Mikulec seeks return to service

Outgoing Place 1 city council member Allen Harris has been a fixture on the dais for nine years, and his pending departure leaves big shoes to fill. Former Place 4 council member Kirk Mikulec hopes his experience and cooperative attitude will help bridge the gap in the minds of The Colony voters.

Mikulec, who is running for the Place 1 seat in this year's May election, previously served two three-year terms on city council. Before that, he served six years on the Planning and Zoning Commission.

"It was a productive six years for our city," Mikulec said in reference to his time on city council "My experience demonstrated that I will listen to both sides of an issue and accept the decision of the majority to carry out policies."

Highlights of his previous terms include being a part of the council that began negotiations with Berkshire Hathaway to bring the Nebraska Furniture Mart development to The Colony; the construction of Fire Station No. 3 and the new police and courts building; and the formation of The Colony Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mikulec said.

He also is proud of being on council during a time when the city decreased its property tax rate five out of six years.

But more than a list of past accomplishments, Mikulec says he's running for office again because he saw the open council seat as an opportunity to continue serving the city's residents.

"The desire to serve and give back to the community is strong, whether it has been with the Local Development Corporation of The Colony or the LISD Lewisville Education Foundation, where I serve on the board of directors to help our students with scholarships and classroom grants," Mikulec said.

The Local Development Corp. is a city board tasked with working "on behalf of the city to implement and finance public works, public improvements, and other programs," according to the city's website. The board was formed last year alongside the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board during formalization of the Nebraska Furniture Mart development agreement.

Should he return to the council, Mikulec intends to meet the needs of residents by promoting efficient street and sidewalk repairs alongside continued reconstruction of the city's thoroughfares. He also plans to promote economic growth, "which increases opportunities for residents and produces sales tax revenue, enabling the council to make prudent, incremental decreases in property tax rates," he said.

In addition, Mikulec says he wants to "bring government to people's door with both digital communication and face-to-face visits at city and community events."

While it's easy to tout popular objectives, the city still faces fiscal challenges in the years ahead.

"Cities across the state are facing tough decisions now on which services to decrease and cut," Mikulec said. "It is important that our leaders continue the conservative, deliberate approach on the annual budget to enable us to continue to provide the high level of city services now offered."

Despite a tight budget, Mikulec said another of his priorities would be to continue to evaluate city facilities and improve those needing updates as money allows.

Another challenge looming is the widening of Main Street and the inconvenience prolonged road construction will bring to the city's residents and businesses.

"The city has developed a plan that dedicates a city staff member to communicate construction updates to citizens and affected businesses," Mikulec said. "This plan needs to be kept in place while construction is occurring."

Mikulec is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he says he worked on projects with people from diverse backgrounds and gained an appreciation that different ideas and ways of approaching an issue create better outcomes.

He has lived in The Colony since 1998 and attends Holy Cross Catholic Church. Mikulec is married to Charlyse, and they have one son, Joseph, who is a student at an elementary school in Lewisville ISD.

"As a family, we enjoy the various community activities here in The Colony, along with youth activities and the benefit of having Lewisville Lake at our shores," Mikulec said.

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