Eight seats on Frisco City Council, Frisco ISD board of trustees and Collin College board of trustees are up for election for the May 6 election. Collin College is also placing a bond proposition on the ballot. Below are each candidate's top priorities if elected as well as information for the college's bond proposition.
Frisco Mayor
Bob Allen[/caption]
Bob Allen Director of Business Applications and Process at Frisco ISD www.boballenforfrisco.com
“My priorities are 1) working with our partners; 2) the transition of leadership (elected and professional); 3) keeping taxes low while still providing quality services; 4) focus on vital infrastructure to alleviate traffic congestion and; 5) common-sense zoning to deal with density where possible and protect homeowners and families.”
Jeff Cheney
Jeff Cheney[/caption]
Broker Associate for The Cheney Group www.choosecheney.com
“Frisco needs a full-time mayor to maintain a City of Excellence by keeping public safety strong, maintaining conservative fiscal practices, demanding ‘quality over quantity’ development with less density, investing in needed infrastructure, developing more public green spaces for healthy lifestyles and property value and attracting Fortune 100 employers and entrepreneurs.”
Frisco City Council Place 5
Chris King[/caption]
Chris King Business solutions specialist and pastor www.chriskingforfrisco.com
“If elected, my top priority will be addressing Frisco’s growth. We must make sure the growth is balanced, healthy and can be sustained by our infrastructure.”
Tim Nelson[/caption]
Tim Nelson* Realtor, real estate investor and military officer www.votefortim.org
“My top priorities will continue to be focused on public safety, balanced development, public infrastructure and ensuring Frisco is the desired city to live, work, and play in.”
Place 6
Jason Abati[/caption]
Jason Abati President and General Manager of The Abati Group, LLC www.jasonforfrisco.com
“My top priority is to preserve Frisco’s uniqueness by limiting the amount of apartment buildings being built here and reducing traffic congestion throughout our city.”
Brian Livingston[/caption]
Brian Livingston Owner of Celebrity Café & Bakery and Texadelphia www.brianforfrisco.com
“Improving traffic is priority No. 1. Fire and police need more investment to support growth, and we should stop giving taxpayer money away accelerating additional growth.”
Bobby Roberti[/caption]
Bobby Roberti Financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors www.robertifrisco.com
“Frisco must continue to reduce residential density and invest in police and fire. We need to attract business to Frisco to help keep tax rates low.”
K.D. Warach
K.D. Warach[/caption]
Civil engineer www.warach4frisco.com
“Maintain top-ranked public schools; preserve parks and open spaces; increase funding for police, fire, EMS services; address traffic congestion; build public transportation system for all residents; improve efficiency of city services”
Rui Zhang[/caption]
Rui Zhang Business executive www.ruizhang4frisco.org
“Engage communities, anticipate traffic and infrastructure challenges, sustain economic growth, keep taxes low and monitor results.”
Frisco ISD board of trustees Place 4
Asanga Jayatilaka[/caption]
Asanga Jayatilaka Civil engineer www.asangafisd.com
“My No. 1 priority is to ensure that FISD provides the quality of education that students deserve as we navigate through these difficult financial times.”
Anne McCausland[/caption]
Anne McCausland* Community volunteer www.annefisd.com
“I want FISD to remain a destination district by meeting our students’ individual needs, taking care of our talented staff and preserving fiscal responsibility in the face of ever-shrinking state funding.”
Jeff Snowden[/caption]
Jeff Snowden Consultant www.snowden4frisco.com
“Deliver the best education to our kids, take care of our teachers and make best use of existing taxes and cash reserves before asking taxpayers for more.”
Place 5
Debbie Gillespie[/caption]
Debbie Gillespie* Community Volunteer www.debbiegillespie.com
“We need to manage growth while staying fiscally responsible and offering the greatest opportunities for our students and the best work environment for our staff.”
Bryan Powell[/caption]
Bryan Powell Executive and vice president at Westwood Professional Services www.bryanpowell4fisd.com
“Address the challenges we are facing from growth and budget shortfalls. This can be done without hurting teachers and students and raising taxes if we elect the right leadership.”
Grace Wang[/caption]
Grace Wang Business analyst www.grace4friscoisd.org
“I will work hard to ensure district spending priorities in hiring and keeping quality teachers, building cost-effective schools and striving for efficiency with available funds.”
Collin College board of trustees Place 1
Greg Gomel[/caption]
Greg Gomel Executive technology consultant www.collincollegetrustee.com
“My priority is to maintain focus on scaling the growth of Collin College so it aligns with where the county is headed while balancing the other initiatives.”
