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I HAVE BEEN IN MCKINNEY FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND MCKINNEY HAS BEEN GREAT TO US. MY FAMILY HAS BEEN HERE IN COLLIN COUNTY FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS. IN FACT, MY DAD, HIS LAST DEATH WISH WHEN HE DIED WAS I WANT TO BE BURIED IN CALHOUN COUNTY. MCKINNEY HAS BEEN GREAT TO US. IT HAS GIVEN ME A LOT IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. NOW, AS A PHYSICIAN, I LIKE TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND SOLVE PROBLEMS, AND I HAVE DONE THAT FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS. AND WHEN I WAS IN RESIDENCY TRAINING, I ALWAYS FELT THE NEED THAT I NEED TO COME BACK TO MCKINNEY. AND I WANT TO HELP THE PEOPLE BECAUSE THIS IS MY HOMETOWN, THIS IS WHERE I GREW UP. THIS IS WHERE I WANT TO BE.
I WANT TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF MCKINNEY. NOW, AS FAR AS WHAT I'M APPLYING FOR IS, I HOPE TO GET ON THE ECONOMIC BOARD. AND THE REASONS WHY IS BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ECONOMICS.
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO LEARN, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED. I LIKED MY FATHER, IN FACT, ACTUALLY WANTED ME TO STUDY ECONOMICS, BUT I CHOSE TO DO MEDICINE. SO I HOPE THAT IT MAKES ME GROW AS A PERSON AND UNDERSTAND CIVIC AND ECONOMIC HOW IT PLAYS A ROLE. AND THAT IS WHAT I HOPE TO APPLY FOR. NOW I AM OPEN TO APPLYING FOR OTHER BOARDS. WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN IN POSITION FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING THIS. YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT'S BEST AND I AM OPEN TO OTHER POSITIONS AS WELL. AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO ME AND YEAH, THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU DOCTOR I'M SORRY. NEXT. NEXT NAME IS JERRY BLOW. MR. BLOW. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JERRY BLOW. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS, FOR BEING ABLE TO LISTEN TO ME TODAY. I AM INTERESTED IN BEING ON THE BOARD FOR THE LIBRARY. I'M A RETIRED GLOBAL OPERATIONS AND RISK EXECUTIVE FOR BANK OF AMERICA. I ALSO HAVE DEVELOPED SIX PATENTS WHILE I WAS AT THE BANK. I BELIEVE IN INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN IN ALL KINDS OF FACILITIES AND ALL KINDS OF WAYS. ALSO SPENT 15 YEARS AS A FORTUNE 500 MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT. IN FACT, THE BANK WAS ONE OF MY CLIENTS AND THEY ULTIMATELY HIRED ME. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT SAID, I ALSO AM A GREAT BELIEVER IN EDUCATION IN GENERAL. I AM A WEST POINTER CLASS OF 83, AND WHILE AT THE ACADEMY, THE LIBRARY WAS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS AND PREPARATION TO GO TO THE ACADEMY. THE LIBRARY WAS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS TO HELP ME ACHIEVE WHAT I NEEDED TO DO. THE ENVIRONMENTS FOR LIBRARIES IS CHANGING VERY RAPIDLY FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT REASONS.
