Pegasus News Election Survey: Pris Hayes, Richardson City Council - Place 5

Election Questionnaire

Pegasus What is the one greatest thing that the Richardson City Council has achieved in the past year?

Hayes: There have been some good things done over the past year. One item, process, or action cannot be divorced from others when it comes to helping lead the City.

By adding the email notification for residents regarding the high interest topic of how best to deter and regulate sexually oriented businesses is one process step in the right direction with communication. This is a good thing and this should be applied to other high interest topics proactively.

Richardson has and is doing many things well, but we need to kick it up a notch. More effectively and efficiently using available resources and technology that we tax payers provide for the City should occur. Now, I would like all public council packets placed online. The people have a right to know of the people’s business should they seek it. Another nearby town does this exceedingly well and in this regard we should emulate this. Any resident who does not have internet access should be able to go to the Library or call City hall and have same-day send service on council packets.

I am also glad of the Council’s initial willingness to consider further updates in our sign (signage code), building, and development codes in addition to some organizational and fee improvements that have been crafted. This needs to go further however to stay competitive, including embracing leadership in energy and environmental design initiatives. LEED information should be available to all developers and builders at City Hall. Some tell me they do not know about this yet.

Some may point to the residential tax rebate program; the bond program crafted that voters approved, or establishment of a TIF (Tax Incremental Finance) Zone. No project or plan is perfect, but these are overall good starts to revitalizing and maintaining our City. The opportunity cost of doing nothing, of not regenerating or drawing enterprise to the City, would be high. The devil, so to speak, is in the detail and execution of such endeavors however, so these initiatives do have room for improvement and balance.

Some may point to new development over the last year, including new retail in the works, that has in large measure been made possible because of the improvement in the broader economy overall and marketing, and in one case, culmination of nagging from a code enforcement perspective by entire neighborhoods to clean up a commercial property.

Those serving on council and also a multitude of the rest of us have done a lot of good work in many various ways, and for the most part, with a few exceptions over the past year, have made good decisions and achieved many worthy things. If one person says that he is responsible for revitalization of a certain area, this is just not true. The converse is also true when it comes to blame.

Pegasus: What is the single biggest improvement that the Richardson City Council needs?

Hayes: A more accurate embodiment of the community at large—so there is a variety of people that citizens feel comfortable in going to with ideas and concerns and be given consideration. I think this will broaden the scope of what areas the Richardson City Council is interested in and fascinated by. I am talking about creative, innovative, joyful, patient, interested embracing of ideas by and in the work of the council, in ways that aren’t already fully embraced. I freely admit I have invited people to council and after they attend once; they have yet to return, saying that watching lint dry is more interesting. But, does anyone else besides me want to see about getting a prairie land museum to come to Richardson? Or a public art garden (psst, if you are an interested corporate sponsor, caaawww me!) Anyway, there’s gold in lint. Here is a link to the National Lint Project: http://www.studiocapezzuti.com/lint/lintguys.htm. The plan should be to grow the local economy to robustness and not raise taxes.

Pegasus: What is the toughest problem that you have ever solved?

Hayes: Getting past trolls to the heart of matters to cause some basic maintenance to certain items in the City. Otherwise, the true toughest problem I have ever had to face is dealing with my and my family’s overwhelming sorrow regarding the loss of a loved family member through tragic circumstances. The way I have found to solve the problem of being able to function in the face of such difficulty is to rely on a Higher Power. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. If you are talking about work processes and the daily ins and outs, none of those are tough compared to that. And, family and friends are Godsends.

I could be humorous and lighten up all the eons of campaign talk and political maneuvering by folks and mention that it is a tough problem to try to get the last Pamprin out of the blister pack. We need more than just seven men comprising our council who understand such hardships.

Pegasus: If you are elected and can only achieve ONE quantifiable thing in your term, what would it be?

Hayes: One of the things that neighbors across Richardson tell me they are looking for is inspirational thinking and negotiation on their behalf to set a new path and even brighter future for our community. There are those who provide this throughout the City, but we need more of it. I know this because I see all the good work in our community. I have been accused of being like the posse of the actor Tommy Lee Jones when looking for Dr. Richard Kimble or the one-armed man by going to every neighborhood, warehouse, outhouse and doghouse. Well, while I haven’t gone to very many outhouses in Richardson, I have gone to every open neighborhood and homeowners’ meeting I could go to, I have attended every council meeting over the last three years, and I have had the opportunity to experience many boards and commission meetings, including going out to Wylie on a number of occasions to the North Texas Municipal Water Board meetings. There are no women serving on that very large board either. So, I’m not going to concede to the premise of achieving only ONE quantifiable thing. We need lots of things achieved here and even more inspiration.

