On Saturday, May 6, Richardson elected its 2023-2025 Mayor and City Council Members. While their official bios were widely publicized during the election, we wanted to get to know each civic leader on a more informal basis. We sent twenty questions to each civic leader and asked them to choose ten to answer. These are their responses.

MAYOR BOB DUBEY

Place 7

All-time favorite pet – tell us about him or her.
My favorite dog was Dutchess. She was an Airedale. When I was a sophomore in high school, I saved my money and purchased her. She was a fabulous dog. She won her obedience class training as the best trained dog. She was loyal, smart and obedient. If I asked her to sit and stay, she would never move until I called her. She could catch a Frisbee in the air and return it to you for hours on end. She was a great friend and an amazing dog.

One special skill/story/hobby not commonly known about you.
When I was younger, I enjoyed doing magic tricks. I won the 5th grade talent show (at RISD Dover Elementary) with my amazing tricks.

What’s your favorite board or card game?
Backgammon

What is one ability you believe everyone should possess?
Everyone should have the ability to forgive.

What was your favorite childhood book?
My favorite childhood book was The Night Before Christmas.I love Christmas and the excitement it brings. My mother would give every child a dollar who could recite the book without reading it. This was a family tradition that I hold dear to my heart.

What are the songs that make you sing along when you hear them?
I sing along to almost every George Straight tune.

Coffee or tea? Favorite meal…breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner?
My favorite drink choice is tea! My favorite meal is dinner.

What is the most useless talent you possess?
My ability to flip drink coasters.

What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
The strangest food I have eaten is turtle soup. Wow! It is
really good!

What is one hobby you would like to develop but have never made time for?
I wish I was better at golf. I never have time to practice and I wish, through osmosis, I could improve. However, I know practice makes perfect when practiced perfectly. So, I will continue to shoot bogie golf and have fun with the game and the fellowship.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER CURTIS DORIAN

Place 1

 

If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go and why that particular destination?
I have two locations: Santa Fe, NM, and Italy. We travel to New Mexico annually and enjoy driving up Artist Road to Santa Fe Mountain for skiing and sightseeing. A scheduled appointment to Ten Thousand Waves is another great experience. The food and downtown square always light up the evening. Italy is one of my all-time favorite places to visit. The culture is amazing. The food is incredible and if you have a chance to visit Lake Como villages, Rome, Venice and Tuscany, you will agree.

What is your mantra for living/favorite quote?
“I have the simplest of taste, I only prefer the best.” – Oscar Wilde “I firmly believe that quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.” – Stanley Marcus.

“I firmly believe that quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.” – Stanley Marcus

How would your best friend describe you?
Outgoing, humorous, fun, genuine and honest.

What’s your best childhood memory?
Spending time with my great-grandmother at the homeplace.

If you could sit down and have a meal with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?
My mother – She left this world too early and I was not old enough to appreciate her.

If given a time machine, what period would you travel to and why that particular time?                                                                                                                                                                                                    1980’s. I would make a few adjustments before traveling forward.

If you had a day with no deadlines, no responsibilities, and unlimited funds, how would you spend it?
Helping animals and advocating for their safety and working to find homes for these little angels. They need someone to take care of them and love them.

What is your favorite season of the year and why?
Fall – I love the start of a chill in the air, with promises of holidays ahead and a roaring indoor/outdoor fire.

What is your favorite family tradition?
Driving out to East Texas and enjoying the countryside.

If you had to get a tattoo today, what would you get and why would you choose it?
An equilateral triangle – three stabilizing sides – body/ mind/spirit. A Circle – It represents eternity and equality.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER JENNIFER JUSTICE

Place 2

 

If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go and why that destination?
Switzerland. I wrote a report about Switzerland in the 4th grade and have wanted to visit ever since.

Best childhood memory?
Camping with my grandparents and cousins.

All-time favorite pet – tell us about him or her.
This is like asking a parent to choose his or her favorite child, but I would probably say Miss Kitty. She was a gray and white tabby with piercing blue eyes. I rescued her my freshman year in college and she was my
constant companion for twelve years. She was my road trip buddy (and even joined me on a few flights) and demanded to rest her head on my pillow next to mine every night. She (like all pets) was a gift.