SOME ARE EXTERNAL TO THE SPACE AND SOME ARE INTERNAL TO THE SPACE. AMONG THE EXTERNAL ONES THAT ARE ACCELERATING AT THE MOMENT ARE THE CALLS FOR THE LIBRARY TO HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SERVICES FOR CUSTOMERS, AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THAT ALWAYS BEGS TWO QUESTIONS ONE, HOW CAN YOU MAKE THE DOLLAR STRETCH AS FAR AS YOU CAN IN ORDER TO DELIVER THE MOST SERVICES AND THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE? AGAIN, I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE DOING THAT IN A CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT. I THINK I COULD HELP IN THAT REGARD. ALSO, INNOVATION ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN THAT. THERE MAY BE OTHER THINGS WE CAN DO IN OTHER WAYS WE CAN APPROACH IT THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO DELIVER THESE SERVICES MORE EFFICIENTLY AND MORE EFFECTIVELY. TO ALL THE MEMBERS HERE IN MCKINNEY. NOW, I HAVE LIVED HERE IN MCKINNEY FOR THREE YEARS NOW. I'VE RETIRED HERE AND I'VE ENJOYED THE COMMUNITY, AND I'M LOOKING TO CONTRIBUTE AND I AM OPEN TO OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IF THEY'RE OFFERED. JERRY, I HADN'T MET YOU BEFORE TONIGHT. I CAME AND SAID HELLO TO YOU, BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE A EXAMPLE TO US. AFTER READING YOUR RESUME OF THE BRAIN DRAIN THAT I'M CONVINCED IS GOING ON GLOBALLY AND LANDING HERE IN MCKINNEY, SIX PATENTS, WEST POINT, I MEAN, JUST PHENOMENALLY IMPRESSIVE. AND I GET HUMBLED HERE EVERY YEAR MEETING NEW FOLKS LIKE YOU. SO THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP TONIGHT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS, MR. BLOW. ANOTHER QUESTION ON YOUR APPLICATION. IT SAYS THE WHICH BOARD WOULD YOU LIKE TO APPLY FOR MCKINNEY ARMED SERVICES MEMORIAL BOARD? YEAH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE ONES. OKAY.
AND THEN ALSO LIBRARY IS THAT. YES OKAY. YEAH OKAY. YEAH I THINK MR. MAYOR, HE SAID HE WAS OPEN TO MOST EVERYTHING. SO. YEAH. YEAH I'M VERY OPEN. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MR. MAYOR.
CAN I MAKE MENTION OF THE SAME THING WE MENTIONED LAST TIME, WHICH WAS TWO THINGS. ONE, THE NUMBER OF POSITIONS WE HAVE OPEN COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS IS ALWAYS GOT A PRETTY BIG DISPARITY. SO IF YOU I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU ALL IF YOU'RE ULTIMATELY NOT CHOSEN FOR THIS, THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED. LAST YEAR WE HAD A LOT OF TIMES VOLUNTEER MCKINNEY WOULD COME IN AND MAKE AN ADVERTISEMENT HERE. OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OUTSIDE OF CITY
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ORGANIZATIONS ARE A GOOD WAY TO DO THAT. AND SO FINDING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, OR WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SERVE EVENT OR VOLUNTEER MCKINNEY IS A GREAT WAY TO DO THAT. SECOND THING I JUST WANTED TO MENTION IS IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT. WHEN YOU GET DONE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO STICK AROUND TO LISTEN TO EVERYBODY ELSE. I THINK PATRICK MENTIONED IT'S ALWAYS FUN FOR US TO HEAR HOW MANY TALENTED, CREATIVE, CAPABLE CITIZENS THERE ARE, AND SO IT'S FUN TO HEAR AND Y'ALL ARE WELCOME TO STAY. BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO HOME, DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO STAY AFTER YOU'RE DONE. SO THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO EXTRA CREDIT POINTS FOR STAYING. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN BELLER. VERY GOOD POINTS. OKAY. OUR NEXT PRESENTER WILL BE MICHAEL COLBERT. