When COVID-19 hit home, residents turned to Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney to understand what the new rules of order were.
"Our community’s health relies on all of us working together," the mayor quickly told residents through a March 16 virtual meeting. By March 19, he amended his public health emergency declaration to align with Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order.
"The word of the day is 'unprecedented.' This virus definitely is a disruptive force in everyone's life, and many are feeling uncertainty and fear. It's a new world that people are trying to navigate, but it's also left some good from people reassessing priorities and spending time with their families," acknowledges Jeff.
He says the silver lining in this crisis is seeing Frisco citizens rise to the occasion. "I'm proud to witness such giving hearts. It's very encouraging."
The mayor reconfirmed that public safety is the city's top priority. "People are thirsting for information," he adds.
The second main objective of Frisco's city leaders is to keep people comforted through the fear and panic of this situation, Jeff says. He stands by what he calls thoughtful, diligent decision-making that Frisco officials applied so that "the right decisions for Frisco" could be made. "We stayed on the side of caution," he says.
Thirdly, Jeff says they already are planning for the economic reality of the hits that the city budget will take. "We're certainly going to struggle, but when it's safe to get back out in public, I know our community will come out in groves to support local businesses," he says.
Frisco's mayor says he stays energized himself by the positives he sees happening. "Be encouraging and upbeat and absorb that from others. I choose to focus on our positive stories and see all the ways our community is coming together."
Frisco city council meetings were livestreamed before COVID-19 forced social distancing practices. However, the city's councilmembers plan to sit farther apart during their in-person meetings, and are investigating the possibility of taking call-in questions during the public comment period so residents can continue to participate.