One special skill/story/hobby not commonly known about you?
I make the self-proclaimed world’s best chocolate chip cookie. It is a quadruple chocolate chip cookie that has just enough dough to hold the chocolate chips together.

What’s your favorite board or card game?
Monopoly. I may get a little too competitive!

If you could sit down and have a meal with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?
PePaw, my grandfather. I have so many questions I did not
think to ask as a child.

What is one ability you believe everyone should possess?
Empathy.

What is an item on your bucket list that you have already checked off? Which one is next?
I attended the French Open. A hot air balloon ride over the tulip fields in the Netherlands is next!

What is your favorite holiday and why do you love it?
Christmas. We have a bit of an unspoken (I guess the cat’s out of the bag) decorating competition going with our awesome neighbors.

Where is your happy place?
Cuddled up on the couch with a cat in my lap, a dog by my
side, reading a Greg Iles book.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER DAN BARRIOS

Place 3

If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go and why that particular destination?
I would choose a month-long culinary tour of India. It’s a very large country filled with various culinary regions and traditions. I would love the opportunity to immerse myself and experience its food and perhaps learn to cook a few dishes.

What’s one special skill/story/hobby not commonly known about you?
I love to dance. A few years back, when I had a bit more time, I could be found dancing all types of music: Country, Salsa, Swing, Tejano, or just Top 40.

What is one ability you believe everyone should possess?
The ability to sit down and talk through disagreements. It’s an important skill, not just personally or professionally but for society. We’ve lost our ability to sit and talk about things we disagree on. I believe that it benefits one personally and
society to have the ability to sit with people you disagree with and carry on a productive conversation. Not for the basis of convincing others to your stance on an issue, but for the purpose of understanding the other person’s point of view.

What is one hobby you would like to develop but have never made time for?
Ceramics. I have always wanted to learn how to throw on a wheel. I don’t have any particular artistic ability but have always thought that I wanted to try ceramics. A few years ago, I took a few classes at Quiggly’s Clayhouse in Richardson and loved it. Maybe someday I’ll make time to take it a step further.

What was your favorite childhood book?
Stories That Must Not Die by Juan Sauvageau. I struggled with reading as a kid and this book was the first to get me interested and excited about reading. It is a collection of South Texas folk tales. I had a teacher who would read a short story to us every week. I keep a copy of this book in my office.

What is the most flattering compliment you have ever received?
Early on in the campaign, I received a flattering compliment that made me chuckle and stood out. In talking to one of our city’s long-time community leaders, he said that his only concern about my campaign was that I was too nice. He then proceeded to ask if I had ever considered going into Ministry instead. I found it funny and a high compliment that he thought I was too nice and that he thought highly enough of me to suggest ministry instead.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Flying, just like Superman. As a child and throughout my life, I’ve had recurring dreams of flying and think that would be the coolest superpower.

What is one item on your bucket list that you have already checked off and one you’ll check off next?
Item I’ve checked off: my MBA. The next item I would like to check off…that’s tough. It would be either to visit all fifty states (I’ve visited forty-six) or write a book.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned in life so far?
Surround yourself with the right people. The right people will challenge you to be better, whether that is in your personal, professional or civic life. They will support you, teach you, let you know when you are wrong, go to battle for you, and help you become a better version of yourself.

If you had a tattoo today, what would you get and why would you choose it?
The number “525,600.” It is the number of minutes in a year and was made famous in the song “Seasons of Love” in the musical Rent. The song talks about Love and appreciating those small moments that make up a year of life. It would serve as a reminder to appreciate and focus on those moments that truly make life memorable: things like family, love, grief of life lost, service to others and friends. It is a way of appreciating and celebrating the little moments that we often overlook in our busy lives.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER JOE CORCORAN

Place 4

Favorite book and/or movie?
Cry, the Beloved Country has been my favorite book for years. It’s a moving story about a provincial Zulu pastor who travels to Johannesburg to save his son on the eve of apartheid rule in South Africa. I’ve read it five times. It taught me about injustice, faith and forgiveness. A large part of who I am as a man comes from this book.

Mantra for living/favorite quote?
“People can smell the BS” – this was told to me before I ran for Council, but it applies to everything. I try never to be someone I’m not. I really try not to make myself seem more important than I am. I never respected anyone in politics or life that did that.

