Collin County Municipal General Elections
Election Day: Saturday, May 6
Each election cycle, Collin County Area REALTORS® (CCAR) conducts candidate interviews in order to better understand candidates' ideas and visions for when they may be elected to public office. The Texas REALTORS® Political Action Committee (TREPAC) may then choose to support the candidate who champions private property rights and upholds our REALTOR® members' values.
In order to ensure transparency and participation from our members, CCAR invited you to join the Government Affairs and TREPAC Committees during these interviews by observing them. This cycle, CCAR volunteers interviewed 20 municipal candidates over the span of three days for the upcoming May 6 General Elections.
Candidate interviews are one of the many examples of how CCAR is devoted to supporting members’ success. Understanding that certain governmental decisions could have an impact on the real estate industry, candidate interviews provide members a continued platform to advocate for their industry as a unified voice. CCAR recognizes the importance of public service and commitment to community advancement; importantly, these are values embodied by all CCAR REALTOR® members. The Association is appreciative of candidates at all levels of government for their willingness to strive to uphold these values through their dedication to others.
As a result of the interviews, the following are the official TREPAC-supported candidates.
Collin County Municipal General Elections:
Email: bainebrooks4allen@gmail.com
Website: www.bainebrooks.us
Baine was born in Dallas. He graduated from OU with a BA in Communications before moving back to North Texas in the mid-1990’s. He arrived with several years of restaurant experience, and turned that experience into the well-known TwoRows brand. After fifteen years as partner and manager at several locations, Baine and his wife, Juli, weathered the 2008 recession and created an Allen institution where they employees more than 40 team members.
Baine and Juli have been married over 25 years. Their girls, Brittani and Brenna, are students at the University of North Texas and the University of Washington, respectively. Brittani is tennis player, sings and plays guitar. Brenna is a gymnast and plays piano.
Baine is the past president of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association and has served on the Board of Directors for the North Texas Food Bank. He was previously on the Board of Directors for the Texas Restaurant Association. Through these and other organizations, Baine has raised over $60,000 for various charities. In 2009, the Allen/Lovejoy Council of PTAs honored him with the Lifetime Membership Award. He has also served on the board for the Allen School Foundation. Baine was awarded the Allen Millennium award for promoting excellence in business, promoting Allen, encouraging employment growth, and contributing back to the community. He and his family are members of Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church where he sings with the Worship Team.
Email: tommy@tommy4allen.com
Website: www.tommy4allen.com
Tommy is an Assistant Director within the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s Defense Capabilities and Management team. In this capacity, Tommy oversees multiple GAO teams that conduct non-partisan, fact-based, and objective assessments of national security matters.
While serving our country, Tommy has met with senior-level U.S. government officials across the world, including in Afghanistan and other countries, and briefed members of Congress and Congressional staffers. As a result of his teams’ assessments, Congress has written numerous provisions into law and the Department of Defense and other government agencies have taken action to improve management and operational matters.
Tommy holds a BBA (Finance), Certificate in International Business, and Certificate in National Security from Texas A&M University. He is also a graduate of the National Security Management program for senior executives from Syracuse University.
Tommy, along with his bride of 21 years, Holly, and their children have made Allen their home since 2004. Holly is a small business owner and author of the ebook, SPICE: A Guide to an Intimate Marriage. The Baril family attends St. Jude Catholic Church, their kids love their Allen ISD teachers, and they enjoy time together—whether it’s walking or biking on the trails, chasing each other on the neighborhood playgrounds, or enjoying family movie night.
Email: scarver2@me.com
Website: www.stancarver.com
Councilmember Stan Carver II has been a resident of Anna, Texas for the past nine years. Born in Pensacola, Florida, he moved to Texas in elementary school and returned to Florida upon graduating from Sherman High School. Carver met his wife, Allison, on his 18th birthday, and they were married twenty months later. They have four children, two are graduates of Anna High School, and their youngest having just graduated from McKinney Christian Academy.
Councilman Carver has been a life-long entrepreneur. His father had a landscaping and nursery business for which he worked each summer as a child. At age 20, Councilman Carver started his own business selling his design of audiovisual equipment. He pioneered this industry using the Amiga computer and Video Toaster, long before everyone’s cellphones could even record video.
Carver later moved to Dallas, Texas, and began working for KTEN television station and then a video production company. He continued improving his video production computers which developed into the Maverick Video Workstation, a complete system of broadcast-quality all-in-one TV and animation studio in-a-box!
