Brianna Hinojosa-Smith

Brianna Hinojosa-Smith currently serves as Place 2 on Coppell City Council. She was first elected in 2005 and served until 2012 when she stepped down to run for Congress. She was reelected in 2015, 2018 and 2021.

What made you seek this position and what prior professional experiences help in this role?

It has always been instilled in me, especially by my mom, the importance of giving back to your community and leaving things in places better than you found them. When I moved to Coppell in 2002, I knew Coppell was the home where I wanted to have and raise a family. I knew this was a place where I wanted to volunteer and dedicate personal time to give back. As far as prior experience, I have participated in Coppell leadership. I participated in the Citizens Police Academy. I also participated in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. I also served on several boards and commissions. I am an electrical engineer. Also, I have my law degree and I’m an attorney. I felt that my profession, my education and my community experience would help serve the citizens of Coppell.

Why did you choose to live in and serve the community of Coppell?

When we first moved to this area, we were looking for a home. We did not have kids, but learned that Coppell had great schools and education has always been important to me. Coppell had that small town feel and you had access to all the major thoroughfares in the area.

What are some responsibilities that come with your position?

We serve at-large, meaning we serve the entire community. Responsibilities are primarily to be good in our position and make sure we’re financially stable and sound. If citizens  are paying certain taxes, we want to make sure we’re providing the services and amenities that go with that and understanding what our citizens need so we can provide that in a fiscally responsible way. Thinking forward, we worked on Vision 2030. Now we’re onto Vision 2040 and we are always thinking about what we can continue to do to improve our community and make sure this continues to be a place where people want to live, play and work.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as a city council member?

First and foremost, all accomplishments I had were not alone, we really work very well together with our staff, mayor and our city council. I think that has been key. We’ve been able to maintain a stable tax rate so people can afford to continue living here and in return we get all the amenities and services that people living in Coppell expect. Another accomplishment I’ve had is our arts center, bringing culture and art into our community. I’ve really been a council member that’s tried to focus on health and wellness because I think that having a healthy lifestyle and us being a city that provides the opportunities for that is key. 

What do you want citizens to know about the city council?

Some people don’t like the traffic, but we really are working hard to move forward with some of our maintenance projects. The other thing is that we have heard loud and clear from our community that we need to do something for our senior citizens, so we are looking at housing opportunities for them. We’re also working hard on our 2040 plan about becoming a smart city. We’re first working on defining what a smart city is and then trying to be a leader in that space. We’re looking at how we can approve guidelines for our businesses to be green and more sustainable. We’re on a digital transformation journey. Rather than being a city who follows, we’re really trying to be a city that leads in that space.

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