plano voters will also consider candidates for places 2, 4 and 8 when they head to the polls on May 6. Before the election, Community Impact Newspaper sent Lisle a series of questions on his candidacy. His written responses, edited for publication style, are below.

Why are you running for Plano mayor?

I am running for mayor because I believe the citizens of Plano deserve a leader who sees government as being by the people and for the people. I fundamentally disagree with the current mayor, who is on record as saying that 2016 is the year that Plano grew up. From my perspective, Plano didn’t grow up when corporate giants came to town. Those corporate giants came to town because Plano grew up decades ago. Excellent public schools, prime real estate, proximity to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, an educated populace, and Judeo-Christian family values constructed a foundation that set Plano as a leader long ago. Furthermore, I cannot sit quietly while our elected city leaders erode our religious freedoms in the name of equal rights. I cannot watch idly while city officials shrink private property rights in the name of code enforcement. I believe that a government that criminalizes established businesses for violating city ordinances yet turns around and makes exemptions for its own departments to do the same is a government that has lost integrity, transparency and its moral groundings. Plano deserves better.

Why are you qualified for this position?

I love Plano. It’s my home. It’s where I’ve chosen to do business for the last two decades. I believe personal investment, integrity, common sense, and family values prepare a person for leadership, not simply political experience. For years I have demonstrated a commitment to partnering with local businesses, taken an active role in challenging city regulations that fail to promote public welfare, and have sought ways to serve my community through avenues like Court Appointed Special Advocates of Collin County and my church. Additionally, I believe running my own business for the last twenty years has provided an abundance of practical leadership experience, cultivated a personal drive for excellence and given me a solid understanding of what it takes to translate vision into action and action into success.

What is your platform?

• I am committed to keeping city government fiscally conservative, thoroughly transparent, and accountable to the people it represents.
• I am for government policy that promotes and protects the rights and general welfare of all its citizens, but I believe the city's Equal Rights Ordinance has fundamental flaws and would work to reverse it.
• I am for small government that encourages and supports its local businesses without imposing excessive and restrictive regulations.
• We must balance the benefits of future development with the burdens associated with it.
• I would proactively invest in our police and fire departments to ensure that our public servants have access to the training and equipment necessary for them to continue providing the citizens of Plano with excellent service.