LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF RICHARDSON

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS®
OF RICHARDSON
Online VOTERS GUIDE responses for the
May 9, 2015, City of Richardson Mayoral and City Council election:
Biographies and question responses were supplied by the candidates.
The League of Women Voters of Richardson did not edit the responses.
Place 1, ballot position 2: Rick Wilder
BIOGRAPHY: (175 word maximum)
Rick Wilder came to Duck Creek in 1991.Together with his wife Nancy, they raised 2 children;
daughter Kimberly (CWO in the United States Coast Guard) and son Ethan (Digital Artist), both
graduates of L.V. Berkner High School.
During his time in Duck Creek, he has been involved in numerous volunteer activities such as:

HOA President, Vice-President, Safety, Beatification, Section Leader, and Nominating
committee Chair.

Unit and Assistant District Commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America for 10 years.
 City of Plano Environmental volunteer.

Crime Watch coordinator since 2008.

Active Crime Watch Patrol member.

Graduate of the Dallas Sherriff's Citizens Academy 2012.

Graduate of the Richardson Citizen's Fire Academy 2008. (Currently a board member of the
Alumni Assoc).

Graduate of the Richardson Citizen's Police Academy 2009. (Currently Vice President of the
Alumni Assoc).

United States Army Veteran.

Texas Army National Guard.
 Chair- Environmental Advisory Commission for the City of Richardson 2008-2015.
1. Campaign contact information:
Campaign website address:
Length of residency in Richardson:
https://www.facebook.com/RickWilderCampaign
24 years
2. Why do you want to be a Richardson City Council member?
I have volunteered for most of my later life as I get a lot of pleasure out of helping others.
As my city grows, I see and hear ways our residents would like to see us go. I feel I can
have a positive effect on that growth by sharing my and others ideas learned from
experience and life's lessons.
3. How many Richardson City Council board meetings have you attended?
Over one hundred.
© 2015 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Rick Wilder
Page 1 of 4
May 9, 2015, Richardson Mayoral and City Council Election
Questionnaire for Online VOTERS GUIDE (continued)
4. What other offices have you run for? When?
HOA President, Vice-President, Safety, Beautification, Section Leader, and Nominating
Committee Chair, as a charter member since 1992
5. Have you served on any city boards or commissions? If so, which ones and when?
Chair-Environmental Advisory Commission for the City of Richardson 2008-2015
6. What other civic responsibilities have you undertaken? Give specific examples of
your civic involvement.
City of Plano Environmental volunteer
Crime Watch coordinator since 2008
Active Crime Watch Patrol member
Graduate of the Richardson Citizens Fire Academy 2008 (Currently a board member of the
Alumni Association)
Graduate of the Richardson Citizens Police Academy 2009 (Currently Vice-President of the
Alumni Association)
Unit and Assistant District Commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America for 10 years
Graduate of the Dallas Sherriff’s Citizens Academy
United States Army Veteran
Texas Army National Guard Veteran
7. Outside of regularly scheduled meetings and work sessions, how many hours per
month do you think a Richardson City Council member should commit to the job?
As many hours as necessary to understand and comprehend the decision making process
and to promote the city at civic functions.
8. What organizations do you belong to?
Richardson Citizens Fire Academy
Richardson Citizens Police Academy
Plano Environmental volunteer
Serria Club Dallas Chapter
American Legion
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Richardson Duck Creek Homeowners Association
9. Is the City of Richardson getting value for inclusion in Dallas Area Rapid Transit
(DART)? What changes, if any, are needed to get more value?
Being a member of Dart has allowed the city to attract more business and technical
expertise to keep us on the cutting edge of technology. We need to develop the Main Street
/ Central Expressway area with an eye towards adding a Dart station to help with
redevelopment of the area.
© 2015 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Rick Wilder
Page 2 of 4
May 9, 2015, Richardson Mayoral and City Council Election
Questionnaire for Online VOTERS GUIDE (continued)
10. The City Council has adopted Reinvestment Strategies for both the West Spring
Valley Corridor and the Main Street / Central Expressway Enhancement/
Redevelopment. What changes, if any, would you make to these strategies?
Refining the strategies to account for the changing demographics that are occurring in our
city.
11. What changes, if any, would you make to the 2009 Comprehensive Plan?
[No response.]
12. Is the city doing enough to attract businesses to the city? Why or why not? Should
the city focus on attracting particular types of businesses? Why or why not?
Quality of life is affected by and made up of many different things. In order to enjoy your life
you have to have the employment to support it. We need to attract more business' that offer
jobs and less business' that occupy large tracts of land but employ few workers. This ties in
with Economic Development. We should work with and offer incentives to companies with
diverse work forces to encourage them to locate in our city provided the incentives benefit
the city in the shortest time possible.
13. With more congestion at the Campbell Road/Central Expressway intersection, do
you support reexamining plans for an underpass at that location? Why or why not?
No, I do not. We already have the results from Springvalley as a lesson.
14. How can the city take advantage of the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) as a
resource?
Make the city attractive to the graduates to encourage them to stay here and reinvest their
knowledge and skills with Live, Work, And Play opportunities that other locations can not
provide.
15. As a member of City Council, what would you do to increase services (e.g., grocery
stores, recreation centers, etc.) to Northeast Richardson (including the panhandle)?
As is the case in any large undertaking, there is always room for improvement.
© 2015 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Rick Wilder
Page 3 of 4
May 9, 2015, Richardson Mayoral and City Council Election
Questionnaire for Online VOTERS GUIDE (continued)
16. The City of Richardson earned Platinum status in the State Comptroller’s Leadership
Circle Awards for financial transparency. Can too much transparency be harmful to
local government?
We have outstanding transparency in our financial dealings, but as to the decisions' where
and to whom we spend that money is sometimes after the fact. We could use more
openness where appropriate as long as we operate in a competitive manner and do not
favor other business' that have nominally been used.
17. Do Richardson and North Texas benefit from regional cooperation among cities?
Should this cooperation be expanded? Why or why not?
Richardson and North Texas does benefit from regional cooperation among cities so yes if
at all possible, we need to continue as long as the cooperation actually does benefit
Richardson.
18. Are there any issues concerning Richardson that the current City Council has been
reluctant to address publicly? If so, what are they and how do you think they should
be addressed?
We are a land locked city that is all but built out. There is very little open space for either
new recreation or commercial/retail development. We need to really concentrate on
redevelopment to keep the business taxes a larger share of the cities revenue.
19. Is the current charter review process meaningful and comprehensive? Does it
ensure that we are moving into the future with the best government for the City of
Richardson?
I think it needs more public input and should not be rushed just to get it finished.
20. More and more people who do not live here are commuting to work through the
Richardson city limits. What steps does the City Council need to take to balance the
needs of commuters with the comfort and safety of residents?
A comprehensive look at the Transportation Master Plan.
© 2015 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Rick Wilder
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