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR. COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND NEIGHBORS. MY NAME IS MICHAEL COLBERT, AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY ABOUT MY INTEREST IN SERVING IN THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD, AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD. MCKINNEY IS MORE THAN JUST A BEAUTIFUL CITY. IT'S A DESTINATION WITH HEART, HISTORY, AND A GROWING REPUTATION FOR HOSPITALITY. I WANT TO HELP ELEVATE THAT REPUTATION AND ENSURE OUR STORY REACHES EVEN MORE PEOPLE. PERSONALLY, MY WIFE AND I MOVED UP TO MCKINNEY ABOUT 13 YEARS AGO. SINCE THEN, WE'VE HAD THREE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN AND WE LOVE TO EXPLORE THE CITY EVERY CHANCE WE GET. I VOLUNTEER THROUGH THE SCHOOLS THAT WE THAT OUR CHILDREN GO TO, AS WELL AS I'M THE CUBMASTER FOR MY SON'S CUB CUB SCOUT PACK. WE. VOLUNTEERING IS IN OUR FAMILY'S BLOOD. WE LOVE TO GIVE BACK AND LOVE TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY.PROFESSIONALLY, I LEAD PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAMS WHERE I SPECIALIZE IN CREATING EXPERIENCES THAT CONNECT WITH PEOPLE. I BRING STRATEGIC THINKING, CREATIVITY, AND A COLLABORATIVE MINDSET SKILLS THAT ALIGN PERFECTLY WITH THE MISSION OF MCKINNEY. BUT BEYOND MY BACKGROUND, I'M DRIVEN BY NUMBERS. IN 2024 ALONE, TOURISM BROUGHT IN $301 MILLION TO MCKINNEY'S LOCAL ECONOMY AND SUPPORTED OVER 2200 JOBS TO OUR COMMUNITY. VISITORS ALSO GENERATED $14.2 MILLION IN LOCAL SALES TAX REVENUE, HELPING EASE THE TAX BURDEN ON MY FELLOW RESIDENTS. AND WITH EVENTS LIKE THE BILLIE JEAN KING CUP, THE BYRON NELSON AND THE NCAA D2 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, WE'RE PROVING THAT MCKINNEY CAN SHINE ON A NATIONAL STAGE. I BELIEVE TOURISM IS NOT JUST ABOUT ATTRACTING VISITORS, IT'S ABOUT CREATING LASTING IMPRESSIONS, BUILDING COMMUNITY PRIDE AND DRIVING SUSTAINABLE GROWTH. IF SELECTED, I'LL BRING ENERGY, FRESH IDEAS AND A COMMITMENT TO LISTENING AND COLLABORATING WITH STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE CITY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. I'D BE HONORED TO HELP SHAPE MCKINNEY'S FUTURE AS A PREMIER AS A PREMIER DESTINATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. COBURN. YOU HAVE A DOCTORATE, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. YES. BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING? THAT'S CORRECT.
YES. WONDERFUL. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR COMING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT EVENING. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER IS AUBREY COLEMAN. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME FOR INVITING ME. MANY PEOPLE SAY THE BEST PART ABOUT LIVING IN MCKINNEY IS THE CHARM OF THE CITY. AND I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE. YOU SEE IT IN OUR WALKABLE DOWNTOWN AND THE CHARMING WIT OF OUR CITY SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM, WHICH INTRODUCES MCKINNEY TO PEOPLE BOTH HERE DOMESTICALLY, BOTH LOCALLY, DOMESTICALLY AND ABROAD, BUT I BELIEVE TRULY MAKES THE CITY SPECIAL. AMONGST ALL THAT IS THE SPIRIT BEHIND THE BRANDING, A SHARED COMMITMENT IN SERVICE, WHICH IS WHY MANY OF US ARE HERE TONIGHT. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER MYSELF TO SERVE ON A LOCAL BOARD OR COMMISSION. I HOLD DEGREES IN LAW, CIVIL ENGINEERING AND MONETARY POLICY. OVER THE YEARS, I'VE ADVOCATED FOR SOME OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST CORPORATIONS AROUND INFRASTRUCTURE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND PUBLIC POLICY CIVICALLY. I'VE SERVED ON MANY NONPROFITS, BOTH HERE LOCALLY IN THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA, ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND EVEN NATIONALLY. BUT AMONGST ALL THAT, I'M STILL A HUSBAND AND A FATHER OF TWINS OR TWO YEARS OLD, AND I AM A RESIDENT HERE. MY WIFE AND I AND OUR KIDS ARE LOOKING TO PLANT ROOTS HERE, AND WHICH IS WHY I'M LOOKING TO SERVE MORE DEEPLY HERE. I'M OPEN TO SERVING IN WHATEVER CAPACITY THE COUNCIL BELIEVES THAT CAN BE MOST HELPFUL. HOWEVER, IF GIVEN THE CHOICE, I BELIEVE MY BACKGROUND BEST FITS WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, OR ANYTHING INVOLVING THE AIRPORT LIKE THE TAX IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. THESE BOARDS ARE FOCUSED ON AREAS I SPENT MY CAREER WORKING ON AVIATION STRATEGY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND ATTRACTING INVESTMENT TO COMMUNITIES. I WOULD BE HONORED TO BRING THAT EXPERIENCE HERE. SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF MY EXPERIENCE AS I'VE WORKED FOR TWO GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES WHERE I'VE WORKED ON NEGOTIATING AIRPORT LEASE RATES, LEASES, RATES AND CHARGES, AND CAPITAL INVESTMENTS. MY PORTFOLIO HAS EXPANDED ACROSS NORTH AMERICA AND ALSO INTO LATIN AMERICA. DONE SOME WORK IN CUBA AS WELL.
