Election
BY SAMANTHA DOUTY
Frisco Mayor John Keating Occupation & experience: Private Equity consultant, U.S. Army Counterintelligence
Shona Sowell Occupation & experience: Recently retired, Texas Health Hospital Frisco; City
Rod Vilhauer Occupation & experience: Consultant www.rodforfrisco. com
Mark Hill Occupation &
experience: 23-year business attorney; Frisco EDC director, Frisco ISD trustee/
Agent; Frisco City Council 15 years, U.S. Army Combat
Council 2016-22, chair-Legislative and Governance Committees, Budget/Audit Committee, director-government relations, Frisco Chamber of Commerce www.shonaforfrisco.com
past president, Frisco business owner, parent, 20- year resident www.markhill4mayor.com
Veteran, public-private partnerships, economic development leadership www.keatingforfrisco.com
Frisco has been my home for over 25 years, and serving 15 years on City Council has been a tremendous honor. I’m running for Mayor to protect our hardworking taxpayers, plan infrastructure ahead of growth, support public safety and preserve the exceptional quality of life our residents expect. Why are you running for office?
I believe my vision for Frisco is what the residents most want for Frisco–a safe, thriving community where residents can raise their families, with high paying/ high quality jobs from businesses that are thriving. I bring specific strategies and leadership to handle our complex city issues.
I am running for Mayor of Frisco to preserve the city’s foundation and create a better future for the next generation.
Frisco needs new, positive leadership ready for the future. I’m the only mayoral candidate with expertise across education, economic development and executive leadership, three pillars that built Frisco’s foundation. My goal: Unite Frisco and keep it one of America’s best cities to raise a family and build a career. Frisco’s greatest risk isn’t growth itself; it’s failing to manage growth with discipline. Increasing demands on public safety, infrastructure and city services will pressure our budget and long-term planning. My significant experience balancing large budgets and leading complex organizations prepares me to guide Frisco forward collaboratively, strategically and sustainably. I will deliver solution-driven, data- informed results that reflect the real experiences of Frisco families to protect the city we love. Residents come first, always. Working alongside city staff, stakeholders and community leaders, I will apply proven executive leadership, financial discipline and collaborative decision-making to tackle Frisco’s future challenges. My top priorities are safety, economic opportunity and unity. As the only mayoral candidate raising a young family and running a business in Frisco today, your priorities are my priorities. I’ll balance growth, keep tax rates low and ensure Frisco is always a city we’re proud to call home.
What are the biggest challenges facing the city?
Frisco’s biggest challenges are managing growth responsibly, maintaining infrastructure and protecting taxpayers as the city continues to develop. With experienced leadership and long-term planning, we can maintain strong public safety and improve traffic flow and mobility, while ensuring Frisco remains one of the most desirable cities in America. After 15 years of guiding Frisco’s success on city council, I understand the importance of disciplined planning and strong partnerships. I will continue investing in infrastructure ahead of growth, supporting first responders and protecting taxpayers through responsible budgeting that allows Frisco to deliver quality services while maintaining long- term financial stability. How do you plan to address these issues?
Frisco must plan for budget challenges when our growth slows and as the state limits local decision making while still funding quality public safety and other vital city services. We must balance the final buildout of development and infrastructure with the desires of the residents who are struggling with the growth.
The city’s biggest challenges are taxes, traffic and infrastructure, public safety and unity among our citizens.
Our focus should be on balancing what the residents want for Frisco, increasing our commercial tax base to help provide lower taxes, developing plans for maintaining our aging infrastructure and parks, working with regional partners for infrastructure needs and fighting for the residents at the state level for local control.
Taxes: We must increase our tax base so we do not burden our citizens Traffic and Infrastructure: With the increasing growth to the North our traffic has increased exponentially. In order to alleviate this we must build out our major thoroughfares and use AI Data to maximize efficiency and traffic…
What would your top priorities be if you are elected?
My priorities are protecting taxpayers, maintaining exceptional public safety and ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth. I will focus on improving traffic flow and mobility across the city, delivering quality services to constituents and upholding the collaborative leadership that has made Frisco one of the most successful cities in America.
Securing Frisco’s financial future without burdening the taxpayer, prioritizing public safety staffing to handle our growing needs, reinvesting in aging areas of town—especially the east side of Frisco to not have “two Friscos,” and quality development choices for our final buildout. Our focus is to make Frisco better—not just bigger.
To meet with city council, city manager and city attorney and focus on uniting us all as a team. Meet with EDC and CDC to understand where they are in the process of bringing top 500 businesses to Frisco and to discover what challenges they are facing. Help create a…
Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity. For more election coverage, go to www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.
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