Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jim Gauch
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
Ross Obermeyer
Biographical Info:
Name: Ross Obermeyer
Street Address: 927 Rush Creek
City/Town: Allen
State: TX
Date of Birth: 8-23-49
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-727-3453
E-mail Address: reo@sbcglobal.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.rossobermeyer.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: My wife and I have lived in Allen for 35 yrs.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: Same
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired executive - 33 years with Texas Instruments
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Now completing my 9th year of service on the Allen City Council; Allen Parks Foundation
– Board of Directors; Connemara Conservancy – Board of Directors; Community
Development Corporation (City of Allen) – Board of Directors; Member of the Advisory
Board for Friends of the Library Endowment Fund; Council liaison to the North Texas
Municipal Water District; Leadership Allen Alumni Association; Volunteer work with the
Allen Chamber of Commerce; Allen Heritage Guild – Member
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Graduate of Leadership Allen Class III - 1992; Served on the Parks and Recreation
Board 1992-1994; Appointed to the Planning & Zoning Commission in 1994 and served 8
years on P&Z, the last 4 years as Chairman; Elected to the Allen City Council in 2002,
re-elected in 2005 and 2008; Recipient of 2009 “21 Leaders for 21st Century” Collin County
Business Press Award
Q: Education
A: 1975 Graduate of Univ. of North Texas – BS Biology/Chemistry
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Allen City Council - Elected to the Allen City Council in 2002, re-elected in 2005 and
2008;
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $500
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Why am I running for re-election to the Allen City Council? My history with Allen goes
back 35 years, moving here in 1976. My wife and I have raised our kids here and watched
Allen grow from 4000 to 85,000. I have served 9 years on the Allen City Council, since first
being elected in 2002, and re-elected in 2005 and 2008. I believe there is no substitute for
experience. I am a 1992 graduate of the Chamber’s Leadership Allen Class 3. I served on
the City of Allen Parks Board (92-94), served on the Planning and Zoning Board from 1994
until 2002, the last 4 years as chairman, and then elected to the Allen City Council in
2002. Since being elected to Council in 2002, I have worked hard utilize my past
experience to provide leadership and direction to insure we stay committed to the course
we have set for Allen’s ultimate development. Allen is a great place to live but it didn’t
just happen by accident. There are untold numbers of volunteers that spend their time,
energy, and often times their money to insure Allen continues to be just that. The City is
fortunate to have such a resource to draw upon to serve on our city boards, commissions,
and various capital and bond committees. As a Council, we also work hard to create
relationships and opportunities to partner with various independent groups such as the
Allen Chamber, AISD, Allen Parks Foundations, Arts of Collin County, Friends of the Allen
Library, Allen Heritage Guild, and many others. Working together, we can continue to
make Allen a great place to live, work, raise a family, and enjoy life to the fullest.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1) Insure we maintain our current levels of quality for city services, delivery, and
overall quality of life in Allen (ex: parks, infrastructure, public safety, and sound fiscal
programs). We have an outstanding city staff that is aligned with the Council to make sure
we are ready to meet any challenge. 2) Expand our focus in specific areas that will affect
future citizens by insuring we address now what these needed services will someday be.
Regional transportation, quality water supply, public safety, development of the S.H. 121
corridor, managed build-out for our remaining open land, and continued economic
development efforts are all essential for Allen to retain the quality of life we enjoy today.
3) Work with the other cities in Collin County and various groups at both the county level
and the state level to enhance our influence as a decision maker within Collin County. We
need to maintain our role as a key player in this region. This will become more challenging
for 2011-12 and the years ahead as we face potential economic pressures in Texas and the
U.S. We must continue to closely monitor legislative activity and maintain strong ties with
our state and county representatives in an effort to insure frugal spending, less
government interference, no unfunded mandates, and work to keep local control for Allen.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I can sum up the difference in one word - experience. To be an effective leader for the
City of Allen, I believe it is crucial to have a background of service in as many areas of the
city as possible in order to have the solid foundation needed for being an effective member
of the City Council. This also includes having an understanding of our strategic and
comprehensive plans, our capital improvement programs, thoroughfare and park plans,
zoning and land development codes, public safety needs, finance and city services,
economic development goals and our sales and ad valorem tax structures and impact.
Being a knowledgeable and experienced leader for the citizens of Allen means having a
solid understanding of these items and working with these issues on a daily basis. I
believe it is also important to understand how the various service groups, boards and
commissions, and non-profit volunteer civic organizations all work together to make Allen
such a great place to live, work, and enjoy life. There are a number of excellent volunteer
opportunities in Allen if someone wants to get involved. Many people already are involved,
in organizations like Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Lions Club, the Allen Chamber of
Commerce, the Allen Heritage Guild, the Allen Parks Foundation, Friends of the Allen
Library, many of the AISD programs, ASA, Citizens Fire and Police Academies, and Allen
Community Outreach, just to name a few. The City of Allen also has 13 boards and
commissions with over 100 volunteers serving on these boards such as the Planning and
Zoning Commission, Parks and Recreation Board, Keep Allen Beautiful Board, the Library
Board, the Allen Economic Development Corporation and many others. All this didn’t
happen overnight. It has taken lots of dedicated volunteers donating their time and hard
work. These volunteers in service are one of the reasons why Allen is such a great place to
live. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity through my work on the City Council, to
provide support for many of these service groups and civic organizations’ activities through
our board and commission appointments, recognition programs, and our budget
allocations. I believe my involvement and support of these groups has made a positive
difference. During the last 19 years of serving in both appointed and elected positions for
the City of Allen, I have demonstrated that I have the knowledge and experience to best
serve our citizens.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Allen ranks at the top of the DFW communities for successfully attracting both
commercial and residential development. This remains a top priority for our council and we
have been extremely successful in the last 2-3 years. Allen is now a destination for the
metroplex with restaurants, hotels, retail, hockey and arena football that provide an
overall entertainment experience and equally important, a strong incentive for businesses
to relocate to Allen. During my last 3-year term, we have seen some very significant
developments take place in Allen, both from a commercial and municipal standpoint. We
have added several million square feet of retail and some significant municipal structures.
We have increased our tax base, brought to Allen new stores and restaurants, and
completed new city buildings and parks which allow for continuing the quality of service
and amenities the city provides. Developments like Watters Creek and The Villages of
Allen, the Allen Event Center, City of Allen Service Center, expansion of the Premium
Outlet Mall, Cisco, the Walmart Superstore, Cabela’s, Andrew’s, Top Golf, and many others
that will be critical to the landscape and economic vitality of Allen for the future. We must
also remain competitive with other cities in our region to attract quality businesses to Allen
to provide job growth and insure we maintain our solid tax base. We have lowered the tax
rate in Allen for 18 consecutive years while making Allen the safest city in Texas. Most
importantly, we must continue to provide affordable municipal services to our citizens,
while managing the expenditures of our tax and bonds dollars as cost-effectively as
possible. This requires diligence, attention to details, and building consensus within the
council to insure we make the right decisions for all the citizens in Allen.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: We have been successfully following our comprehensive plan for two decades and the
result is a great place to live, work, and play.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I am very concerned that our federal government does not feel it necessary to enforce
our laws. Any person that is in the United States illegally is breaking the law, yet the
current administration does very little to address this problem. Allen has been ranked as
the safest city in Texas for the last two years. Diverting our resources to address the issue
of illegal immigration will add an unfair burden on our police department and even if we
successfully apprehended illegal aliens, there is inadequate support at the federal level. We
need strong leadership in Washington that believe in and pledge to support our laws and
our constitution.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Allen continues to support regional transit efforts, working with NTCOG, TXDOT,
Regional Transportation Council, and with our elected state representitives to find a
solution that is affordable and sustainable. As a key player in Collin County, we must
continue to partner with other with cities in Collin County to work toward a common
solution.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: As an emerging destination spot for Collin County and the DFW metroplex, we are also
working with regional, state and national toursim groups to expand visitors to Allen. We
have recently created a Convention and Visitors Bureau to expand awareness of Allen's
retail, historical, and entertainment venues and help bring visitors to Allen to shop, and
enjoy the variety of entertainment and sporting events.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The City of Allen has an outstanding record for customer service and reliable low-cost
service delivery. Our PRIDE program encourages city employees to work together to
insure our citizens receive quality services at the most cost-effective level possible.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our council has for a long time, maintained a very conservative fiscal position in our
budget process, regardless of the economic situation, in good times or bad times. We have
worked hard through our economic development efforts to keep Allen well positioned be
remain financially viable. As a result, we continue to see increased revenue month to
month despite other cities losing revenue. We have new retail and businesses opening in
Allen, housing starts continue, and our economic status remains strong. We also continue
to budget millions of dollars toward infrastructure for future maintenance to allow cash
purchases rather than having to sell bonds and create debt. This strategy will help ensure
we continue to meet our infrastructure needs while we maintain our financial strength long
into the future.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Nothing! Allen is a wonderful place to live. We have outstanding parks, robust retail and
business growth, and increased tax revenue from year to year. Our fund reserves are
stable at over 120 days and we have lowered tax rate for 18 consecutive years. We have
been selected as the safest city in Texas last two years and our school system is
exemplary. It is an honor for me to be able to serve the citizens of Allen.
Allen Mayor
Description:
Blake Beidleman
Biographical Info:
Name: Blake Beidleman
Street Address: 1432 Autumnmist Drive
City/Town: Allen
State: Texas
Date of Birth: June 1967
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-535-4066
E-mail Address: blake@voteforblake.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.voteforblake.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 10 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: N/A
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Sales Management. I recently was the National Sales Manager for the Law Enforcement
Division of large commercial firearms manufacturer. My background includes management
positions with AT&T, General Dynamics, and ATK Defense. I am currently doing private
consulting for law enforcement, military and specialized government operations units.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Civic involvement has a broad definition. I define it as being actively interested in the
life of your community, city, state and country. It means getting informed about the issues
that affect you, and making a choice about who represents you. I vote, look at issues and I
am involved with our community. I have been a police officer and volunteer firefighter.
Allen Touchdown Club, Toys for Tots, ACO food drives, Morningside HOA.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have volunteered countless hours with our local youth. I was treasurer/ secretary for
my local fraternal order of police chapter. I have been on the Board of Directors for the
Plano Sports Authority football board as well as on the football and baseball Board of
Directors for the Allen Sports Association. Security Director Morningside HOA, Crime watch
Commander. Head Coach of the 6 time Super Bowl winning Allen Warriors. Allen Sports
Association Football Commissioner
Q: Education
A: I began general study at Richland College in Dallas, TX, and earned a degree in Law
Enforcement Technology with Rio Salado College.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: N/A
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Locally, I'm limiting contributions to a nominal amount and have raised less than $1000.
Outside of Allen? Offers have been extended, but I refuse to accept campaign contributions
from those without an Allen zip code. Accepting campaign funds from people in Dallas, or
anyone that is not a resident of the City of Allen, in my opinion, screams special interests.
If you are not a registered voter, and you are not going to vote in the elections in Allen,
then I do not feel you should contribute funding to candidates, nor should they be
accepted. Candidates who are running for a local office should not accept funds from
anywhere outside of the City. I do not feel those that hold a current elected position or
appointed position should contribute campaign funds to local candidates that they would be
serving and voting with either. Instead of canvassing all of North Texas looking for a
campaign handout I am spending my time in Allen becoming informed about the local
issues, and talking to those that are impacted by local decisions.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: N/A
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have been involved in numerous criminal proceedings as a police officer, and have
testified on numerous occasions for the prosecution in cases where I was involved as a
police officer or as the arresting officer. I have never been arrested or involved with any
other criminal or civil proceedings outside my role as a police officer.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Elected officials should be accessible and responsive to not only the people who elected
them, but to all citizens in their community. I meet or exceed all qualifications to hold the
position of Mayor. During these tough times, the City of Allen needs a new voice and a
fresh start with a strong, conservative mayor who will partner with city leadership and the
citizens of Allen to face the on-going challenges of our dynamic city. I intend to represent
our community with fortitude, compassion, and the dedication it takes to be a successful
Mayor. It is time for a new voice and a fresh start. I am not, nor ever intend to be, a
career politician. To the contrary, I am a hands-on, ordinary, everyday “Allenite” who
wants to bring a new voice to the Allen City Council. I want to represent people who feel
they have lost, or never even had a connection or voice to local government. In Allen
there is, in my opinion a handful of people involved with the local government, and I want
to change that. In my grassroots effort, I have met many Allen residents and have learned
a great deal about what the average person wants and needs in terms of city services. I'm
ready to bring that perspective to the city council. The experience of working with and for
many groups of people in our City will allow me to make a smooth transition into the
Mayor’s seat. I will adapt quickly and take on the many tasks of the Mayor’s office with
unbiased dedication. My years as a police officer gave me invaluable experience working
closely with all phases of city government. It also taught me that in order to truly serve
the citizens of a community; you have to do two things: listen to their voice and be
involved. I will do both. I am a native Texan and my wife and I have called Allen home
for over 10 years. I have two boys, a 4th grader and a 7th grader, who attend Allen ISD
schools and during my time in Allen, we have experienced incredible growth and changes.
While much of our growth has resulted in a thriving community, there is still much work to
be done. We need a Mayor from the people, for the people, and I am that candidate. My
background in management includes budgeting and being in a position to make tough
decisions. My background over the last 20 years, gives me the experience needed to excel
in the position of Mayor. My experience includes process management and
communications. I have a fresh and unique perspective on important issues affecting
people, neighborhoods, and businesses of Allen. In my experience I've helped existing
companies expand and worked with multi-million dollars projects. I have developed
processes and policy around the Country. I have also been instrumental in bringing in new
companies to my industry that has resulted in new jobs. I will bring that same successful
experience to the Mayor’s office for the people of Allen. I am not a politician and won’t
ever fit into that mold. I have never been affiliated with a good ole boy network nor, been
involved in a stagnant system full of political red tape and biased special interests. I have a
new, comprehensive, proactive approach that is not being used in Allen and that type of
approach has not been a priority in the past. Now is the time for a new voice and a fresh
start and I am exactly the one to bring that. A vote for me is a vote for Allen.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: If elected, I will continue to bring businesses and restaurants to Allen. We have a great
foundation to build from but we need to make sure we are doing all we can. My plan
includes being proactive in working with the Allen Economic Development Corporation and
to use my training, experience and skill set to market the great assets of Allen. Bringing
new businesses and restaurants to Allen will lessen and stabilize property taxes. We have
to find ways to help all business thrive and when we can do that and increase sales tax
revenue that is a win for everyone. The City of Allen, basically on auto pilot, has
experienced significant growth over the years, attracting families and businesses. In order
to ensure our continued success, we must focus on providing reliable public safety, protect
our environment and our neighborhoods, and deliver efficient, affordable city services and
infrastructure. Our city government must also best represent the needs of the citizens of
Allen by actively engaging every segment of our community. My top three priorities
include the economy and its impact on our city, maintaining and supporting our public
safety efforts (Police and Fire), and an accessible city structure that provides world class
service to the citizens who call Allen home. In order to help our economy and grow, I
believe we need to focus on helping our local businesses succeed, and looking for ways all
of our businesses can generate more sales tax revenue. This type of approach can be
uncomfortable for some but with the challenges we face no one can afford to remain in
their comfort zone. There are many challenges to face and overcome. Creating a new,
citizen Commission on Local Business who works directly with the AEDC would be the first
step in a very positive direction. Our business community has a voice that needs to be
heard. We can not continue to move forward with only a very small part of our community
voices being heard. In order to strengthen our community’s safety net, we all need to
make commitments to oppose any funding cuts that would negatively impact the delivery
of vital services or public safety services. We have to maintain what we have and make
sure we are getting the maximum benefit out of every tax dollar spent. No one wants tax
increases - I don’t, and I pay taxes too - so what are the things we can do to make sure
that we are doing all we can in this challenging time? Finally, I believe we need to take
meaningful steps to make city government more transparent and accountable. This
includes citizen involvement. We have no voice from 90 plus percent of the people that live
here. No one has been doing anything to involve the people more. I will. Our resources
and solutions best come from the people that live here. Accordingly I will propose
extending the time between finalizing City Council meeting agendas and holding meetings,
so everyone has more lead time to see big issues coming; I will push this information out
to the community to make sure people are aware of the issues. I will propose holding
regular Council meetings in non- traditional locations and outside of City Hall. I have a plan
that includes the creation of a “Mayor’s Community Action Committee” – a new standing
advisory body of leaders from all parts of the community including business, community,
and recreational that can enhance the voice of the community to make sure we are doing
all we can to better the City and to make it a better place for those that live here. We
need to enhance our focus on our Keep Allen Beautiful program, we need to be more
involved with our most valuable asset – out youth; and we need to become more involved
with the Allen Community Outreach and other programs that offer vital services to our
citizens. We need representation from all community interests. The people of Allen are the
best resource and we need their involvement and voices in this critical time. This is an
ambitious agenda, and I’m certainly not going to pretend that we can accomplish miracles.
Most folks know that city government is highly dependent on sales tax revenue, and while
we are not in the worst case with tax revenue it comes as no surprise there are revenue
issues for everyone and we need to be cautious. If elected, I’ll approach the difficult
budget decisions ahead with a clear and unbiased set of priorities with no concern for any
special interests. We have a lot of great people in place to face this challenge and as a
team we will establish the common goal and do the best we can to work toward that goal.
Only then we will be successful. For me, City services will always come first – water,
trash, roads, public safety, health, parks, and libraries. Once we’ve done what we must to
ensure that our basic needs are met today, we should do everything we can to advance an
agenda that makes Allen even better tomorrow. By pursuing a clear, ambitious vision and
doing a better job of working more closely together as a community, I’m shamelessly
optimistic that we can make incredible progress over the years ahead. I promise to
continue to maintain and strengthen Allen. I will continue to demand increased efficiency in
city operations and feel each of these actions will grow the tax base and tax revenues of
the city, which can be used to pay for the initiatives and maintain city services.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The biggest difference that makes me the best choice is that I am not a politician and
have no political ambitions whatsoever. I am a regular guy that wants to step up and serve
the City of Allen and my focus is on the people and the businesses of Allen, period. You will
find when politicians get worried or run out of answers they resort to mudslinging and
personal attacks and it is important that the election is not viewed by anyone as a Blake
versus Steve event. I am not a socialite, nor do I have any ambition to partake in every
single gala event, photo-op or ceremony that comes along. There is work to be done and I
am eager to get work. I respect the fact that Mr. Terrell has stepped up and served in a
way that he feels is the best way to do it. He put in the time and effort and served his time
and for that he should be commended. When the rubber hits the road with this election you
will have only two choices for Mayor: me or him. I have no existing relationships with any
special interests and if elected, everyone, and the entire city of Allen, gets a fresh start. I
do feel that there is a difference of philosophies in that I do not feel that you can treat or
try to run the City of Allen simply as a business. I have no experience standing behind a
counter waiting for people to come in so I can be reactive to their needs. I do have over
20 years of experience in building rapport, listening to people’s needs and working with
them to overcome objections, and offering solutions to meet their needs. That takes a
proactive person and that I am. I do not know how to simply wait for people to come to
me and provide a service, take their money and then just wait for the next person to come
along. Transactional business is not a model that you can use to run a city because that
removes the most important part of the City - the people. Operating a city like a business
also removes the compassion you must have when dealing with people. Everyone has
heard the trumpet blowing of who all has accomplished what around here but I have yet to
hear anything from anyone in office about the city as a collective body of people. By
electing me, one advantage the people of Allen will have is finding me. Every Friday night I
can be found at Allen Eagle home games; on Saturdays I can be found on a football field
somewhere in Allen working with the kids. I am available and accessible. I am not talking
about finding me in a VIP area or when there is a photo-op or a ribbon cutting ceremony or
on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. I am talking about finding me at places like the
Jupiter Park mulch station - I picked up a shovel and loaded some buckets a couple of
weeks ago and helped load it in a car- I get my hands dirty and don’t ask anyone to do
anything that I am not willing to do myself. The office of Mayor comes with no
compensation to speak of and is something that requires a full time dedication and desire.
When you allow the office to become anything more than a representation of the people,
then it’s time for a new voice and a fresh start. That time is now. While I am not a career
politician I will stay fully committed to the position. If the state redraws some map or
other positions become available I won’t jump and run to chase after personal ambitions. I
can guarantee that I will finish the term. Now is the time to give the City of Allen a new
voice and a fresh start and I am clearly the best choice. I am dedicated to the office and I
will do everything I can to keep the city growing without raising taxes. My commitment is
solely to the people of Allen, and without any thought or desire of moving forward into
some type of full- time politician. The office of the Mayor will not be just a stepping stone
for me. I will apply myself and take on the challenge of improving each week. I will take
on all the challenges and be open to getting feedback and hearing the voice of the
community. I will work hard to learn what I need to. I have never claimed to be perfect
but my promise is to be perfectly committed to doing the best I can to quickly become part
of the team that is leading the City of Allen.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Development ranks very high on my list of priorities. We have to market our area and
attract the business that best serve the people of Allen and the surrounding communities.
The Allen City Council, and City staff, have planned and started a foundation to grow from.
There are now mega shopping areas in places that were dirt fields when I was growing up
in the area. We are positioned well and have a very bright future and must continue
moving forward with development. We can not leave behind the existing businesses
including our small local mom and pop businesses. We have to anticipate how we can
benefit them as well and make their cash register ring. The goal of all our development
should focus on generating sales tax revenue for the benefit of the City and to keep taxes
low. We must not build just for the sake of building. We have to do it the right way with
proper infrastructure. Coordination and cooperation in all areas are key to reduce issues
and pave the road to success. We must have very high standards and demand excellence
from everyone involved. We must partner with developers and builders that have a
priority in not just putting up a building but in making Allen a better place. We must also
look at our restrictions on our local businesses. One area is if a business wants to hang a
special sign or banner, the process is cumbersome and the time frame allowed is so short
that by the time you pay for the banner, and the permit you might not have the time to
recoup the investment on just the banner. We have to make sure that we use common
sense and partner with all businesses to make sure we are helping them attract customers
and we are maintaining our standards.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: With the growth, Allen is quickly becoming a culturally diverse city. We can maintain our
history and heritage but start a trend of citizens working together and getting move
involved for our greater good.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: This remains largely a federal issue. Allen PD does an outstanding job of fairly and
consistently enforcing existing laws. We must continue to treat everyone fairly and
consistently enforce the law to everyone the same so our taxpayers can avoid paying to
fight costly lawsuits.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support regional mobility and transportation. DART’s light rail is important to regional
growth and our transportation corridor is critical. We want people coming here to shop, eat
and explore all our City has to offer. The best way to accomplish that still needs to be
discussed and has only been initially considered. I am in favor of the best way to create
new opportunity for businesses and transportation into and out of Allen. Allen has the
largest potential along the 75 corridor, however, the issue is going to come down to a
dedication of some sales tax revenue and right now we have other areas that need to
benefit from our sales tax base. There is a whole process and we would need a county
wide initiative. It will take some work and is something we should stay involved with but
the critical question here is what do the people of Allen want to do? I don’t think we have
enough data to even ask that question yet and it is their money.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I am more than likely a little different here and will always put Allen first. Allen is an
important part of the area. It is important to not create regional partnerships to just create
regional partnerships. We have to look at what is best for Allen and not just what a
handful of people think is best for Allen. We face just that issue now with the Arts of Collin
County facility. What was supposed to be a regional partnership is now being reevaluated
by some. I think there is a need for such a facility and we have committed to it but when
others decide to reevaluate it throws a wrench in the deal. I would ask this: is facility like
that going to benefit the majority of the people in Allen? Will single working mom’s take
advantage of it? Will families take advantage of it and use it? Will it reach the majority or
just a specific demographic? We need to always be cautious and have the expectation
that if partners commit to a project that they are in it to win it and must stay the course. If
others are going to reevaluate it, is it time that we do? I know some City workers are
being asked to do more with less so what is the priority for the people in this challenging
time? You get one chance to leave a footprint so you have to do it wisely and in the best
interest of Allen and if you are going to commit to a project then you must keep that
commitment. If we have a chance to create something that makes sense and will help the
regional economy and benefit the majority of citizens then we should look at it, solicit
feedback from our community and move on it. The downside is if we are not cautious and
do not make sure that partnerships are true partnerships then we end up costing our
taxpayers money. If we don’t look for regional projects or become involved with regional
initiatives then we risk road projects won't get done, air quality wouldn't improve, and the
quality of life for everyone in the region would not be the best that it can be.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The City of Allen has great employees and I will strive to keep them all in place doing
what they are doing because it works! We deliver excellent service to our citizens and
businesses. We need to spend less on studies because when studies don’t reach the
majority of the citizens or when citizens take the time to complete a study and the results
are ignored then they are not an effective use of taxpayer money.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The Allen City Council, and city staff, have planned and anticipated our future and we
must continue to take steps in the budget, so that no city employees loses their jobs and
essential city services are maintained. It is critical that our basic infrastructure be
maintained, and enhanced. Expensive new projects need to be delayed until we are certain
that we can maintain our basic services and keep the right people in place who provide
those services. When the economy improves lets look at projects that fill our wants but for
now we must look at our needs. We must do everything we can to continue new
development and enhance redevelopment opportunities and keep our local economy
growing and strong. Allen has in my opinion the absolute best Parks and Recreation
department in North Texas.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: We need a clear path to communicate and a clear path to get more people involved.
There are many low cost ways to do this. I do not see any uncomfortable truths about
Allen. Allen is a forward-thinking community, and everyone who calls Allen home is blessed
to have a safe, secure place to live. The City of Allen needs a breath of fresh air. I want to
give a new voice to the citizens of Allen, both young and old alike. I will never speak like a
politician because I'm not one. I will only speak and vote my convictions. There's nothing
wrong with Allen that can't be fixed by what's right with Allen. As a city, we are the sum of
our parts. I sincerely believe that I can help enrich Allen because when you put an
“outsider” working inside the city council you will get a new voice and a fresh start and that
leads to better results. It’s been stated that the mayoral office is not one of entry level.
For me, that begs the question: is it a seat of incumbency? A passion to better Allen is my
promise, and if elected I will deliver on that.
Steve Terrell
Biographical Info:
Name: Steve Terrell
Street Address: 611 Glen Rose
City/Town: Allen
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 9-10-1955
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-727-4074
Home Phone Number: 972-727-4074
Fax Number: 972-727-3840
E-mail Address: stevete@swbell.net
Campaign Web Site Address: steveterrell.org
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I moved to Allen in February 1980.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Since 1986, I have owned and operated Terrell's Dry Cleaning, located in Allen.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Mayor, City of Allen; Allen Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors; North Texas
Council of Governments, Board of Directors; Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, Board of
Directors; Mayors Metroplex Association; Allen Noon Rotary Club, Member and Paul Harris
Fellow; Allen High Noon Lions Club, Member; Various youth sports sponsor
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Allen Philharmonic Symphony, Board of Directors; Allen Rotary Club, Past President;
Christ the Servant Lutherna Church, Finance Committee; Allen Community Development
Corporation, Board of Directors; Allen Industrial Alliance, Board of Directors; City of Allen,
Finance Committee; Regional Transportation Commission; Health South Advisory Board
Member; Presbyterian Allen Advisory Board Member
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Mayor, City of Allen, 1997 to current Allen City Council, Place 5, 1991 through 1997
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $3400.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Joe Farmer, Ken Fulk, Dr. David Bishop
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I want Allen to continue with the successes that we are experiencing. Under my
leadership, our property tax rate has been reduced 18 consecutive years. But, the other
part of that story is that city services have increased. In addition, voters have consistently
approved bond projects that built fire stations, the library, the police station, parks, roads,
a senior center, and recreation centers. Conservative management, aggressive pursuit of
quality economic development, and strategic planning has made it possible to fund these
projects without raising taxes. While serving as Mayor, I have actively participated in
business development. Most recently, I met with leaders of Cabela’s and Andrews
Distributing to encourage them that Allen was the best choice for them. Their decision to
locate in Allen was not based solely on our location. I make sure that city hall has a
business friendly attitude, without compromising our quality standards. Since first being
elected, I have been focused on bringing economic development to Allen. Business is the
funding engine for all of our amenities, and it has greatly reduced the tax burden on the
homeowner. Our property tax rate has decreased .21 cents while I have served on the city
council.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Our budget will need to provide for Public Safety increases. We are opening our 5th
fire station this year, and it will need to be staffed. Secondly, we need to hire more police
officers. Our population growth naturally leads to a need for more officers on the police
force. I am very proud of both departments, and I appreciate their patience over the past
few years while we have phased in budgetary adjustments for their staffing needs. 2.
Water conservation and supply is a regional issue that affects Allen residents. Allen is a
member city of the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), and our two citizen
representatives on that board are Joe Farmer and Jim Kerr. We must continue to work with
our water district to develop more sources of water. In the meantime, we will continue to
work on educating our citizens and businesses on better conservation methods. 3. The
Strategic Planning process is an annual work session that is conducted by the city council
with participation by the City Manager and department directors. Each year, we review our
goals, concerns, and their possible budget impact for the next 3 to 5 years. Budget
forecasting is an important component of the planning session. For example, we were able
to make budget adjustments several years ago when the national economy began a
downturn. In addition, council members are expected to bring any ideas, goals, and issues
to the table. We discuss them with our department heads, and together we find solutions.
This is a great process, and it has served our city well for many years.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am the owner of a service oriented business that has been in Allen since 1986. I am
very assessable during the work day. I also have the flexibility to attend to mayoral duties
throughout the day. Many times, I am called on very short notice to meet with various
people regarding city business. The job of Mayor is very time consuming, and my typical
day includes consulting with city staff and business leaders, assisting with economic
development, representing the City at various functions and most important, seeking input
from citizens. My wife, Sally and I have lived in Allen since 1980…before our first child
was born. Our two children are adults now, and they are both graduates of Allen High
School. As native Texans, Sally and I have numerous relatives that live in Allen and Collin
County. So, I have a good understanding of our city’s history and roots. I know why Allen
is what it is! I have a great appreciation for the work and efforts of all who helped to
create Allen. Volunteers are the backbone of our city, and these hard-working people have
a great love and appreciation for Allen. There are over 100 city board members who
volunteer their time to advise the city council on development, library, animal shelter,
health, arts, beautification, senior citizen issues, parks, and downtown development. I
truly appreciate their time and efforts. I began volunteering and participating in Allen
through the Allen Sports Association. From there, I joined Rotary, and eventually became
President, and I am a Paul Harris Fellow. I am also a member of the Allen High Noon Lions
Club. I serve on the Allen Chamber of Commerce Board, and have been a long-time
member. I have served on the Allen Philharmonic Symphony Board, the Health South
Advisory Board, and the Allen Community Development Board. I am a member of Christ
the Servant Lutheran Church, and have served as a member of their finance committee.
My experience as Mayor and the results we have achieved are the key differences between
me and my opponent. I understand the details of our government, and each year, for the
last 18 years, I have voted to lower our property tax rate. Despite the economy, Allen has
been successful in attracting new businesses that have invested millions of dollars into our
local economy. This has been particularly important because it has relieved the tax burden
on the homeowner.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Since first being elected, economic development has been my focus, because I knew
this was the answer to relieving the tax burden on homeowners. Allen citizens developed a
Comprehensive Plan that is our road map for quality development. I supported, and Allen
voters approved, the creation of the Allen Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) to
provide incentives for business development. So, by using the AEDC and the
Comprehensive Plan, Allen has been one of the most successful Metroplex cities in
attracting commercial development. Most recently, Andrews Distributing, Cisco Systems,
Cabela’s, Watters Creek, and the Villages at Allen have located to our city. Our residential
development is close to build-out, and we have a good variety of home values and sizes.
