Coppell Chronicle Vol. 1, No. 4

Municipal Mask Mandate Returns • Who Else Will be on Ballots? • Coppell ISD Explores Revenue Opportunities • Parks Director Seeks Greener Pastures

Mar 22, 2021

Thanks for waiting patiently for this late-night, spring-break-is-almost-over edition of the Coppell Chronicle.

Municipal Mask Mandate Returns

As you may have heard by now, Coppell reinstated a mask requirement at city facilities on Friday, three days after the City Council held a special meeting just to discuss the topic. The city has created an FAQ page to help clear things up, but I will try to provide a little more background and color.

After Gov. Gregg Abbott issued an executive order that lifted the statewide mask mandate effective March 10, the city initially said it would not have a mandate of its own. Deputy City Manager Traci Leach told the council that decision was based on two primary factors: “our organizational culture of service” and “practical enforceability.”

Regarding the first factor: “As a public entity, we have chosen to err on the side of serving everyone who comes to our doors … regardless of whether they’re wearing a mask or not,” Leach said, while wearing a mask. Mark Hill was the only council member who was masked during the discussion. (Brianna Hinojosa-Flores was the only council member participating via Zoom.)

Regarding the second factor: With backing from City Attorney Bob Hager, Leach said there was no question about the council’s authority to institute a mask mandate at city facilities. “Really, the question all along has been, how practical are the enforcement options?” she said. “And what is the appetite in terms of the scope of what those enforcement options can look like, because at the end of the day, if it goes far enough, we do end up in the criminal side of things.”

Leach said the emails the city has received regarding a mask mandate have been split 50-50, but all nine of the emails sent specifically for the “citizens’ appearance” portion of Tuesday’s meeting were in favor of a mandate. The only resident who spoke during that portion of the meeting was Rob Anderson, who is running for mayor. “Governor Abbott’s rollback of COVID-19 safety measures was ill-advised, and Coppell’s alignment with that decision should be reversed,” he said.

Leach said our neighboring cities are split on the issue. For example, Dallas, Farmers Branch, and Addison have mask mandates, while Fort Worth, Lewisville, and Grapevine do not.

The City Council did not take a vote Tuesday, but it was clear that more members were in favor of a mask mandate than were against it. What follows are, in my opinion, their most relevant statements during Tuesday’s discussion. Just to make things more interesting, I’ve added notes on their electoral statuses.

Mark Hill, who was unchallenged last year when he sought his second full term: “The primary function of the city is to provide public safety for all of its residents. And I think this line that was crossed from operations into policy has put our residents at risk. … It’s our responsibility to protect the public. I mean, we do it with fire. We do it with police. We do it with EMS. And we also ought to do it with policy.”

Brianna Hinojosa-Smith, who is seeking a third term representing Place 2 after three terms representing Place 3: “Whatever we can do to protect our citizens is our responsibility. This isn’t a forever. You know, it’s not like we’re putting a stop sign somewhere where people don’t want. We’re not putting a speed bump in the middle of a neighborhood, and it’s a permanent. This is really a precaution that I think is important for us to take.” I couldn’t find a campaign website for Hinojosa-Smith, perhaps because she was unchallenged in her last three council elections; this year, she’s facing Raghib Majed.

Karen Hunt, who is stepping down this year after three terms as mayor: “The people that don’t wear a mask are going to walk in whether there’s a requirement or not. So they’re going to have to be dealt with the same way. And the city staff does what’s necessary to de-escalate those situations. So I think that was part of – although they haven’t specifically said that – I believe that was part of their process when they were making this decision was, this is Coppell, and people are going to do the right thing.”

John Jun, who was elected to his first term last year: “I understand a lot of people do want freedom to choose, but at the same time, if we’re here to represent some of them that are actually in need of our representation to protect the vulnerable, I think we actually have to take into consideration about those; how are we going to protect them if we just continue on with this pattern?”

Cliff Long, who began his third term last year and has never had a challenger: “If we have a mask mandate or not, I don’t think it makes a whit. I think that our people are smart enough to know – and these are the old folks, too – that they know what they need to do to protect themselves at this point. They’ve had an entire year to practice. And I don’t think that if we do this or don’t do it, it’s not going to really make any difference. And I think that probably we’re all getting enough of this bootjack stuff from Washington, D.C., that we don’t want to pile on just one more thing.”

Biju Mathew, who is being challenged by Mark Smits as he seeks a second term: “I believe in science. I believe in data. I also believe in the Coppell culture of service. One of the main responsibilities of an elected official is safety and security of our citizens. Me, personally, my wife is a medical professional, so I hear a lot of stories about people going through difficult times in hospitals and other places due to COVID, and some people even close to us passed away. So I also would like to err on the caution side, if it’s possible by law, and going forward, that would be my preference, for the safety and security of citizens.”

