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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 5, ballot position 1: Paul Voelker
BIOGRAPHY: (175 word maximum)
Paul Voelker was elected to the City Council in May 2013. Prior to being elected, Voelker
served as a member of the Richardson Zoning Board of Adjustments and President of the
Reserve at Sharp Lane Homeowners Association.
Voelker received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from William Penn
University in 1983. He is a sales and marketing professional in the information,
communications and technology industry and has 30 years of experience working in
Richardson’s Telecom Corridor©.
Voelker served as the Chairman of the Board of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce in
2006. He is also a graduate of Leadership Richardson, Class XVI. Voelker has also served on
the Texas IT Cluster Committee under the Texas Workforce Commission.
Voelker’s involvement in local education includes past board memberships on the Richardson
Independent School District Tomorrow Foundation and the University of Texas at Dallas
Johnsson School Industrial Advisory Board Executive Committee. Voelker is also a member of
the Richardson Police Department’s Breckinridge West Active Crime Patrol. He and his wife
Kris have one son.
1. Campaign contact information:
Campaign website address:
Length of residency in Richardson:
2.
Paul Voelker Campaign
3308 Callaway CT
Richardson, Texas 75082
Kenneth Southard, Treasurer
http://paulforrichardson.com
25 years
Why do you want to be a Richardson City Council member?
I believe Richardson is a wonderful city in which to live and work. Over the years I have
tried my best to contribute to its success, whether in my capacity as a City Councilman,
Richardson Zoning Board of Adjustments Member, Homeowner Association President, as
Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, or through my active involvement in the Metroplex
Technology Council and the Leadership Richardson program. Each time I have served, it
has been to ensure that Richardson would thrive and prosper from an economic, cultural,
and quality of life standpoint. I look forward to serving in my second term on council.
© 2015 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Paul Voelker
Page 1 of 5
May 9, 2015, Richardson Mayoral and City Council Election
Questionnaire for Online VOTERS GUIDE (continued)
3.
How many Richardson City Council board meetings have you attended?
I have attended all action and work session meetings over the last two year except two.
4.
What other offices have you run for? When?
Richardson City Council, Place 5. 2013 - 2015
5.
Have you served on any city boards or commissions? If so, which ones and when?
Richardson Zoning Board of Adjustments. 2012 -2013
6.
What other civic responsibilities have you undertaken? Give specific examples of
your civic involvement.
 Past Chairman of the Board, Richardson Texas Chamber of Commerce
 Past Ex-Officio Board Member, Metroplex Technology Business Council
 Past President of the Reserve at Sharp Lane Homeowners Association.
 Graduate of Leadership Richardson, Class XVI
 Past Board of Directors, RISD Tomorrow, Inc. Foundation
 Past UTD Jonsson School Industrial Advisory Board Executive Committee
 Past Texas IT Cluster Committee Member, Texas Workforce Commission
 Richardson Police Department’s Breckinridge West Active Crime Patrol
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?
25 to 50, changes with the season and activity levels.
8.
What organizations do you belong to?
a. Richardson Chamber of Commerce
b. Metroplex Technology Business Council
c. Leadership Richardson Alumni 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?
Richardson has had a long and mutually beneficial relationship with DART. We have four
stations today and are seeing the positive economic impact from our investment. DART’s
plan to add additional cars to the red/orange line and the needed improvements to our
stations to facilitate this is also something that I will support. I would like to see the Cotton
Belt rail line implemented before its current DART time-line. As a councilman I will continue
to look for ways to improve the timing of this important project.
© 205 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Paul Voelker
Page 2 of 5
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?
I support the current plan, have voted for its implementation. I am always open to reevaluation of our strategies as specific opportunities arise.