We have an excellent neighborhood integrity program that helps to maintain and improve
infrastructure in our neighborhoods.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The major residential growth in Allen over the last 20 years was from families looking
for a good school system. Today, many of those families are now “empty nesters”, and
some of our high school graduates are returning to Allen to raise their own families. The
empty nesters have moved their parents to Allen to be closer to them. So, now we have a
greater population of senior citizens who live in Allen, and some families can boast of three
and four generations living in Allen! As people retire, their income usually becomes fixed.
To ease their property tax burden, I supported a $50,000 senior citizen Homestead
Exemption ordinance that was approved by the city council. I also supported and the
voters approved bonds for construction of a senior recreation center. We have an excellent
group of volunteers who assist with senior activities and needs, and I am particularly proud
of the Meals on Wheels program in Allen.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Federal law prohibits police officers from profiling, and the Department of Justice
monitors policing agencies regarding profiling laws. Upon arrest, it may be determined
that the defendant is an illegal immigrant. And in that case, Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) is notified. ICE will then decide if they wish to take custody of the
defendant. The defendant is fingerprinted, and the arrest is registered in Austin. If ICE
does not take custody of the defendant, Allen has no jurisdiction to hold defendants solely
because of their illegal status. Currently, I regard illegal immigration as a federal issue,
and I believe that the federal government needs to do their job in securing our borders,
and in providing law abiding immigrants with sensible access to the United States.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: We have to take the politics out of DART before this issue can be resolved. One person
or one city is not going to solve the problem because this is a regional issue. The cost per
mile to build light rail is about $85 million dollars, and many people believe that it is more
sensible to add lanes to the roadways. Some member cities have been paying into DART
for years, and have yet to see light rail brought to their city. It is understandable that they
would want to be served before any possible new members cities. In a perfect world, I
would like to see all surrounding counties work together to create and implement a
regional light rail system that is affordable and usable! Allen has recently worked with
member cities to help move our workforce, by developing a reverse commute system that
will provide transportation from a DART rail station to our shopping and hotel businesses.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I am a board member of the North Texas Council of Governments, a regional board that
oversees many grants, road funding, and helps to develop partnerships that create more
efficient government services. In the past, I have served on the Regional Transportation
Council which makes decisions on how road money will be spent and what projects are
most important. Allen is also a member of the North Texas Municipal Water District, which
provides us with our water supply. I believe Allen has done a great job in working with
other cities and the region to save time and tax payer money. Locally, Allen works closely
with its neighboring cities and the county to provide public safety. We partner with Plano,
McKinney, Frisco, and Fairview in fire protection. And, we have a seamless 911 radio
system. Our police department exchanges training facilities with McKinney. They use our
driver course and we use their gun range.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes! We constantly re-evaluate our costs, and look for ways to improve. Our strategic
planning and excellent budget process have been instrumental in making sure that we are
constantly working to keep costs as low as possible. I support a budget that ensures that
city services, other than water and sewer, are funded through property tax, not through
sales tax and fees. Property tax is a more stable source of income, and can be adjusted if
necessary. Sales tax collections and collected fees pay for amenities and improvements. A
great example is the antenna fund (money collected from cell phone antennas on our
public property) is used to fund public art. This system also helps us to avoid unnecessary
issues over budget changes. Our water and sewer system is self funded and has very little
debt. We have consistently kept our infrastructure in good shape, and have replaced worn
out lines as needed.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I believe Allen has done an excellent job of adjusting to the economy. Because of our
strategic planning and our budget process, we were aware of potential problems with the
economy several years ago. We were able to make adjustments, lower taxes, and
continue providing excellent services to our citizens. Under my leadership, Allen has been
able to prosper and plan for future needs. The residents of Allen can be assured that I will
not ask for more tax money from them in the next budget. When residents must tighten
their belts, it is expected that the City will do the same. The next budget will require
experienced leadership to make certain that we provide the citizens with a sensible budget
without compromising our services.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: There is nothing uncomfortable about Allen. We are a great city with wonderful
volunteers and citizens. Our budget is sound and our local economy is doing well. It is, and
has always been, a great honor to serve as Allen’s Mayor.
Zack Maxwell
Biographical Info:
Name: Zack Maxwell
Street Address: 316 Tabor Dr
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 2, 1990
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-546-7301
Home Phone Number: 972-546-7301
Mobile Phone Number: no answer
E-mail Address: vote@zackmaxwell.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.zackmaxwell.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Over 15 years.
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Making Arlington and attractable city to start and grow a business in is in my list of top
3 priorities. I believe we should keep taxes low and reduce the amount of fees we impose
on small business owners. The residential growth will happen because Arlington has the
jobs available to support it. If we continue to burden our business climate with frivolous
fees, they will be unable to create new jobs and promote growth. The city has done a good
job at maintaining one of the lowest sales tax rates around. However, the city is becoming
increasingly complacent to refusing ordinances that would take away private land from
businesses and force them to pay more fees. There is a lot more the city could do to
restore the connection between the government and the business community.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Arlington is experiencing an increase in the amount of youth that move to Arlington to
attend UTA. This is certainly not a problem that needs to be shared regionally. Right now
the city is working on a hike and bike master plan and a skatepark master plan to appease
the youth of Arlington. The hike and bike plan involves a lot of eminent domain measures
that I can't agree with. The plan also calls for forcing businesses to purchase bicycle
parking that would not get used. A lot of these issues need to be discussed extensively with
the long-time residents of Arlington.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The city should examine its current immigration enforcement strategies and develop
innovative methods of identifying and dealing with illegal immigrants. This country does
have an immigration process for newcomers that needs to be respected and enforced.
Legal immigrants often feel undercut when they learn about illegals who are entering the
country without going through the same process they have. This is an issue that needs to
be addressed.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I oppose any mass transit system that is funded by taxpayer dollars. Dart and the
Trinity Railway Express are experiencing some of the lowest ridership numbers seen since
its inception. This is proof that the citizens of Arlington and DFW are not up for participating
in mass transit. I would gladly encourage any private company to move in and set up mass
transit that is not funded by taxpayer monies.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I would not encourage regional partnerships on anything. Arlington currently holds a
strong regional partnership with the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The
problem I see with regional partnerships is the public oversight. I have yet to speak with a
single resident who know hows the Council of Governments is formed and elected, I view
that as a serious issue, especially when the NCTCOG consists of over 40 committees and
boards that reach into every aspect of living (law enforcement, transportation, water
conservation, etc.). The city has done well up to this point without regional partnerships,
there is no need to seek new ones.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe that our city delivers plenty of services to the residents. Whether these
services are delivered effectively and efficiently is determined by the opinions of the
citizenry. I work at a privately owned postal center which delivers service to customers
much more efficiently than the post office. I advocate privatizing as much of our city
services as possible. My job is physical proof that private business does better at delivering
service than the government. Government understands that they don't have compete with
private business to stay in service, so efficiency and cost-effectiveness often suffer because
of this thinking.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The city is just barely scraping by in the current recession in terms of maintaining high
employment and low foreclosure rates. Our city cannot fund their current level of
retirement liabilities, which means that we have too many government employees. We
need to start looking for ways for citizens to become entrepreneurs and business owners,
rather than relying on the government for employment. We can do this by going
line-by-line through the current budget and finding areas we can cut spending in. Giving
out free low-flow toilets certainly does not help our economic situation. Frivolous spending
on such programs needs to be reduced and allocated to fixing our streets and
infrastructure.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The city's extensive involvement with the North Central Texas Council of Governments
is a huge issue. Why? Because citizens are not aware of how the council of governments is
formed or what they do. What bothers myself and other concerned voters is that the
NCTCOG develops "recommendations" on a daily basis and simply injects them into our
local bills and plans. Hence the hike and bike master plan.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Any changes the city makes to gas drilling laws and ordinances needs to be discussed
with the residents of Arlington. I understand there is currently a lot of concern regarding
the drilling process and the chemicals involved in hydraulic fracturing. The city is obviously
not doing enough to address these concerns or it would not be hot button issue. I am not
familiar with each ordinance the city has on the gas wells; however, it will be a top priority
if elected for office.
Robert Rivera
Biographical Info:
Name: Robert Rivera
Street Address: 1921 Edgehill Dr.
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 16, 1971
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 817-557-1542
Home Phone Number: 817-557-1542
E-mail Address: voterobertrivera@yahoo.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.voterobertrivera.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 36 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 36 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Banker
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Arlington City Council
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Chairman Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau
Q: Education
A: University of Texas at Arlington B.A. Political Science
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Arlington City Council
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $25,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Jim Maibach, Arlington Professional Firefighters PAC, Arlington Board of Realtors,
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I love Arlington and have been part helping our commununity for over 20 years. As a
member of our city council I've been able to see first hand numerous issues and solutions
for a brighter city.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Public Safety, economic developement, and supporting our public schools. Arlington is a
city blessed with significant opportunity; building on expanding our tax base will help pay
for our needs.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Experience.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: The expansion of our tax base is paramount to our growth. The addition of new and
stronger commercial development will continue to be a focus as we keep Arlington moving
forward.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Change is part of every community. Arlington is taking all the strenghts which exist in
our city and embracing the very best qualities to help advance our entire region.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: This is a federal issue.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support mobility for Arlington and feel this requires a regional approach.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The Super Bowl is a good example of the region working together. I'd like to see more
mega events coming to our area and all of North Texas having parts of the event and
tourism dollars.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Arlington is doing well today because of our planning for the future. I'd like to see select
corporate naming rights to our parks and other city venues for needed new dollars. The
children who would be playing in our updated and new parks would not care if the park
was named Tonka Toys Park, they would only care about the experience of being at the
park.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: That just a few voters decide the future of Arlington.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Arlington is always looking at best practices and ways to improve the safety for
everyone involved.
Marvin Sutton
Biographical Info:
Name: Marvin Sutton
Street Address: 5311 Manhassett Drive
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: October 16, 1962
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 817 602-0644
Home Phone Number: 817 465-0677
Mobile Phone Number: 817 602-0644
Fax Number: 817 465-0677
E-mail Address: msutton4council@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: wwww.electmarvinsutton.com
Questions:
immigration?
A: Nothing. This is a federal issue. Local should be engaging in activities that protect and
serve the Arlington citizens.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support a seamless regional transit system. I'd get private investors, Regional
Transportation Council, and local governments to develop a plan that allow for a above
ground rail system.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Crime is a major issue for this region. Burglaries are trending upward. Regionally we
could develop better ways to share information on trends and best practices for prevention
between public safety departments and disseminate this information to the public.
Transportation is a complex issue for most cities. We can effectively address these
problems by minimizing the bottlenecks and congestions on streets,developing a regional
transit system,and encouraging car pooling.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Generally yes, however, I believe the city must continue to find ways to deliver quality
services at an effective price that shows good stewardship of taxpayers dollars.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The current leadership used some the Tomorrow Fund to balance our city's deficit. Our
leadership need to come up with innovative ways to generate additional revenue. I would
recommend advertising on city websites and vehicles.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Arlington is the largest city in the US with no mass transportation system.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: I'd increase the distance from 600 feet to at least 1000 feet, ensure proper monitoring
and oversight by a third party.
Kelly Canon
Biographical Info:
Name: Kelly Canon
Street Address: 901 Kristin Ct
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 06-06-1959
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 817-929-3299
Home Phone Number: n/a
Mobile Phone Number: 817-929-3299
Fax Number: n/a
E-mail Address: kjcanon_campaign@att.net
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kelly-Canon-
for-Arlington-City-Council-District-4/183754318328277?sk=info
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
in Arlington, whereas I am opposed to it. She has proven to be out of touch with the needs
and concerns of the citizens, as the mass transit issue has been repeatedly voted down in
past elections, by increasing margins of opposition in each election.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Bringing new quality development to Arlington is a high priority. Arlington still has prime
development tracts for commercial projects, and although limited some residential tracts.
The development of the Highlands has given Arlington a major boost in sales tax revenue
at a critical time. We need to be constantly looking for new opportunities that are a right fit
for our city. We also need to be looking at re-development opportunities for some of the
older areas of the city.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Arlington is one of the most diverse cities in the DFW area.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The Police department should be encouraging strict enforcement of the immigration and
illegal alien laws (federal, state, and local) that are already in place.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I am not in favor of a mass-transit system for Arlington. As for “regional” transit, we
already have the “TRE”, which is very under-utilized. Just recently, the TRE cancelled all
services on Sundays, due to under-utilization. Why should Arlington spend money it
doesn’t have on a system that would be equally under-utilized compared to the cost of its
implementation and maintenance?
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: One of the most productive areas we can work together in is bringing new major
businesses to the DFW Region. When major companies come in they also bring suppliers
and other ancillary businesses.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Arlington does a good job of delivering services at a reasonable price, however there is
always room for improvement, as was shown a year ago when the city out-sourced it’s
health inspections. We were able to have more inspections done for a lower cost and with
no long term liability for pensions. We need to look at other departments to see if we can
make similar changes.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The present council has done a better job than most of the city councils in the DFW
area, however we should be looking at better ways to use the Oil and Gas Revenue that
the city receives.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Because of the explosive growth that Arlington experienced during the last 40 years, we
are now facing a major crisis in road maintenance and rebuild. Several years ago we voted
a ¼ cent sales tax to be used just to repair and rebuild streets, at a time when we were
told that we had a $100 million dollar back log. Today it is closer to $200 million.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: I would make sure that ordinances were uniformly implemented throughout the city,
with respect to distance, noise levels and air-quality of the wells.
Kathryn Wilemon
Biographical Info:
Name: Kathryn Wilemon
Street Address: 4100 Shady Valley Drive
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: Feb 21, 1937
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 817-994-5129
Home Phone Number: 817-461-9615
Mobile Phone Number: 817-994-5129
Fax Number: 817-461-9615
E-mail Address: KAWilemon@aol.com
Campaign Web Site Address: none
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 61 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 40 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired / Social security, pension and investment income
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau – Board member Partner’s Foundation for JPS
Hospital- Chairman Nurse Family Partnership- County & state advisory Board Arlington
Tomorrow Foundation-board member UTA School of social work advisory board Tarrant
Regional Transportation Coalition –chair Arlington Civic League- member United Way
Arlington advisory Board-member NTCOG Regional Transportation Council-member
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Tarrant County Hospital JPS Board member- 9 years, Tarrant County Commission on
Aging- Board member, Downtown Arlington Inc. - Board member Awards: John Peter
Smith – Harold D. Samuels Award 2006; Fort Worth Business Press Great Women of Texas-
Women of Influence Award 2008; Boy Scouts of America Silver Eagle Award 2007
Q: Education
A: Arlington High School- graduate; Arlington State College (UTA) – attended;
Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU – graduate
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Arlington City Council Dist. 4 elected 2003 until present
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $14,600
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Gayle Crouch, Gary Martin, Kathy Petche
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Civil Suit in official capacity
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am seeking re-election to continue to represent not only the citizens of district 4 but
all the citizens of Arlington. Experience is invaluable and I have the experience as a council
representative for the past eight years. Prior to being elected to the Arlington City Council
I had over twenty five years of community involvement, including serving on two city bond
committees and as a county appointee to JPS County Hospital Board of Trustees.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Continue to enhance public safety. Continue to enhance and build safe clean
neighborhoods. Continue to include citizen input and transparency on all issues facing the
city. All of the above will be accomplished through conservative policy making and
budgeting.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am not familiar with my opponent so I can only speak for myself. Experience,
knowledge and integrity are the cornerstones of my service on the Arlington City Council.
Experience is especially important when dealing with a multi- million dollar budget and
municipal policy affecting the entire city.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Due to the economy, residential development has not kept pace with commercial
development in Arlington. Arlington has been aggressive in attracting commercial
developments such as the very successful Highlands, the redevelopment of downtown,
including many new restaurants.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Arlington has been a very diverse community for many years and we have worked to
be inclusive and to find positive solutions to any and all issues.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Arlington has and will continue to enforce all applicable state and federal laws dealing
with immigration.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a seamless regional transit system because it enables citizens to have a choice
for their mobility needs. It also is a factor in decreasing congestion, improving air quality
and an economic development tool to attract new businesses to the area. However, it will
be up to the citizens of Arlington to make that decision.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Transportation, air quality, water resource management and public health are key
elements of providing core services in an efficient regional cooperative manner. Another
recent example of regional cooperation was Super Bowl XLV. It had a positive impact on
the North Texas region. My experience on the Regional Transportation Council and the
Tarrant County Hospital Board has provided invaluable experience of working and thinking
regionally.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes, Arlington has one of the lowest employee to citizen ratio in the north Texas region.
Our staff is constantly looking for ways to save taxpayer dollars.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Last year staff proposed the challenge grant program in which one-time money was
used to give time to departments to either make appropriate cuts or increase revenues to
cover their budget. It is part of many strategies the city has incorporated to reduce the
budget and to accelerate core service to a growing population.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The continued growth of our city and the associated demand for core services will
always be a challenge for future generations.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: We will continually be reviewing the gas well ordinance as new concerns are brought
forward. Public safety is of utmost importance as is the protection of private property
rights.
Chris Hightower
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: - no response -
Lana Wolff
Biographical Info:
Name: Lana Wolff
Street Address: 1709 Norwood Lane
City/Town: Arlington
State: TX
Date of Birth: 8-27-46
build-out is beginning to limit our capacity for growth and development. Our tax base is
supported primarily through tourism, property taxes and retail sales. Identifying new ways
to expand and diversify the tax base is critical to economic success. Quality of life is
community, connectivity and identity. It is civic pride. We must continue to explore options
and create solutions to engage citizens and stakeholders in partnerships to revitalize
declining neighborhoods and commercial corridors that will provide new choices.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: The current Gas Drilling Ordinance is being revised. The ordinance should establish
clearly stated governance to enable financial benefits to the natural gas industry,
businesses, institutions and residents who reside in the Barnett Shale. Arlington is blessed.
Our ordinance must provide reasonable protection to both ensure safety compliance and
future land use issues.
Chris Dobson
Biographical Info:
Name: Chris Dobson
Street Address: 2708 Buffalo Dr.
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 10/28/78
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 8176026061
Mobile Phone Number: 8176026061
Campaign Web Site Address: New Arlington on fb
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 1979 to 1999, 2006 - present
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 2006-present
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: B.S. in Political Science, minor in History from TCU in 2002;
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I ran last year for another at-large district in Arlington.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None, one of the worst aspects of our political system is the reliance on money to
create 'viable' candidates. Candidates who take money to 'improve their visibility' end up
agreeing with the people paying the money. Money is best spent on real products, not on
convincing people that ones ideas are correct, instead my campaign predicates itself on the
conversations people have with each other and the ability to spread memes virally through
electronic media.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Doesn't this question just prove the point above, none.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Yes in 2000,in Kentucky, I was charged with possession of Marijuana under two
ounces,actually .02 grams, and possession of paraphernalia. I paid court cost and had
them expunged from the record, but looking back it was an important event in my life
which underscored the need to remain vigilante in defense of one's rights despite the
application of power by authorities. I wish I had handled the encounter differently.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
up from increased fees and taxes, reduced services, or dipping into the Arlington tomorrow
fund. Meanwhile a veritable goldmine exists in the luxury boxes which would allow us to
maintain services without further burdening the general population with coercive taxes or
fees.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: We don't vote and we need public transit. The solution is to get more people to vote.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: I think first the city needs to enforce its current drilling ordinance rather then the ad-hoc
system of Special Use Permits. I fsr as safety and interests of the citizen that needs to be
viewed in the long run as over the life of the wells a number of problems could arise which
will require remidiation.
Gene Patrick
Biographical Info:
Name: Gene Patrick
Street Address: 2305 Castlerock
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 16,1940
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 817-640-1694
Home Phone Number: 817-640-1563
Mobile Phone Number: 817-475-1966
E-mail Address: gparlington@aol.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: My family moved to Arlington in 1951 and I have lived here from then thru 1966 and
again from 1986 to the present.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 1951-1966 and 1986-2011
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Creative Consultant and investor
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member at-large Arlington City Council Chairman-Fiscal Policy Commitee Arlington
Chamber Board of Diectors Downtown Management Corp Board
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: American Heart Assn. Board Arlington Art Museum Board Theatre Arlington Board
President Downtown Arlington Inc.
Q: Education
A: Arlington High School Arlington State College
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: About $5000 to date
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: ARBOR TXPAC Rick Merritt
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: no
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Long time knowledge of Arlington and it's issues plus a very full business and
management career.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1-Redevelopment policies 2-More attention to basic City services 3-More effort and
action toward Infastructure improvments.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Experience and motavation to serve.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: It is a high pritory and I intend to put more attention on attracting new small business
as well.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: I think we are changing rapidly and we need to begin adjusting to the new conditions
now.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Work closly with State and Federal agencies including pushing them to act!
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I do and I favor the local option method.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes,but there is always room to improve.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: We have supported several developments that have built our sales tax base...we should
continue that policy.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: We are in the process of revising our existng laws and should complete that work as
soon as possible.
Arlington Mayor
Description:
Robert Cluck
Biographical Info:
Name: Robert Cluck
Street Address: 5820 Bay Club Dr
City/Town: Arlington
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 3/20/1939
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 817 265 6777
Home Phone Number: 817 265 6777
Mobile Phone Number: 817 823 3788
Fax Number: 817 457 4766
E-mail Address: rcluck@sbcglobal.net
Campaign Web Site Address: None
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 40 Great Years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 40 wonderful years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Physician and Medical Director
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I serve as Vice President for Medical Affairs at Arlington Memorial Hospital. Previously, I
was a practicing physician (ob/gyn) in Arlington, where I delivered many babies (citizens)
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I received my medical training from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical
School, and then served in the U.S. Air Force as a medical officer. I was a co-founder with
my physician partners, of the Medical Clinic of North Texas. Previous to my election as
Mayor, I served two terms on the Arlington City Council.
Q: Education
A: SMU:BS Southwestern Medical School: MD Parkland Hospital : Rotating internship
followed by OB-GYN residency
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I first ran for public office in 1999 when I was elected to Arlington City Council. After
four years service as a member of the Council, I successfully ran for Mayor in 2003 and
have been re-elected in three subsequent elections. I am honored the citizens of Arlington
allow me the opportunity to serve as their voice in the Mayor’s Office.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: A little over $100,000 which will help me communicate with the citizens that my vision
for Arlington includes more good paying jobs, strong police and fire departments and
continued improvement of our roads, streets and highways.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Mike Patterson Chris Carroll Arnold Petsche
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Working with my fellow City Council members, Arlington has created jobs and economic
opportunity, even in a very tough economy. I want to continue working with my colleagues
to see that more good jobs are created in Arlington. Our community has significant
opportunities to increase our standing as a destination for corporate headquarters. My
experience helps ensure we realize these opportunities. I also want to continue improving
our mobility. Now that I-30 has been expanded and improved, my focus is on needed
upgrades for State Highway 360 and continuing to improve our city streets. And I have the
experience in public safety to ensure our police and fire departments are strong and
staffed with the best trained professionals.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I will continue pursuing good jobs for our community by recruiting responsible
development and corporate campuses. Our City must continue to strongly support UTA and
its state funding. And I will continue to look for innovative initiatives that can help ensure
our mobility is improved. We have the means to accomplish our goals without raising the
property tax rate. Also I am seeking new hotel opportunities.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The citizens have honored me by electing me to represent them at City Hall. We have
worked with our citizens on hundreds of issues and together we have a record of
strengthening public safety, delivering high quality, dependable neighborhood services and
living within our financial means. I believe I am the best choice because I listen to our
citizens and then work with them to accomplish our goals.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Arlington has always been a destination for out of town visitors. Cowboy Stadium has
joined Six Flags, Texas Rangers baseball, Levitt Pavilion and other destinations as a
premiere attraction. With more visitors and tourists come more opportunities. We must
seize these opportunities by expanding our hotel accommodations and strongly considering
an expansion of our convention center. Tourism has long been an economic strength of
Arlington. By accommodating the increased demand for hotels and convention and meeting
space, we further expand job opportunities and our city’s tax base.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: As I have previously stated, it is the responsibility of the U.S. Congress and the federal
government to determine the immigration laws of our country. I do not believe it is
appropriate for our city to undertake what is clearly the responsibility of another level of
government. When the federal government determines future immigration laws, we will
abide by and enforce the laws of the land. Regardless of an individual’s status, Arlington
will continue to aggressively seek prosecution of those who commit personal or property
Carl Scrivner
Biographical Info:
Name: Carl Scrivner
Street Address: P. O. Box 2052
City/Town: Arlington
State: TX
Date of Birth: 02-12-1942
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 817-548-1067
E-mail Address: CarlScrivner@att.net
Campaign Web Site Address: CelebrateAmericaVote.org
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Arlington Texas for 39 Years.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am a Business Owner providing Bookkeeping and Tax Services.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Involvement in the community for me spans 39 Years. My children and my
grandchildren make Arlington their home. My current community involvement includes:
member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce; member of the Kiwanis; and Treasurer of
the Tarrant Alliance for Responsible Government PAC.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: In addition to my current involvment, I served as AARP Tax Volunteer and member of
the 2010 AISD Citizens Advisory Committee-Financial Futures Committee.
Q: Education
A: I have a Business Bacuralate (Bachlor's) Degree-Accounting, Business Major, University
of Texas at Arlington.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Candidate for Arlington District 5 City Council in 2005
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Contributions are still in progress for my campaign by concerned citizens.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: My top contributors are Arlington Citizens who want a "No Debt" with "No Tax Increase"
government.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My supporters consider me the “No Debt” with "No Tax Increase" candidate for Arlington
mayor. For those seeking a caring quality of life, this community does not want to be deep
in debt, densely populated and heavily taxes. Other cities have mistakenly been lured into
this path with tragic economic and social consequences. Strong financial and management
skills are needed to reduce our City’s debt while maintaining a high quality of essential city
services. These skills include: UTA accounting graduate; successful small business owner
providing tax and bookkeeping services; Internal Revenue Service Enrolled Agent; and a
proven leader as a financial manager with 30 years experience.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Our long-term local government debt is $2.4 Billion. Arlington budgets approximately
$14 million for interest each year on debt that is not related to essential city services or
the stadium. This subject debt is for improvement projects which should be prioritized and
completed as cash becomes available. Second, available cash from debt reduction would
eliminate a Challenge Grant ($5 million loan) that was required to balance the budget this
year and is forecast for next year. Third, money is needed to close a $245,000 shortage in
Arlington's retirement fund.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The key difference is that my opponent is moving debt down the "road" for future
generations to pay. My supporters and I want Arlington City to move toward "cash and
carry" which is possible with prioritization of capital projects. Currently about 35% of
property taxes are earmarked for debt.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: If development is attracted to the city, that means that Arlington is a good place to live
and work and that is high on my priority list. A city that is out of debt is even more
attractive. I think that too much emphasis has been placed on Arlington being a "fun" city
for visitors and not enough on Arlington being a "family" city for its citizens.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The 2010 initial census reports indicate the population for Arlington did grow but growth
was moderate. This indicates that Arlington is no longer a primary developing and
expanding city, but now needs to concentrate on maintaining high quality essential
services.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: People in this country illegally are breaking the law. The police department should
enforce all laws with evidence of probable cause that a crime has been committed. Citizens
can help by reporting crime to form an accurate profile of crime to expend and allocate
resources.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a private transit system that will pay to Arlington a franchise fee for use of
Arlington's streets. Taxpayer money should not be spent for a system that nobody will
ride.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Arlington is only 7 miles wide, East to West, and only 14 miles deep, North to South.
Arlington is a part of a multi-city network. Regional partnerships that benefit Arlington
citizens should be considered. The partnership and benefit needs to be identified and
evaluated for any further comment.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I do think that Arlington employees are the best and the most cost-effective. I do think
that "consultants" are "over" used by the city council. Arlington has a wide variety of
citizens with expertise in many areas. I think that Arlington should look to its citizens for
solutions to problems before hiring consultants. An example is a recent consultant study for
"Hike and Bike" that cost approximately $250,000 and is based on data that is very, very
questionable. A citizens volunteer task force could have done a better job.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our long-term local government debt is $2.4 Billion. Arlington budgets approximately
$14 million for interest each year on debt that is not related to essential city services or
the stadium. This subject debt is for improvement projects which should be prioritized and
completed as cash becomes available. With proper Prioritization, debt can be eliminated.
Debt is bad and very bad for the future of our children. Our children deserve a debt-free
future. My supporters consider me the “No Debt” and "No Tax Increase" candidate for
Arlington mayor. For those seeking a caring quality of life, this community does not want to
be deep in debt, densely populated and heavily taxes. Other cities have mistakenly been
lured into this path with tragic economic and social consequences.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is that Arlington City is in debt. City debt issued in 1993 is still
outstanding. Debt is being refinanced and pushed into the future. This is bad for the future
of our children. This subject debt is for improvement projects which should be prioritized
and completed as cash becomes available.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Gas drilling is dangerous but profitable. There has to be a balance between property
owners and gas producers. Current ordinances are design to protect citizens based on the
best safety industry knowledge currently available. These ordinances must be constantly
managed and monitored to ensure citizen safety as new knowledge for safe practices
becomes available. Citizen safety is the highest priority.
Bonnie Kaplan
Biographical Info:
Name: Bonnie Kaplan
Street Address: 2232 Meadow Dr.
City/Town: Carrollton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 10/24/1945
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-315-9005
Mobile Phone Number: 214-315-9005
E-mail Address: bonniekaplan@mac.com
Campaign Web Site Address: pending
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 14 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 14 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Attorney/Mediator
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: President, A.W. Perry Museum Society
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Vice-President - Metrocrest Social Services, Vice-President - Carrollton Womens' Club,
President - Denton County Child Protective Services Board, Court Appointed Special
Advocate (CASA) Denton County advocate, DCRP precinct chair - 203, President - Denton
County Pachyderm Club, Volunteer mediator - Denton County Mediation, Volunteer
mediator - Dallas County Mediation
Q: Education
A: B.A. Barat College - Political Science, Juris Doctorate - Illinois Institute of Technology -
Kent College of Law
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Carrollton City Council Place 1 - elected in 1999, ran for Carrollton Mayor - defeated in
2000
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I have not sought funding for my campaign.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: n/a
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have never been arrested. I have never been personally involved in any criminal
proceedings. I am a former criminal prosecutor and judge and there have been several
background checks made on me for my profession and work. I have passed all of them.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for Carrollton City Council, Place 2 because these are difficult times that
require a council member to have experience working with a city council. I am the only
candidate in my race who has the proven experience of being a council member. Watching
city council meetings is no substitute for actually being the decision maker. Besides being a
council member, I have served as President or Vice-President on several local boards of
directors. I have always assumed a leadership position in the organizations I have served.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. I would do everything in my power to balance the budget. There are items in the
budget that will need to be cut or reduced and I will advocate for such cuts or reductions.
There is no cost associated with this. 2. At the present time, there is a judicial committee
within the council that oversees the municipal judges. I will advocate returning this
oversight power to the city manager. That would prevent political pressures being placed
on the judicial committee. This probably requires a change to the city charter. 3. Three
quadrants of our city have an ambulance at one of their fire stations. The northeast
quadrant does not have a city ambulance within its boundaries. This area includes Hebron
High School. I know that fire trucks have the ability to respond to emergency calls, but
only an ambulance can transport a patient to the hospital. It seems that fairness and
necessity require that we purchase another ambulance. I am already "pushing for them."
