Coppell City Council Place 3 member Don Carroll has been on the council since May. He has spent 26 years in the banking industry, building experience that helps him manage city council finances.
Don Carroll
Don Carroll serves as Place 3 on the Coppell City Council. He was elected in May. Carroll is passionate about making Coppell an ideal city for his three daughters and has worked on numerous projects to achieve his goal.
Why did you run for Place 3 and what prior experience helped you?
I have three daughters, Makena, Brooklyn and Dalayni and they are growing up watching how my wife and I participate in the community. One of the things we think is very important is showing them that regardless of volunteering with a school or volunteering at your church or even volunteering in the city, it’s very important to be involved with the community.
Regarding my background, I’ve spent 26 years in the banking industry. From a financial analysis standpoint, I have a lot of financial awareness that I can bring to this role. The city council gives directions to the staff and then figures out how we are going to fund the programs we have put into place. My experiences as a credit officer at a bank are certainly useful.
What responsibilities come with your position?
The important thing is to be open to listening to what citizens are interested in and the things they need. To take that a step further, the next responsibility is to take in all that input, because clearly in a city of over 41,000 people you have a number of diverse views. .
What is your advice for future council members?
Even before you start getting ready to run, get involved with the community. That means just participating in the arts center, library, a political group or a craft or a hobby group around town. We date back to the 50s, so Coppell is approaching 70 years old. We have a long and dynamic history, so just really immerse yourself in history and what is going on in the city now.
Is there anything you want citizens of Coppell to know about the city council?
From my limited time on the council, one thing I would caution everybody to do is to make sure they are aware that there are divergent views in the community. That doesn’t always mean that I have to agree with what all those other views are, but I do have to acknowledge they exist. There are a lot of us in the community and we don’t all think alike, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all exist in the same community.
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