Coppell Chronicle Vol. 4, No. 10
Appraising These Candidates Isn’t Easy • Who Supported Our Local Campaigns? • Council Approves Raise for City Manager • Big Building Has Been in the Works for Years
The polls will be open for early voting until 6 p.m. today and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. If you choose to wait until Saturday, aka Election Day, you can cast a ballot between 7 and 7.
Meet me back here next Sunday to find out who won.
Appraising These Candidates Isn’t Easy
Hey, did you know the Texas Legislature gifted us with a new set of officials to elect? I certainly didn’t know that when early voting started last week.
Full disclosure: When I published my election preview last Sunday, I had not yet taken a gander at my sample ballot. Once I did, I was surprised to see that Dallas County voters are being asked to choose three new members of the Dallas Central Appraisal District’s Board of Directors.
Two of those members, Kendall Scudder and Alexandra Stewart, will be elected automatically due to a lack of opponents. In the lone competitive race, we must choose between P. Wylie Burge and Ekambar Kumar Singirikonda.
Meanwhile, Denton County voters have three choices to make for their appraisal district’s board:
Place 1: Angie Cox vs. Peter K. Mungiguerra Jr.
Place 2: Sophia Anwar vs. Lisa McEntire
Place 3: Rick Guzman vs. Jordan E. Villareal
Because the vast majority of Coppell is in Dallas County, the rest of this article will focus on the Burge vs. Singirikonda race. If these gentlemen have campaign websites, I couldn’t find them. Dallas Central Appraisal District property records indicate that Singirikonda resides in the Irving portion of Coppell ISD; a biography he posted on Medium last month says he’s the Director of DevOps Engineering at Toyota North America. Burge is a podiatrist who resides in southeast Dallas and treats feet and ankles near White Rock Lake.
I tried to get in touch with both candidates, without success. However, a website called D’ville GOP — which describes itself as “your place to get information to help you live and vote as an informed, God-fearing citizen of Duncanville” — managed to get both men to answer a questionnaire.
If I’d been able to connect with these guys, my first question would have been “How were you even aware of the opportunity to get elected to this board?” I like to think of myself as someone who follows the news — political news, in particular — and these newly created positions slipped right past me.
According to the Texas Tribune, the establishment of these positions was approved by voters last November. Do you remember voting to raise your homestead exemption for school district taxes from $40,000 to $100,000? The new positions were an “oh, by the way” portion of the same proposition.
I was able to speak with one of the unopposed candidates, Scudder, and I didn’t need to ask him how he found out; he’s more politically plugged in than the average bear. Not only is Scudder the Texas Democratic Party’s Vice Chair for Finance, he ran for a Texas Senate seat in 2018 and a Texas House seat in 2022.
Scudder believes the elected position he’s about to assume should not be an elected position. “It inserts politics where politics doesn’t belong,” he said. That’s why he encouraged Stewart, a former appraiser, to run for this board. “It’s crucial that we have responsible adults at the table who are not playing politics but willing to do the boring nitty-gritty work of government,” Scudder said.
The elected and appointed members of the appraisal district’s board of directors won’t be able to raise or lower your property valuation. But those eight directors will appoint the 120 people who serve on its appraisal review boards. Those are the folks you deal with if you challenge your property’s valuation.
“A person who knows how to navigate committees and boards could have some significant influence,” Scudder said.
Scudder and Stewart and whoever wins the contest between Burge and Singirikonda will join the five people already on the appraisal district’s board of directors. Three of those five are appointed by the Dallas County Commissioners Court, the Dallas City Council, and the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. The other two are elected by the county’s suburban city councils and school boards.
Last November, the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees was presented with a lone nominee to represent suburban school districts: Duncanville ISD Trustee Cassandra Phillips. A memo from Coppell ISD Chief Financial Officer Diana Sircar said Phillips was also the lone nominee in 2021 and 2019. Consequently, the Coppell ISD trustees cast their collective vote for her without debate.
In December, the Coppell City Council was presented with two slates of candidates to represent suburban cities on the Dallas Central Appraisal District and Denton Central Appraisal District’s boards. The council declined to take action on either slate, and City Secretary Ashley Owens said that aligned with previous Coppell councils’ practices.
“They didn’t know any of the candidates, or they had very little information about them,” Owens said.
(Elected officials — they’re just like us!)
Because cities’ and school districts’ websites typically host the campaign finance reports for candidates in May elections, I contacted the appraisal district to ask where I could view such reports for Burge and Singirikonda. The unidentified person who answered my email pointed me to a webpage that features documents filed by Scudder and Stewart but bears no information about Burge and Singirikonda.
Good luck, voters!
Who Supported Our Local Campaigns?
Fortunately, voters have access to much more information about the candidates seeking election to the Coppell City Council and Coppell ISD Board of Trustees.
In last week’s edition, I published a questionnaire filled out by Freddie Guerra and Ramesh Premkumar, who are competing for a seat on the council. In case you missed it, here it is again.