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Both of my opponents are very nice men. The key difference between my opponents
and myself is legislative experience and proven leadership. One of my opponents has
never served the city in any capacity, for instance, as a board member. The other has
some board experience, but by his own admission, is trying to sort out how things are
done on council. I already know how the council works and how to accomplish goals.I
already have worked on a variety of boards to achieve desired goals. I am a proven
leader.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting commercial development to Carrollton is one of my top priorities. In the
past, the city has lost opportunities for attracting development due to previous city
councils. The current council is very aware of the need to attract development, perhaps by
using incentives. The last few years have demonstrated the city's ability to expand
development by attracting 3 new hotels to be built near the George Bush tollway. That was
accomplished by the Mayor speaking directly with private investors. This showed initiative
and creativity on the part of our leaders. This current council has done an excellent job.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Carrollton is now a minority/majority city. There has been tremendous growth in the
Hispanic and Asian communities. The city has dealt effectively with the Asian community
as evidenced by the stores, restaurants, and spa located near Old Denton and the George
Bush tollway. Also, the area around Beltline and Josey has had some renovations. The city
is planning more changes to the storefronts in this area to make it more attractive to
customers. I have noticed more participation in community activities by the Asian
communities. We need to find some way to reach out more effectively to the Hispanic
community. In this year's election, we have candidates from these minority communities.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: This is a very touchy issue. Farmers Branch has incurred huge legal fees because of
their ordinances that refer to illegal immigration. My main concern with this issue is that
the Federal Government has preempted the issue of immigration, yet they do not enforce
their own laws. I would not favor passing ordinances to address illegals at this time until
we see the ultimate outcome of the Farmers Branch litigation. Our police department
should enforce all local laws and if this means arresting illegals for violations of the law,
then that should be done. Persons should not be arrested just because they are illegal.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a seamless regional transit system. All of us in Carrollton who purchase things
have helped to make it happen because we pay 1% extra per dollar spent in sales tax to
fund DART. Make no mistake, our citizens have helped to make the transit system a
reality. We politicians now must cooperate with other entities, such as the Denton County
Regional Transportation authority to make sure the routes are seamless.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Regional partnerships can be very effective, but not for all areas of city government. I
am concerned about regional partnerships affecting the delivery of services in the area of
public safety. I understand that no one wants to duplicate expensive services that could be
shared, I have concerns that in case of a large emergency or natural disaster, a city could
be under-protected.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Carrollton's city manager, chief financial officer, and city council have worked diligently
to remove wasteful spending from the city budget. Carrollton uses the concept of managed
competition to lower the departmental costs. If a department cannot lower their costs, the
city attempts to outsource the work at a lower cost than it can do in house. Other cities
consult with Carrollton to emulate our success with managed competition. As a new city
council member I would continue to carefully look for waste or duplication in services.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The current leadership has been very successful in weathering the economic storm.
Unfortunately, this year the city expects to have a $2.3 million shortfall due to the
decreases in revenue from property, sales and franchise taxes. I expect that we will have
to reduce or eliminate programs or activities that are not essential. I consider maintaining
roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure to be essential.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Although Carrollton's crime rate has declined, there is still too much gang activity in
various parts of the city and just outside our borders. This is of great concern to citizens
who live in the affected areas.
Q: What are the key development issues in Carrollton? How do you propose creating more
development at your three DART transit centers?
A: The key development issues are at the three DART transit centers. The plans for
development in downtown Carrollton are in place. It is important to develop the Frankford
and Trinity Mills transit centers as carefully as has been done for downtown Carrollton.
Incentives to developers can and should be used at these locations. Redevelopment is also
an important issue. The shopping center at Old Denton and George Bush Tollway is an
example of excellent redevelopment.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: Although I am not a resident of CFBISD, I am not in favor of forming a separate
Farmers Branch Independent School District. With the current trend being for regional
cooperation, it would be a waste of taxpayers' money to establish a new and separate
school district. I do not see any benefits from a separate Farmers Branch Independent
School District.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Texas state law regulating oil and gas production is in a constant state of change. Rules
governing conservation of oil and gas are regulated by statute and the Railroad
Commission rules regarding drilling and production. Not being familiar with natural gas
drilling, I do not know if the city is doing enough to ensure the safety and interests of its
citizens. I will definitely look into this if elected to city council.
Anthony Wilder
Biographical Info:
Name: Anthony Wilder
Street Address: P.O. Box 117298
City/Town: Carrollton
State: TX
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (214) 919-4958
E-mail Address: Anthony@WilderForCarrollton.com
Campaign Web Site Address: WilderForCarrollton.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 3.5 years - I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. We moved to Carrollton in
September, 2007. North Texas has been my home for all but 3 years in Austin while
attending the University of Texas.
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 3.5 years
from station 2 to station 8 to provide the initial staffing, thus removing the need for extra
recurring costs in the general fund budget. Economic Growth - I’m in favor of economic
development and retail redevelopment like almost all other citizens of the city. Carrollton
has 3 DART rail stations in the city that will have transit-oriented development. I intend to
push forward with the plans that were agreed to 2 years ago for development at the
downtown station and to actively seek opportunities for growth at the other 2 stations. We
also are beginning work on 2 new hotels and a conference center in the city. I will push the
developers for achievement of already agreed upon milestones and initiatives. Two other
keys to economic growth are the attraction/retention of the commercial industrial entities
and redevelopment of the many retail sites without anchor stores. Although we all want
more retail and restaurants, we cannot lose sight of these two key pieces of the tax base.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have attended 45 of the last 54 Carrollton City Council meetings/work sessions and
have served on the city's Property Standards Board for the last 17 months. I have become
engaged in the affairs of the city council and staff. I have spent countless hours meeting
with staff, council members and citizens. I have been preparing for some time to be the
best public servant possible for the citizens of Carrollton. In contrast, my opponents
started showing up at the council meetings in March now that it is election time.
Additionally, I have the disposition and perseverance to work through the issues to provide
and implement solutions. I'm not a former council member from 1999 who did not fulfill a
full term, but an individual of integrity and character who will bring fresh, new ideas to the
council. I desire and enjoy engagement with the community about the municipal
government and the future of the city and encourage and welcome community
involvement, especially after the election when it is needed the most.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Economic development is one of the top 3 priorities (see earlier question about three
important actions). We have excelled in the attraction of commercial industrial entities to
the city and there is no reason to doubt we will not be the regional and national leader in
this area going forward. In the last 3 years, I think the city has done a good job attracting
retail and residential development. We have a TOD catalyst that should break ground in
June, a mixed use/high density development near Hebron and Josey (including a Sprouts)
and a two hotel/conference center project kicking off in the near future. However, if you
look back 5-7 years, the city has not done well compared to our neighbors. As some
council members in the recent past have admitted, they deferred action too long on transit
oriented development while neighboring cities pushed forward and completed similar
mixed use/high density projects.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The Asian and Hispanic populations are increasing, the median age is now below 35
years and over two-thirds of the city is below age 45. Carrollton is open to the growth and
diversity, regardless of ethnic background or age.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Before addressing the city’s efforts, we cannot overlook the responsibility that the
Executive Branch of the US Government has with respect to this issue. For far too long, the
Executive Branch has neglected to address this growing problem. The Executive Branch
must secure the southern border of the United States in order to deal with the root cause
of the issue. Efforts by state or local law enforcement only address the symptoms of the
issue. The city participates in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 287(g) program. The city detention facility
searches an immigration database to determine if a detainee is wanted for immigration
related issues. Per a Memorandum of Agreement between the city and ICE, the Carrollton
Police Department (CPD) can perform interviews with those arrested for state offenses. If
there are county charges, those arrested are transported to county jails. ICE eventually
takes custody of those arrested for state offenses. The CPD is doing what it can to curb the
problems from illegal immigration in the city via the 287(g) program and their efforts are
in alignment with citizen feedback received by the council in early 2009.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I am currently opposed to a seamless transit system for the DFW region for a couple of
reasons. First, who is going to pay for the extra 251 miles of rail to achieve the 2030 vision
map, which has been estimated at $18.5B (including $7.6B from DART alone)? Second, will
DART and other transit entities within the region maintain autonomy over their sections?
Third, it has been suggested that the projected Cotton Belt Line be funded through a public
private partnership. If so, what happens if the usage does not meet the expectations of the
private entity? Are tax rates increased to fund the lack of usage? I’m willing to discuss this
topic further, but am inclined not to support it at this time.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Public safety accounts for 63.88% of the general fund budget in Carrollton. I support
and will encourage investigating approaches to more efficiently provide this necessary city
service. Limited regional shared services with the Addison, Carrollton, Coppell and
Farmers Branch police departments occurs currently. I would like to pursue expansion of
shared services for the police department, but do realize that adjacent cities do have
distinctly different forced compliance techniques and paperwork. For the fire department,
I’m interested in the costs and implications of implementing a regional dispatch with
adjacent cities, such as Farmers Branch and Addison. If it produces better service at a
cheaper long term cost without sacrificing the autonomy of the municipalities, I would be
supportive of the transition to regional dispatch.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Since 2001, the city has pursued managed competition in many departments to reduce
waste and inefficiencies. This program has resulted in $25,000,000 in cost savings, but
there is still more efficiency that can be achieved. Four business units are currently under
evaluation for the managed competition program: Accounts Payable, Streets & Drainage
(within Public Works), Engineering and Library Services. I’m committed to keeping the
council and City Manager on course to determine the most efficient and effective ways to
provide necessary city services, whether they are through co-sourcing, insourcing or
shared services.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: As mentioned in the answer to the last question, the city began implementing the
managed competition program several years ago. When the recent economic downturn
occurred, Carrollton was better positioned than most municipalities to handle the
decreased revenues. I think the current leadership made the right choice to make cuts
instead of increasing the tax rate in 2009. Revenues from sales and ad valorem taxes are
still low to the point that we have a projected $2.1M shortfall in the fiscal year 2012
budget, so further reductions are necessary. I would like to pursue the movement of items
from the general fund to the enterprise fund for some city services that are not vital. As for
maintaining infrastructure, the city currently uses bond funds from a 2007 election to fund
the capital improvement projects.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Debt servicing and continued reliance upon debt to fund capital improvements are
disturbing to me and many of the citizens of Carrollton. The outstanding debt principal is
currently above $193M. Over $8M in the fiscal year 2011 budget will go towards interest
alone. Over 34% of the ad valorem tax revenue will go straight to debt servicing in fiscal
year 2011. A few citizens have mentioned this will be paid off in 10 – 20 years, but more
borrowing in the amount of $60.79M is on the way in fiscal years 2011 – 2016. We cannot
keep borrowing from tomorrow to pay for today’s desires.
Q: What are the key development issues in Carrollton? How do you propose creating more
development at your three DART transit centers?
A: The current transit oriented development catalyst project at the downtown station is not
progressing as expected. The current council has begun work on backup plans in case the
June 1 ground breaking does not occur. We have to decide whether to continue with the
current vendor or move on and hire another vendor to get the job done. Until this project
moves past phase 1, I believe we are hamstrung in attempts to attract other private
investment to the 3 DART stations.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: No
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: I do not think this is an issue for Carrollton. The local natural gas drilling efforts have
Bob Garza
Biographical Info:
Name: Robert (Bob ) Garza
Street Address: 2102 Cannes Drive
City/Town: Carrollton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 12/28/1944
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-533-8782
Home Phone Number: 972-820-6964
Mobile Phone Number: 214-533-8782
E-mail Address: bobgarzacampaign@hotmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.bobforcarrollton.wordpress.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 22 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 22 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Recently retired Income sources are Social Security and Pension
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: City of Carrollton Transit Oriented Development Committee City Charter Review
Committee Senior Adult Services ---- Chairman Dallas Telco Credit Union Board Member
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Trinity Medical Center Board (now known as Baylor Medical Hospital - Carrollton) Bea's
Kids Board Member Metrocrest and Farmers Branch Chambers Board Member Oak Cliff
Chamber Board of Direectors Chairman Brookhaven Country Club Board of Directors
Chairman
Q: Education
A: Obtained BBA in Management Science from The University of North Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Ran for Carrollton City Council Place 3 in 2006
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $3200
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Bob Garza Herb Weidinger Jeff Andonian
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have always had a passion to serve and I feel I have a lot to offer the residents of
Carrollton. I just recently retired with 35 years of business experience and a diverse
background in Finance, Auditing, IT, International and Governmental Relations. I have
served on the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Committee for the last 3 years and
also served on the Charter Review Committee appointed by council. I have served on
chamber boards, hospital board and other non-profits in the city and familiar with city
needs. Prior to retiring, I worked with cities, counties and Texas agencies across the state
for several years and know how these entities operate and what they are going through.
Armed with all this experience has prepared me for the council position.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Develop the TIRZ/TOD area with quality business and retail tenants; 2. Create
incentives to attract domestic and international companies; and 3. Look for new sources of
revenue and maximize existing revenue streams Developing the TOD is the cities biggest
challenge and biggest opportunity at the same time. The TOD area has been designated
for tax abatement but needs developer's commitment to begin the job of building. As a
member of the council I will work hard to create attractive incentives to encourage
interest. I personally will work with TxDOT and DART to make the TOD area a destination.
Financing to build the city's infrastructure is a task the council will need to focus on and I
plan to be a part of that using my business and transportation experience.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have 35 years of business experience in Finance, Auditing, IT, international and
Governmetal Relations. I am retired and dedicated to focus my energy to do the best job
possible. I have experience in working with city, county goverments as well as TxDOT. I
understand how city governement works and know how to work within the city charter and
state law requirements. I have lived in Carrollton for 22 years and have invested many
years of volunteer work to help senior citizens and underprevildged kids in the community.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: This is tops in my list of priorities. Of the 3 main revenue streams for the city, the sales
tax revenue is a very important one. Sales tax revenues between businesses is my major
focus. It is also key to the city's sustainability. Carrollton has done well internationally in
Korea and other asian countries but we must also focus on residential/commercial
development as well.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Carrollton is rich in culture and is blessed with a number of different ethnicities. The
names on the Carrollton ballot this election speak for themselves. This is perhaps the most
diverse list of candidates ever seen on a city council ballot. This,in my opinion is due to a
very positive and inclusive attitude among Carrollton residents. My pledge to the people of
Carrollton is to bring these cultures together and begin with gaining better knowledge and
understanding of our differences and celebrate those differences in a positive way. Creating
a multicultural group to begin that process is something I would work on.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Carrollton previously elected to participate in the 287G program, and I would not
change that now or in the future. Our efforts should focus on public safety for Carrollton
citizens. We have a good trend in decreasing crime in our city and we should keep our
focus on that and leave immigration to the federal government.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Transportation is certainly high on my list. Interstate 35E is in dire need of a complete
redo that would complement our TOD area from Old Downtown Carrollton to Frankford. I
would get invovled with the RTC, NCTCOG, DART, NTTA and TxDOT and make sure
Carrollton is represented when regional transportaion decisions are made. Carrollton must
be a player if we are to get the funding needed.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: There is more leverage in numbers and with the help of other cities in the region I think
we could negotiate better medical rates, better purchasing power for materials and fuel if
we collaborate with our neighboring cities.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Carrollton does a good job in many areas but I beleive there is more that can be done.
Technology I believe is a big key to delivering services better, faster and cheaper. The cost
of technology is a challenge but certainly needs to be considered. Offering residents the
ability to do business with the city online and on demand is certainly an area I would
explore.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The city has taken some very effective measures which include introducing competition
at the department level and outsourcing when it makes sense. Several force reductions
and a hiring freeze has brought the employee number back to what they were in mid
1980s with no apparent negative impact on services to date. Addionally, some contracts
have been renegotiated and the introduction of managed shared services has brought
about new thinking. The cutting of nonessential services has been key cost cutters.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Getting voters to vote. In a city of 120,000 it is good if 10 to 12 per cent of the voters
turn out to vote. I would really like to see more voters have a say in who runs our city and
state government. We must also embrace the many cultures by celebrating our diversity.
Q: What are the key development issues in Carrollton? How do you propose creating more
development at your three DART transit centers?
A: The development issues center around the transportation areas of DART, I-35E, Beltline
and the cottonbelt. The three DART stations are destinations areas that need to be
developed. The area has been designated as a tax abatement zone but I propose we must
take a deeper look and create some inviting incentives if we are to get this done. The
economy and lack of financing on specualtive projects has been tough to overcome. We
MUST figure out a way to work around this.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: I beleive it to be very risky and expensive to create a separate ISD for Farmers Branch.
With districts across the state laying off teachers and staff and cutting budgets, it does not
make sense to be adding to the stress here in the Carrollton/Farmers Branch area.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: At the moment there is no drilling activity and probably will not happen soon. However,
in the event there was signifcant interest, the city has the proper ordinances to deal with
that demand.
Cathy Henesey
Biographical Info:
Name: Cathy Henesey
Street Address: 3903 Cedar Ridge Lane
City/Town: Carrollton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 5/13/64
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-725-0710
Home Phone Number: 214-725-0710
Mobile Phone Number: 214-725-0710
E-mail Address: cathysphr@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.cathyforcarrollton.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I grew up in Carrollton and graduated from Newman Smith High School in 1982. I
attended Texas Tech University receiving my MBA in Human Resources Management. I
have lived in multiple cities and traveled extensively for my career. When it was time to
settle down, I came back to Carrollton to purchase my first home. I have lived there for
the last 10 years.
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: I have lived in the Dallas and Carrollton area for a total of 18 years after high school.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I have been in recruiting for the last 20 years and currently work full time as a
Recruiting Manager for Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Hunters Creek HOA President – 2006 - present • Major Budget Overhaul and Property
Dispute Resolution • Ensure City Ordinance Enforcement Keep Carrollton Beautiful –
Current Chair • Major Budget Overhaul and Reorganization • Plan and Organize Green
events that promote reuse and recycle Republican Precinct Chair 215 – 2008 - present •
Election Judge last two elections and consistent participation and financial support •
Precinct 215 voted all GOP candidates! Dallas Mayor’s Committee for the Employment of
People with Disabilities - Current Board Member
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Traffic Advisory Board –2 yrs • Perfect Attendance for all Meetings • Reviewed city
recommendations A.W. Perry Museum Society - Carrollton • Charter Member and First
Year President Career Counselor Volunteer • Hosted City’s first resume review and social
media training prior to City Job Fair – 100s participated and featured on Fox News;
continue to speak to Metroplex career focus groups and churches on job searching • DFW
Texas Recruiters Network – Started successful organization and President for 10 years;
resigned in Dec. 2010 to focus on city interests • Toastmaster – DTM(highest certification
awarded) • Past Wish Granter – Make-A-Wish Foundation
Q: Education
A: Texas Tech University – Bachelors and MBA in Human Resources Management
Certifications: SPHR – Senior Professional in Human Resources; Lean Six Sigma Green
Belt
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Previously sought Carrollton City Council
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I am not focusing on campaign contributions right now. Citizens can do so much more
than for my campaign than donate money. I am focusing on introductions to neighbors and
networking activities from supporters
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: N/A
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have continuously wanted to serve the citizens as a way to give back to the
community. I have been very involved in city elections, issues, community events and
other groups for the past 10 years; I feel I have a good relationship with many of the
Carrollton city staff. My opponents don’t have this vast local experience and it would take
at least a year to understand how processes work. I feel as though I can hit the ground
running and make immediate contributions. I have over 20 years as a career human
resources professional working for both small and Fortune 100 companies. I have
managed budgets and staff in excess of $12M dollars; I have been responsible for teams
that have hired 1000s of people in a year. I know what it takes to work under pressure
with short staffs and reducing budgets. I continue to work in the professional field where I
study best practices, conduct competitive analysis, and make daily decisions that impact
business. I am an expert in networking with others to solve the most complex business
problems as well as engage many different parties to gain consensus. I grew up in a
entrepreneurial family who opened numerous restaurants in many cities; I gained
knowledge how city politics, city ordinances, and city officials can attract businesses into a
city. I feel my combination of both my personal and professional experience will bring a
unique aspect to the council and I will offer a fresh approach to some old problems.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1) Economic Development – I would immediately engross myself with all current
businesses operating in Carrollton and understand what it will take to make them stay in
Carrollton; then, I would like to solicit a group of citizens who would be willing to be part of
a economic development committee to help advise the council and city employees on what
residents want in the city. My hopes would be to take a well known retailer or restaurant a
very large list of citizens who would welcome them to the city. I would also like to start a
“buy local” campaign that would promote buying in Carrollton and educating citizens about
how spending local helps their home values rise, thus making our city tax base increase. I
would continue to look for incentives that would attract companies to our area. 2) Public
Safety – I would continue to support a concerted effort to reduce crime in Carrollton.
Mayor Ron Branson has moved the city in the right direction and our crime is down 14% in
the last year. I would like to continue to support the new Chief of Police and provide the
police with the latest technology available to be successful. Maintaining our budgets will
constantly be a struggle for the next two years so we will have to manage to our needs. I
feel as though I can provide a fair balance to meet the goals of crime reduction and
increasing public safety. 3) Communications/Citizen Involvement – The more I am
involved with the city, the more I learn how much a very small group of citizens really get
involved with the issues. We have over 122,000 citizens, yet we expect about 5,000
citizens to vote in this May election. Less than 5% of our residents shape our city for the
future. Most citizens I encounter just really don’t how things get done in the city; they
don’t know the meetings are taped and available to watch online. They don’t know there
are boards and commissions to volunteer on; they don’t know about the citizens patrol
group or the community government class. I don’t feel our council members reach out
enough to the citizens in their own neighborhoods to tell them what the issues are and how
they intend to vote. I would like to have a continuous web presence like many of our state
and congressional seats to show how they vote on every single issue on the city meeting
agenda and more importantly, why. I would like to see more than 25 people come to a
meeting at every given time. I would like to see the council members share at the
meetings why they are voting a certain way before they vote. Most meetings are less than
15 minutes and there is no discussion other that what was in a work session. I would like
to see these discussions in front of a larger audience.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I don’t know my opponents’ very well because they have not been involved in the city
before deciding to run. I commend them for wanting to get involved, yet they are
representative of citizens that may not have known how to get involved, so they have
decided to run for city council. One opponent does own commercial land in Carrollton and
has experienced his own frustrations with zoning and approvals. While I empathize with his
frustrations, he admitted that he will have to recues himself if it relates to his land or
anything deemed as a conflict of interest. I also don’t plan on using this position as any
stepping stone to a higher political position. I have a career that I love very much and my
sole purpose is to be a public servant.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: As noted above, economic development is my first priority. The city has lived with many
decisions of past councils who respectively tried to maintain a bedroom community thus
discouraging businesses from coming to Carrollton. These businesses simply chose to
surround us in Addison, Lewisville and Coppell. We could have had Vista Ridge Mall, Super
Target and other major restaurant changes, but for reasons I cannot understand, these
were turned away. So, now we struggle with attracting places to Carrollton without fear of
competing with their own stores in these other surrounding suburbs. We need to find ways
to deal with grandfather clauses that impede us from upgrading dilapidated shopping
centers such as Beltline and Josey.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Our city demographics are changing with vast mixtures of cultures, national origins, and
diversities. As a HR professional, I welcome all demographics and will make sure that I
represent all citizens in Carrollton. When I make selections for boards and commissions, I
will work to make sure we have a diverse group of participants that represent those of our
census.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I would continue to support Mayor Ron Branson’s and council's commitment to 287(g),
which provides state and local law enforcement with the training and subsequent
authorization to identify, process, and when appropriate, detain immigration offenders
they encounter during their regular, daily law-enforcement activity.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I enthusiastically support a regional transit system because it is here in Carrollton and
just opened in December. I will continue to support the infrastructure and development
needed around our Green Line stations to encourage new residents to not only visit
Carrollton, but more importantly, want to buy and live in Carrollton. I would also work
with Denton to welcome their new line into Carrollton.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I think there are tremendous purchasing and buying power with regional partnerships. I
would support current efforts to move towards a regional dispatch center that could
provide faster response for fire and police. Like a large company who looks to centralize
buying powers, there are endless opportunities for regional partnerships to change the way
cities think and operate. These initiatives are creative ways to reduce costs and in many
ways, increase customer service.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I think our city manager has done an outstanding job and looking for cost reductions
and gaining efficiencies. He challenges our city employees to be competitive against the
market competition. His unique approach to challenge city departments to bid on their on
their own jobs keeps them thinking creatively which has kept the city from having to
conduct any layoffs of core essential jobs.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our current leadership has reduced the costs to align with our lowering tax base. The
city will still face a $2.5 deficit next year if we don’t see any changes. The newly elected
council members along with existing council will have to figure out where to make these
cuts as soon as this summer. This is where my increased communication plan will be
imperative in this budget development. We need citizens to tell us what services they could
do without for the next year or what would they like to change or see added. It would be
my mission to involve many leaders in Carrollton that can assist the council in making
these tough decisions.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is we have gangs in Carrollton and we need to assure that we
support our police to make sure these gangs are monitored and eliminated. We also have
some very old hotels in South Carrollton that harbor illicit activity; we need to look at our
zoning of these hotels and find ways to redevelopment them to upgraded type
establishments.
Q: What are the key development issues in Carrollton? How do you propose creating more
development at your three DART transit centers?
A: Of course, the three main stations should be our main focus for the next 10 years. I
think the city council has developed master plans that I support that have mixed use
housing and retail. The downturn in the economy has certainly stifled many constructions
projects in North Texas. We have to continue to attract businesses to tour the area and see
the potential as the economy starts to rise. We need to find funding for some initial
projects to show our commitment to these stations. Once we show our commitment, I
believe others will follow.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: I do not support the formation of a separate school district. Larger school districts have
opportunities to attract the best teachers, best athletic programs, and the best
opportunities to attract homebuyers who want a higher quality of education for their
children.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Unfortunately, reports cited from various internet articles state that Carrollton isn’t one
of the lucky places to benefit from the Barnett shale, so our city ordinances are a mute
point. Should and if we ever find a natural untapped resource, I believe a city council
should provide ordinances that protect the homeowner’s property first.
Carrollton Mayor
Description:
Biographical Info:
Name: Ronald F. Branson
Street Address: 1406 Charlotte Way
City/Town: Carrollton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 06/26/1947
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972 466-3319
Home Phone Number: 972 492-7688
Mobile Phone Number: 214 998-1962
E-mail Address: RunWithRon@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.RunWithRon.net
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 29 Years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 29 Years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retirement Pension and Social Security, plus $375 per month as Mayor of Carrollton
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: •Long time member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church 1. Just resigned as Chair of
Staff Parrish Relations Committee due to campaign demands •LISD (Hebron High School,
et al) 1. Building Leadership Team 2. Numerous activities including JROTC events,
addressing teachers on 1st day, etc. 3. Veterans and Memorial Day Events as a Vietnam
Veteran •CFBISD 1. District Improvement Council 2. Speaker National Honor Society
Awards 3. Veterans and Memorial Day Events as a Vietnam Veteran •Hebron Business
Alliance •Metrocrest Social Services 1. Annual Santa’s Helper for Christmas Store •VFW
TX Post 8923 Carrollton 1. United States Air Force Veteran (1965-1969) 2. Vietnam Veteran
(1967-1968) •American Legion Post 597 1. United States Air Force Veteran (1965-1969) 2.
Vietnam Veteran (1967-1968) •Medical City Dallas 1. Heart Transplant Mentor 2.
Transplant Advocate Speaker
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: •Long time member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church 1. Former Treasurer,
member of Finance Committee 2. Former Chair Staff Parrish Relations, member of SPR 3.
Member of Capital Campaign Committees 4. Member of Community Garden Team •CFB
Girls Softball League 1. Coach 20 years 2. President 4 years 3. VP, too many to remember
4. Dallas Metro Junior Olympic Commissioner 5. Umpire, league, ASA, High School •LISD
(Hebron High School, et al) 1. Building Leadership Team 2. Numerous activities including
JROTC events, addressing teachers on 1st day, etc. 3. Veterans and Memorial Day Events
as a Vietnam Veteran •CFBISD 1. School Finance Committee (Robin Hood) 2. District
Improvement Council 3. Speaker National Honor Society Awards 4. Veterans and
Memorial Day Events as a Vietnam Veteran •Metrocrest Social Services 1. Former Liaison
from City Council 2. Annual Santa’s Helper for Christmas Store 3. Founding member of
annual Christmas softball tournament fund raiser •Denton County Veterans Memorial
Committee 1. Member of team that lead to building of the memorial at the Sandy Jacobs
Center •VFW TX Post 8923 Carrollton 1. United States Air Force Veteran (1965-1969) 2.
Vietnam Veteran (1967-1968) •American Legion Post 597 1. United States Air Force
Veteran (1965-1969) 2. Vietnam Veteran (1967-1968) •Medical City Dallas 1. Heart
Transplant Mentor 2. Transplant Advocate Speaker
Q: Education
A: Graduated from Southeast Guilford High School, Greensboro, North Carolina in 1965. I
majored in getting out of high school. After high school I worked for a short time and
then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in the field of communications. During my 4 year tour,
I took advantage of the opportunity to move into a new field called "computers". While
combining working multiple jobs, raising a family, and going to school nights and
weekends, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a B.S.
Degree in Business Administration and Economics in 1981. Besides UNCG, I also attended
Florida Junior College and Memphis State University. After reconsidering my pledge to
"never go to night school again", I graduated from the University of Dallas in 1986 with an
M.B.A. Information Systems Management graduate degree. Life is a series of educational
opportunities. Sometimes we have to sit in a classroom, but there are also many lessons
to be learned via experience. It is that combination of formal education and life's lessons
that have positioned me to qualify to be mayor.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: 2001 Ran for Carrollton City Council Place 5 2002 Elected to Carrollton City Council
Place 6 2005 Re-Elected to Carrollton City Council Place 6 2008 Elected Carrollton Mayor
2011 Re-Elected Mayor?
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: In 10 years of campaigning, I have completely funded my own campaigns. For the
current campaign, I have had to review that commitment because my opponent has
pledged "to spend whatever it takes to tarnish my record". Because of that, and even
though I have not asked for donations, I have accepted about $3,000 which I have not
spent, but am keeping it in reserve. Carrollton deserves the best mayor, not the best
funded mayor.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I have decided to not answer this at this time. In 10 years of campaigning I have never
accepted so much as a dime, and it is only after a great deal of soul searching and
encouragement that I have decided to give in. My opponent has said that he is going to
"spend whatever it takes" and "do whatever he has to do" to soil my record and add
"Mayor" to his resume. The amount of campaign support that I will accept will be a small
percentage of the dollars donated to my opponent due to his political name, but let him
wait on my official campaign filings to find out like everyone else. Why should I make his
job easier?
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I think there have been a couple of minor traffic related lawsuits between insurance
companies. Nothing criminal, ever.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: In 2008 the voters determined that I was the best candidate, even against an
incumbent, and now I am the best candidate with three years of successful mayoral
experience. Council's record, therefore my record, clearly highlights success after success,
with this past year experiencing a crime rate that significantly dropped in all categories,
including 14% in the critical Part I category, and economic development progress that had
a growth of over 6.8 million square feet of new business representing the best growth in
the past 7 years. My open door policy has only been denied three times, and this was to
lawyers threatening to sue the City. I felt it prudent to send them down the hall to our
highly qualified City Attorney. I am embedded, engaged, and a part of the community, and
do not view the position of Mayor as a stepping stone to any place other than here. In
2008 I was elected to change "business as usual", to "rock the boat" if you will. Televising
and web streaming of our work sessions was implemented on my watch despite some
complaints by Council members. I believe that half-truths are whole lies and I will not
sugar coat issues. Some on Council, and my opponent, want to go back to business as
usual. I will not backslide from what is working and what is transparent to the voters. B.S.
