You can’t say you love something if you don’t work for it. That’s why I’m running.
Mary and I came to Frisco in 2002 with an SBA loan and a plan to stay a few years. Twenty-four years later, we’re still here, building, employing, and calling this home.
My company, Summit Mountain Rentals, sits at the intersection of everything Frisco is wrestling with today. Every day I work with local residents who worked hard to get here, property owners who chose to invest here, visitors whose spending supports our local economy, and employees who make this town function. I provide workforce housing. I manage the impact of tourism. I have watched the housing market squeeze the same people who keep our restaurants open and our trails maintained.
I have two undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Economics, and I am finishing a Master’s in management at the London School of Economics. I believe that learning is how you serve people better.
I am running because Frisco doesn’t need a culture war, it needs neighbors. And I’ve spent 24 years being one.
Priority 1: A community that works together
The most consistent thing I hear from residents, workers, business owners, and longtime visitors is this: decisions are being made without them.
I define community broadly. It includes the families who have lived here for decades, the employees who work locally, the small business owners on Main Street, the second homeowners who chose Frisco and invest in it, and the visitors who keep our economy alive. Every one of them has a stake in this town’s future.
We don’t have to choose sides. We never did. Frisco works best when everyone has a seat at the table, because every one of them is part of the solution.
Priority 2: A resilient, balanced economy
This has been a hard year. Low snow, stores closing on Main Street, and real uncertainty ahead. These aren’t abstractions. I feel them in my business every week.
Frisco’s economy runs on business, visitors, and property owners working in alignment. When policy treats any one of those groups as the problem, the whole system suffers. The answer isn’t to regulate our way through a down economy. It’s to invest in what brings people here and keeps them coming back.
I am an experienced economic operator. I know how to read a balance sheet, manage a workforce, and navigate a difficult season. I want to bring that experience to the council.
Priority 3: Stay the course on workforce housing
Workforce housing is not optional. You do not need workforce housing if you do not need a workforce. And we need our workforce.
The good news: what we’ve built is working. Frisco and Summit County direct roughly $4 million a year toward workforce housing through the 5A sales tax and the short-term rental excise tax. The Galena Street project is underway. The 101 West Main development is in progress. Rental pressure has stabilized. These investments deserve to continue, and they deserve the space to deliver.
My position is to stay the course, measure outcomes, and resist the pressure to add new programs before the current ones have had time to work. In a challenging economic environment, discipline is important.
Mark Waldman is a candidate for Frisco Town Council. For all candidate columns, articles and Q&As, visit SummitDaily.com/election.