Frisco Enterprise Endorses Chris Moss

From Frisco Enterprise, April 27, 2007

Frisco City Council: Moss for Place 4
By ACN Staff, Editorial

Frisco, a major suburb and retail hub that is still growing, has been fortunate to have capable, hard-working political leaders with sound understanding of the issues its citizens face and the alternatives available to resolve them.

We note, in particular, the dedication and intelligent decision-making of Mayor Mike Simpson in setting a good example for what council members should be and do.

In the three-candidate race to fill the open Place 4 seat, being vacated due to term limits, we believe the best qualified among them is Chris Moss, a 36-year-old risk management consultant and resident of the city for nine years.

In discussions with the editors of The Frisco Enterprise, a publication of Star Community Newspapers of Texas, candidates were evaluated on the basis of four principal factors: their records of civic participation and achievement, their understanding of government and issues, their knowledge of their communities, and the clarity of their visions for the future of their communities.

Moss, who has served as a council appointee to the Planning and Zoning Commission since June 2005, would bring to the seat a lengthy record of civic participation that also includes stints on the chief building official's advisory committee, sign ordinance review committee, Plantation Springs Homeowners' Association committees, parks and recreation master-plan committee, and city planning and advisory committee.

Although he has not previously held political office, this experience has helped him develop a sound command of all major issues at stake in infrastructure, transportation, water, finance, and city services. "I have practical experience working on important issues in Frisco, as well as an existing, positive working relationship with many members of city staff and city council," Moss said.

"In addition, I have been a very involved citizen for most of the nine years I have lived in Frisco, regularly attending city council meetings and volunteering for many events over the years and watching and helping shape the decisions that have gotten us where we are today."

Notably, Moss avoids vacuous political rhetoric. He would bring to the seat a sense of realism about where Frisco is and where it is headed.

For example, Moss is honest enough not to suggest that Frisco is a small town any longer; it is not. While we might long to preserve that small-town feel, our ability to do so, given what has happened so far, is, as Moss put it, "problematic."

In fact, it is misplaced sentimentalism.

Frisco is on the verge of becoming the next Plano, at least in size and population; the course in that direction has been set.

Moss understands that this poses big issues in road development. Traffic congestion, he noted, is already "a significant issue with a large impact on citizens' daily lives."

If elected, he plans to press staff and fellow council members to make the hiring of a traffic engineer, a position vacant for about a year and a half, a higher priority. He also plans to call for "serious overhaul" in traffic-light timing and for a more concerted effort by city officials to work more closely with highway contractors on State Highway 121 and Dallas North Tollway.

In fact, Moss pledges to make the scheduling of these sessions his first action upon taking office, if elected. Voters should hold him to that promise.

In environmental issues, Moss correctly understands that the city must plan carefully or face even tougher water-use restrictions or possibly higher prices. In this respect, his call for the city to consider the experience of other cities in the country, such as Phoenix, and what can be learned from them, would be useful.

In light of Moss' experience and platform, we urge voters to support him for Place 4 on city council on May 12.