CURRENTLY, I'M WITH MICROSOFT WHERE I SUPPORT INTERNET ACCESS TO EXPANDING ACROSS AROUND THE
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WORLD. SO I'VE DONE WORK FROM ASIA TO AFRICA AS WELL AS LOCALLY HERE IN TEXAS. BEFORE THAT. I'VE WORKED WITH MANY OF YOU IN MY TIME AT T-MOBILE. I ACTUALLY PASSED BY SOME OF OUR PROJECTS WHERE WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER ON SMALL CELLS AND BRINGING INTERNET AND CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY TO OTHERS. ULTIMATELY, KIM MCKINNEY IS GROWING, AND WITH THAT GROWTH COMES OPPORTUNITY. AND I WANT TO BE A PART OF SUPPORTING THE GROWTH THAT THE CITY HAS. SO I'M OPEN TO SERVE WHEREVER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MR. COLEMAN. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. THANK YOU. NEXT. NEXT. SPEAKER, MARK HUNT. MR. HUNT. MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MARK HUNT. AND THE TWO BOARDS THAT I'M ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN SERVING ON IS THE BOARD THAT I CURRENTLY SERVE ON, WHICH IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, WHICH IS THE MCKINNEY ARMED SERVICES BOARD, WHICH I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ON FOR THE LAST ALMOST TWO YEARS. THE SECOND CHOICE WOULD BE THE RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE BOARD.A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ABOUT MYSELF. I'VE LIVED IN MCKINNEY SINCE 2012, WHEN I ACCEPTED A POSITION WITH A COMPANY NAMED OCTAL, INC. AND I TRANSFERRED OVER HERE FROM ATLANTA, GEORGIA.
I'M MARRIED AND I HAVE A SON WHO'S IN COLLEGE AND WENT TO SCHOOL HERE LOCALLY. IN TERMS OF MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, I RETIRED AS VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF OCTAL INC'S EXTRUSION BUSINESS. IT WAS ABOUT A $100 MILLION BUSINESS THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR. PRIOR TO THAT, I HELD A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING AND SALES POSITIONS, LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WITHIN THE PETROCHEMICAL AND PLASTICS INDUSTRIES. PRIOR TO THAT, WHEN I FIRST GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, I WENT INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY AS A COMMISSIONED OFFICER.
I SERVED OVER 30 YEARS AND RETIRED AS A FULL COLONEL AND HAD A COMBINATION OF ACTIVE AND RESERVE TIME. AND MY FINAL ASSIGNMENT WAS AS CHIEF OF STAFF OF AN 8000 SOLDIER ORGANIZATION SPREAD ACROSS 22 STATES, WITH FORWARD DEPLOYED ELEMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST DURING THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM. SO I DO KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND ACROSS DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND WITH DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF PEOPLE. AND I THINK THAT THAT ADDS TO THIS IN TERMS OF MY COMMITMENT TO THE CITY AND TO THE BOARD THAT I CURRENTLY SERVE ON. I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY I HAVE 100% ATTENDANCE FOR EVERY BOARD MEETING WE'VE HAD. AND I PROMISE YOU, IF I'M GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO SERVE IN WHATEVER CAPACITY, YOU'LL HAVE MY COMMITMENT ON THAT TOO. THANK YOU. DID A GREAT JOB, MARK. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND ALSO YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY. NEXT NAME IS MARSHA PRYOR ROBERTSON. WE SKIPPED TIM MCWILLIAMS. I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT KNOWN. HE'S NOT HERE. WELL, HE'S RIGHT HERE. YEAH. OH, YEAH. YEAH. OH, THERE HE IS. I DIDN'T SEE HIM. I GUESS YOU DIDN'T SIGN IN. TIM, YOU'RE A BIT OF A RENEGADE. YOU NEED ME TO DO SOMETHING. MR. MCWILLIAMS? THAT WAS. THAT WAS THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I MADE FROM THIS MICROPHONE HERE WHEN WE FIRST GOT HERE.