Fred Moses[/caption]
Fred Moses Business owner www.moses4trustee.com
“I will work to improve the campus’s infrastructure, increase marketing and outreach strategies throughout the county to grow our presence, cultivate workforce programs with businesses, expand the campus’s footprint and work with school districts to develop a technical school for our area.”
Place 2
Jeri Chambers[/caption]
Jeri Chambers Civic volunteer www.4collincollege.com
“As trustee, I will serve as a liaison between the college and community as a listener and advocate. A vibrant college makes a vibrant community.”
Nancy Wurzman[/caption]
Nancy Wurzman* Attorney www.nancy4cctrustee.com
“My top priority is guiding the implementation of Collin College’s five-year master plan to provide the growth our community needs without increasing the tax rate.”
Place 3
Stacey Donald[/caption]
Stacey Donald Professor and faculty chair www.staceyforcollin.com
“My goal is to foster a culture of inclusivity at Collin College, particularly regarding workforce education, that matches pace with the growth of Collin County.”
Larry Wainwright
Larry Wainwright[/caption]
Owner/broker of Wainwright Real Estate and Insurance
“Expansion of course offerings; new campuses in Allen, Celina, Wylie and Farmersville; development of technical/vocational, certification and dual credit programs; introduction of public/private classes within major corporations”
Place 5
Raj Menon
Raj Menon[/caption]
Marketing consultant and entrepreneur
www.rajmenon.com
“Maintain affordability, accessibility and high quality of education and learning; advocate for baccalaureate degree in nursing; enhance corporate partnerships; support high quality faculty; fiscal prudence.”
Collin College seeking $600 million bond
By Nicole Luna
Collin College has called a $600 million bond election for May 6 to complete projects in its long-range master plan. College officials said they expect the financial impact to the tax rate to be minimal.
If voters approve the bond, the proceeds would go toward construction of six facilities: a campus in Wylie; educational centers in Celina and Farmersville; a public safety training center in McKinney; a workforce/university IT center of excellence on the Preston Ridge campus in Frisco; and a technical training center in Allen. It would also help fund improvements and renovations to existing buildings.
Collin College hired PBK Architects to conduct a facilities master-plan study last spring. The study showed the college had to expand its footprint, an undertaking that is expected to cost about $600 million, Collin College chief financial officer Ken Lynn said.
“The county is projected to double in population by 2030 and triple by 2040. I can tell you that our current footprint will not be able to handle that growth,” Collin College President Neil Matkin said.
Lynn said when the bonds are issued in 2024, three scenarios could affect the tax rate. The first would decrease the tax rate by one cent. The second would decrease the tax rate by 3/10 of 1 cent and the third would increase the tax rate by 1.3 cents.
Collin College’s current tax rate is 8.122 cents per $100 of property valuation. It is the lowest tax rate in Collin County and the second-lowest tax rate out of 50 community college districts in Texas, according to the Texas Comptroller’s office.
“Our tax rate is exceptionally low, and over the years we have been frugal, and we have tried to be wise in how we spend taxpayer money while providing a high quality education,” board of trustees Chairman Bob Collins said.
Lynn said the college has put together a financing plan that includes a rate stabilization feature. This means that the college will reduce the Maintenance & Operations tax rate to give room for an increase to the Interest & Sinking tax rate, which provides funds for payments on the debt that finances a district’s facilities.
“The goal is to keep [the rates] balanced so that over time there is little to no effect on the overall tax rate,” Lynn said.
The candidates listed in this guide will be on the May 6 local election ballot in the communities defined by Community Impact Newspaper’s Frisco coverage area. Only contested races are listed. Candidates with silhouette photos were unable to be reached before press time.
*Incumbent
Important dates
Last day to register to vote: April 6
In-person early voting: April 24-May 2
Last day to apply for ballot by mail: April 25
Election day: May 6
Polling locations and times
Early voting April 24-26: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April 27: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. April 28-29: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. May 1-2: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Election Day May 6: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
For Collin County polling locations, visit www.collincountytx.gov.
For Denton County polling locations, visit www.votedenton.com.
Voter ID Required
Texas voters are required to present one of seven specific forms of photo identification before they may cast their ballot.
Under Senate Bill 14, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2011 but did not take effect until a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, 2013, voters must present one of the following forms of ID to vote:
- Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
- Texas personal ID card issued by DPS
- Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
- U.S. military ID card containing the cardholder’s photograph
- U.S. citizenship certificate containing the cardholder’s photograph
- U.S. passport
Voters who do not have an ID can apply for an Election Identification Certificate at any driver’s license office.