Last week’s edition also featured analysis of the campaign finance reports that Guerra and Premkumar had to turn in 30 days before Election Day. They each owed us another report on Friday that detailed their contributions and expenses through Wednesday.
Guerra’s second report details just one contribution of $250 from the Coppell Republican Women club. Across his two reports, Guerra documented $8,205 worth of expenses.
Premkumar’s latest report includes three $100 contributions from Prakash Meduri, Nandakumar Palanisamy, and Pam and Jeff Varnell, all of whom are Coppell residents. Premkumar reported spending $2,300 this year, but he presumably had collateral left over from his 2023 campaign for the council.
Last week’s edition also included Coppell ISD Trustee Nichole Bentley’s answers to my questionnaire, but challenger Eneida Padró didn’t return her answers until two hours after that edition was published. Download this PDF to read both sets of answers.
Bentley’s two finance reports say she spent $5,748 on her campaign. Her latest report details 15 contributions totaling $1,300, all from Coppell residents. The most generous contributors were Bhaskar Ganta and Vari CEO Jason McCann, who each gave $200. Bentley also reported a $150 contribution from City Council Member Jim Walker and his wife, Cherie Walker of cotillion fame. She additionally received $100 from Democratic Party Precinct Chair Vin Merrill and his wife, Betsy Merrill; $100 from Premkumar and his wife, Subhashini Premkumar; $100 from Kate Rumsey, who was a Democratic candidate for Texas House District 115; and $100 from Jeff Varnell. (Pam Varnell’s name doesn’t appear on Bentley’s report.)
Padró turned in her lone finance report last Monday. It says she spent $762 on her campaign, which received no contributions.
Council Approves Raise for City Manager
Coppell City Manager Mike Land received a raise and a contract extension last week.
The City Council unanimously approved increasing his base salary to $293,105 and extending his contract through April of 2027. Until Tuesday’s vote, his contract had been set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025.
When the Texas City Management Association compiled data for its 2024 Salary Survey, Land was paid $276,514. That put him behind his peers in Haltom City ($283,650) and Weatherford ($282,000) but ahead of his counterparts in Lancaster ($268,134) and Colleyville ($265,000), according to the survey.
If Land keeps his job through his contract’s new expiration date, he will have been Coppell’s city manager for 10 years. He got the gig in April of 2017, five years after he was named deputy city manager and four years after he moved to Coppell.
Before joining Coppell’s staff, Land was Prosper’s town manager for five years. His previous job was in Gainesville, where he was city manager from 1996 until 2007.
(See “Trustees Approve Raise for Superintendent” in Vol. 4, No. 8)
Big Building Has Been in the Works for Years
A monolith that’s being built on the west side of Coppell was approved by city officials 10 years ago.
For the past couple of weeks, members of the “Coppell, Texas” group on Facebook have been lamenting the altered view from the west end of Parkway Boulevard. On the opposite side of North Coppell Road, a warehouse bearing Subaru’s name is being expanded by more than 200,000 square feet or about 4.5 acres.
I got that square footage from a form filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. That form said the $15.6 million project began in December of 2022 and should be completed by July of this year.
I’ve been publishing this newsletter since February of 2021, and I can’t recall hearing this expansion discussed at any City Council or Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. So I emailed Development Services Administrator Matt Steer to ask him if I’d missed something. Steer informed me that the plans for this project were approved in 2014.
In June of that year, the City Council unanimously approved Prologis’ proposal to build its Park 121 development between North Coppell Road and Freeport Parkway. The Subaru building, aka Building 4, is finally going to match this schematic that was presented to the council a decade ago.
This building was referenced as a “Subaru training facility” last year when Prologis unsuccessfully sought the city’s permission to build a battery energy storage system on the land due north of it. (See “Council Pulls Plug on Batteries Facility” in Vol. 3, No. 17.) I’ve always thought the building looked too big to be a training facility, even before the expansion began, so I drove over there on Friday morning to ask some questions.
After I rang the doorbell, a friendly young woman opened the main entrance and asked how she could help me. Without identifying myself as a reporter (strategic decision), I told her I live in a neighborhood to the east of the building (technically true) and I was wondering what goes on in there now and what will happen after the expansion is finished (absolutely true). She said there is a corner of the building where mechanics are trained, but most of the facility is devoted to sorting vehicle parts and shipping them to Subaru dealerships. She said the expansion will allow more of the same.
Updates From the Sports Desk
• The UIL State Track and Field Meet will happen in Austin next weekend, and Coppell High School is sending nine athletes to contend in five events. Senior Sedem Buatsi, junior Angelina Raicu, senior Emma Williams, and sophomore Sophia Williams will compete in the 200-meter relay. On the boys’ side, senior Rodney Ates, junior Harry Hassmann, junior Matthew Maldima, and senior Ayrion Sneed will run in the 100-meter relay. Maldima will also compete in two individual events — the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. The Cowboys’ final competitor is senior Aidan McFarlane in the 110-meter hurdles.
