Interview: George Fuller, McKinney mayoral candidate

by Angie Bado of McKinneyNews.net

McKinneyNews.net recenty sat down with businessman George Fuller, who is running for mayor, to discuss the hot topics surrounding the mayoral race. Here is what Mr. Fuller had to say on a wide range of subjects:

McKinneyNews.net: You have on your Web site,"I want to be the mayor that counts to 125,000, not just to four. I've heard over and over again that to get something done in this city, all you need to do is count to four. Four council members provide a quorum, so the fate of our city is in the hands of four. What do you mean by the block of four and what do you propose to change that?

Fuller: Here is the issue as I see it. In McKinney, right now we have a tremendously deficient system in place to educate the public as to what issues the council is discussing and deciding. There are so many executive, which means closed, sessions. We can look at so many things that have council has voted on in McKinney and they aren't issues that the general public is aware of. Take the Starcenter, for example. If you were to ask the majority of residents if they knew the economic component of the Starcenter, I don't think there would be anyone that was educated on the aspects of what the Starcenter meant to us; aspects like the social benefit, cost and how many hours of public use for McKinney residents.

Yes, the information is available if you go to the city Web site, which is not user friendly or informative. In my mind, you don't have true democracy unless you have an informed public. But you have projects that are being decided by 7 people. You have to get 4 votes when the extent of your influence is that the few that know about a project are the people who are voting on it.

I don't feel that the Starcenter was worth a $5.5 million grant from our community but (MCDC) If the majority of our residents had the opportunity to weigh in on that and supported it, I would have supported it.

McKinneyNews.net: How do you get that word out to thousands of our citizens?

Fuller: Educate the public with a user friendly, informative site. We need to establish a very user friendly city Web site. If I go to the City of McKinney Web site, to really find out what is available, you will find it difficult to find information.

We need to spent money on educating people on how to find information about what council is working on. Apathy comes from lack of information. So let's do everything we can as a city to move apathy to involvement. We can do a better job than we have.

McKinneyNews.net: Are you saying that it's not as much an issue with a block of four making the decisions as it is an issue of communication?

Fuller: I absolutely believe there have been various voting blocks on issues through out the history of the decisions that the council has made. This is a group of four people that have common interests.

McKinneyNews.net: The city has to have four votes to pass any vote, so how can you call this a block of four? What would you do differently?

Fuller: I've spoken to council members, about past projects. Several will tell you there was a block of four people in favor of voting for a project, so there was nothing they could do differently. They didn't speak their mind if they weren't in favor.

If four people going to vote for an issue because of the "influence" they are under in that room, If I'm Mayor, as a guy that has a huge concern with personal property rights, and there is a movement to take property from one developer and give it to a competitor - that vote would not succeed if they (council members) were accountable to the public.

If someone on council knows a decision is wrong, why would he or she vote yes? To go along with the four votes? Did the council member communicate the issue to the people of the community?

It is the mayors responsibility to educate the public and let the public weigh in. This city does not get to weigh in on topics - too many closed sessions. I have walked in on six or seven council members having dinner together in a restaurant. This is wrong. They aren't supposed to be meeting together at one time outside of council meetings. What good is this for the city?

McKinneyNews.net: You feel that individuals don't get the chance to weigh in, however, your voting record shows that you haven't voted in an election while living in Collin County. What was last election you voted in?

Fuller: I voted two presidential elections ago and I voted in the McKinney election for mayor two terms ago. I'm working with the Secretary of State,and elections office here to merge past and current addresses, so my voting record shows up correctly. I have not been, nor am I claiming to be, a diligent city voter.

McKinneyNews.net: Why would you suddenly have an interest in getting involved in becoming political when your record shows that you didn't seem to think voting was that important. What message does that send to voters?

Fuller: I can't speak to the message that it sends, but I can speak to is even if I exhibited apapthy before, does that mean I spend my life being apathetic? This is the time in my life when I've decided to get involved. I can control what I do from this day forward.

McKinneyNews.net: What is the driving force behind your desire to run for Mayor of McKinney now?