YOUR TURN. WELL, I AM TIM MCWILLIAMS. I'M BORN AND RAISED HERE IN MCKINNEY. I'M INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION. I'M THERE NOW AS AN ALTERNATE. I'D BE HAPPY TO CONTINUE AS AN ALTERNATE IF THAT'S. IF THAT IS AVAILABLE OR AN ALTERNATIVE. I'VE SERVED ON THE HPAC AND TRANSITION FROM THAT INTO PLANNING AND ZONING. I'M A REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY HERE IN MCKINNEY AT A MULTI-GENERATION, MULTI-GENERATIONAL FIRM, AND I DON'T DO LAND USE. BUT BECAUSE OF THE VOLUME OF TRANSACTIONAL REAL ESTATE THAT COMES THROUGH MY OFFICE, I'M ABLE TO SEE HOW THE DEALS THAT HAPPEN HERE IN MCKINNEY AFFECT THE AFFECT THE CITY AND HOW THE CITY AFFECTS THEM. ALSO, SOME OF THE NEIGHBORING CITIES AND COUNTIES.
I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THIS KIND OF BOARD IN THIS TIME OF FLUX BETWEEN THE RELATIVE POWERS, BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE STATE, AND THE CHANGE IN THE LEGISLATION THAT'S AFFECTED HOW MUCH CONTROL THE CITY CAN EXERCISE OVER PLANNING AND ZONING IN A CITY. AND I'M I KIND OF AM AFRAID THAT THERE MIGHT BE TOO MUCH OF A PENDULUM SWING TO OVER RESISTANCE BY A BOARD LIKE PLANNING AND ZONING, JUST AS KIND OF A REACTION OR AS RETRIBUTION FOR PERHAPS SOME OF THE POWER THAT WE'VE LOST. I THINK WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL TO AVOID SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND STILL REMAIN A COOPERATIVE PARTNER TO FURTHER THE INTEREST OF MCKINNEY AND NOT JUST KIND OF BE ADVERSARIAL ABOUT IT. I DON'T THINK THAT'S PRODUCTIVE. AND MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE CITY OF MCKINNEY STAFF, I BELIEVE THAT THEY KIND OF SHARE THAT SAME PERSPECTIVE. I'M VERY IMPRESSED
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WITH OUR STAFF HERE AND BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH THEM. I'M ULTRA ALSO INTERESTED IN THE PARKS BOARD THAT I THINK THAT WOULD SUIT KIND OF MY OWN, MY OWN INTERESTS AS WELL. GIVEN THAT I MAY HAVE SKIPPED SOME STEPS BEFORE COMING UP HERE, MIGHT THERE BE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME IN THE LAST 12 SECONDS? YOU DO A GREAT JOB ON THERE, TIM. RICK AND I ARE THE LIAISONS, AS YOU KNOW. AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE BOTH VERY HAPPY YOU'RE ON THAT BOARD. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU RICK. THANK YOU, MR. MCWILLIAMS. MR. ROBERTSON, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE MIX UP. IT'S YOUR TURN.MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. I'M MARCIA ROBERTSON. I CURRENTLY SERVE ON THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ADVISORY BOARD AS AN ALTERNATE, AND I AM SEEKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ANOTHER TWO YEAR TERM FOR THIS PARTICULAR BOARD. OVER MY 30 PLUS CAREER, I HAVE BEEN VERY INVOLVED IN BOTH HISTORY AND CULTURE. MY LAST POSITION WAS AT THE CITY OF DALLAS, WHERE I WAS ON THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE. I OVERSAW SEVEN SEPARATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION DISTRICTS FOR THE CITY, MEANING HELPING TO MAINTAIN THEIR INTEGRITY, BUT ALSO IN VARIOUS POSITIONS. I'VE RESEARCHED AND HAVE WRITTEN IN-DEPTH, HISTORIC CONTEXT. I HAVE CONDUCTED SURVEY WORK, ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS. LET'S SEE CEMETERY STUDIES. AND I'VE ALSO BEEN INVOLVED OR CONTRIBUTED TO MUSEUM EXHIBITS, A COUPLE OF SHORT FILMS, AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS. AND THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE I HAD IN MIND, BUT I SKIPPED MY MIND. BUT I. I HAVE BEEN IN