Degree in Business Administration and Economics University of N.C. at Greensboro M.B.A.
Degree in Information Systems Technology University of Dallas Veteran U.S. Air Force with
a year tour in Vietnam 35 years business experience, retiring as a Vice President with
MBNA Information Systems 2005 Elected two terms to Carrollton City Council Currently
serving as Carrollton Mayor with a highly successful safety and economic record
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Public Safety - Carrollton has long needed the construction of fire station number 8, and
the addition of a 4th ambulance. Some have played politics with this and delayed
addressing it until the "time was politically right". Public Safety is too important to use as a
pawn and we need to do the right thing now. Bonds will build it, but revenue must staff it.
We can start the funding process by not approving projects such as the money we wasted
developing and implementing a new logo, and not attending some of the Washington D.C.
conventions that are really just liberal festivals. Economic Development cannot be short-
changed any more than product development can be down-sized bay a business just
because times are bad. Decreasing business recruitment efforts is just like borrowing from
your 401k; it feels good now but in 20 years you might have to get a part time job. We
have some funding and plans in place to get our Transit Oriented Development project
moving. We must make that happen to get those properties on the tax rolls, and to
stimulate other development around those areas and around our City. Protect Our
Reserves - We are one of only about a dozen towns and cities in Texas with a triple A bond
rating. A primary reason is that we steadfastly maintain a 60-day reserve of funds to
protect us from a major economic disaster. To dip into those funds rather than to make
hard decisions is unconscionable.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: It takes a different skill set and level of maturity to be a mayor than it does to be a
council member, even for a good council member. My priorities are my family, and then
my responsibilities as Mayor. Carrollton is too big, too important, and faces too many
challenges to settle for a part-time temporary leader with an eye already on Austin or
Washington. The Carrollton mayor position should never be a planned pit-stop on a
schedule to someplace else. My opponent is claiming credit for everything that "our"
council has accomplished. None of the successes would have been possible without a total
team effort, or without an experienced coach. I don't beat my own chest, but I sure love it
when "we" succeed.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: If you could have multiple number 1's, it would be a shared number 1. I gave this
responsibility more than lip service, and implemented plans of action that were successful.
I did not "delegate" this task to our Economic Development Department, but worked in
parallel to make personal contacts, hold the first of what I hope to be annual Mayors
Economic Development Forums, that attracted over 50 developers, investors, and
restaurant and hotel franchise personnel in its inaugural event. My contributions have
resulted in the ongoing construction of Spa Castle, the approval of a conference center and
three hotel complex project, and endorsement by the MetroTex Association of Realtors for
my 2011 Mayoral Campaign.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: We are a very diverse community that has changed in just a few short years. I don't
understand the "dealing" question. Carrollton is an outstanding place to live that is
attracting people with all ranges of backgrounds, religions, race, etc. I think it is great that
everyone recognizes what a terrific place we are to live, work and play.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: We are already on the leading edge of addressing this issue. We were the first city in
Texas to implement the jailer portion of the 287g Homeland Security program, and have
received recognition for our joint efforts with ICE in identifying and processing illegal
criminal elements in our city.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I am not sure that everyone has the same interpretation of what "seamless" means.
Carrollton, as one of the key members of the 13 DART Cities, has invested decades of
sales tax revenue dollars to see DART reach fruition. Some cities now want to "pay a little
extra" and join in. Cities should be able to develop their transportation systems and
connect, but the DART Cities should be monetarily protected for their contributions that got
transportation to the advanced stage it is today.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Carrollton is a regional leader in forging jointly beneficial partnerships that allow cities
to capitalize on their strengths while at the same time benefiting from the strengths of
their neighbors. We formed an alliance with Grand Prairie to develop and maintain
computer financial and personnel systems, have joint support agreements with Farmers
Branch, Addison, etc. for public safety support, and are currently working on a plan to
create a central 911 dispatch center that will be tremendous savings for at least four cities.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Carrollton, with a current population of approximately 120,000 has fewer city
employees now than we did in 1987 when the population was around 72,000. Our cost of
municipal services per household for 2011 ranks the 4th lowest of our neighboring 19 north
Texas cities. Given time for our recent successes in economic development, completion of
our conference center and three hotel complex project, and we will be inching towards that
#1 lowest position.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The "Carrollton Model" is a process of introducing "Managed Competition & Shared
Services" into the structuring of departments and the providing of services within a city.
The process consists of individual departments evaluating their own operations for cost
savings and efficiencies, and implementing them. Additionally, city services are then
evaluated for outsourcing, and where applicable are submitted for bid with the
departments biding along with the outside providers. Since 2002 eleven services have
been outsourced for a savings of over $25 million dollars. Included in this process are Solid
Waste Operations (2002), Water/Wastewater Operations (2005), and Fleet Maintenance
(2010). Additionally, those services deemed to be less critical have had increased or
implemented user fees to offset portions of their overhead. Going forward these
procedures must be implemented more thoroughly, along with every effort to increase our
tax base via more creative economic development tactics.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Homeowners want their property taxes decreased, yet who wants to do so via
decreases in their property values? Unfortunately that is the scenario we are facing for our
immediate future. Additionally, even though our neighboring cities are experiencing slight
increases in sales tax revenues, Carrollton has not followed suit as well. Our Public Safety
communications system is targeted to be obsolete in the next two years, meaning that
parts and service will be difficult at best. Current estimates place the replacement cost
between $10-13 million. This is a problem that it too important to pass on to a future
council, and needs to be addressed immediately. The obvious question is how to fund the
project.
Q: What are the key development issues in Carrollton? How do you propose creating more
development at your three DART transit centers?
A: Carrollton has plans in place for our primary DART station, being the Old Downtown
Carrollton Station (ODC) at Beltline and I35. We have a projection from primary developer
for groundbreaking to begin by June 1, 2011. Funding on that project continues to be a
problem, but there are signs of investor interest. The ODC project is correctly referred to
as the "stimulus project", and we are counting on that leading to further development both
around ODC and the other two DART stations. Current economic development successes,
such as the Conference Center and three hotel project are excellent signs that we are
headed in the right direction.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: That is Farmers Branch business, and any steps taken on that issue should be in the
best interest of the citizens of Farmers Branch.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Drilling is not an issue that directly impacts Carrollton, but I have supported state level
legislation submitted by other cities that have experience and concerns. The safety of our
citizens should never be lower than our number one priority.
Matthew Marchant
Biographical Info:
Name: Matthew Marchant
Street Address: 1846 E. Rosemeade, #108
City/Town: Carrollton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: August 31, 1976
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-342-0332
Home Phone Number: 972-342-0332
the past 28 years, and that hard-fought equity position in the transit system must be
honored. I would like to work with the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition and the Regional
Transportation Council to seek out innovative ways of making the regional transit system a
reality.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Carrollton is leading the way in regional partnerships through a shared dispatch
program, existing mutual aid agreements with our neighboring cities, and an innovative
health purchasing program. I believe further partnerships to eliminate redundant spending
and inefficiencies is part of the new paradigm for all governmental entities, and I will use
my relationships in the region to make that a reality.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: In the last decade, Carrollton has streamlined its operations through the use of
managed competition and other cost-saving measures. While I believe our municipal
government is the most efficient in North Texas, there is always room for additional
efficiencies and I intend to seek them out as Mayor. We need to offer several more
services, payments and permit submittals online than we currently do - this will save time
and money for our constituents. I would also like us to put our checkbook online on a
monthly or bi-weekly basis to ensure taxpayers have the best access to how their money
is being spent.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our Council and staff has been way ahead of the curve on trimming needless expenses
from the city budget and as a result the impacts of the recession have not been as difficult
as they have in other cities. The budget should be balanced through additional efficiencies
and tough choices, not an increase in the tax rate. That being said, I do not believe that
core services should be cut further because citizens deserve a quality municipal
government they can be proud of. The Council needs to take a look at any expenses that
are not critical to citizen service and revisit the current reserve fund policy to continue to
manage through the difficult financial times.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Carrollton is an aging inner-ring suburb. If city leaders are not proactive in
redevelopment, code enforcement and attracting the next generation of residents, the
City's longstanding place at the top of the Cities in North Texas will be difficult to maintain.
Q: What are the key development issues in Carrollton? How do you propose creating more
development at your three DART transit centers?
A: Attracting high-quality restaurants and retail development is a key development issues.
Another key issue is the redevelopment of our aging retail centers. Our greatest
opportunities lie in the possibilities for transit oriented development surrounding our three
DART stations. I want to partner with a university to turn the Gravley Center in Downtown
Carrollton into a satellite campus. This will bring energy, walkability and revenue to one of
our key areas and move us toward the critical mass necessary to complete the emergence
of this area as a major visitor attraction. We have recently reviewed a promising project
for the Frankford Station, and I look forward to working with any other potential investors
in our City. I believe my background in real estate and finance is crucial to lead the City
team in these efforts the next three years.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: No. Carrollton and Farmers Branch have a longstanding relationship and that is
important to me as a native of this area. I would like to strengthen the relationship
Carrollton has with the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District and work
together with them to provide the best City and School District we can for our citizens.
Further, I want to promote the multiple exemplary schools throughout our City.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Carrollton recently adopted a drilling ordinance that provides protection to our citizens.
Because the vast majority of our City and 98% of our residents live east of I-35 and the
Muenster Arch, there is not currently a lot of active drilling but I believe we need to keep a
close eye on this issue and make sure we have the most protective regulations in place.
Raj Akula
Biographical Info:
Name: Raj Akula
Street Address: P O BOX 1640
City/Town: Coppell
State: TX
Date of Birth: 3/12/1971
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-744-9011
Mobile Phone Number: 214-744-9011
E-mail Address: raj.akula@akulaforcoppell.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.akulaforcoppell.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Since May 2007
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Business
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: *Case management volunteer during rescue efforts of Hurricane Katrina (2004)
*Provided counseling and support to people at thier homes and shelters affected by
Hurricane Katrina (2004 - 2005) *Volunteered at various events hosted by NJ Charity of
Homeless Housing, Bread for the world and American Red Cross (1994-2003) *Member of
the university Ad-hoc Advisory Board of Southern University, LA (2005 - 2006)
Q: Education
A: Masters in Computer Science, New York Institute of Technology, NYC - 1993
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $3000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Enternet Busainess Systems, Inc. Mike Patel Pavan Akula
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: 1)I am a co-defendent in the bankruptcy court 2) I am a plantiff in a breach of contract
suit in NJ
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I believes that, together, we can make Coppell a better place to live. I am uniquely
qualified to help Coppell move forward. I have proven experience and leadership skills in
the business world and as an award winning Entrepreneur. My real passion is community
service. Working as a Long Term Case Management Volunteer during Hurricane Katrina, I
gained personal satisfaction and joy through my efforts in helping the people of southern
Louisiana revitalize their communities. I will use excellent leadership and communication
skills and broad background in the business community to tackle the difficult tasks facing
Coppell. I graduated from New York Institute of Technology, NYC earning a Master’s
degree in Computer Science, and a Bachelors Degree from India where I served as the
General Secretary of the Student Body. I am President & CEO of an information
technology company based out of Irving, TX and also manage my wife’s law firm. I
contribute to the leadership of both organizations as a strategic partner to help drive their
growth. This experience will serve me well as your City Councilman. I am highly
motivated to bring new businesses into Coppell which will promote sustainable economic
growth. I will be creative in finding real solutions for problems which are faced by the
citizens of Coppell and will implement new approaches that will make Coppell better. I am
dedicated to serving the City of Coppell in an effort to keep neighborhoods safe and strong.
I am a leader who knows how to bring out the best in people and believes that we can all
work together to make Coppell a better place to live.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The three most important actions I will take are: 1) Fiscal restraint on City Spending 2)
No to Propoerty Tax Increases 3) Encourage job growth in the city by bringing in more
businesses and planning wisely for future growth. I will evaluate City Government
services to keep what works and get rid of what doesn't. We must structure services
equitably and in a sustainable manner. To restrain city spending, I will take apart the
budget, study it line-by-line and eliminate waste and redundancy in an effort to find more
efficient ways to deliver services to our citizens.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am dedicated to serving the City of Coppell in an effort to keep neighborhoods safe
and strong and improving and protecting the quality of life for our citizens. I will be
creative in finding real solutions for problems which are faced by the citizens of Coppell and
will implement new approaches that will make Coppell better. I know how to bring out the
best in people I work with and believe that we can all work together to make Coppell a
better place to live
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: One of my higestest priorities is sustainable economic growth in the city of coppell. I am
highly motivated to bring new businesses into Coppell which will promote sustainable
economic growth. Compared to neiboring cities we rank poorly in attracting such
development. I plan to have a directed marketing campaign where our councilmen sell our
city directly to decision makers to bring in the economic growth.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: City of Coppell is a very unique community. We have very good age and ethnic diversity
in the city. We have experinced a growth approx. 3600 people in last 10 years. Currently
our demographics show less percentage of empty nesters & seniors in the city. We all love
the city of coppell but due to high property taxes compared to other cities in north texas,
we were not able to retain empty nesters and seniors in coppell. My goal is to change that
by being creative in finding solutions to increased property taxes issue for our citizens. I
also proposed to freeze property taxes for seniors citizens.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Although Coppell has weathered the economic storm nicely, nobody can predict if that
will hold up. It is far better to be proactive in this regard than reactive. I will cut city
spending by evaluating City Government services to keep what works and get rid of what
doesn't. I will take apart the budget, study it line-by-line and eliminate waste and
redundancy in an effort to find more efficient ways to deliver services to our citizens.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: It is time for the citizens of coppell to confront an imperative issue- Property Taxes. In
the comming years, the choices our city governement makes regarding property taxes will
play an important role in our desire to attract homebuyers and businesses.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: - no response -
Tim Brancheau
Biographical Info:
Name: Tim Brancheau
Street Address: 106 Dobecka Drive
City/Town: Coppell
State: Texas
Date of Birth: June 10, 1957
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-978-0195
Home Phone Number: 972-462-7431
Mobile Phone Number: 972-978-0195
Fax Number: 972-393-3451
E-mail Address: tim@TimForCoppellCouncil.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.TimForCoppellCouncil.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Coppell since 1984 (27 years)
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Owner of Brancheau Energy Solutions: Energy Consultant
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Current member of Coppell City Council, Council liaison for Coppell Senior Center,
Council liaison for ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (formerly called
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), Reading Buddy for students
needing to improve their reading skills through church affiliation with Irving schools,
member of Coppell Texas Exes.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: President of Exchange Club of Coppell, Chairman of Coppell Chamber of Commerce,
Board of Directors on Coppell Chamber of Commerce, Member of Coppell Economic
Development Committee, Chairman of 1999 Coppell Bond Program Committee, 2000
Governor’s Volunteer Award Nominee by the City of Coppell, 20 year Charter member of
Hackberry Creek Church, coached numerous youth teams for CYSA (Coppell Youth Soccer
Association), CBA (Coppell Baseball Association) and Coppell YMCA.
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Arts – University of Texas, Master of Business Administration – University of
North Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Coppell City Council, Place 1 since 2002
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Not applicable
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Not applicable
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Coppell is about good people working together toward a common goal: Keeping our city
a safe, friendly place to live while managing growth that will add value and maintain our
small-town feel. The City Council should represent all of its citizens to achieve that primary
goal in maintaining a high level of service and amenities our city provides and our citizens
expect. I am running for re-election because of ongoing projects that are important to this
city and its future such as the development of Old Coppell, our Aquatic Center expansion,
and North Lake/Cypress Waters. I want to continue working with our City Council and City
staff to ensure these and other projects are completed in a fiscally sound manner. My
professional background within the energy industry has enabled me to contribute that
knowledge and expertise in Council affairs. At a personal level, I honestly care. I, along
with every other Coppell citizen, have a vested interest in the welfare of our city. This is
my home and where my wife and I have raised our family. For many years I have
volunteered and participated in community events, programs, and organizations. I know
Coppell, I network daily, and I have been an active part of our city’s growth and evolving
needs. If re-elected, it would be a privilege and honor to continue serving as a member of
the Coppell City Council.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1) Keep the tax rate flat and look for varied sources of revenue to avoid future tax
increases. 2) Continue working to soften the impact of North Lake by reducing its growth
impact and maximizing our value for that project. 3) Continue providing a high level of
public safety services and the amenities our citizens expect while keeping our tax rate
flat. It is important to note that the City Council has worked to achieve these goals
through the years and has found ways to pay for our services without raising property
taxes for our citizens. Were it not for the voter-mandated purchase of the North Lake
property, our tax rate now would be lower than in 1992.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have lived in Coppell for many years and have been involved in the community on
many levels. I understand the needs of our community because I have been involved in
the community and know what the citizens want and what they expect for their tax dollars.
Being a member of the Coppell City Council is not an entry-level position. In order to
represent the community one must know the history and desires of the community.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: We are almost at build out for residential construction and have about 600 acres
remaining for commercial development. The goal of numerous City Councils has been to
attract quality commercial development to the west side of town so we can utilize their
taxable values to help shift the tax burden from the residential sector. Fifteen years ago we
had very little sales tax generating commercial developments in town but now we have
good, strong sales tax generating businesses on the west side of town and those
businesses add quality ad valorem tax value to our city. This added value to our city was
the work of many individuals on our City Council and Economic Development Committee.
This approach has helped us diversify our tax base and happened only because we had
forward thinking people working on a goal as a team.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Our Asian community is growing because we have a strong school district and parents
want their children to have a quality education. The utilization of our library is exploding
and we need to address that need but that is an issue that will need to be taken to the
voters to approve funding.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The police should enforce the laws they have authority to enforce on illegal
immigration. Our illegal immigration issue is not a huge one.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: While I personally favor a regional approach to a seamless transportation system, we
do not have the ability to fund anything under the current funding mechanisms available.
We utilize the 1-cent required for DART with a sales tax for CRDC (Aquatic Center, parks
and trails), a crime control district and a street maintenance fund. We would need to find
another way to buy into DART and since the Cotton Belt line will eventually be developed it
is something we will need to work on to make it happen.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Improving air quality is another area we could work on more as a region. The Council of
Governments has worked on this issue for a while by encouraging cities to purchase more
hybrid vehicles for fleets. Coppell started purchasing hybrids a few years ago and we have
increased the total number in our fleet so we have seen how much fuel they save and how
they operate for certain jobs. We have been pleased with the performance of these hybrids
and I anticipate we will continue increasing their numbers as we move forward.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes, I believe our citizens get a great product for their tax dollars. We have a city
others admire and a city others want to move to. Our staff has been working on five year
plans for budgeting for the past 12 years and that has allowed us to anticipate the fiscal
demands for the needs and desires of the citizens. The city manager is great about finding
savings and requiring his staff to be as efficient as possible.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: While taxable property values didn’t grow as much as they have in the past, for the
most part we were able to maintain our values better than most cities. Our sales tax
collections slipped but once again it didn’t hurt us as much as other cities. My goal, and this
Council’s goal, is to attract high quality businesses to Coppell and we will continue to target
those able to add to our sales tax collection. These businesses do not put a big strain on
city infrastructure and this focus helps us with those costs associated with the maintenance
of the streets and other infrastructure.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: There will come a time when our citizens will need to make a decision on bond
programs for some projects. Our library is extremely busy and at times it is very crowded.
Our parks are aging and need some improvements. We have seen plans for a library
expansion and park improvements. These projects would require voter approval. Decisions
like this confront cities just like they confront us as individuals. We have to ask ourselves
about those amenities we value and which ones we value enough to pay more for in taxes.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: We looked at this about 18 months ago and I feel we have proper protections in place.
We are on the eastern fringe of the Barnett Shale so we won't have the activity other cities
have seen because we just don’t have the concentration of natural gas other cities have
within their city limits.
Thomas Burrows
Biographical Info:
Name: Thomas Burrows
Street Address: 138 Wynnpage Drive
City/Town: Coppell
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 24 September 1957
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-693-2533
Home Phone Number: 469-549-0131
that could help the city move forward with its IT needs. Coppell is a community with lots of
IT people. Or retired IT people. Many want to help. But how????
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Again my opponent is a good man. I have heard nothing bad about the guy. This makes
the election hard in some ways. Would be easy to run against someone who was doing
minor corruption, etc. Or just plain lazy. That is not true of my opponent. However, my
background brings some skills to the job of city council member that could help accomplish
my above mentioned goals.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Being right on top of the DFW airport Coppell has an opportunity to attract companies
that export and import via air services. For example Texas Instruments has recently - this
week - announced it will buy National Semiconductor. National Semiconductor has its corp
HQ in Santa Clara, CA if I am not mistaken. At the present no one knows what percentage
of that operation for the HQ will come to Texas. But anyone can see the Texas Instrument
Expressway site has been built out for years now. i.e. I worked at TI many years ago.
Would be a good time for Coppell to approach TI and see how a relationship with the
company could work for both parties. Overall I feel city staff of Coppell - Clay Phillips the
city manager, city council overall has done a good job of attracting jobs and business to our
city.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: There is four or five racial groups on my street. My son has had birthday parties where
boys of five races have attended. What does these kids all have in common? Their parents
are very educated and want their children to succeed. Whereas in parts of the metro area
no one shows up for PTO meetings. There is no parental involvement with the school, etc.
Here in Coppell the biggest elections can be for PTO president at the elementary schools.
Typical PTO for an elementary school has fifty or sixty very active parents working to
make life better for the students. And a couple of hundred extra parents in committees. I
am not sure there needs to be any changes. We have a great school system and the kids
learn. Are prepared for college.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Coppell has a great police department. Being a graduate of the Police Citzens Academy
I have written a day with an officer. What Coppell does is watch the little things. The
reason people do not have inspection stickers or current registration on vehicles. The
reason most vehicles would not have this is there is issues. Outstanding warrants. Lack of
proper citzenship or residence paperwork. Thus the bad folks and most illegal immigration
issues tends to go around Coppell. They know our police watch for the little issues and
people get arrested.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a seamless regional transit system. However, Coppell - right or wrong- decided
over 20 years ago not to be in DART. At the moment that is not an issue I plan to work on.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Recycling of water after sewage treatment. At the moment our current council, mayor,
and city manager are doing a fine job in the existing regional partnerships.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Overall Coppell has done a good job of delivering services to the residents. Again
review my suggestions per recycling, IT improvements to see where I would make
changes.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Coppell is lucky - blessed - whatever word one wants to use that the economic storm
has not hit this city as hard as most areas around the DFW metro area. However, my next
door neighbors are moving as they can no longer afford to live here. Overall the City of
Coppell is doing a fine job of maintianing basic infrastructure and the roads.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: That most of our voters are taking their freedom for granted. Our extremely low voter
turnouts for city elections in my opinion are a JOKE. To be honest it is a disgrace. Current
coucil, mayor, and city manager cannot be blamed for that. No one can force people to
vote. Come and vote. Make a difference. Your vote does count. The statement that my
vote does not count is the biggest lie ever. The use of English instead of German as the
national language was decided by one vote. The draft was kept going in 1941 by one vote.
Think of how that would effect our country's preparation for WWII without the draft. The
space shutle was approved by one vote. Folks get out to vote even if I am not elected.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: I would not make any changes to the current policy that Coppell has.
Billy Faught
Biographical Info:
Name: Billy Faught
Street Address: 117 Dobecka
City/Town: Coppell
State: Texas
Date of Birth: September 20, 1955
Home Phone Number: 972/393-7235
Mobile Phone Number: 214/325-8677
E-mail Address: billy.faught@verizon.net
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Over 25 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Construction Manager for Robertson Commercial Pools, Inc.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Serving my eighth year as City Councilmember Place 5
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Coppell Park Board 1993-98, Coppell Park Board Chair 1996-98, Citizen Bond
Committee Parks Chair 1999, City Council Place 5 2003-11, Numerous Boards and
Committees First United Methodist Church Coppell, Coaching Youth Sports and Board
Member of Coppell Youth Baseball and Coppell High School Baseball and Football Booster
Clubs
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Science Landscape Architecture Texas A&M University Class of '79
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Ran for City Council Place 3 1998
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None to date
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: The campaign will be self-financed
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for re-election to continue my service to the citizens of Coppell. It is
important to me to give back to the community that has been my family’s hometown for
over 25 years. My long history of service in many different positions, my involvement in
programs such as youth sports and Community organizations, and my love for Coppell all
qualify me as the best candidate for City Council Place 5.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Maintaining the fiscal health of our City, helping provide access to government for all
citizens, and insuring that the City is receptive to ideas concerning new commercial
development. I cannot accomplish anything on my own; I will remain open to working with
other members of Council while maintaining my independent perspective.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have a long history of involvement in many different tiers our community. I have
prepared myself by serving with citizens of all ages. My eight years of service on the City
Council will provide a seamless transition in the continued growth of Coppell.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: As Coppell approaches residential build out, our focus must remain on seeking desirable
commercial development. This will reduce the tax burden on citizens while stabilizing and
even increasing our revenue stream. The fact that major corporations such as The
Container Store, Samsung, U-Line, and QT among many others have chosen Coppell
proves that we are receptive and “open for business”. This will remain one of my primary
objectives while serving on Council.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The demographics of Coppell mirrors many other communities. One of my priorities has
always been to insure that we maintain our programs, services, and facilities for all
citizens. Our new Senior and Community Center is one such example. Another area of
importance is to keep Coppell attractive to those who grew up here and now are returning
“home” to raise their families.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Illegal immigration enforcement is a Federal issue. I expect our Public Safety
departments to continue their diligence so that Coppell remains a safe place to work and to
live.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I strongly favor a regional approach to transportation issues and development.
Coppell’s proximity to major freeways and to DFW Airport makes us attractive to both
residents and businesses. We must remain involved in transportation decisions that affect
regional mobility.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: We are now studying a regional approach to Fire and Police dispatch. This could improve
the overall coverage of Public Safety in the region while continuing the excellent service
provided by Coppell fire and Police departments.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes, without hesitation. Our Staff and Council are constantly monitoring the cost of
services and looking for ways to improve them without extra burden.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: We have done an excellent job. Our services, programs, and facilities have been
maintained without cuts and we have money in the bank. The Infrastructure Maintenance
Fund is only one of the ways we insure that we invest in what we have built without
excessive burden on the citizens.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: That State budget and program cuts will affect Coppell as well as all cities in Texas. We
diligently monitor the Legislature in order to plan for the future.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: None, we do a great job overseeing the few well sites we have in Coppell. The City has
hired an independent consultant to inspect and report on drilling sites and active wells.
Billy MacLeod
Biographical Info:
Name: Billy MacLeod THIS QUESTIONNAIRE IS NOT FINALIZED YET
Street Address: 3100 Main Street # 68
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: September 15, 1968
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-296-4000 x 200
Mobile Phone Number: 214-616-9445
E-mail Address: vote4billy@gmail
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.billymacleod.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: I have lived in Dallas since 1981.
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: I have lived in District 2 for 9 years.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am a National Sales Manager for a Accounts Receivable Management firm in
Downtown Dallas and I specialize selling Accounting Services to busisness all over the
United States. Each day I speak to Chief Executive Officers, Chief Financial Officers, and
owners of businesses about the biggest problems that face their business, bad debt. Each
day I build my pipeline opportunities and I speak to top level executives and decision
makers who have a very limited amount of time available, and each day I convince these
powerful people to make decisions that, if not for my direct contact with them, they would
not have made. I make real business happen every single day of the week and when I am
elected to Dallas City Council I will take this talent and put it to work for District 2. The
Dallas City Council needs a leader who is willing and able to sit amongst the most powerful
decision makers in business and convince them to make the tough decisions. When I am
elected to Dallas City Council I will be the leader Dallas needs to fill that role at Dallas City
Hall.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am an influences r in the Dallas Community and have publicly fought for Dallas
residents both in Dallas and in Austin. I have been elected Delegate for the my political
party in Precinct 3340 which sits in Senate District 23. I attended the my party's state
convention in and was actively involved in caucusing for Dallas issues. I am a volunteer at
Volunteer Center of North Texas and have worked with them during important times such
as the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort at The Dallas Convention Center. I am an
active participant in the Deep Ellum Association and each year I work to help organize the
Deep Ellum Art Walk and The Deep Ellum Arts Festival activities. I have been an active
advocate of small business for the Lower Greenville Avenue Bar Owners Association and
have spoken dozens of time before the Dallas City Council as an unpaid adviser. I founded
the Street Solutions Job Training Program in the Deep Ellum and Cedars area to train
homeless men and women to fill out job applications, on how to interview for jobs, them
how to prepare themselves for a life of work. I have volunteered my time with The Cedars
Neighborhood Association Clean-up efforts and the Graffiti Wipe-out in Deep Ellum. And
finally I am a founding member of The South Side on Lamar Business Association.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have publicly fought for Dallas residents on a whole range of social issues including
Urban Renewal, Economic Development, and Public Safety; and has engaged the Dallas
City Council on issues such as the construction of the Homeless Center to funding for the
new Animal Shelter in Dallas. In 2007 I was elected as a delegate for my party's State
Convention in Precinct 1110 in Senate District 8. In 2008 I was asked to speak on his
behalf and did so at the Senate District 8 Convention. I 2009 I served as Community
Ambassador and Development Director Freedom Release Reentry Services, helping
formerly incarcerated men end the cycle of recidivism. I met with Bush Administration
Officials in the Veterans Affairs, The Department if Education on behalf of Prisoner Reentry
Programming at the Dallas Conference on Faith Based Initiatives. I worked directly with
Mayor Tom Leppert in lobbying local leaders such as Jack Hammock, Tom Dunning, and
Gary Griffith for help with a new City Dallas Program ultimately named Dallas One-Stop
Optimized Reentry System (DOORS). I have worked as an neighborhood organizer for
Texas Campaign for the environment and lobbied successfully on their behalf in Austin at
the Texas Democratic Convention for the Electronic Recycling Bill HB 2714 when it was still
only a resolution. I have served on the United States Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Public Affairs Committee and I founded the group Operation Helping Hand while I was still
in the United States Navy helping to raise awareness and money for Military Families in
Gulfport, Mississippi.
Q: Education
A: 1986 WT White High School Graduate 1989 Navy Supply School Graduate 1996
Stephen F. Austin State University Graduate BBA Marketing
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: 2003 Dallas City Council Candidate District 2 2007 Dallas Mayoral Candidate (Did not
file for ballot) 2009 Dallas City Council Candidate District 2
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I have raised over $3000 in cash donations and over $8,000 in-kind service donations.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Kelly Warren Barry Curtis Paul Deleshaw
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Yes. I have been arrested in the past I have addressed it publicly. I am not running in
spite of my past I am running because I have overcome it. I am a better man today
because I survived and overcome my past. I have been able to help others from making
the same mistakes I have made. I have founded an organization to help homeless
ex-offender persons and I have helped to found another Prisoner Re-entry program inside
the a local jail to teach life skills to inmates before they exit. I have paid for my mistakes
of the past and I have used the lessons I learned to help me become a better candidate. If
someone is interested in knowing about my past they can Google: Billy MacLeod, Dallas
and it is all there for the world to see.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: It is time for a change at Dallas City Hall. I am a running for Dallas City Council in
District 2 because I want to serve my community. I am looking to give back to my
community who has given back so much to me. Voters should consider me the most
qualified candidate because I have worked tirelessly in District 2 to stand up for what is
right and just. I have stood up and been counted since 2001 to advocate for all residents,
neighborhoods, and business owners in District 2. I have not only done so on streets and in
the neighborhoods of District 2 but also by speaking in front of the City Council itself. I
have spoken over 50 times at Dallas City Hall and I understand how it works. I am a
graduate of W.T. White H.S. which is a DISD school. I received a BBA in Marketing from
Stephen F. Austin State University. I honorably served in the United States Navy for 8
years and I understand, I understand what hard and determination is all about. I have
been a small business owner, a small business consultant, and a vocal community activist.
