Council Members

Council Members

Sunday, 07 October 2007

Kris Whitfield, Council member, Round Rock

Raised in Abilene, Kris Whitfield wanted anything but to leave West Texas. She even attended two area colleges, Hardin Simmons University and Abilene Christian University where she played tennis on the inaugural team.

Then she started spending time with Eric Whitfield, a friend through volunteer work. The only problem was he came from Central Texas. Eric, who is a former Round Rock ISD trustee, convinced her to move to Central Texas in 1992.

“My husband said you can still see the claw marks in the road,” Kris said.

Now she says she has no intention of leaving.

This spring, Kris was elected to office as the only female city council member.

Q. What are your priorities as a council member?

A. Transportation is huge. It is a never-ending battle to meet the growth. The diversification of the tax base is important. We do not want to rely on any one industry. We have done a good job so far. We are trying to keep our recreational facilities at an even keel with the population. We want to have that quality of life, so people will want to stay here.

Q. What have you learned about the city you did not know before the election?

A. It is interesting how the city and the county either work together or clash. Sometimes they clash and we try to work around that.

Q. What skill(s) do you use the most as a council member?

A. Listening. I am always trying to weigh the different opinions and see if we can come close to a consensus.

Q. What are some of Round Rock’s strengths?

A. Well, I think one of our strengths is we are family oriented. It is a great place to raise children and grandchildren. Even as we grow, it has stayed that way. I don’t go to the grocery store without someone saying hi and giving me a smile. It is the same small-town feel as we are busting at the seams.

Q. What are Round Rock’s weaknesses?

A. The roads are our biggest albatross. There is no getting past it. It is growing to be more and more of a priority.

• Employment: CheckSmart, owner
• Education: Attended Hardin Simmons University and Abilene Christian University
• Family: Husband Eric, son Eric and daughter Britta, two “adopted” children and two grandchildren
• Contact information: 218-5403, rrcc6whitfield@round-rock.tx.us

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Wayne Cooper, Council member, Pflugerville

Wayne Cooper knew when he moved to Pflugerville it was somewhere he wanted to stay because he did his research before making a choice.

“I hate moving around, so we looked hard,” he said.

For most of his life, he lived in Dallas and enjoyed the convenience of a large city. Then his family moved to a small community in Arkansas where wildlife wandered across the street and neighbors regularly visited. Cooper wanted a mixture of both lifestyles and he found Pflugerville.

“We came to a small town that is going to be a big town. We saw the potential there,” he said. “We knew the toll roads would be coming and property value would probably go up.”

Cooper was elected to office in May.

Q. What have you learned about the city you did not know before the election?

A. I guess it is not so much that I did not know this, but that it has impressed me. Most of my clients are public sector agencies. Because of my exposure to other agencies, I see how much work goes into the city by the staff and how they care. Our staff is head and shoulders above everybody else. If they don’t know the answer, they will ask the questions.

Q. What are Pflugerville’s strengths?

A. Pflugerville’s strength is in its location. I don’t think a lot of people realize how strategically we are located. Our potential is our greatest strength. We need to create a strong sense of identity. We need to have pride in our progress. Pflugerville needs to keep that sense of place.

Q. What are Pflugerville’s weaknesses?

A. One of our weaknesses is as a city we have had a too myopic perspective. We are afraid to look beyond our own borders. In business, it is like looking at what the competition is doing. We are too inwardly focused sometimes. We really should decide what we want to be when we grow up, and then we must be resolved to follow through. I want to make sure Pflugerville gets off on the right foot and develop what the city can become. It is important we keep that quality of life. I care about it. My family lives here. My mom lives here.

Q. What skills do you use most as a council member?

A. Long-range planning. Our job is to not have a tunnel vision perspective. I have close to 30-years experience in planning. So, since I do get exposure in the design community, if I do not know the answers I know how to ask the questions.

• Employment: Halff Associates, Inc., regional director of landscape architecture
• Education: Bachelor’s in landscape architecture, Texas Tech University; Master’s, University of Texas – Arlington
• Family: Wife Carlotta, a son and two daughters
• Contact information: 990-4363, council1@cityofpflugerville.com