After working a few years for Teledoc, a cutting-edge telehealth corporation, Mr. Carver became interested in pursuing another field. While he and his wife were visiting their daughter stationed at Nellis Air Force in Las Vegas, he visited a Capriotti’s restaurant one day on the way to hike in the mountains. He was hooked!
Carver plans to provide a positive place to work, eat, and play. He desires to offer competitive salaries and family-oriented dining for customers. He wants to serve his community by making it a better place to live. He is often quoted as having made his most meaningful friendships in Anna.
Carver has a passion for helping people by volunteering at church, his city, Rotary, and local government. He is currently serving as a councilman for the City of Anna, which he holds with the highest regard to make Anna the best place to live!
Email: elden4anna@yahoo.com
Website: www.facebook.com/eldenbaker/
Elden Baker has been interested in railroad history since he was in his early teens. He is the director of the Anna Depot and Museum, but that is only one hat that he wears. He also serves the community by representing Anna on the Collin County Historical Commission and, he is currently serving on the Anna library advisory task force. His wife gave him a hat that says, “if you don’t know me, you’re not from around here.” I don’t know how true that is, but if you don’t know me and you see me out and about, say hello.
He is a professional technical trainer and US Navy veteran presenting more than 25 years of experience in providing dedicated technical support and customer service. His professional skills include being a talented electronics technician in the US Navy, earning numerous awards and honors including the designation as a Master Training Specialist. Since 1998, he has continued to set the standard for customer service in the airline transportation industry working for a major aviation electronics systems supplier. He is a competent decision-maker with an uncompromising can-do attitude and genuine care for people. He has been praised by his Navy commanders and business clients as a skilled problem solver. He is a reliable team member with high ethics and strong character.
Email: Jeff@CheneyGroup.com
Website: www.mayorcheney.com
Native Texan Jeff Cheney was elected Mayor of Frisco, Texas, in May 2017, and reelected in November 2020. Previously, he served on Frisco City Council from 2007 to 2016. Since Mayor Cheney has taken office, Frisco has been recognized as: #1 Safest City in America (SmartAsset, 2022 and 2023); #1 Fastest Growing City in the U.S. over the last decade (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020); #1 Best Place to Live in America (Money Magazine, 2018); #1 Most Recession-Resistant City (SmartAsset, 2020); and #1 City for Highest Job Growth (WalletHub, 2019).
Mayor Cheney and the Frisco City Council are making progress on public-private partnerships including: Omni PGA Frisco Resort; Fields; University of North Texas - Frisco Campus; the Performing Arts Center at Hall Park. Mayor Cheney and the council are also committed to making progress on city projects including: downtown redevelopment, the 'new' Frisco Public Library and Grand Park.
Mayor Cheney attended the University of Texas-Austin where he was recognized with Highest Honors for his Bachelors and master’s in accounting. Professionally, Mayor Cheney has earned the distinctions of Certified Public Accountant and Registered Financial Advisor.
Mayor Cheney and his wife, Dana, co-founded The Cheney Group, a top-rated residential realty firm in Frisco, under the umbrella of Monument Realty. The Cheney Group was recognized as the Frisco Small Business of the Year in 2015 and Frisco Employer of the Year in 2021. The Cheneys also own Ignyte Yoga Studio in Frisco.
Jeff and Dana Cheney were married in 2001 and have been blessed with three children: Zach, Mason and Kaytlin. Mayor Cheney enjoys living in Sports City USA, the home of several professional sports teams. He's an avid golfer, weekend warrior and loves watching his kids play sports, too.
Email: laura@lauraforfrisco.com
Website: www.lauraforfrisco.com
Laura Rummel was born in Lubbock but grew up living all over the United States as her father served 22 years as an Officer in the United States Air Force. She even had the opportunity to live in Bangkok, Thailand for 3 years. Laura’s was an accountant and instilled a strong sense of fiscal responsibility in her children, especially when dealing with someone else's money. Laura received her bachelors in Marketing from Texas Tech University and Executive MBA from Southern Methodist University. She married Hayden Rummel in 2008 at Prestonwood Baptist Church. She first moved to Frisco in Dec 2002, bought her first Frisco home in 2005, her second in 2013, and after moving away for a few years she moved back to Frisco in 2017.
Professionally, Laura is the Vice President of Financial Products for Jackson Hewitt Tax Services. She has over 20 years work experience with Fortune 500 companies like American Express and PayPal, as well as smaller organizations like PayNearMe and Crossmark.
