If elected as your Councilman, I hope to focus on the betterment of our general welfare by doing the right things well, restructuring growth, preparing our city government for potential challenges and hard times, and respecting the voices of citizens in our community.
As a member of the McKinney Arts Commission, I worked closely with the current council and our vibrant arts organizations to advocate for the further growth of our beloved McKinney culture.
Strong discipline, leadership and civic service started when I joined the United States Army at 17, and I continued to grow in these areas playing Division I football. My Christian faith guides me in my decision making and in my relationships with others. Currently, I am a public school art educator in McKinney who advocates for the learning of every student.
Please consider praying for the success of our city, community, and all candidates who made themselves available for public service.
Why I am against the current plan to expand TKI Airport in McKinney.
There are many parts of the city's plan that are under NDA so I don't have enough verified information. I will inherit an expanded airport as the current city council will move ahead.
You still deserve to know where I would have landed if it were an issue in front of me. Again, I can only answer this with the information from the documents I have read and speaking with Mayor Fuller, current city council members, and other city officials.
I ran four years ago on the idea of better not bigger. I understand the Mayors excitement and appreciate him informing me on the situation as best as he could. If it is as the Mayor has attempted to explain it to me I would liken it to the railroad coming to McKinney in 1872 . It could be a major addition to our city for years to come, but just like the railroad there will be losses and costs. That is if it all works out as explained to me, but challenges could arise.
In the end it is not if I personally support a plan or investment it is if our citizens clearly support an endeavor as I am voting on their behalf. There are a lot of concerns that the citizens deserve to have answered and time to verify. It’s lacking informed consent and I don't see the need to rush into this. The city had a responsibility to inform the voters with both the potential positive effects as well as the harm in an honest manner.
As a fiduciary for the city of McKinney I would not invest our citizens taxes into this project with so many unknowns and concerns unverified to date as well as other potential ways of securing funding . The recent Bond elections do not favor the current funding strategies either. Although the last vote was not proposed as a vote for or against the expansion there is a strong voice throughout the community that has expressed their frustration with this expansion moving forward the way it is. People on both sides often express emotion without facts because somewhere the communication failed to be effective. With a project like this, citizens deserve better info.
I voted against the bond, and stood in support of citizens against the airport expansion.