From flying fighter jets across Europe and the Middle East to co-founding a billion-dollar company, Mayor David Bristol is a well-educated business professional with in-depth
government knowledge. He is also down-to-earth and invested in Prosper and its residents.
Elected in 2022, Mayor Bristol says he felt it was a calling to run for mayor of the city he loved after former Mayor Ray Smith was term-limited on his third term.
"The US government invested a lot in my education and training, and I felt that I had no other choice but to step up and serve," exclaims Mayor Bristol. "I wanted to make a positive difference for the future of our community."
He met his wife, Mendy, in Wichita Falls in 1987 when he was going through pilot training and Mendy was a college student at Midwestern State University. David graduated with a bachelor's degree from the United States Air Force Academy, and Mendy attended Midwestern State University until they moved to England for six years.
An active-duty fighter pilot from 1988 to 1997, Mayor Bristol flew F-111Fs and F-15Es throughout Europe and the Middle East. After leaving active duty, he was a reserve instructor for
10 years and retired in 2007. He is a combat veteran and has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, as well as numerous Air Medals. In 2017, he was awarded the Congressional Veterans Commendation (CVC) by Congressman Sam Johnson, and in 2019 served on Congressman Van Taylor's CVC Board.
In addition to serving his country, Mayor Bristol and Mendy co-founded Employee Solutions in 1997, a regional staffing company with more than $1 billion in sales and creating 3,000-plus jobs, before selling it earlier this year. They also co-founded several other small businesses, which they still operate today.
Mayor Bristol and his family have lived in Prosper since 2001. He says he watched Prosper go from a small town of 2,500 residents to more than 36,000 today. "I recall standing on the corner of Preston Road and Broadway Street, with then-Mayor Charles Niswanger, back when Prosper got its first blinking light. Today at the intersection of Coit Road and Prosper Trail, there are six traffic lanes where there used to not even be a stop sign."
Over the past 22 years, the mayor has been dedicated to the town. He served as Town Councilman from 2004-2008, was a member of the Prosper EDC since 2016, and was President of the EDC from 2021 to 2022. He also serves as the current chairman of the North Central Texas Workforce Board. He also served Sen. Cruz as a member of his Military Academy Selection Committee for seven years.
"We have watched Prosper grow over the past 22 years since we moved here and the thing that holds the community together is the sense of belonging to something bigger and better than themselves," says Mayor Bristol.
Mendy enjoys volunteering with the Prosper Ladies Association. She and Mayor Bristol are active members of Prestonwood Baptist Church North, where they previously mentored youth and chaperoned choir mission trips. When not serving the community, the couple enjoys spending time with their three grandchildren.
Mayor Bristol and Mendy say it's the people, Prosper School District, churches and nonprofits that make Prosper so amazing. Mendy says the desire that people in Prosper have to take care of their neighbors is special.
"I love the small-town feel that still exists today. Everyone is your neighbor no matter how far across Prosper they live," states Mendy. "There is a small-town homey feel here. Everyone looks after each other."
All three of the Bristol children graduated from Prosper High School. The mayor recalls watching his son play in the 2008 state championship football game and his daughter as a
cheerleader on the sidelines, while seemingly the entire town of Prosper showed up in Arlington to watch the game.
"It warmed my heart to see so many people and that feeling continues today," he says.
Mayor Bristol says he strives to preserve the small-town feel of Prosper while embracing the future and rapid growth. He believes community involvement drives the town's small-town, family feel. He says the Town Council and staff are committed to hosting events that strengthen the sense of community. These events include the Mayors Fitness Challenge, a Cinco De Mayo celebration, and the annual July 4th and Christmas celebrations. A new event in the last year was the Veterans Day 5K run.
Community leaders and Mayor Bristol are working together to help Prosper be a wonderful place to live, raise a family and work. They, along with local business representatives, focus on Proper’s success through what they consider five centers of excellence based on the principles of stable tax rates, increasing property values for all residents, and municipal excellence in all things, especially public safety. Those handful of centers of excellence are: 1) Technology to establish Prosper as a digital city, a connected community that combines broadband communications infrastructure with innovative services to meet the needs of citizens, businesses and their government. 2) Health Care and having a strong focus on attracting premier health care providers to the area, establishing Prosper as a health care hub, particularly a pediatric health care hub, partnering with all of the world-class facilities now locating in Prosper. 3) Partnering with Prosper Independent School District to strengthen Education and help to build out complementary facilities and training programs. 4 and 5) The last two centers of excellence are Community and Wellness to make improvements to the quality of life for Prosper residents, with an emphasis on building community and supporting the health and wellness of all.
"I have a passion to see our community grow and Prosper!" ~Prosper Mayor David Bristol