I would get a proper maintenance plan designed to set a path to replacing the temporary road patching of our concrete roadways and alleyways with proper concrete-upon-concrete repairs or same to same material (notwithstanding any added asphalt or smoothing overlays that may be applied later). We need to plan to reduce the “long-term asphalt patches upon asphalt patches on top of concrete surfaces” that stay that way for too long of a time – let’s see if we can’t come up with a better way that is more efficient. (The strings of concrete seal repair materials running down nearly every road ruin the aesthetics too.)

There is new technology available that I would like to be considered as part of this repair plan re-formulation. It has been used successfully elsewhere. This patching business looks terrible and ratty and when water gets in between the layers (not that we’ve had enough rain lately), it degrades.

I’m thankful we can fill the potholes and grateful for the people who do this very hard work, but let’s try to come up with a better approach when it comes to the process. Those who directly deal with this work desire this.

Who wants to buy a nice home with a ratty looking roadway running by it? Some of our neighbors here or those looking for a home here may go elsewhere, where everything is new. We have to figure out as the proverbial “aging inner ring suburb” that we gotta keep up but it shouldn’t mean breaking the bank.

If you want a number, then I would have one distressed street in Richardson rehabilitated using more efficient technology that reduces completion time and expense and avoids the lumpy ugly pervasive ratty patching business.

I challenge my fellow council members and City staff and neighbors to get behind me on this. I’ve already gotten some of these patches repaired through the standard process, but let’s think outside of the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” and begin with one small project that needs to be done anyway and in an innovative cost effective way. I understand the limitations said that we currently have, but let’s see what we can do together.

I want a safe travel exit and entrance at Campbell and Owens. I have already been working on this, so I’ve got about a two year jump on it.

I will get the chunk of curb that is broken out by the University Estates North neighborhood sign repaired.

I will get the alleyway on Comanche fixed.

I want to reduce the cut through traffic on Custer Road by as much as possible. You want a number? Okay, 100%, ideally.

I will get a safe crosswalk at Park Vista leading into the Knights Bridge Estates Neighborhood. (I already helped lobby for a safe crossing at another location that is on the way).

I want to see the masonry screening wall surrounding Owens Park upgraded. I have already been working on this, so it will be done. This is just one example of maintenance gone undone. I will have such City infrastructure added to our existing tracking database. A lot of infrastructures item are tracked, but some are not and they need to be. It will cost less in the long run if we don’t let repairs go on so long and cost more. Rusty light poles… don’t get me started (okay, do get me started).Another thing I expect to do is convince the PTB that using our CITV to televise City Council meetings is worth a try. We waste so much time and staff effort with neighbors saying and complaining that they don’t know what’s going on or how to get information. Let’s do an interactive session to see how that goes as well. I’ve thought about it, and the potential positives outweigh the potential negatives. This is measurable because when you turn on CITV at the appointed time and at the rebroadcast times, you’ll get to see both the work sessions and the regular sessions and then you’ll hear pretty quickly if neighbors think it is worth while. Some of my senior citizen friends and those who work evenings (who can’t see the after dark goings on at City Hall) would like this option. If it doesn’t pan out, then I have no problem nixing it, but let’s try it. The one challenge is to make the sessions more approachable for the average citizen and help them be interested in being more attentive to what is going on. It can’t only be lint, in other words.

There are some (walking) sidewalk trip hazards on Yorkshire Dr, on Blake Dr., and quite a number of other places that I have and will ask to be dealt with and they will.

The utility companies need to keep up their infrastructure and respect our City. There will be a scheduled maintenance plan put to them. They also have no right to scalp our trees to death.

I will cause a formal (written) identifiable plan to improve the appearance of the reservoirs along E. Renner Rd.

I will get a formal protocol in place for trees, such as Tree City, USA, has.

We will move forward with the wi-fi initiative.

I will support RFID for the Public Library.

I will put forth a plan to embrace LEED certification in the City.

I will be causing a movie theatre to come to Richardson.

A film festival will come to Richardson. The Arts mean Business.

If you don’t try, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

What do you want?

These are just a few examples of things I will be working on (and continue to work on) and accomplish that others may think are insignificant but it would mean a lot toward keeping our City attractive, vibrant, and livable. Richardson has been a great place to be but we want to keep it that way. I hope you will visit my web site at www.ElectPrisHayes.com and vote for me for the open seat on Richardson City Council Place 5.