Sri Achanta News Editor

Minnie Gazawada

Staff Writer/Designer

@mridinigazawada

Before being elected to city council in 2012, Coppell Mayor Wes Mays was president of two homeowner associations; his background exposed him to city politics allowing him to succeed in his position.

What is something you had to consider when moving from council member to mayor?

Being mayor is actually very different [from] being on the city council. The mayor doesn’t have a vote, so the mayor’s job is more of a management job; it’s learning to work with the council to make sure that the council makes a decision. In fact, the [former Mayor Karen Hunt] had told me the hardest thing about being mayor is realizing that your job is no longer to make a decision, but your job is to make sure that a decision is made.

What prior experiences as a professional help you as mayor?

I’m an electrical engineer by training and I’ve been managing groups of people for close to 25 wCoppell Mayor Wes Mays has served on the city council since 2012. Mays was elected as mayor of Coppell last May.

Ashley Qian

years. The professional side of learning how to handle human dynamics was a big part of [my background]. The government side is very different than being in a company, being industrial, but being exposed to the city government for nine years on the city council [prepared me for] what I was getting into.

What’s your advice for future city council members?

My advice is keep an open mind, ask questions and be prepared to learn. You have to be willing to learn how the city operates and how government accounting works.

Coppell City Council Place 1 Cliff Long was elected to council in May 2014. Long emphasizes Coppell community members’ concerns in his decisions on council.

Nandini Paidesetty

Coppell City Council Place 1 Cliff Long is a retired certified financial planner and has a background in accounting before taking up his new position. Long approaches his duty from the lens of a local businessman to determine his decisions.

What is one thing that you value in your position?

I promise to look at the facts that came before me as a council member and make a decision not based on an individual, not based on our organization, but make a decision based on what I [think is] best for the entire city. That’s my philosophy being a councilperson, [I’ve] stuck to during my eight years now.

What’s your advice for future city council members?

I think they [should] continue to do what I do; follow as closely the rules and regulations that are set down in my situation, be very careful with the money a nd always be looking out for how you can do something less expensive.

What are your legislative priorities?

I like what I see in the 2040 plan; this plan was put together by the citizens. We took what the citizens said they would like to have and we built out under the 2030 plan the facilities of the Life Safety Park, the CORE, Coppell Arts Center.

Now, we’re at the 2040 plan, now we’re getting into talk about how we are going to handle the technologies going forward and what we can do about housing in Coppell to allow the seniors to be able to afford to stay in Coppell and stay in a single family house.

Aliza Abidi

Staff Photographer/Writer

@aliza_abidi w

Brianna Hinojosa-Smith currently serves as Place 2 on Coppell City Council. She was first elected in 2005 and served until 2012 when she stepped down to run for Congress. She was reelected in 2015, 2018 and 2021.

What made you seek this position and what prior professional experiences help in this role?

It has always been instilled in me, especially by my mom, the importance of giving back to your community and leaving things in places better than you found them. When I moved to Coppell in 2002, I knew Coppell was the home where I wanted to have and raise a family. I knew this was a place where I wanted to volunteer and dedicate personal time to give back.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as a city council member?

First and foremost, all accomplishments I had were Coppell City Council Place 2 Brianna Hinojosa-Smith is Mayor Pro Tem and serves on the Coppell ISD Districtwide Educational Improvement Council. Hinojosa-Smith was reelected in 2021. Ashley Qian not alone, we really work very well together with our staff, mayor and our city council. I think that has been key. We’ve been able to maintain a stable tax rate so people can afford to continue living here and in return we get all the amenities and services that people living in Coppell expect. Another accomplishment I’ve had is our arts center, bringing culture and art into our community. I’ve really been a council member that’s tried to focus on health and wellness.

