Dan Pope: Hiring a City Manager Would Be Job No. 1 [Interview]

With Lubbock's race for the new mayor in full swing, Tom and Laura sat down with each of the candidates to talk about their ideas. Dan Pope is currently one of the three running for mayor of Lubbock.

Pope was the first candidate to announce he would be running back in November 2015.

Pope, who's served as President of the Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees for nine years, talked with KFYO's Collins and Mac about his previous experience serving the community, his plans for Lubbock and the financial state of the city.

"My leadership style is one of building consensus," Pope said. "I think I can bring a bit of stability to City Hall. I think City Hall needs to become more responsive to citizens. I think that sometimes we may have lost sight of why they exist."

Pope said that he sees a lot of promise in Lubbock, noting its "resilient" economy, low unemployment and steady growth. But that doesn't mean there should be extravagant spending.

"You'll hear me talking a lot about living within our means, we've got to live within our budget. It doesn't make sense that we've been financing, swiping the credit card if you will, basic maintenance," Pope said. "We've got to find a say no to certain things so we can take care of what we have, while at the same time supporting growth. You can do both, but it doesn't mean you won't have to make some hard decisions."

Listen to the entire interview in the video above or at KFYO's YouTube channel.

Listen to Lubbock's First News airing weekday mornings live, from 6 to 8:30 a.m. on News/Talk 790 KFYO. You may also listen online at KFYO.com, or on the free RadioPup app.