Anthony Ricciardelli’s policy stances change as quickly as our North Texas Weather
Attempting to read Anthony Ricciardelli’s positions on issues important to Plano makes me wonder on which day of the week he wrote these, because what I heard him say one day is very different from what I may hear a few days later. On Council nights, he says:
“I will always provide the resources our Police, Fire, and EMS need to keep us safe.”
But then he goes and ties the City Manager’s budget hands behind his back so the City can’t fulfill the requests of our first responders for personnel, training, and equipment!
As your City Council representative, I will always take a sensible approach to the budget so that those things that our citizens value above all do not wind up being cut because of dogmatic desires.
My opponent says,
“Plano must focus on land uses that are consistent with the suburban character of the community that we all know and love, limiting high-density development.”
But then he goes and approves THOUSANDS of new apartments and office buildings in the biggest high-density developments in Plano in over a decade. As your City Council representative, I will make sure that new developments are compatible with their surrounding neighborhoods and that they have a clear benefit to our City and our citizens. We need redevelopment that occurs away from our single-family neighborhoods. To keep our taxes low we need to maintain our corporate and employment base that pays 51% of the taxes in Plano.
My opponent says,
“I have taken a stand for fiscal responsibility. I successfully advocated for the Council to decrease the tax rate to what is known as the “effective tax rate.”
This is otherwise known as “no-more-revenue,” a radical term for holding our city hostage while making our departments compete for rapidly decreasing budget dollars leading to less effective and smaller government. It also means not keeping up with the needs of our police, fire, library, and parks systems.
Two years ago the City asked for an average of $3 a month more from the average Plano homeowner to fund the city and meet the needs of our City of Excellence. Not only did my opponent and the three other Council members supported by the Plano Citizens Coalition (PCC) deny that modest increase – their vote resulted in a hiring freeze and a less-safe city today that is still trying to operate on too few dollars. If we want to continue living in one of the safest cities in America, we need to take the shackles off the City Manager for public safety.
My opponent says,
“I have worked to promote a strong business climate that supports small business owners, cultivates cutting-edge innovators, and attracts blue-chip employers from around the globe.”
But then he voted against funding for The Turning Point, our only rape crisis center. He voted against a mandatory masks ordinance that would help keep our retail and service locations open and keep both customers and employees safe. He is not in favor of the vibrant diversity Plano attracts and has indicated a desire to water down Plano’s Equal Rights Ordinance.
All of these are things that well-known international corporations considering moving to or expanding in Plano look at as part of their decision – and they do not like the direction my opponent and his allies on City Council are taking Plano.
On Mondays at Council meetings, Anthony seems to be saying the right words, but the rest of the week, his actions say something completely different. And what he is saying the rest of the week is not positive for Plano.
STEVE LAVINE
