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On May 4, 2002, I was
originally elected to the Frisco City Council for a three-year term by a 2-1
margin (68% of the vote). On May 7, 2005, I was fortunate enough to be
re-elected for another three-year term with over 90% of the vote.
While campaigns can be exhausting, they are also a lot of fun. I met a lot of
really neat people throughout the entire process, made a lot of new friends and
I am so grateful for the many people who helped me to victory. It was truly a
team effort.
I want to first thank all of those who went out and exercised their right to
vote. As I said previously, city elections are extremely important and I
appreciate people taking their time to vote. The decisions that our City Council
members make on a regular basis directly influences our future and affects our
daily lives in so many ways including; police and fire protection, amount of
parks and open spaces, water quality, taxes, school system, transportation
issues, preservation of Frisco’s past, amenities such as a new library and
recreation center, economic development, housing density, preservation of
natural resources, infrastructure improvements, and the list goes on and on.
Thank you to everybody who put a sign in their yard and thank you to everybody
who talked about my candidacy whenever they had a chance. Thank you to Texas
Stardom for hosting our kick-off party in February of 2002 and our victory party
on election night. Thank you to Nick and Shannon Camp for hosting our victory
party on election night in 2005.
I would also like to thank all of the citizens who came out to "Meet the
Candidate" nights as well as those who put these events on. Thank you as well to
those who hosted "Meet Matt Lafata" parties as well as those who attended.
And some of the important unnamed heroes in my campaign are my financial
contributors. Even if you try to be as fiscally responsible as possible, it
still takes more money than you think just for the minimum requirements. Whether
the donation was large or small, it was greatly appreciated, necessary, and
contributed to our success.
My campaign team was simply the best ever put together. None of this would have
been possible without their tireless efforts. They did a fantastic job every
step of the way and I will never forget the way they helped me throughout the
campaign.
Thank you to everybody who believed in me and believed in my message for our
great community.
Biography
Matt Lafata
and his wife Erika share six children between the two of them, ranging in ages
from 15 to 4, and are members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church here in
Frisco. In January 1999, Mr. Lafata moved to Frisco from Gloucester, MA and immediately started
having a positive impact on the Frisco community. Mr. Lafata
has helped build several highly successful businesses for more than 20 years. A
long-time business consultant and entrepreneur, he is a sales and marketing
executive and the Director of Business Development with the Frisco-based
HR technology consulting firm HRchitect (www.HRchitect.com).
He is also the founder of several marketing and public relations agencies
including The Matt Lafata Marketing Group (www.mattlafatamarketing.com)
where he serves in an executive capacity. Previously, Mr. Lafata was an
Executive Vice President of a computer software company where he was responsible
for corporate development, marketing, sales, product
development and more. Mr. Lafata studied finance and business management at
Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts.
Mr. Lafata strongly
believes in giving back to the community and is committed through volunteer
efforts in making Frisco the greatest place to live in the greatest country in
the world. He is involved in numerous organizations throughout Frisco
including:
- Frisco City Council
Member (and former Deputy Mayor Pro Tem): May 2002 – Present (Current term
expires May 2008)
- 2005 recipient of the
“21 Leaders of the 21st Century” from Inside Collin County Business
- Frisco Chamber
Networking moderator: Jan 2002 - Present
- Planning & Zoning
Commissioner: June 2001 – May 2002
- Graduate of Leadership
Frisco Class 5: Sept 2001 – May 2002
- Vice-president of the
Ambassador Council for the Chamber of Commerce: Jan 2002 – Jan 2006
- Graduate of the
Citizen’s Police Academy Class 6 and an Alumni Member
- Youth sports coach
(softball, baseball and soccer)
- Board member for
Frisco’s Family Services Center: March 2002 – Dec 2005
- Member of the Frisco
Heritage Association since 2001
- Board member for the
Frisco Square Municipal Management District: May 2002 – Present
- Board member for The
United Way of Collin County: June 2002 – Dec 2004
- Member of the Frisco
Association for the Arts since 2001
- Frisco Neighborhood
Watch Steering Committee Member
- St. Francis of Assisi
Knights of Columbus Member since 2000
- Curtsinger Elementary
School PTA Board Member: May 2000 – May 2002
- City of Frisco Budget
and Audit subcommittee member since 2003
- Tax Increment Finance
Board Member since 2002
- Co-Chair for the U.S.
Chamber Accreditation efforts for the Frisco Chamber
- City of Frisco
Technology Committee member since mid-2004
- Co-Director of the Mrs. Texas United
States Pageant
- Honorary Chair for World AIDS Day 2007
in Collin County
- Marketing/PR Committee
for Frisco Association for the Arts Gala 2007
- Marketing/PR Committee
for the Boys and Girls Club of Collin County Gala 2008
Since 2001, Matt has produced a
very popular e-newsletter that goes out every week to over 40,000 people and
businesses which keeps the Frisco community in touch with local events and
businesses. Visit his company's web site at
www.mattlafatamarketing.com for
more information and to join.
Political Advertising Paid for by Matt Lafata for Mayor
Sarah Ianace, Treasurer, 6061 Pintail Lane, Frisco
TX 75034
Last Updated: February 2008
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