11. What changes, if any, would you make to the 2009 Comprehensive Plan?
I believe the 2009 Comprehensive Plan has served us well. I applaud the previous
councils, planning commissions and staff for putting this guiding document together. As we
continue to work the plan we are always looking for areas that only time and experience
can help us understand what, if any changes or additions may be needed. The additional
studies have been a big help in fine tuning the planning process. I plan to support
additional studies. Our understanding of new work, retail and living environments has led
to a better understanding of what is needed in the developments and redevelopments
underway.
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?
I am proud of the work being done by this city and its partners in both attracting and
retaining businesses. We are in a very competitive environment and we are winning our
fair share. Targeting technology and other professional industries like healthcare,
insurance, financial services and defense are the right thing to do so that we continue to
diversify our employment base.
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?
At this point with US 75 now under a new planning cycle and with the decision to not move
forward with the previous plan and the loss of outside funding that was allocated, it would
not make sense to try and restart.
14. How can the city take advantage of the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) as a
resource?
UTD is a jewel in our city. It provides employment, a highly educated workforce,
volunteers, Intellectual Property to be leveraged by our existing and future enterprises. It
creates an energy level that spearheads the entrepreneur spirit that can bring us the next
great company. Companies that are considering relocating to Richardson do so with the
understanding that UTD is a tremendous resource.
© 205 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Paul Voelker
Page 3 of 5
May 9, 2015, Richardson Mayoral and City Council Election
Questionnaire for Online VOTERS GUIDE (continued)
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 a resident of the panhandle, I understand the concerns citizens have with both public
and private resources in this area. Private investment in the area is picking up with the
CityLine development. New retail and restaurants on Renner farther east are also opening.
The addition of Whole Foods will be a big benefit to the area. Our increase in public
resources will be driven by our next bond election. Council is in the process of reviewing all
options that may be funded. My priorities will be in infrastructure and public safety. In the
panhandle it is important that citizens have reasonable access to public services. I will be
looking for our ability to leverage both public safety and parks facilities to make this
happen.
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?
The efforts of current and past councils, staff and the wishes of our citizens to have
reasonable access to and timely response times is something we should all be proud of.
Every activity, taken too far, can suffer from diminishing returns. I believe that line is
crossed when additional processes with no business benefit and limits on city staffs ability
to discuss options internally to assure every approach is considered without undo criticism.
As for council, other than discussions in executive session, all aspects of public business
should be transparent.
17. Do Richardson and North Texas benefit from regional cooperation among cities?
Should this cooperation be expanded? Why or why not?
Richardson benefits as does the entire region from collaboration and cooperation between
cities.
Important topics like resource management (Water, Waste, Power, and
Transportation of all types…) are discussed and best practices are shared. Often through
engaging with our sister cities we have a better understanding of how to address issues at
home and we can often speak as a broader community to important groups like our state
and federal legislatures and executives. While elected officials do make up most of the
voting bloc, in regional organizations it is important that cities maintain their independence
and local control. I think today we have a good balance.
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?
No.
© 205 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Paul Voelker
Page 4 of 5
May 9, 2015, Richardson Mayoral and City Council Election
Questionnaire for Online VOTERS GUIDE (continued)
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?
As a member of the current council and having both given the charge and appointed the
board members, I am pleased with the charter review process and look forward to the
commission’s findings.
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?
Richardson is unique in that its daytime population is larger than its nighttime population of
both residents and employees.
I mention nighttime employees because we are
experiencing a small but important shift in companies running twenty-four by seven
operations in our city. We have people moving in every direction coming to, through and
out of our city. With every zoning case and development plan that comes before the
council, traffic studies are done to understand their impact and develop mitigation plans to
assure limited impact to employers and residents alike. Regional cooperation and our
participation and representation on various boards and bodies specific to transportation
make sure the city’s best interests are considered, especially when it comes to commuters
going through our city. We, as council, need to continue to make sure we have an open
dialog with TxDOT, NTTA and DART to make commuting in Richardson an asset not a
hindrance for our citizens and stakeholders alike.
© 205 League of Women Voters of Richardson
Responses of Paul Voelker
Page 5 of 5