One special skill/story/hobby not commonly known about you?
Kind of the opposite of a special skill, but I never learned to whistle, snap, or wink. So if you see me snapping my fingers, know I’m definitely faking it.

What’s your favorite board or card game?
RISK will always be my favorite game. I have so many good memories with family and friends taking over the
world, making (and breaking) alliances, and letting my imagination fly.

If you could sit down and have a meal with anyone, who would you choose and why?
President John Adams would be great! But only if his wife Abigail could join us. They were truly a power couple. I find that idealistic people make the best dinner company, and that’s them to a T. They were abolitionists
when it was unpopular.

What was your favorite childhood book?
There is a book called Three Trees about three little trees that have grand plans for what they’ll become when they grow up. Each of them is initially disappointed but becomes an object along Jesus’s journey and finds fulfillment. It was a heartwarming book. Otherwise, Jurassic Park as a teenager. Easily the most fun book I’ve read even to this day. It’s also a great treatise on being too reckless with emerging technology.

If you had a day with no deadlines, no responsibilities, and unlimited funds, how would you spend the day?
After a two- or three-hour bike ride in the countryside, I’d probably spend the rest of the day trying to make my partner’s life easier. Errands, buying her some awesome presents, treating her like a princess. Making her happy
makes me happy!

Coffee or tea? Favorite meal…breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner?
Coffee and breakfast, no question. But Middle Eastern food is my favorite food overall. It’s so varied and can do a lot with just a little.

What is the most flattering compliment you have ever received?
That I’m good company. I’m self-conscious about being boring.

Do you still believe in Santa Claus?
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would the world be if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.” That quote by Francis Church makes me tear up every time and says what I believe better than I could.

What do you usually eat for breakfast?
Eggs with Tabasco, eggs with Sriracha, eggs made with olive oil.

 

COUNCILMAN KEN HUTCHENRIDER

Place 5

 

If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go and why would you choose that location?
Hawaii. I have been several times and it is my favorite getaway spot as I am far enough away to get away but still have all of the conveniences of being in the US.

Best childhood memory:
I grew up in a very modest home. One Christmas was a particularly tough year. At work, my father won a canned ham as a Christmas prize. Mom made a great meal with that canned ham and macaroni and cheese and biscuits. We ate and laughed and loved that day. It was a very special time given what we thought the alternative would be.

What are the songs that make you sing along when you hear them?
All of the 80’s songs! I drive my daughters crazy!

If you could only have one superpower, what would it be?
The ability to fly!!! With this superpower, I could go anywhere at any time!!!

Do you still believe in Santa Claus?
Yes…definitely!!! I love the spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus plays a major role in this. Plus, who wants to take a chance of not getting presents?!?

What is your favorite season of the year and why?
Spring! I love all of the blooming trees and plants and the warmer weather.

What do you usually eat for breakfast?
I normally do not eat breakfast…just coffee!

What is your favorite holiday and why do you love it?
Thanksgiving for sure! We smoke a turkey and just eat and relax and watch football.

What is your most cherished possession?
I have a ruby ring that was my grandfather’s, which was handed down to my father. On his passing, it was handed down to me.

Where is your happy place?
The golf course! I love to golf.

 

COUNCIL MEMBER AREFIN SHAMSUL

Place 6

What is one item on your bucket list that you have already checked off and which is next?
I enjoy traveling and seeing new parts of the world. I wanted to go to Egypt and was able to in 2012. My ultimate goal is to visit every state in the US.

What’s one special skill/story/hobby not commonly known about you?
When I had more time, I really enjoyed sketching.

What is your favorite season of the year and why?
Spring or Fall – I love the colors of the trees blooming and flowers coming in. But I also love the cooler weather and leaves turning colors.

What is your favorite holiday and why do you love it?
I love Christmastime because we have such a long period of joy and take time to reflect on our blessings.

What is one ability you believe everyone should possess?
Listening. Too often, people listen to reply and do not listen to learn. I cherish listening to others, gaining new perspectives, and trying to fully understand where the other person is coming from.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned in life so far?
It is serving people. Serving has been a significant part of my life and I encourage neighbors to find ways to get involved. Connecting with fellow community members and seeing the world from multiple points of view makes you stronger and builds
the connectedness of your local neighborhood. Maybe it’s picking up trash on the weekend or simply showing up at a neighborhood event – find a way to get involved and do your part.