I have been on the record on issues affecting District 2 and especially for people in need. I
have fought for residents and small business owners in my district on my own time for
over 10 years. I have aligned myself with foundational community groups such as the
Texas Campaign for the Environment and helped start Freedom Release Reentry Services,
an innovative Prisoner Re-entry program in Downtown Dallas. I found that working with
formerly incarcerated men and women and helping them learn the life skills necessary to
re-enter society successfully was some of the most rewarding work I had ever been
involved with. My platform is detailed and it is laid on my website. I believe that I have
been preparing for this job for my whole life and I believe I will be the lone representative
on regular men and women on the Dallas City Council, I am one of us and I will be
working hard for you at Dallas City Hall. My combination of military, business, and
non-profit experiences have prepared me to be a successful Dallas City Councilman. but
more that anything I want to serve my community. My main goal will be to help the
average man and woman have access to and fully understand Dallas City Hall.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I work in the commercial collection industry and I understand the process of collecting
unpaid debt completely. Dallas currently has a half a billion dollars in uncollected fines and
fees on the books. This pool of uncollected debt could be an immediate solution to our
budget difficulties at City Hall. On the very first day in office I would examine the collection
agency contract with the City of Dallas. I will immediately review the portfolio of
$500,000,000 in fines and fees that are on the books and have not been collected and
determine if those accounts can be worked a different way and determine if we could put a
bid out for a secondary agency who specializes in distressed receivables. If we were able
to improve the collection rate on this pool of receivables by only 10% we could raise $50
million dollars. This can be done at no cost to the City of Dallas. I would immediately
examine the buildings, land, and liquid assets Dallas currently owns. I would do this for
two reasons. I have openly advocated that the City of Dallas review its long standing deal
with TXU and bid out a power purchase agreement. I would immediately take steps to
install solar panels on every City Building and on certain city owned land, a deal like this
would not cost the city a penny, in fact it will save the City of Dallas money, it will create
immediate jobs, and it would make Dallas a leader in the green revolution sweeping the
nation. A PPA is a type of solar financing where someone else owns and installs the solar
system on city property but the City of Dallas would receive discounted power of anywhere
from 5 to 10 cents per kilowatt hour and such a plan has the ability to earn money. That
program would also create jobs for Dallas Residents immediately. The discount electricity
rates would save the city millions of dollars so this idea could be implemented at no cost to
the City of Dallas. I would immediately implement a program that would gather a
together a District 2 Residents Council made up of leaders from all across the District and
would immediately start planning creative ways to unite District 2. I would immediately
organize a District 2 picnic and event schedule to introduce the far reaching neighborhoods
to each other. The district is laid out in such a way that District 2 has no identity. I would
immediately take the necessary steps to build a feeling of community and I would do this
from day one after the election is over. There are 6 distinct population centers in District 2
and culturally they are very different.In the past there has been a lack of leadership in this
area of community building and these diverse neighborhoods have never interacted with
each other. The cost of this unifying program would be low and I feel comfortable that
much of the cost would be covered thought sponsoring organizations and associations in
and around the neighborhoods themselves.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have a platform and a plan for District 2 but my opponent sitting high in her office at
Dallas City Hall has neither. I have a detailed and interactive website which people in
District 2 can use to contact me directly and and contribute to the conversation. My
opponent has posted no campaign platform or plan for District for constituents to view or
comment on and no way for them to interact with them on a daily basis. I have
consistently used platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to move messages of information
and inspiration to over 5000 local men, women, and business owners. I have used this
platform and to interact with people in District 2 and to seek their input and guidance on a
daily basis. I have a detailed Linkedin page that details my business background and
connects me with over 1100 solid influencers with whom I interact daily. I have the ability
to use my interactive platform to support my District, they can message me and get a
response back immediately sometimes in seconds. My opponent has no Facebook or
Twitter page by which she can interact with her district, she is badly detached and
disconnected from her constituents and this is refected in her decision making. My
opponent has no Linkedin page by which she can network with local business leaders and
share her background with the public. I am on firmly on the record on almost every issue
affecting Dallas City Government and the needs wants and desires of District 2 residents
and business owners. My opponent never reveals her opinions or reports her activities to
her constituents unless she needs something and in the rare cases she does interact it is
through the mail. My simply not accessible to her constituents. Most disturbing is that my
opponent has taken no position against the voter fraud allegations that have been swirling
around this town regarding the activities of her own family. I am on the record that voter
fraud is a plaque that affects every part of this city. Dallas Morning News reporters cannot
even get a comment on anything of interest from my opponent, in fact "no comment" is
my opponents favorite sentence to the media, and this is totally unacceptable for a public
servant in 2011. I interact with District 2 on a minute to minute basis and I move
information and ideas along at the speed of light using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
Myspace, and Linkedin. I reach out and ask for ideas and suggestions because I admittedly
do not know everything. My opponent is behind the times and I am a part the future. I
pledge to be the most accessible Dallas City Councilman in decades. Dallas City Hall and
District 2 specifically needs a leader like myself with the ability to quickly move a message
and who has the ability to build a coalition with the click of a mouse to get behind it. I
pledge to change the game at Dallas City Hall by using my social working skills and my
access to the media I can get that done better than my opponent.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: These is no question that The City of Dallas is over taxing and under-serving not only
her residents but also local small business owners. The tax rate is one issue but continuing
to add to cumbersome and expensive regulation of area small business owners only makes
the problem worse. Dallas has not been able keep up with the needs, wants and desires of
both their residents and business owners and because of this both people and small
business owners are moving out of the City in droves. Loosing these people and business
owners reduces our base and kills our economy and our spirit. When you add to this
dilemma the poorly managed and operated school system we are in a bad situation at
Dallas City Hall. It is in these tough times Dallas needs a vocal and dynamic leader to be
an ambassador and to inspire people and business to stay.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Dallas has hit at the 3 officer per thousand number but in difficult economic time the
Dallas Police Department must work smarter in allocating resources. I believe that DPD
must continue to hire to replace retiring, resigning and fired officers or the DPD will quickly
fall below the three-officer threshold (if we have not already). I have studied the subject
in detail. I have concluded that there are currently enough officers on the force now to
handle the work load we have. I believe that we can supplement our current force by
recruiting trained officers from other cities instead of starting from scratch, I also believe
that Dallas should allow overtime to cover needed shifts. I believe we need to maintain the
size of our force and since January 1st have lost over a 100 officers this year already, we
need to fill those gaps.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No. We need to improve efficiencies and increase revenue. I have outlined ways to do
that. Dallas has $500 million owed to our City in fines and fees and we have a collection
agency who is not doing their job. I work in that industry and I would light a fire under
them to handle up their business or I would force them to re-bid the deal. If we could
increase our collection percentage of fines and fees by only 10% we could kick that
shortfall right in the face and this is not an ridiculous number, it can be achieved. A second
idea has been floated before but I believe is valid more today than ever. Dallas should
consider going paperless as much as possible, doing so could save the city millions of
dollars immediately. When Dallas Water is sending out bills for 25 cents for residential and
commercial properties that are vacant we loose money. I believe Dallas should look at
temporarily renegotiating some long term tax abatement's and water deals with our
commercial partners, I believe they too need to be good stewards of our City and pay
their portion of the bills for a temporary amount of time. This is a tough coarse to navigate
but it would be an immediate source of funds and we should consider it. I have openly
advocated that the City of Dallas should review its long standing deal with TXU and bid out
a power purchase agreement(PPA)to install solar panels on every City Building and on
certain city owned land. A PPA is a type of solar financing where someone else owns and
installs the solar system on city property but the City of Dallas would receive discounted
power of anywhere from 5 to 10 cents per kilowatt hour and even has the ability to earn
money. That program would also create jobs for Dallas Residents immediately. The
discount electricity rates would save the city millions more. I have gotten creative and
suggested we look at taking 2 cents from each dollar from NTTA tollbooths inside Dallas
City Limits. The NTTA roads pollute our air every day but contribute noting to our
economy. I would at the very least life to force the NTTA to open their books and take a
look at the real numbers. This may require legislation in Austin but I would be willing to
work hard to get NTTA to contribute their 2 cents to our economy. These are all just ideas
and I am not an economics expert, but I do believe there are ways to cut costs without
cutting services. There are also ways to increase revenue immediately to get to the
number we need to be at but we need to get creative. The Dallas City Council needs
someone like myself with a whole different set of skills to add some balance.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: 1)I would help Dallas a "nearly paperless program",this would save the city millions.
2)I would cut Dallas Parking Authority costs by install digital meters across the city. 3)I
would reduce the salaries of top Dallas City Administrator across the board by 5%
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: Based on Army Corps of Engineers reports, the weakest part of the levee is squarely in
District 2. My opponent has had no voice and shown no leadership on this issue. The sitting
Council person agreed with the power brokers and pushed a toll road. The sitting Council
person did not stand up for the safety of the people who live in District 2. I will change
that; I will immediately report back to the district the true state of the levee. I will do
what it takes to build the park. I will reverse the errors of the past and move forward with
bold leadership and bold strokes. Where is the Trinity River Park? As of today the Park is
dead, that project was laid to rest long ago. The Trinity Project is dead thanks to a lack of
leadership in District 2. The powers at City Hall sold the Trinity River Park Project down the
toll road and all we have to show for it is a broken levee system. The worst part is
consultants took most of the money. Now, there is no money to fix it. I will make it a
priority to revive the recreational aspects of the Trinity River Project as part of my
greening initiative. As Dallas City City Councilman in District 2, I will reach out to the
private sector and seek private funding for the project. I will reach out to Austin and
Washington and seek State and Federal dollars. The recreational elements of the Trinity
River project must be brought back to life, the big deception must be reversed. We were
promised a park and some ball fields. I will do everything in my power as a City
Councilman to see it play out like we were promised. I supported the Trinity River Project
as it was laid out to the voters. That included a park with a lake and athletic fields. When it
was originally sold to the voters, the Trinity River Project was going to be a hallmark
recreational project that would rejuvenate the spirit of District 2. When I am elected to
Dallas City Council, I will make sure increasing green spaces and rejuvenating both the
spirit and bank account of District 2 residents will be my number one priority. A large
portion the Trinity River Project is in my district and sadly it has become a national joke.
There are seven miles of the Trinity River in district 2including both designer bridges as
well as the Trinity River Park. The Dallas City Council “sold” a Trinity River Park to Dallas
voters and then replaced that vision with a reality of 10 miles of concrete toll road plans.
Dallas needs a road to relieve congestion in the Downtown Corridor for the future but
placing a toll road inside the levy is not a viable option anymore.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: Dallas needs to be more proactive and less reactive.We need to keep the people who
are already here happy and we need to have a friendly and affordable city which can
people can feel comfortable moving into. The Dallas City Council needs some salesmanship
and because we do have the steak we must sell the sizzle. Dallas needs to be business
friendly and we need better schools. When I talk to CEO’s and CFO’s about their
businesses, I am selling myself, my company, and the City of Dallas. As City Councilman
for District 2 I will build an opportunity pipeline of economic development and
relocation/expansion prospects which I will personally call on. District 2 needs a bold and
dynamic leader like me to get out there to sell the benefits of the City of Dallas. Anyone
can recite statistics, talk about landmarks, or give tours of the Arts District, but at the end
of the day that alone will not get it done. I am going to work on reaching out to corporate
leaders, leverage federal and state resources, as well as develop the talent and
entrepreneurship that already exists within the city and district to attract new tax
producing projects. District 2 represents so many crucial areas of commerce to Dallas
including Stemmons Corridor, The Hospital, District, The Fashion District, The Design
District, American Airlines Center, Victory, The Dallas Convention Center, The Cedars,
Deep Ellum, and the newly rejuvenated Henderson Ave. It also includes many diverse
neighborhoods such as the Oak Lawn neighborhood, Grauwyler Park, Little Mexico and Old
East Dallas. When I am elected I will immediately reach out to leaders at the Dallas
Economic Development team, The Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, all local
Chambers of Commerce, and DowntownDallas.org to identify projects and prospects which
are either on the horizon, currently in the pipeline or those which should be completed and
have not. These people must have confidence in their leaders and see a passion, they must
be inspired and that is what I bring to the table. District 2 and the City of Dallas deserve a
City Councilman who can make the contacts, establish the relationships, and who can close
the deal. It takes bold action and dynamic leadership to ensure these changes will happen.
It is essential that I partner with other organizations who share this vision. My education
and experience make me the preferred candidate. I have my degree in business
administration, successfully served in the United States Navy, and have owned several
small businesses. We need someone who can be engaging but convincing, someone who
can get the appointment and the commitment, and I am that type of leader. I live in
South Side on Lamar, and Mathews Southwest is a shining example of how an organization
can develop an entire community. Jack Mathews and Mathews Southwest has attracted and
invested in prime economic development, most recently they announced the NYLO Hotel
project. He has created new retail where there was none and with every new project his
hard work has increased sales tax revenue it here in the Cedars. I plan to follow his lead. I
believe it is the redevelopment of our existing neighborhoods which is the answer in tough
economic times. I will seek his advice and the advice of others in the Dallas business
community to find creative ways to increase sales tax revenue throughout the many
diverse areas of District 2. He was wise in using federal Community Development Block
Grant money to fund this project and I will look for similar opportunities when I am
elected.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: The City of Dallas is lacking in every area where customer service is a necessary. There
is no City Service that I can mention here at which Dallas is exceptional. Dallas Parks
should be beautiful places for family's to visit but the City of Dallas has put them on the
chopping block. Once a week trash pick up is a failure in areas of District 2 where multiple
family members live in the same home. When trash piles up in Old East Dallas and in the
Grauwyler Park neighborhoods it becomes a health hazard very quickly. Dallas residents
deserve better. Recent news reports state that Dallas Water Utilities has one of the most
concentrated levels of fluoride in the country. According to the handbook, Clinical
Toxicology of Commercial Products, fluoride is more poisonous than lead and just slightly
less poisonous than arsenic. It is a cumulative poison that accumulates in bone over the
years and Dallas has known this for years. This is unacceptable. Finally Dallas code
enforcement has become an enforcer and profit center not a change agent. There is
nothing good to report at Dallas City Hall and when I get to Dallas City Hall I will focus on
implementing a Customer Service focus withing all departments. One idea I do have is
that Dallas should offer recycling services to multi-family residential communities. Dallas
Could show a profit if this program is done right and we could also show our residents that
we believe in a Greener Dallas.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: We are loosing or tax base. Less rundown buildings and more green spaces create
environments where families and businesses want to grow will retail and attract more
young families. When government and business work together, great things can happen. I
would like to work with developers, REALTORS, business owners, and residents in planning
and executing more housing plans where federal funds are used to revitalize blighted areas
of the city and bring new life. This type of public/private collaboration will be the hallmark
of my time spent on the Dallas City Council.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: This is a tricky question. I found out online that giving a density number for an entire
county is WAY too broad. I found that you need to look at individual zip codes and
neighborhoods. The numbers I looked at from the U.S. Census Bureau are from 2000, so
areas like Uptown and Downtown have increased dramatically since the last census was
taken, but even in 2000, there were at least 4 zip codes in Dallas with 10,000 people per
square mile: 75206, 75231, 75219, 75246. That number is too high for residential
developments. A believe a good model for growth is the Uptown Dallas area and Midway
at Frankford area. These two areas had around 8,000 people per square mile in 2000. I
would defer to the experts but I am in favor of a density somewhere between these and
the Highland Park area which had 5,300.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: I have studied the Downtown 360 plan and I believe it is a good vision to transform
these streets to places where people want to be seen, where they want to eat, where they
want to shop, where they want to walk, where they feel safe, where they feel
comfortable.believe there needs to be more communication between the Dallas City
Council, downtown residents, and its business owners. Simply put, I plan to knock down
the brick wall that currently exists between real people and their local government. I have
the proven networking and leadership experience. I have plenty of energy in the tank and
I have the long term vision to make District 2 and downtown Dallas better place to live
work and play.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Immigration policy is a national issue and Federal and State responsibility. To bring this
issue into Dallas would only add another unfunded mandate on our balance sheet. That
being said it is a real issue in District 2 which by some estimates has as many as 100,000
undocumented aliens living amongst our residents. I believe a leader like myself at Dallas
City Hall can shine a light on the subject of illegal immigration and how it affects our city at
the street level.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: Southern Dallas is the size of Atlanta GA and needs vocal and dynamic leadership to
help bring investors into the area to develop it properly. Organization like The Southern
Dallas Development Corporation helps offer small business loans, they provide fixed-
interest rate, the allow term loans for permanent working capital, machinery, equipment,
and they advocate commercial real estate acquisition and development. District 2
specifically needs a Dallas City Councilman who can talk to promote organizations like The
Southern Dallas Development Corporation and communicate their services to potential
developers. Southern Dallas needs regular person who will listen and who will lead without
any ulterior motives. My experience in the private sector and my ability to communicate
with a business mind makes me a superior candidate. And when I am elected, I will bring
this leadership style to the Dallas City Council.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I am in favor of the concept of a public-private economic development corporation but it
will need strict oversight. DowntownDallas.Org is already functioning like a economic
development corporation but they do this with very little oversight and they like it that
way. They offer marketing, networking, safety patrols, and street cleaning services in
Downtown. I would advocate a board or commission be formed to oversee the operation
of such an entity and ask for complete transparency from day one..
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: Yes, I believe the plan to redevelop West Dallas can and should be duplicated. I believe
a good place to start would be in The Cedars just South of Downtown Dallas. The Cedars is
the largest undeveloped piece of land near Downtown Dallas and brings with it the most
spectacular view of Downtown Dallas available in the city. The land is still affordable and it
is also designated as a Federal HUB Zone which brings with it some distinct advantages.
HUB Zones are designated as by the Federal Government as underutilized business zones
which get front of the line privileges whereas it concerns loans and grants. Jack Mathews of
Mathews Southwest has already started the transition but District 2 needs a vocal and
dynamic leader to move such a plan forward and I have the perfect skill set and the
relationships to get the job done.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: I am a United States Navy Veteran who honorably served with the US Navy Seabees in
the first Gulf was in Desert Shield. I also aboard the Guided Missile Cruiser CG-61 USS
Monterrey and traveled throughout the Mediterranean and was the first US Navy Warship
to enter into the Black Sea since World War II. I was also a boxer and I played rugby
competitively for the United States Navy. I proudly served our Country in 14 countries and
I received a Coast Guard Commendation Medal for Hurricane relief work in Puerto Rico
after Hurricane Hugo devastated the island territory. I am very proud of my military
service and wish more people knew about it. The fact is that I was raised by a single
Mother and money was always tight. I attended Stephen F. Austin directly out of High
School but I simply did not have the money to cover my costs. I chose to join the Navy. My
Navy experience is extremely valuable in many ways but it allowed me to complete my
college education. My boxing training in the US Navy got me polished and I ended up being
a two-time Boxing Champion when I returned back to Stephen F. Austin after my active
duty service was completed.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Dallas residents that blatant voter fraud determines many Dallas elections and this is
possible because of the lack of voter participation by or residents. There has been a small
number of people who have controlled Dallas elections and these people have run them
from a position of power acquired on the back of the elderly and the poor. This obvious
and systematic abuse of power and influence has contributed to the current perception of
Dallas as a politically corrupt city. Currently there ongoing investigations and a grand jury
has already indicted one member of the Medrano family for felony vote fraud. This
indictment has shown that ground zero for the fraud resides squarely within District 2. This
has to end and I plan to fight vote fraud at every corner by shining a spotlight on it. I
advocate moving the local municipal election out of the dark closet it has been in and back
into the light of day. Dallas has always held it elections away from all others and I believe
it is time to get back with the November elections cycle. There currently is legislation in
Austin that will move towards this end and I will lobby for the passage of this bill. Dallas
voters must have confidence that elections are free and fair and I will be their champion on
the inside of Dallas City Hall.
Pauline Medrano
Biographical Info:
Name: Pauline Medrano
Street Address: 2346 Douglas Ave
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 16, 1953
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (214) 528-7808
Home Phone Number: (214) 528-7808
Mobile Phone Number: (214) 923 2781
Fax Number: (214) 526-1480
E-mail Address: paulinemedrano@sbcglobal.net
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: I am a Life long resident of Dallas.
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: I am a Life long resident of District 2.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Dallas City Council
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I currently serve as our city’s Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. I serve as Chair of the Quality of
Life Committee and serve on the Transportation & Environment, Housing, and Trinity River
Corridor Project Committees. I also serve on the Regional Transportation Council.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have served 6 years on the Dallas City Council as a full time council representative for
District 2.
Q: Education
A: Graduate of DISD, Skyline High School 1972 Bachelor of Arts, University of Texas @
Arlington 1976
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: none
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $18,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Frank Ashmore, Sr Dr. Chad Park Metrotex Association of Realtors
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I have over 26 years of experience serving our city and the district I love. I have a
knowledge of the district and a commitment to its residents that is unmatched by my
opponent. I am running for re-election to use my experience to provide the highest quality
of representation for the people of District 2 and to be a strong advocate for their interests
and concerns. I have served for 6 years as full-time representative for District 2 on the
Dallas City Council. I have worked with the people in my district and with its community
and neighborhood leaders. This knowledge and understanding of the district and my
experience at City Hall best prepares me to serve our district and our city.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I would use the relationships and partnerships I have worked to build in the private
sector to continue the revitalization of our intercity neighborhoods and to provide for more
opportunities and jobs in the district. As someone who has a life time commitment to
education, I would like to help lead our city to do more to support and promote our Dallas
Public Schools. The involvement of residents to help prevent and report crime has been
an important component to bringing the crime rate down in Dallas. I worked with our
police to implement the 10-70-20 program in District 2, walking door to door with the
police to help educate residents and enlist their help to prevent and report crime. I would
work with city leaders and the police to implement the program citywide and would like to
offer my experiences and leadership to expand this important program to other parts of
our city.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have over 26 years of experience and dedication to District 2 and our city. My
opponent has no record of service to the district or the city.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: Dallas has a competitive tax rate with cities of its size in Texas and across the country.
Our city provides services and amenities not found in smaller cities. I do think the citizens
of Dallas are getting a good value for their tax dollars but we should always be looking for
ways to get more bang for our buck, and as a council representative, I will continue to
work to keep our tax rate low and work to provide the greatest value possible for our tax
dollars.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: I would look at resuming the effort if needed but currently we are exceeding our goals.
We have a goal of 3 officers per 1000 residents and we currently have 3.04 officers per
thousand residents. Our goal for emergency response is 8 minutes and we are currently
exceeding that goal with an average response time of 6 minutes. We have seen a drop in
crime by 10% citywide. I support our current policies but would consider changes if Chief
Brown recommended them.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No. I will work with our mayor, council and the city staff to make sure we have a budget
that doesn’t raise taxes that responsible civic leaders can embrace.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: I would like to reduce spending on outside consultants and outside attorney fees, and
cut incentives to companies that do not offer their employees a living wage or benefits.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: Flood protection for our city has always been the priority for the project. We should add
other parts of the project as funds become available to do so.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: We should do more to promote our city and our schools.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: We have done an excellent job in reducing crime. We need to do more to promote our
city and our exemplary and blue ribbon schools.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: We need to do better. We need to do more to promote our city and our public school to
attract residents to our city.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: We have a density goal of 10,000 residents for the Central Business District (CBD) and
we currently have 7500 residents. We need to continue to build density in the CBD until we
have reached our goals. We also need to work to bring higher density to our city’s
transportation corridors to encourage the use of public transportation.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: Reform our approach to parking downtown and modernize our parking meters to be
more user friendly and more accommodating to visitors.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: This is a federal issue and there are no funds available to address this issue locally.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: We need to work to create educational opportunities and jobs in the southern sector. We
also need mixed income housing and improved transportation. I will continue to work for
those goals.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I would be supportive.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: The City Design Studio is an effort between the public and the private sector that has
earned success by working with all of the stakeholders to create solutions for residents and
businesses. We should look at using this type of collaborative effort to revitalize other inner
city neighborhoods.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: I wish more non-Dallas residents knew about the gains we have made in public
education.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Dallas currently has a shrinking tax base. I am committed to reversing this trend so we
can lower the tax burden on our Dallas residents.
Scott T. Griggs
Biographical Info:
Name: Scott Griggs
Street Address: 1803 Marydale Road
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 12/13/1974
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-695-7471
Home Phone Number: 214-695-7471
Mobile Phone Number: 214-695-7471
Fax Number: N/A
E-mail Address: scott@griggsfordallas.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.griggsfordallas.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 34 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 9 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Attorney, Partner at Griggs Bergen LLP
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Board of Directors & Executive Committee, Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce; Past
President, Fort Worth Avenue Development Group; Board of Directors, North Texas
Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism; and Advisory Member, Board of Directors,
The Kessler School.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Board of Directors & Executive Committee, Oak Cliff Transit Authority; Vice President &
Two-term President, Fort Worth Avenue Development Group; City of Dallas Appointee,
Reinvestment Zone 15 – Fort Worth Avenue Tax Increment Finance District; City of Dallas
Appointee, Fort Worth Avenue Tax Increment Finance District Design Review Committee;
Member/Alternate Member, City of Dallas Board of Adjustment; Managing Member,
Citizens for Responsible Beverage Sales LLC; and President, Stevens Park Estates
Neighborhood Association. My accomplishments include: • Passage of Fort Worth Avenue
Tax Increment Finance District (2007) • Reducing crime by closing Passions Sports Bar
(2009) • Protecting our neighborhoods by preventing the widening of Sylvan and Beckley
to 8 lanes (2010) • Returning the streetcar to the Southern Sector and winning the TIGER
grant as part of the Oak Cliff Transit Authority (2010) • Fighting for the equitable
distribution of subsidized housing throughout the City of Dallas and related changes to City
Permanent Supportive Housing policy (2010)
Q: Education
A: J.D., University of Texas (Austin, Texas) B.A. Chemistry, Texas A&M University (College
Station, Texas)
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I have raised over $30,000 for my campaign.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: My top three contributors are the Dallas Police Association, Susan & Woody Gandy, and
Lena Liles.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Yes. During my freshman year of college, I was arrested by Texas A&M University
campus police for trespass and given probation.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I am running for office to give all residents of District 3 – West Dallas, Mountain
Creek/The Woods, and Oak Cliff – a voice and representation on City Council. I have a
personal and professional background of being vested in District 3 as a homeowner,
property owner, small business owner in the Bishop Arts District, and attorney. I have a
record of community and civic service on non-profit boards and City boards and
commissions. I am going to use my experience as an accredited New Urbanist, president
of the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group, and former board member of the Board of
Adjustment and Forth Worth Avenue TIF Board to bring about economic development to
expand the tax base and increase sales tax revenue. I will implement infrastructure,
economic development, and housing policies that create a livable city and benefit those
that live, work, or attend school in Dallas.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Once elected, I will (1) re-establish trust with the residents of District 3 through regular
town hall meetings and responsive communication; (2) push for a moratorium on
dangerous gas drilling; and (3) push for a more market-based economic development
policy.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Trust is the difference that makes me the better choice. I am the trusted candidate and
leader who takes a position and communicates that position to the community and
developers. I am the trusted candidate and leader who responds to telephone calls and
communications. I am the candidate and leader that is responsible and can be trusted to
manage taxpayer money.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: Dallas residents are not getting sufficient band for their buck. Dallas residents are
paying too much in taxes for too little services. In the last decade, the City of Dallas
population increased by less than percent while we saw a continued migration to the
Richardson Independent School District and Duncanville Independent School District areas.
In the next decade, we need to attract more residents by making our city more livable.
Quality of life issues – schools, streets, libraries, parks, rec centers, and the arts – need to
be priorities.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Budget concerns must be prioritized and balanced. The goal for the City of Dallas is 3
officers per 1,000 residents and an emergency response time of less than 8 minutes/call.
We presently have 3.04 officers per 1,000 residents and are meeting our emergency
response time. Our goal is currently met and additional officers should be added as
recommended by the Dallas Police Department and Public Safety Committee.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No. We must look for alternatives. One tool we haven’t used yet is zero-based
budgeting (as opposed to our traditional budgeting). Zero-based budgeting often leads to
an efficient allocation of resources, drives management to identify cost effective ways to
improve operations, and eliminates waste. We must consider implementing zero-based
budgeting.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: We need to lower spending by reducing reliance on outside consultants, reforming the
in-house counsel/outside counsel ratio, and reducing reliance on financial incentives to spur
economic development.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: With respect to priorities, flood control is the foremost priority of the Trinity River
Corridor Project. Our levees must be unquestionably safe to protect lives in West Dallas
and over $6 billion in tax base on the downtown side of the levees. Beyond upgrading the
levees, correcting S.M. Wrights’ “Dead man’s curve” must be the top priority. S.M. Wright
should be transformed into a multi-way boulevard to bring about economic development.
Funding should be obtained through TXDOT, bond packages, as well as private donations.
Other parts of the project should be prioritized based on ability to withstand a flood within
the levees, time to completion, and everyday use. Those amenities that can withstand a
flood within the levees, may be completed quickly, and used by people everyday should be
built first. Additionally, we need to ensure that the water in the Trinity River is suitable for
recreational contact by identifying any upstream polluters and aggressively ending
pollution. The toll road remains unfunded and currently is not economically feasible. The
cost is approaching $2 billion for the 10-mile toll road.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: To spur economic development and grow our tax base, we must expand our economic
development models for Dallas. Dallas has traditionally used two models: (1) development
along new roadways (e.g., highways, tollways, and large arterials); and (2) a cycle of
allowing existing uses to deteriorate, razing the building once obsolescence is reached,
rezoning, and adding financial incentives (tax abatements, TIFs, MMDs, etc.). As we
approach build-out as a city, we must have additional approaches to economic
development that allow more market paths and means for return on investment: (A) clean
the Dallas Development Code; (B) adaptive re-use through the development of
equivalencies; (C) temporary zoning; (D) infrastructure-driven latent market activation;
(E) neighborhood stabilization through proportional infrastructure spending; and (F) multi-
purpose infrastructure. (A) Clean the Code. The Dallas Development Code is bloated and
over regulates the market. Whole sections of the Dallas Development Code haven’t been
revisited since 1941, when the DDC was first compiled. I will advocate an overhaul of the
Dallas Development Code instead of only passing additional ordinances. (B)
Equivalencies. The Dallas Development Code is overly restrictive and usually prescribes
only way to achieve an end. Choice needs to be introduced into the market through
equivalencies. By way of example, Jack’s Backyard on West Commerce was blocked from
opening because there was no parking. Parking was only defined in the Dallas
Development Code as impermeable (i.e., cement) spaces. The storm water management
system around Jack’s Backyard cannot support additional runoff as it has not been
upgraded since World War II. The City’s solution was for Jack’s Backyard to spend millions
on a new storm water management system. This was not economically feasible. As
president of the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group, we imported best practices from
other cities, and proposed an equivalency to an impermeable parking space: a permeable
parking space that would handle cars as well as not stress the storm water management
system. As a result, Jack’s Backyard was able to open. The practice of equivalencies is
common in other cities, such as Vancouver and in parts of revitalized New Jersey, and
should be brought here as a best practice. (C) Temporary Zoning. I support the creation of
temporary zoning ordinances that permit a developer or other user to have a use for 1 or
5 years, for example, without sacrificing the underlying zoning. This and the other
recommendations presented in these responses are focused on creating choice for
developers in the marketplace and providing more than one mechanism for monetization
of property and investment. (D) Infrastructure-driven Latent Market Activation. I will
encourage and include small infrastructure projects “between the buildings” that benefit
people that live and work in a community. Dallas presently has a limited approach to new
infrastructure, which is new and improved infrastructure must follow new development. I
support infrastructure-driven redevelopment as well that unlocks latent market potential.
