Philip Ferguson

 

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share your background?

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I am a native Texan and was born and raised in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas. I was the first in my family to graduate college (Go Mean Green) and have made a professional career in insurance for the past 20+ years. I have two grown children who both graduated from Celina (Go Bobcats). I enjoy working out, meeting people, being social, physical challenges, fellowship, traveling, Disney Cruises, watching Godzilla, all things sci-fi and dressing up for Halloween.

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What inspired you to run for City Council in Celina?

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I have always loved volunteering and felt the call to serve in my community. I started serving on my HOA board in 2016 where I spearheaded numerous projects in my neighborhood, Heritage. During my eight years on the board, half of which serving as president, I worked to increase the financial health, activities and amenities for the HOA all while maintaining the lowest HOA dues compared to others in Celina. I felt what I had set out to do was accomplished, so in 2024 I stepped down and handed the baton over.

 

I was privileged to get involved with the former Main Street Board in 2015 and served on the board for five years. During that time, I wanted to expand and enhance downtown events to make them more meaningful and memorable, especially for the many families in the community. From that desire was born a few events near and dear to my heart. Those include “Star Wars Night”, “Super Hero Night”, and my personal favorite “Beware of the Square”, all of which take place in the heart of Celina on our downtown square. Beware of the Square has become a signature event, being a source of spooky and fun memories for tens of thousands of people from all over the region since it launched in 2019.

 

In 2017, I was asked by the Celina legend Corbett Howard to serve as the Republican Precinct Chairman in Celina, representing Precinct 22. Voter awareness is important to me so I focused on activities that drove participation in elections. One item was creating the “Celina, TX Republicans” Facebook page, which now has almost 1k members, and using other social media tools effectively. As a result, voter turnout in the Celina typically outperforms most others in Collin County. Once elected to city council in 2022, I stepped down knowing what I set out to do was complete. Thus, affording someone else the opportunity to fill this position. I am proud to say that all my efforts were recognized in 2021, when I was awarded Celina’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Followed by the Texas Festivals and Events Association Volunteer of the Year Award in 2022. I am honored to hang these awards in my home.

 

In 2022, the opportunity presented itself to run for city council and I was fortunate to be elected by the voters. The last three years of serving with the city council have provided me the opportunity to be involved with shaping our community in ways I never imagined. I’ve enjoyed playing a part in making Celina an even better city that people are glad to call home for years to come.

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What is your overall vision for the future of Celina?

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My vision is simple - I want to see the city keep traditions, attract quality conveniences, expand options for residents, continue with unique events, build awesome amenities, and create an overall high standard of living for all residents while being fiscally responsible with taxpayer money. I have demonstrated a record of success and accomplishment over the past three years doing exactly this. Therefore, I want to serve my community for a second term to continue to make that vision a reality.

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How do you plan to balance growth and development while preserving Celina’s small-town charm?

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Celina is growing every day and will continue to do so for years to come. The strong economy in North Texas is driving thousands of new residents to DFW. When those folks are deciding where to call home, Celina is very high on the list because of everything we offer. That includes great schools, housing options, traditions, public safety, shopping conveniences and unique events just to name a few. Those sets us apart from our neighboring cities and makes people want to be a part of our community. My goal is for Celina to be unique compared to other cities, and not just be another “cookie cutter” boom town. Therefore, I intend to continue to focus on those things that make us special and different, thus keeping our small-town charm. However, this won’t happen by chance. It happens because quality decisions are made with a clear vision focused on what’s best for the city overall, building for the future while respecting our past, unencumbered by personal interests or financial gain.

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What strategies would you implement to attract new businesses and create jobs in Celina?

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New business is crucial to the future of Celina. Today, our city budget is far too dependent on fees from development. That places the city budget in a precarious situation should development slow substantially - the city simply would not have the money to provide all the services our residents need. The solution is to diversify the budget with more predictable sales tax dollars. We’ve already adopted strategies to attract big box retailers (Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc.) and they will start to open in about 18 months. Those same strategies will help us attract even more business, perhaps hotels, entertainment venues, destination shopping, etc. Once that happens, our residents can shop local in almost every way imaginable and keep their sales tax dollars here to help Celina vs. spending those dollars in neighboring communities. In turn, that creates more jobs here, more income here and eases the burden of city finances from being reliant on fees and residential property tax to sales taxes instead.