Wes Mays, who just won a second full term last year but is now running for mayor: “While I really hate to infringe on our citizens’ freedoms, I really don’t want to see us hurt our citizens’ health and welfare. … I don’t know that we have the ability to make a significant change in people’s behaviors, or influence the outcome; however, I do strongly encourage all of our citizens to wear masks. I encourage them to keep their social distancing, maintain their hand washing at the recommended intervals, and basically use their common sense in their behaviors. And I think that will do as much or more than anything else we can do.”

Gary Roden, who is stepping down this year after three terms: “We’ve got to err on the side of caution. So I think it’s my recommendation that we maintain or reinstitute the mask mandate, but that we continue – even on an every-two-week basis in our work sessions – to revisit that and to look at numbers of vaccinations, hospitalization rates in the county, etc., and be prepared at the very first opportunity to eliminate that and give the people of the city the freedom to move around like our Constitution says they should be able to.”

Roden’s recommendation to revisit the topic was accepted. Per the aforementioned FAQ page, a discussion of the mask mandate will be on the agenda for every council meeting until further notice.

Postscript: During the masks discussion, one of the council members said, “Don’t quote me on this,” which made me chuckle. As a one-time courtesy, the next few words that came out of that council member’s mouth were not included in this article. But for future reference, if you’re an elected official who’s speaking into a microphone at a public meeting that’s being recorded, consider yourself quotable.

Who Else Will be on Ballots?

Now that we’ve covered all of the Coppell municipal candidates, let’s look at who else will be seeking votes from Coppell and Coppell ISD residents next month. (Early voting for the May 1 elections starts on April 19.)

Nichole Bentley is cruising to a second term representing Place 6 on the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees after not drawing a challenger. Perhaps nobody wanted to end up looking like this guy:

Meanwhile, Tracy Fisher drew two challengers for her Place 7 seat: Sonal Tandale and Sam Wellington. Fisher is seeking a fourth term on the school board, three years after winning 63 percent of the votes to Ron Hansen’s 37 percent. Three years before that, she was unopposed.

Although candidates for the Coppell City Council and Coppell ISD Board of Trustees have to run for specific “places,” those places have no geographic boundaries. Any eligible candidate can seek any place, and every voter has a say in who wins every place. However, nearby cities and school districts use different systems for their elections.

Irving has eight City Council members (plus a mayor), and six of those eight council members are elected to represent geographic districts; the other two are at-large members who are elected by the entire city.

Most people who live in both Coppell ISD and Irving reside in that city’s District 6. (The Coppell ISD residents who live south of State Highway 114 live in Irving’s District 3.) Place 6 would have been on Irving’s ballot this year, but council member Albert Zapanta – who bested Shayan Elahi in a runoff three years ago – is getting an automatic second term without a challenger.

All of the Coppell ISD/Irving residents do get to vote for Place 8, one of the two at-large seats on Irving’s City Council. That place is occupied by David Palmer, who defeated Thomas Spinks in 2015, then got a second term without a vote after his 2018 opponent withdrew. This year, Palmer is being challenged by Dennis Webb, who served three terms representing Place 3 from 2011 until 2020.

Now, let me try to explain how Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD handles their elections. Coppell residents who live south of Sandy Lake and east of MacArthur are residents of that school district, which uses cumulative voting. Here’s how that system works.

Because there are two seats on the CFBISD Board of Trustees ballot this year, each voter gets two votes. Three candidates – Sally Derrick, Cydnei Drake, and Cassandra Hatfield – are vying for those two seats. You can give two of those candidates one vote each, or if you feel strongly about one of them, you can give that candidate both of your votes. The two candidates with the most votes will be elected.

Derrick was elected three years ago, when she was one of four candidates competing for two seats. This is also Drake’s second attempt; last year, when there were also two seats on the ballot, she was the odd woman out in a three-candidate field.

I plan to submit questionnaires to all of these candidates soon, with the intention of publishing their answers on April 18.

Coppell ISD Explores Revenue Opportunities

If you pay attention to Coppell ISD at all, you’re probably aware that the district is dealing with a deficit of more than $7 million. While the initial discussions focused on how to cut costs, the most recent budget workshop explored opportunities for generating revenue. The three main ideas highlighted at the March 8 workshop were:

Open enrollment
Enroll and retain CISD students
Pay-to-play fees

Open enrollment: There are neighborhoods in Coppell that are outside the boundaries of Coppell ISD. Seven years ago, the district began allowing families from those neighborhoods to enroll their children in CISD schools, under certain parameters. At first, a child could begin attending only as an elementary school student. Two years ago, the program expanded to allow freshmen or sophomores to enroll at New Tech High. About 120 students are currently enrolled through this program, generating about $1 million per year via state funding that is based on average daily attendance.

Starting this fall, residents of those Coppell neighborhoods will be allowed to enroll in CISD at any grade level. District officials anticipate attracting at least 30 new students via this change, which would generate an additional $250,000 in state funding.