One example is the Bishop Arts District. (E) Neighborhood Stabilization through
Proportional Infrastructure Spending. Successful economic development follows
stabilization of existing neighborhoods. Large infrastructure expenditures should be
stepped-down and connected to neighborhood level infrastructure projects, particularly in
the Southern Sector where a focus is stabilizing existing single family neighborhoods and
bringing econmic development. By way of example, the first Calatrava bridge ($120
million) is being built adjacent to the La Bajada neighborhood. As part of this project, a
deck park is also being built on the soon-to-be decommissioned Continental Bridge ($10
million). The residents of La Bajada say that they didn’t ask for a $120 million bridge or
$10 million deck park. The residents need a neighborhood park upgraded, an internal
street repaired, and a community-center roof rebuilt. Infrastructure spending should be
proportional such that when a $120 million bridge and $10 million deck park are built
adjacent to a neighborhood, a small amount of money (e.g., $500,000 - $1,000,000) is
reserved for neighborhood level improvements that stabilize the existing neighborhood
and encourage neighborhood buy-in by demonstrating city buy-in of the neighborhood.
(F) Multi-purpose Infrastructure. The most successful DISD-City of Dallas projects are the
multi-purpose libraries at Arcadia Park and Hampton/Illinois. I will bring about more multi-
purpose structures and projects, including advocating for multi-purpose parking lots that
can serve the school during the day and retail during the evenings/weekends. Such multi-
purpose structures reduce costs and increase use while improving the good will between
DISD and the City. Future multi-purpose possibilities include the new parking lot at
Adamson High School near Jefferson Blvd, a corridor in need of parking on the
evenings/weekends.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Currently Dallas excelling in crime reduction. We need to improve building permitting
and inspection. Presently, a building permit takes 3-4 months to secure and a rezoning
case may take 9 months. Even with recent fee increases, the City of Dallas is not providing
an adequate, much less competitive, level of service. This is unacceptable. Our level of
service and staffing are completely within our control and as one of the largest cities in the
United States, we should be the best. Monies need to be immediately appropriated – and,
if need be, from the general fund or other funds – to return and maintain our city at a
competitive level of service.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: It is very bad that the City of Dallas population grew by less than 1% in the last decade.
The number one challenge for the City of Dallas in the next decade is to increase its
population while increasing the quality of life. Quality of life issues – schools, streets,
libraries, parks, rec centers, and the arts – need to be priorities. We must increase the
number of residents to grow our tax base.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Within the core and inside Loop 12, higher targeted density must be developed.
Mixed-use residential or commercial areas that maximize access to public transport and
incorporate features to encourage transit ridership are critical to alleviating transportation
congestion and providing mixed income neighborhoods with higher targeted density. We
must achieve higher levels of targeted density by recognizing the relationship between
land use and transportation and fully leveraging Transit Oriented Developments (TODs).
To date, Dallas has not fully leveraged TODs. By way of example, both the Hampton and
Corinth DART light rail stations (each $100 million or more in infrastructure) are
surrounded by parking lots without sufficient housing density or retail within walking
distance. Better land use and transportation planning is required to leverage most public
transport facilities into TODs.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: One action we can take to jumpstart the revitalization is to revise the Dallas
Development Code and remove self-imposed obstacles to livability and economic
development. Much of the Dallas Development Code hasn’t been reviewed since 1941 and
the ordinances are outdated.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Immigration is a federal issue and financial burden. The city and police department
should continue the current policies that recognize immigration as a federal issue.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: The City of Dallas should make it a priority to advocate for new state and federal
housing policies which remove the bias of placing the lion’s share of subsidized housing in
the Southern Sector. A strong correlation exists between mixed-income neighborhoods and
successful schools, as well as economic development. I will advocate at the state and
federal level for legislation to remove large-acre, low income Land Use Restriction
Agreements (LURAs). The Southern Sector contains too many large-acre, low income
LURAs that do not permit the creation of mixed-income neighborhoods. By way of
example, in District 3, a 40-acre LURA blocks the redevelopment of the apartments around
Wynnewood shopping center, and by extension the Wynnewood shopping center. The City
has a difficult choice with the existing deteriorating apartments: (1) allow new low-income
units to be built and extend the LURA; or (2) continue to allow the existing low-income
apartments to deteriorate. Such large-acre, low income LURAs should be removed to allow
the development of mixed-income neighborhoods and activate the Southern Sector. I will
also advocate at the state and federal level for legislation to remove the requirement that
certain financing programs (e.g., LIHTCs) for low income tax credit housing be used only in
low income census tracts. Such programs often perpetuate a legacy of concentrated low
income housing.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I support the creation of a public-private economic development corporation. Many of
our neighboring suburbs have economic development corporations and have used this tool
to spur economic development. We need to advocate at the state level for local options
that could help fund an economic development corporation in Dallas.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: The City Design Studio effort can be replicated by enhancing the public-private
partnership that funds the City Design Studio and encouraging more private donations.
Good design has a public benefit and additional donations for the City Design Studio should
be solicited. We should start replicating the success of the City Design Studio to the west
and south in the Southern Sector.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: The best under-publicized thing is the success of organic development in Oak Cliff and
the small investment by the City of Dallas that helped catalyze this organic development.
Small investments that benefit people that live and work in a community can be very
successful. Ten years ago, $2.6 million was invested in the Bishop Arts District, which was
worth $1.7 million, according to the Dallas County Appraisal District, at the time. The $2.6
million was spent in between the buildings on water improvements, parallel parking, street
trees, and wider sidewalks. Money was only spent on improvements that can be enjoyed
by people that live and work in the community. Today, the same area of land is worth $6.2
million, which represents a 13% growth per year. Additionally, for some establishments,
Dallas now collects more sales tax in one Saturday night than previously in an entire year.
The Bishop Arts District was not an accident, but rather a success story waiting to be
repeated.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is that our schools are not where they need to be despite large
gains and big successes. Good schools are the number one attraction to residents and we
must all continue to work to improve DISD. If our schools are not where they need to be in
the next decade, then there is a very real possibility that the City of Dallas will lose
population and begin a decline marked by an ever increasing tax burden on the residents.
Dave Neumann
Biographical Info:
Name: Dave Neumann
Street Address: 1031 North Winnetka Avenue
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 02/01/1960
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-670-0776
Fax Number: 214-670-1833
E-mail Address: dave@daveneumann.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.daveneumann.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 29 Years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 9 Years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Dallas City Councilman General Partner of IJN/CJN Investments, Ltd., a small business
that owns and operates commercial property.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Dallas City Council: • Chairman, Trinity River Corridor Project Committee • Member –
Budget, Finance, & Audit Committee • Member – Quality of Life Committee • Member –
Public Safety Committee • Member – Legislative Affairs Committee Other: • Board of
Trustees, Dallas Police and Fire Pension System • Board of Directors, Oak Cliff Chamber of
Commerce • Oak Cliff Lions Club • DBU-Oak Cliff Partnership • Methodist Health System
Community Council • Dallas Breakfast Group
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: • Vice Chairman, Dallas City Plan & Zoning Commission • Chairman, Dallas Zoning
Ordinance Advisory Committee • Chairman, Stemmons Corridor Business Association •
Chairman, North Oak Cliff Weed & Seed Initiative • Board of Directors, Trinity Commons
Foundation • Board of Directors, Dallas Friday Group • Board of Directors, Greater Dallas
Planning Council • Board of Trustees, First Baptist Academy • Treasurer, Kessler Neighbors
United • Board of Adjustment, City of Dallas • Vice President, Dallas Apparel Mart Board
of Governors • Treasurer, Dallas Apparel Manufacturer’s Association
Q: Education
A: B.S. 1982, Business-Finance, Indiana University
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $110,000 for this campaign cycle
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Metrotex Association of Realtors PAC Apartment Association of Greater Dallas PAC Rick
Garza
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Never arrested. As former President & CEO of F.L. Malik, Inc., the company filed
criminal and civil charges against an employee. The employee pled guilty and is now
serving 12 years in prison.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I am running for re-election as a Dallas City Councilman because I sincerely enjoy
working with people to bring them together to solve issues for our neighborhoods and our
City. I want to continue our positive impact on the Quality of Life for the citizens in my
District 3 and our City of Dallas. I am the most qualified candidate because of our proven
track record of achieving results over the last four years for my District and the City of
Dallas: Economic Development and Job Creation through public/private partnerships,
Reduced Crime (15% for District 3 vs. 10% for City), and successfully empowering
neighborhoods through their elected leaders to resolve unique and common issues. My
leadership for the City has been focused as the Chairman of the Trinity River Corridor
Project. We have successfully achieved tangible results of keeping the project moving
forward despite known and unknown challenges. While still ensuring our #1 goal of flood
protection, we have also been able to move forward on signature bridges, the Trinity River
Audubon Center, and the planning for trails and lakes between levees. Under my
leadership, the Trinity River Corridor Project has rallied local, state and national
stakeholders to address critical issues including flood control, transportation, and
recreation along the banks of the Trinity River. My 20+ years of owning and operating a
small business has prepared me to approach the role of a City Councilman with the right
balance of business sense yet care and compassion for our citizens.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1) Ensure the Financial Integrity of the City by adopting a balanced budget based on
reasonable revenue assumptions and strict cost controls. 2) Strengthen the beat police
patrol policy to ensure maximum visibility and accessibility of Dallas police Department
officers within residential neighborhoods. 3) Broaden the public/private partnership
program where economic development projects create catalysts for private investment
and new job growth.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: -I have a consistent track record of positive leadership and inclusion for all parts of my
District. -I am an advocate for key economic development catalyst projects for our City:
Convention Center Hotel and Trinity River Corridor Project. -I have demonstrated my
leadership through inclusion of citizen input prior to a final decision or recommendation has
been made instead of making a unilateral decision without feedback.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: As a Councilman, it is our responsibility to constantly question the allocation of
resources to meet the changing expectations of citizens and their tax dollars. Several
years ago, the emphasis was on spending additional funds in order to improve public
safety. Tax revenues that have been collected from citizens and spent on public safety have
indeed been well spent. The city has now enjoyed multiple year reductions in crime,
particularly homicide. In last years budget discussion, the City was successful in
reallocating health-related services to the County without a significant gap in coverage for
citizens. Full cost recovery in the form of fees for services utilized needs to be further
explored in order to ensure that the City's scarce general fund revenue is not
mis-allocated.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: The city has been successful in reducing crime over multiple years due to our
commitment to three officers per thousand and the reallocation of patrol officers into
neighborhood beat patrols. Given the budget shortfall, the city should carefully look at
hiring only for attrition to maintain the current staffing level.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: -Review all city departments to identify the feasibility of combining departments and
functions in order to save overhead and reduce layers of management and support.
-Review debt obligations to determine feasibility of refinancing medium and long-term
debt to achieve interest rate margin savings given the historically low interest rates.
-Consider outsourcing some departments or functions to achieve savings while maintaining
sufficient control, i.e. auto pound and equipment and building services.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: I am pleased that as Chairman of the Trinity River Corridor Project Committee that we
have successfully marshalled the Corps of Engineers to tentatively accept our levee
remediation plan and remove the threat of FEMA remapping of adjacent property owners.
Beyond upgrading the levees, our focus needs to be to expedite our bridges: Margaret
Hunt Hill Bridge, Margaret McDermott bridge and the Sylvan bridge. Funding for all of the
these bridges is being drawn from federal and state sources and from private donations.
The construction and utilization of these bridges will assuredly spark community interest,
access, and investment in the greater Trinity River Corridor Project. Secondly, the City
needs to move forward assertively with the interconnection of trails in and through the
Trinity to complete our Master Trail System. The Trinity Parkway needs to be evaluated
for its financial viability after we obtain the Environmental Impact Study.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: We need to prioritize the creation of public/private partnerships that create catalyst
projects in areas of the city where "but for" the taxpayers involvement the surrounding
property values would not increase. These projects have proven to provide a multiple tax
base impact.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: The city has done an excellent job in introducing and converting to One Day Dallas. We
have lowered the sanitation rate now two years in a row based on savings from the
recycling program. Neighborhood beat patrol as adopted by the City Council in 2007, has
generated successive years of reduction in crime. The city needs to always be looking to
bring in private sector expertise to review its municipal services so as to adopt efficiencies
and cost effectiveness from the private sector to a public environment.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: I am pleased that my District 3 showed the largest increase of residents in our City of
Dallas. Residents are voting with their feet and their pocket book because the quality of
life is improving. It is disconcerting to see the city's growth only by 1% when the State of
Texas grew by 20%. Dallas needs to sharpen its competitiveness to lure more companies
and jobs to invest here further strengthening neighborhoods.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: The change in density throughout our City needs to be carefully managed to not
de-stabilize single family neighborhoods. We need to properly inform homeowners as to
the long-term necessity of increased density as we literally run out of undeveloped land in
our center city. Successful increases in density allow for residents to live, work, and play
in closer proximity.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: The city needs to leverage development opportunities with the creation of the Woodall
Rogers Deck Park. An example would be to focus on catalyst projects similar to the
Mercantile, Main Street Gardens, and the conversion of Old City Hall to the UNT Law
school.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Illegal immigration is a matter for the federal government.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: Quality of Life is measured by a homeowner or a commercial property owner's "feeling"
of whether they feel safe, clean, and secure in their respective neighborhoods. The city
should redouble its efforts to make sure the residential and commercial corridors and
neighborhoods are safe, clean, and secure to retain property owners and lure new
property owners to the southern half of the City. Continued investments in public/private
partnerships that realize a multiple effect in private investments and jobs is critical.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I agree. Catalyst projects funded by private/public partnerships have proven to be
successful throughout our city.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: The success of the CityDesign Studio within West Dallas was based on a carefully
calculated balance of design creativity and community involvement and feedback. This
neighborhood "buy-in" while pressing the envelope needs to be replicated in other areas of
the city that are at-risk in a downward spiral of their quality of life.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: Dallas has proven to be a "can-do" city that is resilient to economic downturns and
challenges known and unknown. The success in turning around our Trinity levees, the
building of our Convention Center Hotel to attract and protect our Convention and Visitors
business, the creation of an International Airport at DFW, build an Arts District, and the
investment in DART all prove that Dallas has the resiliency to do business, have a family,
and be a city that you can be proud of. Dallas has and will continue to be an International
city and weather economic downturns.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Still today, race relations are unsettled when dealing with a controversial issue. Too
often votes or issues are decided along racial lines. We collectively need to work together
as leaders to bridge this gap so that we can over time convince citizens that Dallas can be
one city....not quietly divided. We are making progress. Economic Development and Jobs
are the great equalizer.
Monica Alonzo
Biographical Info:
Name: Monica R. Alonzo
Street Address: P.O. Box 4126
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 03-13-65
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-207-6762
Home Phone Number: 214-207-6762
Mobile Phone Number: 214-207-6762
Fax Number: n/a
E-mail Address: monica@monicaalonzo.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.MonicaAlonzo.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 22 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 1 year
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Community Volunteer
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Former Member, Dallas Parks and Recreation Board • Chairperson, Planning and Design
Committee Former Board Member, Sundown Community Corp. 1st Vice President, Council
of CatholicWomen Advisory Council Member, St. Cecilia Catholic School Member, Oak Cliff
Coalition for the Arts Volunteer for: • Southwest Voter Registration & Education Project • “A
Senior Celebration” •Weatherization Assistance Program • Girl Scout Troop Leader • Carter
BloodCare • St. Joseph Guild • “Unlock Your Vote” • “Ya Es Hora”
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Former Member, Dallas Parks and Recreation Board • Chairperson, Planning and Design
Committee Former Board Member, Sundown Community Corp. 1st Vice President, Council
of CatholicWomen Advisory Council Member, St. Cecilia Catholic School Member, Oak Cliff
Coalition for the Arts Volunteer for: • Southwest Voter Registration & Education Project • “A
Senior Celebration” •Weatherization Assistance Program • Girl Scout Troop Leader • Carter
BloodCare • St. Joseph Guild • “Unlock Your Vote” • “Ya Es Hora”
Q: Education
A: UT Austin Del Mar College Mt. View College Crystal City H.S.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Precinct Chair Election Judge State Democratic Executive Committeewoman - S.D. 23
Board Member - Dallas Park and Recreation Board of Directors
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: close to $40,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: 1. Although I have good financial support across the District and the city, the
contribution I received from my neighbor ($10 money order), tops my list of
contributors....people support! 2. Roberto R. Alonzo 3. Amanda Moreno Cross
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I have worked on and helped to resolve many issues affecting our neighborhoods in
diverse communities in District 6 and throughout Dallas. Because of my varied experience,
I am ready to provide active, approachable and responsive leadership on the Dallas City
Council for both District 6 and all of Dallas….leadership that will assist in moving the city of
Dallas in a positive, progressive manner. My knowledge, experience and ability to create
good working relationships are what best prepare me to serve in this post.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1)Open Communication - I would continue to communicate with the residents of the
district as well as the business community to inform them of the services this beautiful city
provides, have monthly meetings to have continued communication, and have an open
door policy. 2)Infrastructure - work with the community to seek input for a 2012 bond
program and talk about needs in the district. 3)Economic Development - work with the
business community to bring development and jobs to the district. Accomplishing these 3
actions would be at no extra cost.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I bring Knowledge, Experience and the Ability to build positive, working relationships
with people.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: No, I do not believe the residents are getting sufficient bang for their tax dollars;
However, I believe in prioritizing services for Dallas residents and placing all funding
opportunities on the table.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: I would put this issue on the table as I don't want for Dallas to be the #1 crime city,
again. I would also work with the Police Chief to understand priorities, support maintaining
pensions for police and firefighters, and offer incentives for them to stay and not go
same District 6 as it is presently, especially the Northwest corridor - Asian Trade District.
Another area that has tremendous potential and needs strong support is the Fair Park
area.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: I would like everyone to know that the City of Dallas has the BEST employees in the
Metroplex - and we should do more to support our City of Dallas employees.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: As a longtime resident of this beautiful city of Dallas, I believe the ‘ism’s’….racism,
especially, are an uncomfortable truth that voters must confront. We must do more to
reach out to everyone in the community.
Norberto Ornelas
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: - no response -
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: - no response -
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: - no response -
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: - no response -
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: - no response -
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: - no response -
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: - no response -
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: - no response -
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: - no response -
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: - no response -
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: - no response -
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: - no response -
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Luis Sepulveda
Biographical Info:
Name: Luis Daniel Sepulveda
Street Address: 5105 Goodman St
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: June 29, 1952
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-628-3477
Home Phone Number: 214-330-7947
Mobile Phone Number: 214-769-9904
E-mail Address: campaign@judgesepulveda
Campaign Web Site Address: Luisdanielsepulveda.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: I have lived in the city of Dallas for 57 years; all of my life.
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: I have lived in my district 57 years; all of my life.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: My opponent lacks experience and knowledge of the community. Having been an active
figure either through community work or through my ten year elected position, I have
proven that I am deep rooted within District 6. Having lived in the district for my entire life
(57 years), I know most of the problems and concerns of the people and I acknowledge
that the community wants more than just an elected official, they need a voice of the
people, someone who genuinely knows the District and has proven being proactive on
solutions to community problems. Additionally, through my ten years of experience as an
elected Judge, I have experience with creating budgets, setting policies, hiring and firing
employees, dealing with bonds, and maintaining meetings on key issue with city
employees. Since my opponent moved into the district 9 months ago and does not have
any previous elected position experience, it is my opinion she does not have the ability to
hit the ground running as I can.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: I would favor employment with the City of Dallas, in the future require that a person at
least live in the City of Dallas. This would mean that tax revenue would stay within our
borders. We need industries to remain in the City of Dallas. We have not had any real
progress since the Ford Plant moved out of Dallas. Even the Boy Scouts moved to Irving,
the Cowboys moved to Arlington. Our tax base can only increase when we have a stable
tax base.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: We need to study what attrition is going to do and has done to our workforce. We have
to keep a certain level of police officers remaining. As a Judge, I absolutely realize the
importance of our police force within our community, I believe that cutting back even more
on our enforcement would not be beneficial for our residents. Of course we have to be
mindful of budgetary restraints, however, not at the risk of our community's safety and
police force employment.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No, I would not be in favor of a tax increase on property. I believe that Dallas residents
have definitely felt the strain of the heavy taxes on their homes. During these economic
times, many struggle to maintain their present property, let alone adding another tax
increase. Equally important to note, is that with another tax increase we are pushing
potential residents away and forcing some residents out of Dallas County. As a property
owner, I am very mindful of the ramifications that a property tax increase can do to
homeowners and business owners.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: Consultants-The amount of consultants hired out of city City employee transportation
costs Purchasing policies for the bidding process
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: I am a strong supporter of the Private Sector. Things happen and things get done. I do
not believe building in a Flood Zone is a sound practice. There are too many things that can
happen environmentally. Funding should come from Private Sources not our tax dollars.
Toll roads require the user to pay. This may be a pipe dream if we think the revenue
source is forgotten. Like a sales tax they are here to stay. Mass transportation is the
answer and more cars are the problem not the solution.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: I believe we need to support the 10/8/2 system.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Yes, we have excellent delivery of city services. I believe that our law enforcement, fire
departments, and sanitation services do a good job of utilizing their sources for the City of
Dallas. That being said, however, I believe that we can excel more to the community's
requests for improvement on community roads, sidewalks and public parks. Small projects
that are genuinely important to taxpayers of Dallas County need to be addressed.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: The diversity and entrepreneurship of Dallas residents with the ability of businesses to
flourish within the city of Dallas. There are many examples of how Dallas has pushed for
economic entrepreneurship in communities: Bishop Arts District, West Dallas, Trinity River
etc. The ability to transition communities into flourishing consumer areas is a great ability
that I believe non Dallas residents need to be aware of. This exemplifies why individuals
should want to live, shop and maintain businesses within Dallas County.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: I believe, unfortunately, that many do not want to address the many budget cuts that
have occurred and that many say need to be done.
Carolyn Davis
Biographical Info:
Name: Carolyn R. Davis
Street Address: 2611 Burger Street
City/Town: Dallas
State: TX
Date of Birth: 12-01-1961
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-670-4689
E-mail Address: carolyndavis2292@yahoo.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: Life long resident of Dallas - 49 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: Resident of District 7 for the past twenty (20) years.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Councilmember - City of Dallas
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Economic Development Committee member - National League of Cities Women in
Municipal Govt. Committee member - National League of Cities National Black Caucus
member - National League of Cities
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Former Board member - City of Dallas Community Development Commission, Urban
Rehabilitation Standards Board, North Texas Housing Coalition, African-American Museum
of Arts, Preservation Dallas, Former President - Queen City Neighbors in Action/Crime
Wath, Pearl C. Anderson PTA Advisory Committee - "forward dallas" Comprehensive Plan
Vision DISD Area 2 Representative for District 9 (elected by parents and teachers)
Recipient of Allstate Community Service Award Task Force Member, Single Family Housing
Standards
Q: Education
A: graduate of James Madison High School; attended Charles Rice Elementary and Pearl C.
Anderson Middle School.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Dallas City Council, District 7: 2007 - present
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Please refer to my campaign finance report scheduled to be filed with the City Secretary
on April 14, 2011.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: see answer above
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: none
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I have accomplished a considerable amount since being elected to the City Council in
2007, bringing much needed development to District 7. However, there are numerous
projects that I want to see through to completion. I have the necessary background
knowledge, experience and expertise to get the job done.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Grand Robert B. Cullum TOD (transit-oriented development) and Hatcher/Scyene TOD -
both of these projects are in predevelopment with most of the funding already in place.
Cedar Crest Brdige Improvements and Pedestrian Amenities - funding for design and
construction already in place. Completion of Bexar Street Corridor and Frazier/Spring
Avenue Commercial revitalization projects.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have considerable experience in the key areas of housing, budgets and zoning which
enables me to get things done at City Hall.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: I supported last year's property tax increase to avoid overly drastic budget cuts that
would have harmed many of my constituents. Dallas, as the largest city in North Texas,
provides a broader array of services than many of our suburban neighbors.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Crime is down considerably in Dallas, having dropped for the past seven consecutive
years and is tracking better than the national average. In the current budget
environmeent, we can slow the growth of DPD while we address other critical city service
issues.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: no.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: no additional police officers hired next year eliminate red light cameras alternative less
expensive ways to meet emergency calls
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: The Margaret Hunt Bridge connecting downtown to West Dallas should be prioritized;
funds are already identified in the budget for this
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: We must continue to work with the City Manager to think outside of the box to attract
new businesses to Dallas; also, continued efforts to build affordable housing and partnering
with DISD to improve our schools will attract middle class families back to the city and
grow the tx base.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Dallas offers a good quality of life, including cultural and recreational venues. We must
continue to improve our customer service, particularly in the area of code compliance
(illegal dumping, high weeds, etc).
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: In recent years, the surrounding cities have been very aggressive in marketing. Those
efforts, combined with the lack of affordable (i.e. < $150,000) new construction single
family homes, resulted in an exodus of middle class families from our city. We need to
invest in marketing and affordable housing to reverse the 2010 trend.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Dallas neighborhoods are all unique. The appropriate density will vary, depending on
each neighborhood.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: Downtown needs more retail and it needs to be a priority for the new mayor to attract
new businesses to the downtown area.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: This has not been raised as an issue by my constituents or those with whom I work in
the DPD.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: Continue initiatives outlined by the Southern Dallas Mayor's Task Force.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I support this concept as long as there are adequate sources of funding.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: We have been working with the CityDesign Studio on the Cedar Crest Bridge
Improvements and the MLK Boulevard redesign.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: Dallas has lots of wonderful old-fashioned neighborhoods and great restaurants and
other retail.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: n/a
Helene McKinney
Biographical Info:
Name: Helene McKinney
Street Address: 8824 Bretshire Dr
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth:
Home Phone Number: 214 367 0293
Campaign Web Site Address: www.hmkckinneydallas.com or
www.hmckinneydallas.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: Homeowner in district 7 since 1975
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: See above
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired/self employed
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Active board member of the Friends of Oak Cliff Parks (FOCP) since 2009
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: As a board member of FOCP over the past 3 years I have volunteered many, many
hours to restore horticulture and our heritage at Kiest and Lake Cliff Parks. In 2010, from
February to December, I volunteered 65 hours for the restoration of the South Kiest Park
WPA trail (Loving My Community Grant). On March 25th. of this year, I volunteered for the
planting of some 150 trees donated by the Mavericks organization at Lake Cliff.
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. University of North Texas, Denton
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Candidate for District 7 in 2007
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Not accepting contributions. Self funded
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: District 7 has been poorly served for many years. I am the candidates with a better
understanding of business. I have worked for many years for large corporations and small
minority businesses. I see first hand the difficulties at hand. My goal is to serve all the
people of District 7, not a few.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I would oppose any increase in property taxes. Property tax increases have devastated
areas of our district for years. Many of our aging neighborhoods are owned by retirees or
families on stagnant income. The costs of repairs are higher for older structures and
homeowners have little choice but to delay needed repairs....homes go into disrepair,
property values go down and crime moves in. That is the story of District 7. The City needs
to live within its means, like the rest of its residents. In these difficult economic times
Dallas has to concentrate on core activities and make better use of revenues.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I will oppose any program funded to improve the "quality of life" of a few by taxing the
quality of life of all homeowners. The incumbent voted to do just that.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: No. Not all neighborhoods are created equal. See above.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Dallas has enough police officers. Additional officers should be funded by properties
owners who make excessive use of fire and police services.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: See economic development question below.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: Green spaces and trails. Why not a tunnel instead of a road? I would oppose a toll road.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: Dallas must stop funding activities that were once the domain of charities, churches and
businesses. Stop funding shelters, housing and hotels. Let private enterprises come to
Dallas, invest and create jobs. I will oppose any project not related to core City business.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: I see no problems with garbage, recycling, and water services. Improvements are
needed in code enforcement (it should be pro-active, not reactive), maintenance of
streets, infrastructures and our parks.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: Smaller is not always bad. Dallas must live with the reality of current economic
conditions. However, to attract growth Dallas must be perceived as an efficient City, run by
honest City officials. A bad reputation can destroy years of hard work.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Houston has had no or little zoning and is still a vibrant city. Dallas must allow
entrepreneurs, business people and residents to make decisions on where to invest and
take risks. The many are a lot smarter than the few.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: See above.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: If laws are not enforced why have them?
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: Nothing will change until the gatekeepers depart.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I oppose it. It is not the job of Cities to fund private activities.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: As long as replication does not imply look alike neighborhoods.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: Our many beautiful and diverse neighborhoods. The museums and art district
downtown. Our parks, the Trinity river forest, Fair Park, the Arboretum, White Rock lake
and the wonderful people of Dallas who are so passionate and generous about improving,
preserving and restoring their City!
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: City Hall cannot be everything to everyone.
Casie Pierce
Biographical Info:
Name: Casie Pierce
Street Address: 6047 Parkdale Dr.
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: August 8, 1975
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-613-5404
Home Phone Number: 214-727-4605
Mobile Phone Number: 214-727-4605
E-mail Address: casiepierce@yahoo.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.casiepierce.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: Sixteen years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: Eleven years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Grant Writer
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Parkdale/Lawnview Association of Neighbors
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - Treasurer Parkdale/Lawnview Association of Neighbors 2000 – 2002 - President
Parkdale/Lawnview Association of Neighbors 2002 – 2007 - Founder, Groundwork Dallas
2003 - Dallas City Council District 7 Appointee, Environmental Health Commission 2003 –
2007 - Vice Chair, Southeast Dallas Economic Development Task Force, 2002 - 2003 -
Co-Founder, White Rock Heritage District 2002 - 2005 - Dallas Independent School District
Area 9 Appointee, Citizen’s Advisory Board 2003 - 2009 - PR Chair, Larry Johnson
Recreation Center Advisory Committee 2005 – 2008 - Dallas Area Rapid Transit Southeast
Corridor Workgroup Committee 2000 – 2009 - Board Member, Save Open Spaces 2004 –
2006 - Board Member, Youth Conflict Resolution Center 2003 – 2006 - Board Member,
Parkdale/Lawnview Association of Neighbors 2009 – 2011
Q: Education
A: - Garland High School - Art Institute of Atlanta
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
about real change is comprehensive. Dallas has already spent millions of dollars
performing studies and preparing revitalization plans. I would work to review the various
existing plans and studies to bring about a comprehensive development plan. I would seek
out private sector funds to get this accomplished.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: As previously stated, I believe that I represent a greater cross-section of the district,
but the key difference between me and my opponents is that I have the life and work
experience necessary to see the big picture. Current and past councils have suffered from
the inability to think about this city, and the planning thereof, in a comprehensive manner.