• The Coppell High School varsity baseball team clinched their district’s fourth and final playoff berth by recording a pair of 8-1 and 6-1 wins over Plano East last week. The Cowboys’ opponent in the first round will be Prosper. Game 1 is scheduled for 7:30 on Thursday evening on the diamond behind CHS9; Game 2 will be played at 7:30 on Friday in Prosper. If necessary, Game 3 would happen on Saturday at a time and site to be determined.
• The Coppell High School football program wants the entire community to come out to Buddy Echols Field on Thursday for the annual spring game. Junior varsity players will be on the turf at 5:30, followed by the varsity players at 7:30. Future Cowboys may enjoy face painting, a bounce house, and treats from Kona Ice.
Chronicle Crumbs
• Fifth-grader Lauren Gutierrez returned to Mockingbird Elementary School on Tuesday after an extended absence due to her battle with cancer. She received a hero’s welcome that was documented on the Coppell Police Department’s Facebook page and on NBC 5’s airwaves. “These are the little things in this community that makes it a community,” Mockingbird dad Don Carroll said during Tuesday’s Coppell City Council meeting.
• Near the end of that City Council meeting, Mayor Wes Mays announced the council will get together for a work session this Tuesday, when they will discuss digital signage, parking in Old Town, and … [dramatic pause] … pickleball. The discussions will begin at 6 p.m. at the Coppell Arts Center. If the council follows their agenda, pickleball will be their first topic.
• A form filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation says Salad and Go will open a restaurant at 1570 Belt Line Road in Coppell. Google Maps was stymied by that address, but I suspected it might correspond to the Victory Shops at Coppell development that has not yet broken ground on the east side of South Belt Line, between Hackberry Road and Dividend Drive. Taylor Cluff is a partner with DuWest Realty, which is representing the Victory Shops developer. He told me his firm is working a deal with the salad-centric chain, but some contingencies still need to be ironed out.
• Back in February, I published an article called “Coppell to Help Homeowners With Grants.” The application period for those residential rehabilitation grants, which can be worth up to $10,000, opens at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
• Wednesday is the deadline for new customers to sign up for the Coppell Rotary Club’s Lease a Flag program. For $75 per year, the Rotarians and their army of volunteers will plant a U.S. flag in front of your home or business on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day.
• The Cozby Library and Community Commons will be closed all day on Tuesday for staff development. Perhaps you could patronize one of the city’s Little Free Libraries instead? I’m happy to report that the one next to the Farmers Market pavilion in Old Town has been refurbished.
• Interesting news from other suburbs: The Plano City Council approved a permanent ban on new short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods. … A Pittsburgh-based chain called MilkShake Factory reportedly plans to start serving calorie-laden beverages on Northwest Highway in Grapevine. … HEB is getting an H-E-B, specifically on a parcel straddling the boundary between Bedford and Euless. No official word on an H-E-B opening in Coppell ISD yet.
Community Calendar
Coppell Lariettes Spring Show: The Coppell High School drill team will perform at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the school’s auditorium.
Old Town Anniversary Party on the Lawn: Party Machine will provide the tunes, J. Macklin’s will provide the drinks, and Easy Slider, Halal Mother Truckers, and Tiff’s Treats will provide the food between 7 and 9 p.m. on Friday.
Run to Fund: The Coppell ISD Education Foundation’s 5K and 1-mile fun run will happen on Saturday morning at Andrew Brown Park East.
Meet Your Asian American Neighbor: The Cozby Library and Community Commons will mark Asian Heritage Month between 2 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, when local Asian Americans from India, Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan will share their experiences.
Music We Love: The Coppell Community Orchestra’s season finale will include the premiere of “Coppell In The Making,” an original composition inspired and commissioned by the City of Coppell. The performance is scheduled for 3 p.m. on May 5 at the Coppell Arts Center.
Four Day Weekend: The acclaimed improv comedy troupe will return to the Coppell Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on May 9.
Wellness Festival & Fire Truck Pull: The Coppell Chamber of Commerce’s showcase of local businesses that support a healthy lifestyle will happen between 9 and 11 a.m. on May 11 at the Coppell Family YMCA.
At The Movies: The Coppell Community Chorale can’t wait to share some of their favorite movie hits with you. Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 11 and 3 p.m. on May 12 at the Coppell Arts Center.
State of Education Update: Coppell ISD Superintendent Brad Hunt and Dallas College North Lake President Christa Slejko will discuss recent achievements and future initiatives between 8:30 and 10 a.m. on May 14 at the Coppell Arts Center. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your continued articles on election candidates. The responses to your surveys and donations reports guide my voting. More and more local elections are critical to a balanced democratic society. I also want to encourage your readers to lease a flag from the Rotary Club. It's a win-win. The neighborhood looks great when the flags are flying and your money goes on to do good for others.
Doesn’t the grant open at 8am?