Read Why The Dallas Morning News “Strongly Recommends Arefin Shamsul” for Re-Election.
The race for Richardson City Council Place 6 pits two thoughtful candidates with strong civic engagement bona fides. However, we strongly recommend incumbent Arefin Shamsul, whose experience in public service and knowledge of city issues is well beyond that of his rival, Lisa Marie Kupfer, a nonprofit development manager.
Shamsul, 57, has been involved with city government in different capacities, including the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Building and Standards Commission. He was first elected to the City Council in 2021 and is currently mayor pro tem.
Shamsul, a civil engineer, told us he wants to focus on updating Richardson’s aging infrastructure. He also recognizes that Richardson’s character, with its cultural and ethnic diversity, has helped the city thrive.
“We need flexibility in zoning and planning,” Shamsul told us. “Businesses thrive without restriction.” He favors incremental development, allowing housing and businesses to grow together.
…Another success story for Richardson has been the CORE District, a zone comprising five connected subdistricts — downtown, Chinatown, Interurban, Lockwood and Heights, centered around Greenville Avenue. The city is improving walkability through minor projects — bike lanes and improvements in intersections — in both CORE and the IQ districts, Shamsul said.
He is also a big supporter of DART…“This is not about today; it is about tomorrow. DART needs to remain healthy, otherwise, we would suffer,” he said. We agree.
In our interview, Shamsul demonstrated knowledge of the needs of his city with granular detail. Richardson voters should re-elect him.
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