Laura Rummel has been actively involved in the community for a long time. Her service includes: Board member of the City of Frisco's Social Services and Housing Board, Frisco Women's League member, Frisco's ISD Council of PTA's Advocate, Preston Ridge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution member, Network of Executive Women member, previously co-chair of North Texas region, Paws in the City volunteer, and she is a co-founder of Frisco Pet Partners, a 501c3 dedicated to supporting Frisco's pets and their owners.
Email: brian@brianforfrisco.com
Website: www.brianforfrisco.com
Brian Livingston was re-elected to his second term in November 2020 during the COVID-19 extended municipal election. He received a record setting 41,128 votes, more than any Frisco city councilman or mayor has ever received in a contested election.
Councilman Livingston currently serves on the Frisco Budget & Audit, Governance and Legislative Affairs Committees. During his first term, he was selected by his colleagues to be the City Council liaison to the Frisco Planning Recovery Team to help Frisco combat the effects of COVID-19.
A major campaign promise was kept during his first term when on 2 occasions he was the only vote against zoning changes that would add additional dense apartments in Frisco.
As a member of the Frisco Budget & Audit committee, Brian worked with his colleagues and city staff to set a tax rate BELOW the No New Tax Rate. This was a major accomplishment during a global pandemic and showed taxpayers government can tighten their belt as well.
Early on in his second term, he was able to deliver on another campaign promise to take care of Frisco’s first responders. A much debated change in Frisco’s Workers Compensation policy will ensure our first responders are taken care of should they experience a catastrophic injury.
During his second term, Brian wants to make sure everyone in Frisco feels represented equally, help small businesses survive and make sure those most impacted by the effects of COVID-19 get the assistance they need.
Brian and his wife Brittany have called Frisco home since April 2010 and have 2 beautiful daughters who attend school in Frisco ISD. Brian works as a Senior Vice President in the Frisco office of B1 Bank as a commercial lender and Brittany runs their family business and volunteers.
Email: campaign@michaelhjones.com
Website: www.michaelhjones.com
He received his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance in 2005 from the University of North Texas. Michael also received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Dallas in 2014.
Michael started his career at GE Capital as an auditor where he traveled the U.S. auditing various businesses that conducted business with GE. There he obtained real world experience in evaluating corporate financial statements and looking for discrepancies. From there he moved into Portfolio Management where he managed a GE Wholesale Finance portfolio of over $150MM before moving on to sales. Michael used his sales training to develop relationships across the U.S. Working with people of diverse backgrounds, he understands different viewpoints and is willing to work with others to better the community. Throughout his time at GE, Michael received extensive training in customer service, leadership, management, and budgeting. He is also Six Sigma Lean Certified, which will help him greatly in identifying opportunities to improve outdated processes and curb wasteful spending.
Currently, Michael is the Commercial Banking Director for b1Bank where he leads a team of commercial lenders and portfolio managers. He works with a variety of businesses, providing them the necessary funding and treasury management to aid them in a successful future. Michael is committed to helping businesses small and large with their operational needs.
While working for the bank he also served on the McKinney Economic Development Corporation Board as Chairman. He is the first African American chairman of the board. During his tenure on the board, he has served on the McKinney Development Committee which focuses on developing processes that makes it easier for people to do business in McKinney, Kiwanis Club of McKinney, Junior Achievement of Greater Dallas, and Homes4Heroes. He is also a graduate of Leadership McKinney, class of 2018, which provides leadership training and an awareness of the McKinney community. Michael was recently appointed as one of the first board members of One Heart McKinney, a charity organization that was created to coordinate the WHOLE community to maximize well-being in daily life, and respond to and recover from community crisis.
Email: mtuforplano@gmail.com
Website: www.mariatuforplano.com
Maria Tu's parents had lived through the ravages of Chinese communism. To them, America was the greatest beacon of hope and opportunity on Earth. When the opportunity came to go to America, Maria's parents decided to go alone and leave her and her brother behind until they were established financially. They told 9-year-old Maria that she would have to stay behind with her grandparents.
The tenacious Maria called a family meeting and told her parents she wanted to live the American Dream and that she would not be a financial burden-Maria promised that she would work hard and pay her own way. A month later she was with her family in America.
After college, at age 19, Maria campaigned for Senator Daniel J. Evans and followed him to Washington D.C. when he won the United States Senate seat. Later, she came back home to go to law school, and after passing the Washington bar, Maria was hired by one of the top six Washington law firms to develop legal representation in the area of international business transactions between United States and Asian companies.