MCKINNEY FOR 11 YEARS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I VALUE THE MOST ABOUT THIS CITY IS ITS COMMITMENT TO ITS RICH HISTORY. THE CITY HAS DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB IN HONORING THE CULTURE AND HISTORY OF, I BELIEVE, ALL OF ITS CITIZENS, WHICH IT IS A DIVERSE GROUP. AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT. I LET'S SEE, I WOULD LIKE I SAY, I'M EAGER TO SERVE AGAIN FOR A SECOND TERM, AND THAT'S ABOUT ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU FOR THE CONSIDERATION, MARCIA. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOUR DEDICATION. I KNOW YOU'RE AN ALTERNATE, BUT YOU'RE HERE, YOU'RE PRESENT, YOU'RE ENGAGED, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE REACHED NOW THAT CLG STATUS, WHICH MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO BE VERY MINDFUL OF THE BACKGROUNDS OF THE FOLKS SERVING ON THAT BOARD. AND YOUR BACKGROUND IS PERFECTLY FITTED FOR THIS. SO I APPRECIATE YOU APPLYING AGAIN. THANK YOU, DOCTOR FELTUS. OKAY. OUR NEXT PRESENTERS, SRI SARASWAT. HELLO EVERYBODY. I'M SRI SARASWAT, I AM HERE TO APPLY FOR THE BOARD OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF MCKINNEY. I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS NOW. I MOVED HERE IN 2017 FROM THE UK WITH MY FAMILY. I ALSO HAD THE CHANCE OF LIVING IN FINLAND, RUSSIA BRIEFLY AND INDIA PRIOR TO THIS IN MULTIPLE CITIES. AND I WILL SAY MCKINNEY BY FAR HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST CITIES THAT I'VE SEEN IN TERMS OF SETTLING DOWN AND STARTING A FAMILY. SO THERE'S THAT. AND THIS IS EVIDENT WITH THE AMOUNT OF RESIDENTS THAT ARE MOVING IN THAT WE'VE HAD AN INFLUX OF OVER 50,000 RESIDENTS, WHICH IS CRAZY NUMBER AND BUSINESSES DOUBLING DOWN ON THEIR INVESTMENTS HERE, FOR INSTANCE, THE RAYTHEON EXPANSION, AS WELL AS THE AIRPORT EXPANSION THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. I THINK THIS WILL BE VERY, VERY BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH MCKINNEY RESIDENTS AND NORTH DALLAS RESIDENTS IN GENERAL.
AND, YOU KNOW, SEEING THE CITY GROW. I'VE ALSO HAD THE CHANCE TO GROW ALONGSIDE IT. I PURSUED A ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE FROM COLLIN COLLEGE IN MCKINNEY, ACTUALLY GRADUATED WITH A PERFECT GPA, GOT A SCHOLARSHIP TO GO TO UCD, DID A COMPUTER ENGINEERING DEGREE THERE, BACHELOR'S, GRADUATED SUMMA LAUDE, TOP OF MY CLASS, AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH A PHD PROFESSOR, AS WELL AS A PHD STUDENT WITH SOME RESEARCH IN AI AND MACHINE LEARNING WHILE I WAS THERE, GRADUATED, AND WENT ON TO WORK FOR TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, WHERE I'VE BEEN FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS. I'VE BEEN DOING BUSINESS AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS TECHNICAL SALES FOR THEM, AND I WORK WITH GLOBAL CORPORATIONS ANYWHERE FROM EMEA, CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA. AND I WOULD LOVE TO BRING THIS TECHNICAL BACKGROUND AS WELL AS SORT OF A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE TO THE BOARD AND
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SERVE MY COMMUNITY AND CITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, AND I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE SOME QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR APPLYING. WE DON'T SEE AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOUNG AS YOU STEPPING UP TO SERVE THE CITY IN THIS CAPACITY, SO I APPRECIATE YOU.HOPEFULLY YOU'RE INSPIRING SOME FOLKS AROUND YOU TO DO THE SAME, BUT THANK YOU. I WOULD LOVE TO.