Everyone is more concerned about protecting the fiefdom created by their “silo” approach
to governing than they are about doing what’s right by the people they serve. While I am
not naive about the machinations of City Hall, I feel a great sense of duty to the people I
seek to represent. I will always do what needs to be done based on what my constituents
tell me they need. I have a track record of getting results and this will be no different.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: No. Dallas residents are not getting sufficient bang for their tax buck. The Census
numbers tell a stark tale and Dallas can no longer afford to deny the truth. Families fled to
the suburbs during the last decade for a reason. The city council lost sight of the very thing
that makes this city great, it’s diverse neighborhoods. Every city in the North Texas
Region has grown while Dallas has not. We have not attracted business development in the
ways that we should have, and the tax burden is being felt by the residents and the
existing businesses here. Dallas has had a very short-sighted plan and can no longer give
away the store the way we have over the past fifteen years. The businesses that have
come have done so because of hefty incentives such as tax abatement. This simply is not a
sustainable way for the city to do business. There comes a point when that “check” has to
be covered and we are feeling that pain right now. The change we need begins with
creating sustainable neighborhoods that attract young families and the middle class back to
Dallas. That will allow us to spread our tax burden across a wider group. I believe this
starts with education and job creation.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: We should not cut a high priority service like policing. However, I do think that we need
to change our style of policing. Some people may disagree, but many large metro areas
are going back to (or even starting for the first time) the community policing concept.
There are certain areas that have Neighborhood Police Officers and that is a good resource
if the community needs someone to come out to a crime watch meeting. We need true
community policing and try to move away from strictly response driven police force. I
believe that this will allow for more efficient use of the police force we currently have and
foster better relationships between law enforcement and the community. Having the
same officers cruising the same beats and getting to know the residents and each
community’s issues on a regular basis will not only reduce crime, but give the officers
information that is concise and up-to-date. This information can be shared among the
community police force and members of the community.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: Absolutely not and I would support rolling back the most recent tax increase. City
officials haven’t done their jobs in the last decade and now they want the rest of us to foot
the bill. This tax increase hit hardest those who can least afford it. Elderly people on fixed
incomes and homeowners have no reprieve. We can’t continue to run our government on
the backs of poor people.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: I cannot list three specific areas to reduce spending. I believe it over simplifies our
greater budget problems. While I realize this will be a very unpopular viewpoint to some,
I believe that we need to take a look at the entire budget. Every line item. We should look
at the budget line by line and find ways to increase efficiency and reduce waste. Every
month when I sit down to pay my bills, I have choices to make. I have to look at all the
money coming in and what is needed to pay the bills. City Hall should be no different.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: At this point in the planning and progression of this plan, we should do our best to
complete those projects that are underway. I also believe that the portions of the plan that
are focused on the recreational use of the Trinity should be the priority. I don’t believe
the tollroad-once it changed to the high-speed highway inside the levees- was ever a
viable option. The very nature of high-speed roads defeats the greater purpose fostering
some economic development around this venture.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: Create an economic development partnership, which also includes their school district
and the college district. The goal is to bring together city leaders (Mayor and council),
business leaders (chambers of commerce) and leaders in the education community to
boost economic development. I think when developers and outside businesses see cities
working together with private sector coupled with an active interest in economic
development from the school district, they have more faith in the overall viability of the
city, and will want to invest here. Attracting families and successful business is the key to
growing our tax base. The council must get away from the “silo” management style and
start reaching across, as much as possible, to provide comprehensive solutions to the
problems that we face.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Other than police and fire, I believe our city water and sanitation departments do a
fantastic job. Their departments provide a service that none of us can do without, but are
never recognized for their hard work. The departments offer good customer service and
are efficient in delivering that service. I believe that the permits and inspections
department could use an overhaul. There is a great deal of bureaucracy still prevalent in
that department. We could also make the process more helpful for business people,
developers, contractors, and ordinary citizens on the front end. I believe this will help the
department become more efficient.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: I believe this shrinkage is bad for Dallas. Families are attracted to areas where they can
buy an affordable home in mature neighborhood with good schools. We need a school
system that parents have faith in district-wide, not just a few top schools in East Dallas.
Middle-class families will not come to live in Dallas because of the Arts District and a pretty
bridge. But they will come to a city with are good schools and safe neighborhoods. As
much as this pains some folks around City Hall, the hard reality is the suburbs are thriving
at our expense because we been focusing on all the wrong things. Dallas has the great
potential for growth. The vast majority of that potential lies in the southern districts. We
have good schools. Yes it’s true. All the elementary schools in South Dallas, save one, are
either exemplary or recognized. We also have Lincoln High School Communications
Magnet. This is something we should be proud of and it’s something we can build on.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Dallas is a city of very distinct and established neighborhoods. Some of these folks don’t
like change and they see increased density as a threat. Getting some people to embrace
higher density will be a challenge, even inside the loop. They think density equals
apartments, higher crime rates and low property values. Developers will tell you that they
will go where there are roof-tops. I ask them to drive around my community. There are
roof tops, but no development. It obviously takes more than just roof-tops. What we
should be focused on is the quality of housing and development that comes into a
neighborhood and that will look different based on the neighborhood is question.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: Our new economy will not allow the purchase of high-priced condos and lofts, by the
regular working person. We must do more to attract middle income people by providing
housing that is affordable by the average person. We have priced out the very people who
can make the city center a more vibrant place. This is Dallas and I believe that there’s
room to have it all, but we must be consistent. When more people live in downtown, then
more businesses will follow.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government. Our police
officers are already doing more with less to serve the community. The priority of local law
enforcement should remain focused on resident and neighborhood safety.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: First, the people of the southern Dallas are just as proud our neighborhoods as they
people in the northern part sector of the city. We have good schools and great
neighborhoods. The council members and the various mayors have been telling us for the
past twenty years that southern Dallas is a priority. However, if you drive around and look
at the area it looks like it did twenty years ago. The City of Dallas has proven to us over
and over again that southern Dallas is not a priority, simply by the lack of oversight of
significant amounts of money that are supposed to be dedicated to business investment. If
they were at all serious, that type of mishandling of precious funds would not be tolerated.
That being said, there are challenges to development that must be addressed including
planning and zoning. The homeowners and business people are not looking for a hand out.
We simply want the same effort in investment that the northern and eastern parts of
Dallas have received. I believe that starts with the council members who represent the
districts. It is the responsibility of the council members to actively seek out business
investment that fits the needs of the people in the district. That sort of pro-active approach
has not been the norm in this area.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: That’s a great idea, but I think it can be expanded. As previously stated, in successful
urban areas that have managed to remain highly competitive, they have created an
economic development partnership, which also includes their school district and the college
district. The goal is to bring together city leaders (Mayor and council), business leaders
(chambers of commerce) and leaders in the education community to boost economic
development. I think when developers see cities working together with private sector and
an active interest in economic development from the school district, they have more faith
in the overall viability of the city, and will want to invest there.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: I believe this effort can be replicated in South Dallas. There already exists a
comprehensive plan that would benefit from investment by city, state and federal
government. The South Dallas Action Plan (http://www.slideshare.net/changarocc/south-
dallas-action-plan) is a comprehensive plan that takes into account issues of balancing
development, environmental justice and community needs.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: The Great Trinity Forest. The improvement of this gem has been my focus for the past
nine years. I’ve help to build trails, kiosks and pavilions in and around the forest. While
doing this work, I have seen and photographed owls, hawks, bald eagles, rabbits, deer,
fox, beaver and other wildlife. People are always amazed that we have this thing of beauty
right here, in our own backyard, all within the city limits and only eight minutes from
downtown.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: A city council, stifled by years of poor planning and a lack of ingenuity, the current high
tax burden on ordinary people, and the erosion of trust in our educational system will have
long lasting effects on the viability of this city.
Robert L. Foster
Biographical Info:
Name: Robert L. Foster
Street Address: 2807 Crest Ridge Drive
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 03/30/1993
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: I oppose any tax increase unless all other avenues have proven unsuccessful.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: I plan to reduce spending in three areas; I would elimate earmarks, Example; Trinity
River Project. The city should try to go paperless. Wasteful Electricity Usage within city
owned buildings. Example; lights that are left on, after the buildings are closed.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: At this time I would not consider a toll road option.We have more pressing issues with
our current budget that needs to be address first. I do however think we need to get the
safety of our levees under control.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: The city could offer some form of tax incentive to all new business based on a new
evaluated net worth. I beleive long term business that have not filed for bankrupcy and,
are currently in good standing with the city should also qualify for some sort of a tax
incentive.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: I would like to first take a monent to say thank you to our Police Department,Fire
Department, Sanitation, Transportation Department and all our public servants for a job
well done.However, additional training and alleviating some of the red tape would allow
the department to do their jobs in which they were intended to do. Therefore, creating a
better quality of life for our city.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: This is indifferent for the people of Dallas and its surrounding areas. Because the North
Texas area saw a population increase. If the City of Dallas stabilize taxes and offered
bussiness better incentives it would spur economical growth within the local economy. That
means more business would be attracted to the Dallas area. Therefore, more people would
likely move to the Dallas and North Texas area.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Further studies are need to help evaluate the density within this given area. I want to
reach out to the community.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: Try to spur economic development.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: This is not a city issue.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: At this time I would not consider a toll road option. We have more pressing issues with
our current budget that needs to be address first. I do however think we need to get the
safety of our levees under control.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I would like to know more about this public-private economic development corporation
and how it will effect the surrounding communities. I am always for helping the needy and
the elderly.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: This can only be replicated with public involement. We should start in the Fairpark and
surrounding neighborhoods.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: The Bishop Arts District and our Historical landmarks within the city.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Dallas is losing revenue to its surrounding suburbs. Dallas is also landlock.
Sheffie Kadane
Biographical Info:
Name: Sheffie Kadane
Street Address: 6841 Lakeshore Drive
City/Town: Dallas
State: TX
Date of Birth: November 2, 1944
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-244-0147
Fax Number: 972-733-8013
E-mail Address: tgpeyton@swbell.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.sheffiekadane.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 66 years 4 months
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 66 years 4 months
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: PICS Investment Company
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Current Council member representing District 9.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: District 9 Served as Park Board member, Board of Adjustments also the Northeast
Dallas Chamber of Commerce,and the Greater Dallas Rotary
Q: Education
A: Dallas Public School, Woodrow Wilson High School Arlington State College
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Dallas City Council, Place 9
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Over $35K
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Many contributors have graciously given at the $1000 max as have a few of the PACS
who have made decisions to this point.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have never been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings. I have been
involved in business litigation in the past, nothing current.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: My goal is to make Dallas a better place to live, work and raise a family. I have lived in
this district all of my life. My father served as Councilman for East Dallas many years ago.
My business background and city experience on boards and commissions best qualifies me
for this position. I am aware of the financial position and challenges the city faces. I have
been involved with this process over the past 4 years.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Building a coalition to address economic development and revitalization in the Casa
View area of my district. This is being addressed through a partnership with the Ferguson
Road Initiative which to date has not cost the taxpayers any money. Working with Code
Enforcement and our Community Prosecutor we have made great strides in this area. 2.
Erosion and flood control are also top priorities. We must find a way to help the
homeowners who choose to live along our creeks and rivers. I am hopeful to address these
concerns thru future bond programs. 3. The Garland Road Initiative, which was set up
through funds I lobbied for thru the NCTCOG and other private partnerships engages the
community to develop a long range plan for the Garland Road Corridor. The plan has now
been approved by Council and is an opportunity for us to entice developers to come in and
work with us to enhance and redevelop this historic area of our city. 4. The Trinity River
Corridor must get off the ground. It will be the largest development opportunity for the
city in the for-seeable future. There will be some incentives required to make this work in
the current economic environment, but those will be far outweighed by the opportunity it
will create for the city's tax base. This will be accomplished by public and private
partnerships and future bond programs and possibly grants.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Experience. While I applaud anyone who wants to put themselves up for public office
and all it entails, in this race, the experience I bring to the table is really needed to move
the city forward. As I stated I have lived in this district my entire life. I am vested in both
my city and district 9 and have compassion for all of my neighborhoods. I work tirelessly
to improve the quality of life for everyone in East Dallas and I feel I bring the experience
necessary to move our city and my district forward in these difficult times.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: While I did not support the tax increase this last year, I do believe that our citizens are
getting the most for their tax dollars. Our City Manager and the Council are consistently
looking for ways to cut expenses without harming the delivery of services.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: We have achieved our goal of 3 officers/1000 residents. We MUST maintain that level of
protection for our citizens. Attrition will guide our hiring, but we will be consistently
recruiting for new officers.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: As property values continue to drop, we have to look at alternate ways to raise revenue
and cut expenses. Some of my colleagues prefer raising taxes to looking at other options,
but I believe the worst thing we can do in these uncertain economic times is place a larger
tax burden on our constituents.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: Reduce Boards and Commissions Utilities Reduce supplies Get more life out of city
vehicles; reduce the number of fleet vehicles (except for Public Safety)
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: Citizens of Dallas have spoken on more than one occasion about the importance of this
project and the road that goes with it. I believe the park and recreation facilities in the
Trinity should be a priority with funding from public/private partnerships and possibly
grants.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: Recruit. Continue enticing business owners, thru our amenities, to come to our city.
Work with prospects to find their niche in our city. Bring prospective clients to our city and
make sure we have the right amenities they need to operate their business in Dallas,
Texas. Also we might be able to offer incentives such as TIF's, MMD's and some grants that
may be applicable.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Our police and fire departments are second to none and all of our emergency services
are excellent. The Dallas Water and Sanitation Departments do an excellent job in
response to issues as well as planning for and rebuilding our infrastructure. Code
Enforcement is making much progress throughout our city. Our streets require much
work. DISD needs to continue to work on their graduation rate.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: The numbers were disappointing,but provide incentive for us to look at all of the issues
big metropolitan areas face. I also believe that until we can provide a quality education to
our citizens' children we will continue to loose population to the suburbs.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: While we would like to see the core of the city be a greater percentage of single family
houses, we know that with the growth of our region we will need to look at ways of
Kirk D. Launius
Biographical Info:
Name: Kirk Launius
Street Address: 6719 Patrick Drive
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: May 12, 1966
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-515-0740
Home Phone Number: 214-515-0740
Mobile Phone Number: 214-515-0740
E-mail Address: District9@planetkirk.com
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.KirkForDallas.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: I grew up here, graduated from Dallas ISD’s Hillcrest High School (where I was elected
president of the Student Congress), started businesses and created jobs in Dallas.
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: East Dallas has been my home for almost 4 decades. I did leave for college and the
Navy and taught English in South Korea, but I always came back to my home near
Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road.
non-productive, embarrassing, “high-profile” incidents, and insure that Dallas has the most
qualified leaders at the helm, regardless of race, ethnicity or other factors. I will adhere to
and utilize the City of Dallas Code of Ethics fairly and appropriately in a routine and
ongoing fashion. The cost? Time and effort. The benefit? Incalculable improvement to
Dallas’ image as a can-do City where businesses grow and move here, thus increasing our
tax base and lowering the burden to property tax paying homeowners. I will seek to
change Dallas’ motto, or “tagline” to something that reflects a new, cleaner image. 2) Get
rid of drug houses and secure Dallas. I was a proud military Veteran present at the
December, 2010 demolition of a known drug house in the area near the VA Hospital where
I used to patrol as a Dallas Police Officer. As children from Lisbon Elementary School
shouted “knock it down”, a Texas National Guard bulldozer did just that. "Operation
Crackdown" has saved the City of Dallas an estimated $70,000 while providing valuable
training for the National Guard. I will continue to support various partnerships to rid our
city of abandoned structures, drug houses, and illegal businesses, many of which are
located in the southern sectors of our City which are in most need of economic
development, and in dangerous proximity to our schools. We must clean up Dallas so that
our next generation can grow up and play in safe neighborhoods and parks, and maintain
unmolested access to quality education. I am a proud graduate of the Dallas ISD, and I
will meet regularly with my counterparts on the school board to improve communications
and ensure that we as a City are doing everything we can to provide a safe and high
quality education for our children. As a law enforcement professional, I will seek a top-to-
bottom review -- in coordination with state and federal authorities -- of our city’s security
posture, in light of recently foiled terrorist attacks. Safety is an essential service that our
city can and must provide without breaking our budget. 3) Roll back taxes, deliver
essential services well, and help grow business. As a business owner and former police
officer, I do a lot of listening. I’m good at it, and I’ve heard my neighbors’ concerns about
tax increases and the impacts they are having on our families. We were blessed to have a
fiscally conservative mayor, and I am voting for another such individual on May 14th. But,
Dallas does not have a “strong mayor” system, and he will need the support of at least 7
other city councilmembers who understand the need to create jobs and keep taxes low.
Otherwise, we may end up like other cities which are bogged down by high taxes, huge
debt, and a scarcity of jobs. As a former marketing manager of one of America’s fastest-
growing telecommunications companies, and an avid cyclist and outdoorsman, I will
immediately begin to recruit trade shows – such as Interbike, the world’s largest cycling
industry exhibition – to come to Dallas instead of Las Vegas. That’s just one example of a
low- (or no-) cost initiative that I will spearhead to allow an international industry to
leverage Dallas’ natural and man-made assets (in this case, miles of existing and
soon-to-be built hike and bike trails) and bring millions of dollars of business to the Dallas
Convention Center, Convention Center Hotel, restaurants, and hundreds of other local
venues. When the Starbucks chain wandered from their main mission of delivering good
coffee and the “Starbucks Experience” of interaction with the barista, etc., their business
suffered. When Dallas returns to a focus of providing good basic services, we taxpayers
will receive a good value. What should Dallas’ new tagline be? How about something like:
“Dallas, essentially yours”.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: As I walk the neighborhoods of District 9, many residents tell me that I am the first
candidate for city council that has ever made the effort to ask them their opinions and
listen to their concerns and ideas. As I noted previously, lack of response has been a major
problem with all of the city council members whom I have written, e-mailed or called. My
offers two years ago to serve on city boards or commissions went completely unanswered.
When I write my state or federal representatives, I always get letters or e-mails in return.
Why isn’t that the case at Dallas City Hall? If elected to the Dallas City Council, I will
answer all correspondence and phone calls. As a proud United States Navy Veteran, I
subscribe to the Navy’s core values of: Honor, Courage and Commitment. Prior to my
decision to run for Dallas City Council District 9, I called our incumbent city councilman and
expressed my disappointment that the city council had failed to enforce the City’s code of
ethics and failed to even discuss removal of the chairman of the Public Safety Committee
after he violated the City Charter in bypassing the city manager to directly intervene in
police enforcement. In a “high profile” incident involving the use of “special police”
(specifically prohibited by our City Charter), our current mayor lied about police officers’
reports of a domestic violence call at his home. I told our incumbent that “actions speak
louder than words”, but he was unaware that our mayor was suing our city to suppress
public records. How can a man that sues the city hold its gavel? Just as bad, how can a city
councilmember who is not even aware that the acting mayor is suing the city keep him in
check? As I walk the neighborhoods of District 9, these are the questions my neighbors
want answered. As your city councilman, I will not sit idly by as others violate the law and
put our police officers in jeopardy when they dial the police chief’s cell phone number to
play a “stay out of jail card” instead of calling 911. If you’re happy with the “Caraway
Council”, then vote for our incumbent. If not, then vote Kirk Launius for Dallas City Council
District 9.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: No. We are overtaxed, and receive fewer services than we deserve for what we pay.
Unfortunately, Dallas has had an infatuation with big ticket items that often do not result in
any tangible benefit for our residents. With your help, I will work tirelessly to shift our
city’s focus away from grand projects, and back to the provision of good, basic city
services. We must create a better business environment here in the City of Dallas. Sure,
there will be tough budget decisions to make, but we can make the right ones. An
example? My business depends upon city permits to complete jobs in large office buildings
where we serve as a sub-contractor to some of the largest construction companies in the
nation. Recently, a permit, which used to take a week or two to obtain from Dallas’ Office
of Building Inspection, took several times that long to get. The reason? We were told that
the plans examiner we had worked with for months had been laid off. If you are happy
with a city council that has failed to protect staffing positions which are essential to
business and growing our tax base, then don’t vote for me. But, if you would like to see us
enhance our business tax base, and unburden our residential taxpayers, then go to
www.KirkForDallas.com to donate or volunteer, and vote Kirk Launius for Dallas City
Council District 9.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: The tendency of governments, unchecked, is ALWAYS to grow bigger and bigger. Dallas
is a safer city in recent years due to the outstanding efforts of the men and women of our
police and fire departments. I am proud to have played a small role in that “boots on the
ground” success. As a patrol officer in some of the toughest neighborhoods of our city, my
fellow officers and I battled daily with squad cars in need of maintenance, along with the
crack cocaine, prostitution, and murder, and we kept each other alive. Our chief has stated
that he believes the department has “adequate resources” to do the job. Our city manager
says that she does not want to see the size of the force fall significantly. Having worked for
the City, I am better prepared than others to identify areas where we can eliminate waste
and cut costs. With these savings, Dallas will be able to resume its hiring of new police
officers to meet our decades-old goal (and City ordinance) of having three police officers
per thousand residents. I don’t think we’re going to need a tax increase to keep the public
safety force at the levels we desire. I believe that the force can be maintained without a
tax hike.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No. Dallas will continue to face difficult budget years until the economy improves.
Raising property taxes during a recession was not a solution, but a shortsighted move
which prolongs our recovery. Government should also not attempt to compete with private
enterprise. It should get out of the way so businesses can thrive in a free market.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses make up
more than 99.7% of all employers, generated 65% of net new jobs over the past 17 years,
and are 52% home-based. Citizens who keep more of the money they earn can reinvest
those dollars in job-creating small businesses, like I do. If you are tired of our “tax and
spend” council who pile up debt for our children, then elect me as your Dallas City
Councilman, and together we will reduce government waste, provide good city services,
and roll back the tax increase.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: Reduced spending does not have to result in reductions to basic city services. I have a
track record of building partnerships with the private sector to provide taxpayers with the
amenities and services they desire. Replace reduced spending on parks and recreation
with private partnership money. I am a runner, a cyclist, and a big fan of Dallas Parks. I
would explore cutting costs within the Dallas Park and Recreation Department while
boosting services via innovative public-private partnerships – like the successful one
involving the Dallas Zoological Society -- that provide children and their parents safe and
fun activities. Such partnerships give entrepreneurs the opportunity to sponsor and support
quality of life enhancing programs and facilities, as those businesses help create jobs, grow
our economy, and expand our tax base. Reduce vehicle and travel expenditures. In my
extensive experience as a member of various public and private boards and committees,
and as a city employee and a business owner, I have often found that significant savings
can be achieved through cutting unnecessary travel expenses and more careful and
systematic use of vehicles. This can take many forms, aided by fuel-saving computer
technology and tracking. Some meetings can be held via the Internet, instead of sending
people there via car or airplane. Technologies exist to help cities achieve better
fuel-efficiency from their fleets, and to better manage the time that employees and staff
waste stuck in traffic. Use of alternative fuels such as natural gas can help clean our air,
while reducing the cost of transportation. Establish what items really cost, and reduce
what the City pays to contractors. Recent news reports revealed what a terrible waste of
money our city’s “Weatherization Assistance Program” has been. Dallas paid $8.10 for light
bulbs one could purchase at The Home Depot for less than $1.50 a piece. According to
WFAA TV, "Invoices showed the city paid for a 40-gallon water heater at a cost of $1,500.
But News 8 discovered it's not a 40-gallon tank after all, but rather the smaller 29-gallon
one which sells online for as low as $381. The city overpaid by $1,100." Funds, from any
source, expended by the departments responsible should be scrutinized and reduced if
necessary. The Dallas tagline currently reads: “Dallas, The City That Works. Diverse,
Vibrant, and Progressive”. Really? Let’s truly be ‘progressive’, provide essential city
services well, remind our city managers and employees that they work for us the
taxpayers, and change the environment at City Hall to something like: “Dallas, essentially
yours”.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: The Trinity River is the “eye gate” of Dallas. Some people look at the areas south of
I-30 and the Trinity River and cringe. I see hope and natural beauty, such as the largest
urban bottomland hardwood forest in North America, and I have been building bridges
there for years. I have stood in that forest at 3:00 in the morning, and heard the peaceful
sounds of nature interrupted by the crackle of my portable police radio and the sounds of
gunfire or a police helicopter. I would prioritize the goals of the Trinity River Corridor
Project to bring nationally acclaimed parks, trails, lakes, nature education and recreational
opportunities to our center city within the Trinity River Basin. In 2006, Dallas allocated
money for a whitewater project in the city's bond program. The Audubon Center and Santa
Fe Trestle Trail are lovely additions to Dallas’ parks ‘inventory’, and the new Trinity Park
Standing Wave Kayak Course is already being greatly enjoyed by paddlers, and more
amenities will come with time. I have questions about the toll road, as there is a worrying
scarcity of transportation funding. As a fiscal conservative, I believe if we eliminate waste
in government at all levels, then we will have what we need, and can even cut taxes. As a
public safety professional, I believe our focus must be upon providing flood protection for
all our citizens, visitors, and businesses in West Dallas, Oak Cliff, and Downtown. We can’t
just sit back and say, “it will never happen here”. In May of 1995, I assisted in a swift
water rescue of a neighbor who lived directly across the street from me. She was almost
swept away in a swollen Rush Creek, and conditions were so bad that day that several
people drowned in Dallas, and fire trucks weren’t able to get into some neighborhoods. We
had to fend for ourselves. Dallas needs to re-focus on providing good basic city services
such as fixing roadways and maintaining public safety. Fortunately, we received some good
news recently that the Army Corps of Engineers anticipates approval of a levee repair plan
that will lead to Dallas' Trinity levees being recertified by Spring 2012, and I am hopeful
that we North Texans can manage our transportation needs without heaping more massive
debt upon our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: For the most part, government should get out of the way, and stay out of the way of
entrepreneurs. I am an advocate for limited government, but believe that our City can and
must continue to play a role in safeguarding our citizens. I hear many complaints from
residents in District 9 about downtown. They believe it’s not clean and it’s not safe. Many
tell me there is “nothing to do down there”. I think it is sad that many Dallasites spend less
time downtown than our tourists and out-of-town visitors. I believe we can and should
incentivize urban development in the downtown core. Dallas has tax incentives and
abatements, as well as programs to encourage overseas businesses to relocate here. On
April 9th, I met with a well-known international architect and engineer who was visiting
North Texas and we talked about the proper level of density for a city like Dallas. I read
and understand the reports and white papers from organizations like the Urban Land
Institute and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Having lived for 3 years in
the bustling port city of Busan and the giant capital city of Seoul, South Korea -- with a
population of over 10 million people -- I have the knowledge and experience to help bring
order and direction to our home on the North Texas prairie. This is the kind of stability that
business leaders look for when thinking about relocating to a city like Dallas. Our Tax
Increment Finance Districts (TIFs) and Public Improvement Districts (PIDs) are serving
well to increase the density of development and improve infrastructure. If you are happy
with the “tax and spend” city council of the past two years, then vote for the other guy. If
you want to help a change agent go to City Hall, then vote for me.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Trash pickup, recycling, and water delivery are excellent. Road maintenance needs to
improve, especially in the area of preventative maintenance. For instance, in many
neighborhoods, water meters are sunken and sidewalks are in disrepair. Currently those
are addressed on a per-request basis. It would be much more efficient to make all repairs
in a single block at the same time, rather than piecemeal as is done now. Cut spending on
streets and infrastructure replacement through better maintenance schedules. As a 311
operator, I took thousands of calls from residents, and I was always cognizant of the fact
that each call usually resulted in rubber tires burning gasoline hitting concrete streets. Each
call equaled one trip or more. Other calls brought complaints that days or weeks or
months had passed with no response. We should replace broken sidewalks and water
meters on a street-by-street, scheduled basis instead of the ‘normal’ piecemeal,
fuel-slurping single trips when a resident calls to complain. Streets need to be properly
maintained in order to lower the frequency and cost of wholesale replacement of
thoroughfares. Every department within the city has the opportunity to be more efficient in
how it operates and provide the same or a better level of service.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: It’s a bad symptom. We need to do a better job of encouraging “organic” business
growth. As an employer in the security services industry, my company -- an installer of
burglar alarm, video surveillance and access control systems – creates jobs for sales
people, security consultants and installers. I know how to attract people to Dallas. Some of
my young Asian friends are just starting to move to what they call “the SMU area”. They
love the gardens of the Dallas Arboretum and the trails of White Rock Lake, and they are
pondering the notion of moving further east, deeper into District 9, which I wholeheartedly
encourage. Some friends recently opened a wonderful Korean restaurant on Greenville
Avenue at Lovers Lane. We have wonderful amenities in our downtown core, such as the
arts district. I believe the deck park is going to make downtown more livable, as it
becomes easier for downtown residents to access Uptown. The early stages of our urban
core re-do are the toughest, but as we stay in the game, so to speak, the economies of
scale will emerge so that the incentives will be self-evident, self-reinforcing, and require
fewer tax abatements. Ultimately, the answer is to cut waste in government, provide
excellent essential services such as police, fire, streets, sanitation, building permits and
inspections, etc., cut taxes, and allow our citizens to keep more of their hard-earned
dollars which they will re-invest in the marketplace as entrepreneurs and consumers. We
can, and will, expand our tax base, while cutting taxes for our urban resident business
owners and their employees, and the result will be fantastic, and in line with Dallas’ history
as a can-do business City.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Let’s be realistic. There is no single correct answer to this question. Neighborhood
density can and does vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, and will be greater
as you get closer to downtown. In recent years, residents near the southern shore of White
Rock Lake successfully fought back development of “mid-rise” housing in their
neighborhood. So, it’s a sensitive subject, but one that is being addressed through
educational outreach efforts by proponents of responsible, mixed-use development.
Property values in the suburbs may have peaked, and the younger crowd is calling for
“sustainable development”, where they can walk to restaurants and walk or cycle to work.
Dallas is changing demographically with more Hispanics and Asians arriving every day. I
have the historical perspective as a lifelong resident of District 9, as well as the
international travel experience and time living and working abroad in Europe and Asia to
help make the next few years the best for Dallas. Population density seems to be growing
in areas that make sense – for example, around the DART stations at Mockingbird and
Park Lanes. As an inside-Loop 12 resident, I honor my neighbors’ desire to maintain the
tree-lined “roominess” of our District. I also believe that mixed-use developments can
bring new life to tired, old sections of our city, and I will work with neighbors and
developers to ensure that we achieve and maintain balance in our quality of life, while
welcoming new residents to our district who will broaden our tax base, start small
businesses, and help us reduce our tax burdens.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: Re-establish, enlarge or revitalize a commission of downtown business leaders to make
suggestions on the downtown area, and encourage them to participate financially in
making it happen. They would greatly benefit from a revitalized downtown, and should
participate in bringing that to fruition.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Follow the laws that are on the books, and report all criminal illegal immigrants to the
federal government.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: The unemployment situation in Dallas County, and in particular South Dallas, has
reached a critical stage which affects everyone in one capacity or another. For the last 10
or 15 years, our situation has been generally ignored or overlooked by the federal and
state government to a point that we can no longer rely on the federal government,
especially during tough economic times like we are currently experiencing. Even when the
federal government does something in our area, it usually has strings attached or favors a
small group of established business favorites. More often than not, the entrepreneurs of
South Dallas are left out. Dependence upon state and federal government needs to cease
and each of us needs to take charge of our individual and community needs for the future.
Instead of looking for outside help, we need to focus on our own community businesses
and services so they can grow and create jobs for Dallas residents right here at home.