Maria was successful, but she wanted something that would challenge her more. She left Washington State and came to Texas to start anew. When Maria arrived in Plano, Texas, she had no money in her pockets, but because of Plano, Maria and her husband became pioneers of a brand-new market-they founded the first company to sell sushi directly in grocery stores across North Texas.
Eventually, the Tu's sold their company. Maria went back to the practice of law. Then a non-practicing attorney, Maria sat and passed the Texas Bar exam and was hired as a prosecutor for the Collin County District Attorney's office. She successfully prosecuted hardened criminals and helped make our community safe. Today, she owns her own law practice-serving Plano families.
Email: shelby@shelbyhwilliams.com
Website: www.shelbyhwilliams.com
Council member Shelby Williams and his wife, Mariya, moved to Plano in 2003 to start a family. Today, they are raising three beautiful daughters, Valery, Olivia and Katherine, right here in Plano, and although he has traveled all over the world, Shelby calls Plano home because it is a phenomenal place to live, work and raise a family.
Shelby feels blessed to live in an amazing community like Plano and grateful for the opportunity to work with all the people of Plano to lead our City of Excellence into a bright future together.
Shelby graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Texas at Austin and has enjoyed a successful career in business technology. He has a long-standing commitment to the community and to promoting liberty, transparency and representative government at all levels. Prior to his election to Plano City Council, he served twice on the City of Plano Family Self-Sufficiency Committee and is a graduate of the Plano Citizens Government Academy program.
Email: julieforplano@gmail.com
Website: www.julieholmer.com
Julie Holmer is running for re-election because she loves her hometown and wants to give back. She graduated from Plano Senior High School and has been a community advocate ever since. That includes volunteer stints with the Historic Downtown Plano Association, the Parks Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce and the Heritage Farmstead Museum among others.
Julie is a graduate of Leadership Plano, Plano Citizens Police and Plano Citizens Fire Academy, and all of her children attend Plano ISD schools.
Julie believes that Plano’s people are its greatest assets. If elected, she would support competitive salaries for city staff, first responders and teachers to ensure they have the training and tools they need. She would also work to better support small businesses and promote arts programs through city grants. Her belief is that Plano should be EVERYONE’s neighborhood. She vows to make sure that all efforts to attract businesses would prioritize keeping Plano a city that is inclusive and accepting.
“I surround myself with people across the political spectrum and I’ve earned their support because they know I am open-minded and truly want to hear what is important to ALL of Plano,” she says.
Email: rick@rickhorne4plano.org
Website: www.rickhorne4plano.org
Rick Horne is a family man, a successful program manager and businessman, and, since 2002, a longtime resident and servant leader in the city of Plano. For decades, Rick has actively volunteered in civic and city organizations in Plano, including: Planning and Zoning Commission (3 years – 1 year as 1st Vice Chair), Parks and Recreation Planning Board (6 years – 3 years as Chairman), Plano Balloon Festival Board of Directors (10 years – 4 years as Chairman), and the Plano 2020 Census Outreach Committee. Rick is also a graduate of Leadership Plano Class 28. “The BEST Class Ever!”
He is a 12-year member and past president of the Plano Rotary Club. During year as President, started Sam’s Gift, honoring the late Texas Representative Sam Johnson. Sam’s Gift is a food drive each May that serves children that use free meal plan during the school year, for meals during the summer while school is out of session where there is food insecurity.
Rick has been active at Christ Church Anglican Church serving as usher captain, team leader of Christ Church Men’s Extreme Encounter, a Christian retreat where men enjoy fellowship while in the mountains of Colorado enjoying His Majestic works.
Rick has been happily married for 34 years to Karen Horne, a teacher at Hendrick Middle School. They are the proud parents of two adult sons, Dylan and Zack Horne, both PISD graduates. Rick retired in December 2020 and turned his attention to serving the community full-time.
His 40-year career in business began after he graduated from the University of Texas Dallas with a B.S. Chemistry. Rick worked as an environmental chemist, then joined a small business as Regional Manager. Rick and his team grew that small business into a large business with $300M in annual revenue. In the late 2000s, Rick was assigned as the In-country Manager for Japan, completing projects in Tokyo, Misawa and Okinawa. In 2010, the company was acquired by a company that became the nation’s 10th largest domestic construction company. As Business Development Manager, Rick led major design build projects including a Customs and Border Patrol Checkpoint and Administration Building (Comstock, Texas), a Logistics Warehouse (Joint Base Lewis McCord, WA), an Air Traffic Control Tower (Vance AFB, OK), and other government projects taking him around the world.