I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN TOUCH. AND I KNOW THE ECONOMIC BOARD SAID IT WAS FULL, SO I'M OPEN TO SERVING ELSEWHERE AS WELL IF NEED BE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SIR. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CAROL SULLIVAN, MISS SULLIVAN. HELLO, EVERYONE. I'M HONORED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR CITY BOARD POSITION. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I GREW UP IN A SMALL TOWN IN WISCONSIN, AND AFTER COLLEGE I SPENT 15 YEARS LIVING IN CHICAGO BEFORE MOVING TO MCKINNEY. TWO VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES THAT SHAPED MY PERSPECTIVE ON COMMUNITY. BECAUSE OF THIS, MCKINNEY HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART. IT NOT. IT'S NOT QUITE THE SMALL TOWN OF JANESVILLE FROM WHERE I'M FROM, AND NOT THE BIG CITY OF CHICAGO, BUT SOMETHING SPECIAL IN BETWEEN. AND I'M SO HAPPY THAT JEREMY AND I ARE RAISING OUR FAMILY HERE NOW. I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT SUPPORTING MCKINNEY'S GROWTH IN A WAY THAT PRESERVES ITS CHARACTER AND STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY.
PROFESSIONALLY, I BRING A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE AND A DEEP COMMITMENT TO LOCAL CONNECTIONS. AS THE OWNER OF CW DESIGNS, A MARKETING AND EVENT STUDIO BASED IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN MCKINNEY, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH MANY LOCAL BUSINESSES AND WITNESSING FIRSTHAND THE GROWTH AND EVOLVING NEEDS OF OUR VIBRANT DOWNTOWN DISTRICT.
OUTSIDE OF MY BUSINESS, I'VE HELD SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGN AND BRANDING FOR LOCAL CAMPAIGNS INCLUDING COREY HOMERS FOR SOCIAL FOR SCHOOL BOARD, GAINING INSIGHT INTO CITY OPERATIONS AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. I'VE ALSO WORKED WITH VISIT MCKINNEY ON MAP GUIDES, HELPING HIGHLIGHT HELPING HIGHLIGHT WHAT MAKES MCKINNEY. MCKINNEY. DURING COVID 19, I CO-FOUNDED VIRTUAL TOWN TOURS TO SUPPORT MCKINNEY'S ECONOMIC ECONOMY BY FILMING INTERIOR SHOP AND HOTEL TOURS AND DESIGNING A VIRTUAL MAP OF DOWNTOWN MCKINNEY. I RECENTLY CO-FOUNDED THRIFT GUIDES WITH A YOUTUBER TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY BY HELPING SHOPPERS DISCOVER TOP ANTIQUE AND RESALE SHOPS. OUR UPCOMING DFW DIVE GUIDE, WHICH IS LAUNCHING IN 2026, WILL FEATURE MCKINNEY AND HIGHLIGHT LOCAL BUSINESSES TO ATTRACT MORE VISITORS TO OUR AREA. I'M COMMITTED TO LISTENING, COLLABORATING AND LEADING THOUGHTFULLY IF GIVEN THE HONOR TO SERVE, ESPECIALLY EITHER ON MCKINNEY OR THE ARTS COMMISSION, I WILL BRING STRATEGIC THINKING, CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING, AND ABOVE ALL, LOVE FOR MCKINNEY. AND OF COURSE, I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY ANY OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN ANY. OH, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GO OVER. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? CAROL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU ARE AND ALL THAT YOU DO FOR MCKINNEY. SURE DO. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME UP? ANYONE ELSE? ANYBODY BACK THERE? NOPE. COME ON. JOSH. WELL, THAT WILL CONCLUDE ROUND TWO OF OUR INTERVIEWS. SO WE WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING 625. ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.