During the discussion, trustee Neena Biswas asked whether certain programs in CISD could be marketed as “magnets,” a la Dallas ISD’s Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. It seems like the “magnet” label would be a natural fit for New Tech.

Enroll and retain CISD students: According to a Texas Education Agency report on student transfers, 927 students zoned to CISD went to school elsewhere during the 2019-2020 academic year. Nearly 600 of those students attend charter schools. Others attend private schools or go to public schools in neighboring districts.

Coppell ISD is launching a marketing campaign – “I love CISD,” with a heart in place of the word “love” – to make sure that families who already have an opportunity to enroll their children in CISD schools are taking advantage of that opportunity. This campaign will include everything from billboards to social media to inserts in Coppell and Irving water bills. It also includes a push to attract kindergartners from families who may have delayed enrollment during the pandemic.

The same TEA report says 376 students zoned to other school districts go to Coppell ISD schools. Kristen Streeter, the assistant superintendent for administrative services, said that number includes about 250 children of CISD employees. Trustee Nichole Bentley asked whether the same courtesy could be extended to the children of Coppell city employees. Streeter said that was a new idea, and she loved it.

Pay-to-play fees: Until 2017, CISD charged an annual fee to students who participated in Coppell High School’s athletics and fine arts programs. It was $150 per student, with no single family charged more than $300. The fee was waived for children of CISD employees and students participating in the free- and reduced-lunch program.

District administrators estimate they could generate $250,000 annually if they brought the fee back. However, Bentley said the idea gave her “heartburn” as she recalled paying those fees for her four children. And Biswas wondered if reinstating such fees would negatively affect the marketing campaign. It’s hard to see how it wouldn’t, especially because Streeter said the district’s research shows that bringing back such fees would make CISD an outlier in the region. Trustee Leigh Walker asked the administration to produce stats on how participation in extracurriculars was affected by the establishment and subsequent elimination of a pay-to-play fee.

I assume those stats will be presented at one of these meetings scheduled over the next five months:

April 12: Board workshop
May 10: Budget workshop – First presentation of proposed 2021-2022 budget
June 7: Budget workshop – Second presentation of proposed budget
July 26: Board meeting
Aug. 2: Budget workshop – Final presentation of proposed budget
Aug. 23: Public hearing on the budget and tax rate

Parks Director Seeks Greener Pastures

In the first edition of the Coppell Chronicle, I misidentified Jessica Carpenter as the city’s Director of Parks and Recreation. She won’t officially have that title until April 1, the day after Brad Reid retires.

Reid has led the Parks and Recreation Department since 2002, and he has been with the department since 1997, when he was hired as the park planning and landscape manager. If you enjoy any of the facilities listed below, you should know they were developed since Reid took the helm:

The CORE
The Coppell Senior and Community Center at Grapevine Springs
The Wagon Wheel Tennis Center
The Biodiversity Education Center
The Coppell Arts Center

That list is not all inclusive. Under Reid’s leadership, the Parks and Recreation Department also developed or renovated the Andrew Brown Parks, Wagon Wheel Park, and MacArthur Park, which includes the Waggin’ Tails Dog Park.

“I am so proud of the team of parks and recreation staff that has been brought together over the years,” the longtime Coppell resident said in a city press release. “This group is responsible for the successes that have been achieved over the years, and I have every confidence in their continued success from this point forward.”

Reid told the Parks and Recreation Board about his impending retirement during their most recent Zoom meeting, and a few board members thanked him for his service. The comments from Chaitu Jayanti, who grew up in Coppell, particularly stood out to this listener.

“I’m a product of the parks system, just through athletics in elementary school and middle school and high school,” Jayanti said. “I’ve seen it grow and change shape over the course of the years I’ve been in Coppell, and it’s just been one of the coolest parts of my childhood. And I can speak for a lot of my generation; I think there’s a whole generation of people out there who came from Coppell who your leadership has affected in a positive way. So I just wanted to thank you for all those years of work.”

If you’d like to thank Reid for all that work directly, you have an opportunity between 4 and 6 p.m. this Friday. The Coppell Arts Center will host a come-and-go reception in his honor, with masks and social distancing required. RSVPs are requested via bit.ly/ReidRetirementRSVP.

Dan Koller was an editor at The Dallas Morning News from 2000 to 2008, and he led the newsroom at Park Cities People and its affiliated newspapers from 2008 to 2014. During that time, he and the staff of People Newspapers were honored multiple times by the Texas Press Association and the Local Media Association.

Dan, his wife, and their sons moved to Coppell in December of 2012. Since then, he has been a Coppell Baseball Association coach, a Cub Scouts Pack 857 Den Leader and Cubmaster, a member of two Coppell ISD facilities planning committees, and a candidate for the Coppell ISD Board of Trustees.