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How will you support local entrepreneurship and small businesses?

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Small businesses are crucial to the success of any community. These folks are usually our neighbors, friends and family who provide valuable services to our residents. As such, I want to ensure our small business community stays vibrant. The city hosts many unique events that enable small businesses to get in front of new customers, such as Friday Night Market, movie nights, themed events, etc. Plus, small businesses are frequently highlighted by the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the city’s social media to increase exposure. Plus, the city has a deepening partnership with the Chamber of Commerce. I’ve always been an advocate to find creative ways, especially with social media, to help a business get started, get promoted and ultimately succeed. I will continue to do so. Aas our larger retail community comes online, that provides additional sales tax dollars for the EDC to further support small business initiatives. When our local small businesses need someone to listen to their concerns, they’ll always have a partner with me.

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What are your priorities regarding infrastructure improvements in Celina?

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With all the growth we are experiencing, supporting new and updated infrastructure projects is critical and on-going. That means more new roads, updating existing roads, installing traffic lights, improving neighborhood drainage, adding traffic safety signs, improving technology and so much more all to make our city safe and easier to navigate. The Public Works team has been significantly expanded this year, too, with more people and needed equipment to better address street issues, like annoying potholes.

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What steps would you take to ensure the safety and security of our community?

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I want our residents to feel safe so supporting our police and fire professionals is very important to me. In that vein, I have already taken many steps in the past three years to ensure our community's safety. The new state of the art and award-winning Celina PD Headquarters, completed in 2024, provides our heroes in blue with a long overdue resource. The PD budget for 2025 has increased by 23%, ensuring our police force has the equipment and training needed to provide the best service that our city deserves. It also enables our city to have more officers. Also new is Fire Station #3 to better serve the western side of Celina. A 19% increase in the fire budget allows for new equipment and enhanced training. That improves response time for emergencies, which benefits all of us. I feel fortunate to know and support such a dedicated group of professionals who keep us safe every day.

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How do you plan to work with local law enforcement and community organizations to address public safety concerns?

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I've been a strong proponent of National Night Out and other police outreach initiatives for years. While serving on my HOA Board in Heritage, National Night Out became our single largest neighborhood event of the year. As the city grows and more complex law enforcement issues arise, I think it’s important that residents feel the police are here to protect and serve. We’re fortunate to have great leadership and command staff in our PD who understand citizen’s concerns and adopt the right attitude to resolve them. There have only been a few instances where residents have contacted me directly about police issues, and those were all handled promptly and professionally by the appropriate staff. I anticipate that attitude of servant leadership towards our residents while keeping everyone safe to continue for our community.

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What are your plans for maintaining or increasing affordable housing options in Celina?

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Celina is becoming a diverse city and therefore has diverse housing needs. Not everyone wants to live on a ranch with acres of land. Likewise, not everyone wants to live in an apartment. So, it’s important to ensure the city promotes a variety of quality housing options to suit the needs of our residents. In that vein, I will continue to review projects that strike the right balance between the needs of our residents and the fit for our community. I believe town homes, condos, multi-generational homes, traditional residential, etc. all have a place in Celina, but it must be the right place. I have NO INTEREST in adding poor quality or poorly designed housing options, or overloading the city with multi-family projects. As a matter of fact, I vote down multi-family projects on a routine basis since we already have so much approved by prior councils.

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How will you ensure that new development projects align with the community’s needs?

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We’ve spent a lot of time and effort creating the Neighborhood Vision Book as a roadmap of what development projects should be like and balance those projects with what is needed by our residents (existing and new). In my judgment, Celina should “flow” smartly and not appear as a hodge-podge of uninteresting living areas. Our city staff has an effective working relationship with developers and they work together to ensure projects that proceed are keeping with the vision of the city council. In instances where there is some doubt, the leadership team we have in place does a great job of being transparent about issues and concerns so the right decision can be made. A large factor in that decision is listening to existing residents and nearby neighbors, completing annual resident surveys on what the city needs, hosting town halls and being available to speak directly with residents. I’ve been highly engaged in all these activities and will continue to be during my second term.

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How do you plan to manage the city’s budget while addressing both current needs and future growth?