Fuller: I believe that we at a critical path here in McKinney. We have just come from enormous growth the past 8 years, through a booming economy. Six years ago My wife, (Maylee Thomas) and I were involved in many other philantrhopic areas, and you wake up and it's a new day. There are a lot of poor decisions that were made by our city. We are now in a recession and if we were to carry on with the same leadership that brought us to where we are in the best of times, now in the worst of times, I felt like that wasn't who I wanted to put my fate in.

McKinneyNews.net: Your campaign slogan is "putting McKinney families first". What are the strategies that you have to put McKinney families first?

Fuller: What affects McKinney families? First of all, property taxes affect all families, especially in these times. As a homebuilder, I'm acutely aware of property taxes because in these times, my family is hugely affected. Our taxes are 30 % higher than Frisco. Why? We have failed to attract and securing new business and corporate retail here in McKinney. We export so many of our tax dollars, the majority of our tax burden is on homeowners, where our sister cities have an equal burden on business.

I moved to McKinney because it was safe, however, our crime is going up. Our public protection has moved to a rating of 4 - 6 instead of a 1 as in Frisco. That means our insurance rates are higher.

As much as I am an advocate of business, I'm glad we don't have a mall here, but we need to capture the family amenity component. I'm not anti-Craig Ranch or anti Stars Center. I just want to look at the money we spend from MCDC and see if it is the best use of the funds. Community development of family amenities may be a greater need.

McKinneyNews.net: What needs to be done to put families first on the east side of McKinney?

Fuller: We still have families on the east side drinking water out of lead pipes. First and foremost we need to address that head on.

During this economic downturn. How is the economic downturn affecting our city and what, as mayor would you recommend that we do to address this?

I've been asked this a lot. The budget will be looked at in a few months and I can give you rhetoric, but let's look at the budget and then go line item by line item and because that is what I'm used to doing in my business, then I can judge.

McKinneyNews.net: How well do we as a community in McKinney in serving those who are indigent? Do we do enough?

Fuller: Until I get into the city budget, it's hard to have an opinion, but as someone who is so passionate about at risk children, we never do enough. If we have a child living on the street, we are not doing enough.

McKinneyNews.net: Is your lack of government experience, not ever having been on city council, an issue?

Fuller: I have no government experience. I acknowledge My opponent has city council experience, but when you are talking about what you take from that experience moving forward, the problems that we are facing today are different than when he was in office. So when I would be dealing with new problems, the experience that I believe will be relevant, is going to be the business experience that I've had for 27 years. I'm a business man. I deal with creating and managing budgets. Working with crews of people. The practical working relationships within the city will be of benefit.

McKinneyNews.net: How would one of your employees say about you as a manager?

Fuller: They would tell you that I'm a fair and generous employer.

McKinneyNews.net: You are a builder, (not a developer) do you see this as a conflict of interest?

Fuller: If the community where I'm building is flourishing, then I'm successful. It does me no good to build a house in a bad community. I build here. It is in all of our best interests to have a great city. You don't have to be a builder to have a conflict of interest. I just get to build a house in a development. I don't own the property. I'm prepared to stop building in McKinney if that is what it comes to. I'm not doing this because there is a financial gain. The time that I would have to spend as mayor will cost me time with my kids, time with my charity and time on my job.

I have a true desire to make a difference in this city.

McKinneyNews.net: What is your greatest strength?

Fuller: Compassion.

McKinneyNews.net: What is your greatest weakness?

Fuller: Compassion.

McKinneyNews.net: As mayor of McKinney, what one message would you send to the youth of our city?

Fuller: I have to admit, I haven't thought that through, but if I have that platform as mayor, I would want to use that platform for as much good as I can. I won't sleep tonight because I will put so much thought into that.

We need to make a legacy of green initiatives. We need a full time person who runs a Department of Sustainability where homeowners can call to find out what green improvements they can make, which will save them money while saving our environment. We should have a place where that research is done and made available to the public.

McKinneyNews.net: In your mind, what is the number one issue that McKinney is facing?

Fuller: Water is so huge. People don't realize how huge it is. With no water comes death. Death to our landscape, our bodies. Transportation is big too, but water is bigger.