Anjali Krishna

Executive Editor-in-Chief

@anjalikrishna_ Questions, Coppell? is a Sidekick series in which executive editorin-chief Anjali Krishna answers readers’ questions about Coppell.

wFor six months in 2018, Coppell hosted brainstorming sessions, workshops and surveys to decide ‘points of consensus’ about the city’s future vision. Taking advice from a diverse group of participants, a committee commissioned by the city created an actionable plan and list of focuses to match this bold vision of the city and presented the plan in three community meetings before being approved by the city council. The Coppell Vision 2040 plan lays out the next 10 years of self-investment for Coppell and dictates its future projects and priorities. Perpetuate a learning environment

Coppell aims to foster a learning environment by creating spaces for learning and quickly embracing changes in demographics and values.

Foster an inclusive community fabric

While still keeping a small town feel, Coppell plans to celebrate its cultural growth and diversity with programs and events to foster inclusion. Particularly through recreation and food, the city promotes community cohesiveness despite cultural differences.

Enhance the unique ‘community oasis’ experience

To create more uniform ‘mini-oases,’ Coppell plans to strengthen the small town feel with gathering spots and no-car areas and by developing unique neighborhood characteristics. For safety, the city is developing a happiness index and the Police Department is working to connect at a community level. With 20% of Coppell’s population from age 50 to 59 and looking to downsize, Coppell is exploring sustainable housing options while maintaining a high standard of living. Parallely, the city hopes to keep the integrity of its single family and older homes while incentivizing refurbishment.

Future oriented approach to residential development

Create business and innovation nodes

In order to place Coppell at the forefront of development, the city is encouraging businesses at the corridor of Denton Tap Road and Sandy Lake Blvd. and Old Town while also exploring the possibility of a second similar site. Coppell plans to also work with commercial warehouses to gauge future land use.

Implement innovative transportation networks

Infrastructure must be built to meet residents’ high desire for non-car and road transportation. As such, Coppell aims to create pedestrian pathways throughout the city and connect local and regional transportation with the DART. Additionally, there is a focus on accommodating autonomous vehicles. Apply ‘smart city’ approach to resource management

Coppell plans to implement sustainability in both future and current plans by giving space back to ecological zones such as the water canals. Setting new standards for building, bringing older infrastructure up to code, creating renewable energy and recycling plans, as well as a Smart Operating System will more cleanly manage Coppell’s resources.

Graphics courtesy City of Coppell Warning bells mitigating tardies

On Jan. 18, Coppell High School implemented a two-minute warning bell during passing periods. CHS Career Technology Education (CTE) Richard Chamberlain suggested the warning bell to remind students to get to class on time. Rachel Chang

Varshitha Korrapolu

Communications Manager

@varshitha1128

As Coppell High School associate principal Melissa Arnold noticed an increase in tardiness, she wanted to take action to resolve this problem.

The warning bells are the bells that ring when there are two minutes remaining in passing periods. They serve as a reminder to students, teachers and administrators that classes will start soon.

Prior to the warning bells, music was played on the intercom during passing periods and it would be turned off when there was one minute left to get to class. Beginning on Jan. 18, two-minute warning bells sound to alert students to make their way to class on time.

“When I’m talking to my friends or when I have a release period, I remember to go to class or leave the building [because of the bells].” CHS senior Risa Asim said. “They’ve made a good change. The hallways clear up during the last two minutes.”

Some students settle into their classes right after the twominute bell rings, which allows instruction to start on time and without less interruption from late arriving students.

“I was talking to some kids about [the warning bells] and they said they love it because it tells them they can hang out, and play and mess around but then they have to get moving,” CHS honors precalculus and AP calculus teacher Dana DeLoach said. “I noticed that kids are a little more ready to learn right when the bell rings because most of them come to class when they hear the warning bell.”

Furthermore, administrators and teachers stand in the hallways during passing periods so that they can remind students to get to class on time.

“CHS should continue using warning bells since it helps the administrators in shooing kids off to classes,” DeLoach said. “It helps them know that they could let kids visit for eight minutes, but then there’s only two minutes left and students need to get going to classes.”