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As stated earlier, the city's budget is too reliant on developer fees. We are well on our way to diversity funding sources with substantial new sales tax opportunities coming within the next 18-24 months. During periods of hyper growth, the community needs often outpace available resources, and Celina is no different. However, the city’s leadership team has an effective process to address needs going forward and balance those against available resources. The result is growing the city government smartly vs. a becoming a bloated bureaucracy with unnecessary costs and personnel. In addition, we have also adopted a 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) so city leaders can plan responsibility for significant expenditures in the future (i.e. more fire stations, more roads, more water infrastructure, safer roads, etc.). We are going to grow, but we must grow smartly and in a financially responsible way. That is happening now and I will make sure it continues to do so.

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What specific areas do you believe require increased funding or reallocation of resources?

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A specific area that needs more funding would be the Celina Police Department. We're growing at a fast pace with more residents every day. I don't want to see CPD in a constant state of "catch up" with public safety so I would like to find additional ways to enhance their funding which includes personnel, pay and equipment. People move to areas because they are safe, so I want ensure our heroes in blue have everything they need to make that happen for residents.

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How will you ensure that the voices of Celina residents are heard and reflected in decision-making processes?

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The best way to do this is to be visible and available to residents whenever they need you. Over the past three years, I have been contacted by numerous residents in Celina about issues they experience. In every case, those were promptly acknowledged and addressed so they could be resolved quickly. There's never been a single instance where I ignored someone. As an elected official, there's no greater responsibility than assisting a fellow resident when they have a need. I make it easy for people to find me on social media, in-person around town, at special events or by calling/email. When residents have a concern, they know they have a willing listener in me, and I'll take action.

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What methods will you use to keep the community informed about City Council initiatives?

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The city staff does a great job already using their social media channels, email marketing, website updates and water bill mailers to broadcast happenings with the city. Plus, the Life Connected app provides a great "on the go" tool for keeping up with the city. As there is news to share, I use my own Facebook page to share that information and repost it on various community pages. I feel that helps keep information readily available and current for those interested. I will continue this practice during my second term.

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How do you plan to promote environmental sustainability and enhance the quality of life in Celina?

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I am concerned about our water situation. Irrigating grass that isn't used (i.e. just for looks) consumes an enormous amount of water every year, often leading us to drought restrictions. Given the population growth in north Texas and our limited water supplies, those restrictions will most probably be here to stay for a while. I lived in the desert for many years and saw first-hand how water conservation using native and low water use plants can preserve our precious liquid resource while at the same time creating a lush, colorful and full display of plants. I have encouraged our city staff to consider designing the center median of Preston this way. It would save the city millions of gallons of water, tens of thousands of dollars and provide a tangible example of how beautiful a low water use landscape design can appear.

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Are there specific green initiatives or projects you would support or introduce?

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I believe in conservation where it makes sense, such as low water use plants, xeriscape landscape options, solar panels, etc. One easy area to identify is the future parking structures around the square. Those should include dedicated charging spaces for electric vehicles and parking/charging for golf cart vehicles as the square becomes more mobile friendly.

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What is the one message you’d like Celina voters to take away from your campaign?

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During my first term, I fulfilled all my campaign priorities of being fiscally responsible with tax payer money (i.e. lower city tax rate every year), building out robust infrastructure (miles of new roads, water capacity, sewer lines, etc.), making sure our police and fire professional have everything they need to keep us safe (more personnel, better pay, latest equipment, new Police Headquarters, new Fire Station #3), ensuring the city staff is the best it can be to best serve our residents and stakeholders, partnering with Celina ISD where we can and continuing to deliver best in class community events. The city continues to grow and thrive while winning award after award along the way. The past three years have been extremely successful for our community, and I've helped to facilitate that with ZERO conflicts of interest or personal gain. Celina is getting better and better because of all that has been accomplished. With a second term, I can make sure we stay on this path and this high level of success sustains well in the future.

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How do you plan to work with fellow council members to achieve your goals?

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We're fortunate in Celina that the city council and leadership team for the city share the same collective goals and vision. When differences occur, they can be resolved if there is a shared end goal. That's how I like to partner with others on council. In the end, I argue my beliefs, think independently, vote with a clear heart with no regrets.