There are entrepreneurs within the South Dallas community who need a little
encouragement to undertake the business of their dreams. These businesses often become
the foundation for long-term jobs within our entire city and North Texas.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I believe it is an excellent idea, and we should go even further. As a recruit police officer
at the Dallas Police Academy on Red Bird Center Drive in 2002, I couldn’t help but notice
the aircraft coming in for a landing on the runway just on the other side of the chain link
fence. About that same time, and during the past 8 years, some of our Dallas City leaders
have had the foresight to prepare a “diamond in the rough” for southern Dallas. They have
worked with City management to systematically develop and modernize the old Red Bird
Airport – now named, appropriately, Dallas Executive Airport. The City has a long-term
master plan for the development of this facility and the 300+ undeveloped acres
associated with it. Dallas Executive Airport is the perfect location for companies who want
to do business in Dallas. Prime land in our community is ready for development – both
industrial and aeronautical – within only 10 minutes of Downtown Dallas. It is also
convenient to the entire D/FW Metroplex via I-35E, I-20, I-45, I-30, US-67, and Loop 12,
and is in close proximity to the International Inland Port of Dallas (IIPOD). In February,
2002, the City of Dallas gave our southern airport a new name and a new direction to
reflect its new future serving the corporate and business segment of general aviation. But,
the City’s actions did not stop with a new name. We invested $6 million in capital
improvements and adopted the 2001 updated master plan. These actions resulted in the
designation of industrial, commercial, and aeronautical land uses on the airport grounds,
supported by a 20-year Capital Improvement Plan. This will enable the airport to keep up
with the growth in aviation demand, which has already resulted in an additional $10 million
in private investment. This is a local community asset owned and operated by the City of
Dallas that is “here and now” and is not something “dreamed of” for the future. It is
available for the citizens and businesses of South Dallas – and all of Dallas -- to develop so
that we may create jobs, revenue, job training facilities, and other enriching community
benefits. It is up to us to identify businesses here, and in other states, to come to South
Dallas and develop this property. We all know people in various states like California, New
York, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and others that are suffering terribly from excessive
taxation and government red tape. A single person could make one phone call to a friend
in one of these states and obtain the names of companies that might consider relocating to
Dallas. Besides the excellent facilities, the City of Dallas and the State of Texas have
provided numerous economic development incentives for companies to move here and
create jobs. Individuals and the community need to work closely with the Dallas Executive
Airport officials and the numerous chambers of commerce and and other business
organizations which are active in South Dallas to identify businesses for the chambers of
commerce to contact and invite to visit our area. A single phone call could mean hundreds
of new jobs for South Dallas. The jobs future of South Dallas is in our hands. Let us work
together with the local chambers of commerce to develop this tremendous asset available
to us now. Let us safeguard these assets from corrupt individuals seeking only their own,
dishonest enrichment. Let us encourage new business development within our community.
If we act with the best interests of South Dallas, and all of Dallas, in mind, then we will
succeed. I have the vision, drive, and experience working as a bridge builder in southern
Dallas to help make this a reality for all of us.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: There are several areas that would be good to start in, but I would suggest Pleasant
Grove. The name is pleasant enough, and so are the residents. I know from experience
working there as a police officer. Although many neighbors there don’t have as much in the
way of material things as residents in other parts of Dallas, I met neighbor after neighbor
who was just as committed – if not more – to preserving and improving what they do
have. There is a lot of pride and love in Pleasant Grove, and its residents deserve the
support of District 9 and other Dallas residents to help them rise above the crime and
scarcity of economic opportunity to make life better for themselves. Jubilee Park is a good
example of the type of revitalization that an urban neighborhood can undergo with the help
of donations from private businesses. It is a 62-block neighborhood in South Dallas that I
used to patrol as a Dallas Police Officer. I’d like to see that kind of hope and success spread
east into Pleasant Grove, and other parts of Dallas.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: You can go on a hike or ride horses in the nation’s largest urban bottomland hardwood
forest right here within our city limits.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: A lack of educational programs for poll workers and the public has created conditions
which make Dallas one of the prime spots for election fraud in the country. The vast
majority of those breaking the election laws do so unwittingly and unintentionally, just
“doing things the way they’ve always been done”. Some poll workers depend upon their
day as a county employee for “Christmas money”, and the focus is not on ensuring honest
elections. Foreign and outside interests could easily co-opt our free elections, and may
have already done so. Iraqis emerge from their polling places with smiles and purple
thumbs raised high, but do our elections meet international standards? Dallas residents
express their concerns to me about electronic voting machines and “institutionalized fraud”
involving Dallas elections. On April 9th, I attended an election integrity “boot camp” where
a grassroots organization from Harris County taught approximately 100 North Texans how
to combat election fraud. I did not see a single member of the Dallas City Council or the
Dallas County Commissioners Court present at this well-publicized event. Sadly, we can
expect more indictments for election fraud violations before this situation improves.
Safeguarding our elections is a non-partisan issue that we must all support and become
engaged in. If you are fed up with the way things are going at City Hall, then vote Kirk
Launius for Dallas City Council District 9. www.KirkForDallas.com
Jerry R. Allen
Biographical Info:
Name: Jerry Allen
Street Address: 9426 Dartcrest
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 9/4/1949
residents knew?
A: What a truly giving city we have. When there is a need the citizens will reach in their
pockets and in addition give of their time.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: We have a large number of our neighbors that are being charged 300% plus interest by
predatory lenders under the veil of Consumer Service Organizations. It is shameful to say
that it is OK for CSO's to charge our citizens 300% plus interest and it is even more
shameful to hide behind the fairy tale that there is not a better way to help these
neighbors. We are better than that. Dallas is better than that.
Cynthia J. Durbin
Biographical Info:
Name: Cynthia Durbin
Street Address: 8436 Birchcroft Drive
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 11/26/1940
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-348-8612
Home Phone Number: 214-348-8612
E-mail Address: durbinuscg@hotmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.CynthiaDurbin.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 44 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 44 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired Teaching - retirement benefits
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Volunteer: 1) Stults Road Neighborhood Group;2) Hamilton Park Elementary
School,RISD;3) Girl Scouts of America;4) Sierra Club;5) Dallas International Film
Festival;6) DMA;7) MADI Museum;8) Modern Museum of Fort Worth;9) Kimble Art
Museum;10) Fort Worth Museum of Science & History;11) South Dallas Cultura Center;12)
Lone Star Film Society;13) YMCA;14) Emeritus Program, Richard College, RISD
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: 1) Stults Road PTA Board - Pre-School, Program and Legislative Chairs 2) Northaven
Methodist Church - Administrative Board and Mission Commission 3) City of Dallas -
Department of Planning and Urban Development - (Highlands Area Neighborhood Design
Citizen's Committee) - one of 8 members helping city departments to develop a plan for a
Dallas community (Lake Highlands) of 10,000 people 4) Stults Road Community
Organization Board - Zoning Chair 5) League of Women Voters - US Congress Committee,
Local Boards and Commissions Committee
Q: Education
A: BS Degree, UTHSCD, Medical Technology - Chemistry, Biology BA Degree, UTD -
Psychology, Biology Teaching Certifications - UTD - Biology, Composite Science, Psychology
- NTU - Vocational Education - Health Professions MA of Teaching in Science Education,
UTD -Geology, Biology MS in Geosciences, UTD - course work and field work completed
except for Thesis Oil Institute, University of Houston
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $500
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: 1)Kay deWitt - Retired, Telecommunications 2)Frank P.Hernandez - Chairman of the
board, Vista Film Festival 3)John Wellik - Senior Vice President, Finance - United Surgical
Partners
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Yes. The longest running Federal Class Action Case for Minorities and Women in the
State of Texas: we won the case.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I'm running for the District 10 office: 1) To preserve established neighborhoods which
are threatened from outside spot zoning 2) To protect the environment of District 10,
especially, the White Rock Water Shed into which all of the creeks of District 10 feed into
3) To maintain safe neighborhoods. I am most qualified due to my Education, my
experience with the City of Dallas, my 28 years of Law Enforcement experience, both local
and Federal, my civic involvement and activism and my passion for good government. My
experience with the City of Dallas - Department of Planning and Urban Development -
Highlands Area Neighborhood Design Citizen's Committee best prepares me to serve in
this post.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I would: 1)investigate a similar Task Force to former Eric Johnson's Goals for Dallas,
emphasizing preservation of intact neighborhoods; 2)join Angela Hunt's proposed Task
Force to investigate gas drilling within the Dallas City limits; 3) review the investment
practices of the Dallas Pension Plans with the goal of retuning to conservative investment
practices to insure that all employees have adequate retirement benefits.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: 1)I have extended experience as an activist in getting tangible projects for my District
10: Forest Green Library, extension of Royal Lane, a park, and a bus line through Hamilton
Park and Stults Road neighborhoods.Jerry Allen showed his disregard for our neighborhood
in a recent zoning case #Z090-221(WE). 2)I've been a Dallas Police Officer and a USCG
Federal Law Enforcement Officer, giving me insight into local and corporate crime. Jerry
Allen does not have the experience. 3)I've been decorated in the Desert Shield/Desert
Storm War for balancing the budget of the logistics unit first in the nation. Jerry Allen is a
banker but I showed leadership under tight time restraints. During my tenure at UTD as
project supervisor for science tutoring, my program, The Academic Bridge Program, won
the Tech Titan Award, sponsored by the Metroplex Technology Business Council consisting
of over 50 tech companies. The award was for $10,000 in addition to funds for a computer
lab for the program.Most of our students come from the DISD. DISD is one of our greatest
assets in Dallas and my experience in academia and education is an asset to the
governance of Dallas. Jerry Allen has not had this experience.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: During these hard economic times at all levels of government I would concentrate the
budget of Dallas on needed City Services such as streets, police, fire and health rather
than on big ticket items such as tax supported sports arenas, World Class bridges, unsafe
levee toll roads and hotels. Then most of the residents would get sufficient bang for their
tax buck.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Perhaps Dallas could start a program to recruit many, many more reserve police
officers and when economic conditions are better new police officers could be recruited
from this pool of highly trained reserve officers. The slowing of hires should continue with
increment increases as economic conditions improve.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: I would be for taxes targeted to basic services such as health, safety, and
transportation.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: I would reduce spending for tax supported toll roads, contracted out commercial
endeavors, overly priced public works and fancy bridges.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: Improvement of parks in the flood plains of the levee system should be prioritized and
access to those parks via small roadways, NOT toll roads. Funds should be raised with bond
issues.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: The Mayor and Council in order to spur economic development and grow the tax base
should consider renovating abandoned commericial properties to buffer in tact
neighborhoods. These neighborhooh commercial intities would raise the tax base and
provide much needed retail needs, as well as, supporting art districts like Downtown,
Uptown, East Village, West End, Bishop Art District, and Fair Park presently do for their
neighborhood. The City Council could help these commercial and art districts to find
outside and private funding.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Dallas excells in police,fire, and the arts; Dallas needs improvement in street
maintence, health and creek stablization.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: I see it as good for Dallas residents. Resident will be able to take a breath and nurture
the people now living in the city with the resources we have. The surrounding metroplex
brings lots of money into the city attracted by the arts, sports and the vitality of the city.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Density is fine and good for those parts of the city where young professionals are
moving into Downtown and Uptown, settling into refurbished old commercial buildings,
new apartment buildings and condos. Older established and affordable neighborhoods
should not be torn down and invaded by commercial box interests. The city has too few
affordable housing units for young families which could generate a future tax base. We
don’t want to be left with a city full of abandoned commercial businesses and no people.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: Perhaps, City Council could find block grants to help finance small businesses which are
for every day life, such as , cleaners, drug stores, flower shops, small specialty
restaurants, newsstands, coffee shops. organic food markets, etc. These could be modeled
after the small shops on the streets and sidewalks of New York City where in Manhattan it
almost feels like a small town. People would enjoy walking and eating outside. The Dallas
Architecture Center recently had a program on this very thing. Small businesses should be
geared to neighborhood living and to walking the downtown streets - eating, movies,
music and not just shopping. The Architecture Center plan would have these businesses no
more than 2 blocks from living spaces. Main Street in Dallas has already started this
process but many of the businesses are hotels and night clubs more for out of town visiters
rather than for everyday living within a neighborhood.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: City and police should concentrate on enforcing the laws which punish corporate
businesses for illegally hiring illegal immigrants. People throughout history and through out
the world go where there is work, at any cost. Stop it where it begins. All of our ancestors
came to this country for that reason.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: Fair Park, Dart, and the South Dallas renewable housing are a good start for improving
the quality of life in the southern sector ,as well as, art districts and the Oak Cliff Cultural
Center. Efforts could be made with the adjoining cities, Duncanville, Desota, Landcaster,
etc., to have cross cultural ties. The southern Inland Port Plans should be stepped up to
provide jobs.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I think this is an excellent idea, as long as, the established neighborhoods get input and
transparent feedback to the economic development.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: I would design the effort around former mayor Eric Johnson's Goals for Dallas. We
should start with South Dallas, Pleasant Grove and East Dallas.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: The South Dallas Cultural Center and Latino Cultural Center are way under publicized.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: The lack of transparency of planned projects until they are already off the ground or
Sandy Greyson
Biographical Info:
Name: Sandy Greyson
Street Address: 7238 Heathermore Drive
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: January 28, 1946
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: n/a
Home Phone Number: n/a
Mobile Phone Number: n/a
Fax Number: n/a
E-mail Address: sandy@sandygreyson.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.sandygreyson.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 31 years, 3 months
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 31 years, 3 months
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Community Volunteer
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: President of the League of Women Voters of Dallas, 2009-2011 Vice chair of the board
of the (JFK) Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, 2009-2011 Vice president of the
Domestic Violence Legal Help Center, 2010-2011 Board member of Save Open Space,
2009-present Monthly columnist for the Far North Dallas Advocate Magazine, 2008-2011
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Dallas City Councilmember, District 12, 1997-2005 Chair, Transportation and
Telecommunications Committee, 2001-2005 Chair, Legislative Affairs Committee,
1999-2001 Vice Chair, Trinity River Committee, 2002-2005 Member, Public Safety
Committee, 1997-2005 Chair, City of Dallas Domestic Violence Task Force, 1998-2004
Dallas Representative, Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council
of Governments, 1996-2005, and Chair, Mobility Plan Implementation Committee Vice
Chair, Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, 2002-2005 Treasurer, TEX-21 (Transportation
Excellence for the 21st Century), 2002-2005 Chair, Transportation Infrastructure and
Services Steering Committee, National League of Cities, 2003 Chair, National League of
Cities Task Force on TEA-21 (federal transportation funding bill) Reauthorization,
2001-2002 Board Member, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, 2002-2003
Board Member, North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, 1993-1996, 2002-2005 Member,
Leadership Dallas, Class of 1995 Board Member, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
1991-1996 Member, City of Dallas Civil Service Board Adjunct Panel, 1989-1991 Member,
City of Dallas Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee, 1988-1996 President, North Dallas
Neighborhood Alliance (umbrella organization of HOAs in Far North Dallas), 1991-1996
Co-Founder, Prestonwood East Homeowners Association, 1986; President, 1989-1990
Q: Education
A: University of Illinois, 1964-1966
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Dallas City Councilmember, District 12, 4 terms from 1997-2005
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Around $20,000 in 2 weeks
program. After flood control components are addressed, the lakes and downtown park
elements can be looked at next as their costs are small relative to the overall cost of the
Project. However, nothing should be started unless and until funding is identified and
available for maintenance. The Park Department will be responsible for maintenance and
that department is chronically underfunded. Maintenance of community and neighborhood
parks should not be sacrificed to maintain Trinity elements. There is no funding available
for the Trinity toll road and there won't be any for many, many years. The Corps has never
committed to the road in writing and keeps changing the standards under which it could be
built.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: Make neighborhoods places where families want to live, with quality services and
amenities. Even when companies relocate here, their employees aren't choosing to live in
Dallas, as evidenced by census figures showing the city of Dallas grew by only 9500 people
during the last decade. A poorly regarded DISD plays a big role in decisions by families to
move to the suburbs. District 12's population grew in the last decade and that's partly
because of suburban type development here and partly because of our quality ISDs--
Richardson, Plano, and Carollton-Farmers Branch. Dallas is a distribution and
transportation hub. The city needs to refocus on the inland port as an excellent opportunity
to provide good-paying jobs and grow the city's tax base.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Dallas excels in picking up the garbage and that's no small thing--people really care if
their garbage gets picked up on time. Bulk trash pickup is a different story--that needs
improvement. Trash sits out for 1 to 2 weeks, blocking sidewalks and making
neighborhoods look unsightly for half the month. Code enforcement needs improvement.
Over the years, code enforcement policy swings from proactive (inspectors authorized to
actively seek out violators) to reactive (inspectors responding only to complaints from
citizens) and back again. Suburban cities have much stronger code enforcement and their
cities look a lot better for it. That makes people want to live there. Pothold repairs should
be grouped together by area so that repair crews aren't fixing some and leaving others
while crisscrossing the city responding to complaints in different areas.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: I've referred to this in previous answers--if Dallas wants to attract more residents, they
need to beef up their quality of life services, have better schools, and provide a range of
attractive, affordable housing types. Families with young children generally don't want to
live in densely developed housing if they have a choice.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Density works in some areas of the city such as downtown and Uptown. Transit oriented
developments (TODs) are a good idea along rail lines as their density makes them work in
those locations. However, those developments usually attract young singles and empty
nesters, not families. As noted above, young families want more room, and opportunities
need to be available to them for reasonably priced single-family housing that's close to
public transportation. Unfortunately, DART bus routes with their long wait times and
limited transfer opportunities are not user friendly.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: The one action that would immediately jumpstart downtown Dallas is to bring the stores
up out of the tunnels. That would get people walking up and down the streets. The
streetscapes need to be attractive. That can be done fairly inexpensively with colorful
awnings (which would also provide shade) and more greenery. There aren't enough
convenient places to eat downtown. The city also needs to encourage food cart vendors,
who would add life to our streets. The streetcar plan needs to be implemented so that
people can get around downtown easily.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: They should adopt Irving's and Carrollton's approach.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: The single greatest benefit to the southern sector would be for the city to make the
inland port a priority as the recession ebbs and the economy picks up again. As the city
council's transportation chair, I brought the port project to the council in 2004--the council
moved agressively on it and attracted a developer. The city and county then later slowed
that project down at a critical time in its development and the port suffered. Then the
recession began. If elected, I would make the inland port a priority again. Once activity
picks up there, more warehouse and distribution development would occur, attracting good
jobs and then housing. Housing attracts retail, the tax base grows and more money is
available to improve quality of life.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: Public/private development corporations usually want the power of eminent domain,
which frightens current property owners. If such a corporation could be structured without
that power, it would be more readily accepted.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: The City Design Studio is a public-private partnership focused on planning and
development along the Trinity. Unless private dollars step up to provide funding, the city
doesn't have the money right now to finance any expansion of this effort to other parts of
the city.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: One of the best things to see in Dallas is the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. To
change the question slightly, non-Dallas residents come to the Museum by the hundreds of
thousands every year (it's the second most visited site in Texas), but Dallas residents don't
come. They are missing a profound and moving experience.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is that hardly anyone votes in municipal elections. Turnout
averages around 7% and that means most people in the city allow a relative handful of
others to make the decisions about who governs their everyday lives.
Donna Starnes
Biographical Info:
Name: Donna J. Starnes
Street Address: 17106 Wester Way Place
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 10/05/1951
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-535-6201
Home Phone Number: 972-250-1119
Mobile Phone Number: 214-535-6201
Fax Number: 972-250-1123
E-mail Address: donna@donnastarnesforcitycouncil.com
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.donnafordallas.com/
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 20 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 20 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: CPA, Financial Planner (CFP)
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Treasurer Highland’s of McKamy Homeowner’s Association, Deputy voter registrar,
Military Order of the World Wars.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Election volunteer, organized candidate forums and seminars to educate voters about
the functions of local office holders and important issues. Volunteer: Highland’s of McKamy
Homeowner’s Association, Dallas Public Library, Dallas Museum of Art, Participant and
mentor - Leukemia and Lymphoma Society marathons, Professional Society Associations
have included: President Institute of Internal Auditors - Dallas Chapter, Texas Society of
CPA’s – Dallas Chapter. Junior Achievement Instructor, American Institute of Individual
Investors – Dallas Chapter.
Q: Education
A: Rice University: BA in Economics, SMU: Executive MBA
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Individuals interested in my campaign finance reports can view them on The City of
Dallas Campaign Finance Filing System which can be located in the City Secretary’s section
on the City of Dallas’ web site.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Individuals interested in my campaign finance reports can view them on The City of
Dallas Campaign Finance Filing System which can be located in the City Secretary’s section
on the City of Dallas’ web site.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No arrests or involvement in criminal proceeds. I was an auxiliary party to a suit over
unpaid property taxes by the purchaser of land from a family trust (I was a party because
of my position as one of the trustees of the trust.)
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I am running because I am concerned about the critical financial situation that Dallas is
facing with uncertain property tax revenues and rising debt. Also, the state and Federal
government are cutting back and that will have a cascading effect on the City of Dallas’
budget. This critical situation calls for someone with business and financial acumen. I am a
CPA and CFP (Certified Financial Planner) with 26 years of financial and executive
experience. I’d like to put my experience to work.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I would read the 650-page budget document from top to bottom and discuss in depth
with council members and city staff ways to streamline and trim the budget. In order to
fund essential services, we can increase revenue to the City by growing the tax base. That
can be accomplished by keeping taxes low, keeping crime low and aggressively recruiting
new businesses to move to Dallas that create the jobs our citizens want.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I running because I love my community, I am proud to live in Dallas and am concerned
about the city’s current fiscal environment. Because I hold the unique professional
qualifications and credentials of CPA and financial planner (CFP), including 26 years of
executive financial experience, I have the know how to help meet the fiscal challenges we
will face. I have the ability, the determination and the independent perspective to make
the fiscally responsible decisions required to affect real change. As a successful CPA I
preached fiscal responsibility and practiced this philosophy in my own life which has
allowed me to retire. Therefore, I will be a full time Councilperson with the ability to
dedicate all of my time toward service to the City.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: I think the City does several things well. We have great public safety and we have
24-hour pothole repair. Also the Council has made strides in saving money, while providing
essential services. For instance, the change to once-a-week garbage and recycling pick-up
combined with new waste management GPS technology is saving the City millions. In
short, we can do more with less through ingenuity and applying basic business practices to
our city services. I will bring my 26 years in financial consulting and accounting to help
departments find new ways to become more efficient and give the taxpayers more bang
for their buck.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Low crime is one of the most critical elements for attracting businesses, creating jobs
and attracting qualified employees. As a result this is a crucial expense in the budget. We
need to make sure that the police and fire departments have the technology and
equipment they need. However, at this critical financial juncture, we need to make sure
that every department is thoroughly reviewed for efficiency and streamlining, including the
police department.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: Absolutely not. The key to future growth is to make Dallas an attractive home for
businesses, their employees and families. Low taxes are an essential part of that
attraction.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: Debt costs – Review for reduction in interest costs through refinancing, Review of
employee and retiree benefits in line with competitive private business alternatives, and
review all city administrative expenses through management span of control metrics.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: Beyond flood control, the main reason voters passed the original bond was to create the
recreational features. And progress has been made. The Trinity River Audubon Center is
open, the white water rapids features are near completion and I have reports that kayak
enthusiasts are already using this feature even before it is open. We need to continue with
the promise the City made to voters to continue to develop the recreation features. I
believe this is an investment that will draw people from all over the region and country to
Dallas and will help expand our tax base. The Trinity River Project has the potential to be a
catalyst for growth in the region for the next several decades. The most controversial
aspect is, of course, the Trinity tollroad. The City had an election in 2007 and the voters
voted to move forward with the tollroad. I am concerned with the ever-growing price tag
attached to this project and how it may impact the City’s overall budget and our ability to
provide quality essential services.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: As the Panama Canal is widened over the next several years, the Inland Port should
gain in activity from the distribution route through the Houston ship channel. We should
promote that activity in our city. Also we should continually work to create sensible
regulations and zoning for new businesses and encourage business-friendly policies by all
city employees.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Crime has decreased dramatically over the last 10 years. We need to refine our
techniques and reevaluate what works best and what can be scrapped or needs to be
emphasized. There is room for improvement in street services, including paving roads and
upgrading neighborhood curbing in some cases. Also, I believe we need to take a look at
library and recreation center services and make sure we are providing the services needed
by the local community and possibly look for ways to re-align the services that go beyond
basic requirements or needs. Currently, libraries, for example, provide many valuable
services to the community, such as a learning and job resource, a recreation outlet and as
a safe place for children to go after school.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: Fiscal restraint is the best way to attract businesses, create jobs and grow the tax base.
Fiscal restraint facilitates lower taxes over time. Good schools and low crime also are key
determinants. Although schools are not in the purview of the city of Dallas, I think all
community and business leaders should get involved in helping to improve Dallas schools.
Margaret Spelling, former Secretary of Education spoke recently at SMU, encouraging
business leaders to get involved in Dallas schools, “get smart on the metrics from the No
Child Left Behind Program” and ask critical questions. I think we need to make some
radical changes, because what we are doing now isn’t working.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: As evident in the recent 2010 census, much of the growth in the metroplex has occurred
outside the City of Dallas. However, looking forward we know that there is only so far that
we can grow out and with the estimated population growth Dallas will experience greater
levels of density. I don’t agree with the notion that there is a “right” level of density that
we can apply throughout the City. We have seen successful mixed-use developments such
as Mockingbird Station, the Knox-Henderson area, Turtle Creek and Uptown. Each is
unique in its own regard and offers different residential and commercial opportunities. As
we find areas of future opportunities to create mixed-use, high-density development we
must also be cognizant of the impact that such development may have on adjacent single-
family neighborhoods. Recently, the City of Dallas successfully approved the single largest
rezoning case in City history along the Bishop-Davis corridor in Oak Cliff. The purpose of
this rezoning was to remove barriers, such as parking requirements, height limitation and
slope requirements, in order to encourage dense, mixed-use development. Through a
series of neighborhood town halls, input was gathered from the home owners, developers,
City planners and other stakeholders as a means to develop a plan that would encourage
development and satisfy concerns of the adjacent homeowners. The product of this effort
created 8 subsections, all with varying degrees of zoning regulations. This process is a
good example of how “one shoe does not fit all” and can be a model for obtaining feedback
and compromise from all the stakeholders involved. Where it make sense, encouraging
density through lowering barriers will allow the City to grow its tax base and fund essential
City services while keeping taxes low.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: The convention center and the convention center hotel have had or are projected to
have great success and are near the Arts District and downtown entertainment. I would
encourage civic, business and academic leaders to take advantage of this convergence to
promote the downtown.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: I would encourage the city to investigate how we could promote the use of e-verify to
deter people that are not U.S. citizens from entering Dallas in the first place. Police should
be flexible with policies, so as not to impede the arrest of criminals, but should work with
Federal authorities in identifying the citizenship of apprehended criminal suspects.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: For Dallas to grow and be prosperous, all of Dallas needs to work towards maintaining
and/or improving the quality for life for our citizens. Before proposing initiatives for South
Dallas, I would consult with the Council Members who represent those areas to determine
the needs of their constituents and how we might all work together to achieve sensible
policies that benefit South Dallas.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I favor any effort to bring stakeholders together to help move our City forward. The
City can be a partner in listening to the needs of businesses when it comes to zoning,
permitting and regulations and how the City might remove barriers for growth and
development in South Dallas.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: I certainly hope the City Design Studio proves to be one of the catalysts that encourage
growth and development in West Dallas. Before we start replicating initiatives and
programs in other parts of the City, we should first evaluate the efficacy of this program.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: There is a strong arts district with a full range of cultural activity, all within a few blocks.
I hope the new pedestrian park that will link Uptown to the Arts District will encourage
more use of our arts venues and encourage private business to create more restaurant and
retail amenities surrounding the Art District.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: The city of Dallas is facing a large budget shortfall over the next several years, because
of declining revenues due to cutbacks at the state and Federal government and because of
a less robust economy. The city leaders will need to make uncomfortably sharp cuts in
expenses, because increasing tax rates would be counterproductive to the growth of our
city in terms of encouraging new business. We need to make tough business decisions,
combined with an eye to keeping the quality of life in our beautiful Dallas neighborhoods.
That’s where my executive experience as a CPA and Financial Planner, along with my
balanced outlook for current and future taxpayers will benefit our fine city.
Ann Margolin
Biographical Info:
Name: Ann Margolin
Street Address: 1500 Marilla St. 5FS
City/Town: Dallas
State: TX
Date of Birth: 8-27-52
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-696-4591
Home Phone Number: 214-696-4591
Mobile Phone Number: 214-212-1121
Fax Number: 214-696-4591
E-mail Address: annmargolin@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: annmargolin.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 33 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 28 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Spouse's income and investments that I actively manage.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Dallas City Council Advisory Boards: Safer Dallas Better Dallas - supports the police;
DOORS Prison Reentry Program; The Chiapas Project (microfinance); Girls Inc. – after
school programs for low income girls; Dallas Women’s Foundation
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Park and Recreation Board; Planning and Zoning Commission; North Dallas Chamber of
Commerce board; YWCA board; Girls Inc. board president; The Chiapas Project board
chairman; Martin Luther King Center board; Parkland Hospital Board Chair Temple
EmanuEl sustaining campaign co-chair Member, Town North YMCA
Q: Education
A: MBA: Columbia University; BS and MA: Northwestern University, Communication
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $149,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I have received the maximum contribution of $1000 from 55 individuals
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: MBA: Columbia University BS and MA: Northwestern University, Communication
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I want to continue to work on issues that are important to the future of District 13 and
Dallas: Strong, safe neighborhoods: - Continuing to bring down crime: I support the
police chief and commend him for innovative programs and use of technology to
substantially reduce crime. Crime was down 10.2% last year and is running at a 15%
further reduction so far this year. - I support District 13’s crime watch groups and
neighborhood associations and meet with the leaders of these groups on a quarterly basis.
Dallas an attractive place to live by implementing desirable amenities that enhance quality
of life such as our trails, our bicycle plan, and encouraging a variety of living options –
single-family, mixed use, transit-oriented, urban.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: There is no single level of density that is right. We must have options. I believe that a
dense core is good and that density around transit stations is good to reduce reliance on
automobiles. The city receives funding from the federal government each year to
incentivize development, particularly low and moderate income housing. It is appropriate
to use that funding to encourage development in the areas where density is desirable. We
also have several land use plans – West Dallas, Downtown, the Stemmons Corridor – that
serve as guidelines for future zoning. The Forward Dallas Plan is also a guide. We must
continue to refer to these plans as we determine where to use our federal funds and other
economic incentives.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: The recent Downtown Dallas 360 study (http://dallascityhall.com/council_briefings
/briefings0211/Downtown360Plan_021611.pdf) shows graphically how creating “active
street frontages” in the form of kiosks, newsstands, food stands and other sidewalk activity
leads to a more vibrant street life. The zoning and permitting process should be changed to
allow these businesses to function on our downtown streets as they do so successfully in
other cities.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: It is first and foremost the responsibility of the federal government to protect our
borders and address the problem of illegal immigration. In the absence of that we must
address this at the local level with the assistance of the feds. Our current practice is that
once someone is arrested and brought to the jail, ICE (Immigration and Customs
Enforcement) provides personnel who determine the legal status of the person who was
arrested. If ICE determines that the individual is here illegally they have the authority and
responsibility to detain and deport that person. I understand that there are insufficient ICE
personnel available at all times. We must advocate for the appropriate number of ICE staff
and we must advocate with our federal officials that they be responsible and accountable
for securing our borders and developing an appropriate plan for the illegal immigrant
population.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: I would target economic development opportunities that will result in long-term growth
and gains. The two greatest opportunities are the Inland Port and the University of North
Texas area. The city should provide infrastructure such as roads, water and sewage to
these areas so that private development can move in. Where appropriate, economic
incentives may be warranted for these areas. In addition, the 5 Neighborhood Investment
Programs areas which are all in southern Dallas should be favored for a variety of federal
funds. It is appropriate to target certain areas with the goal of making them catalysts for
economic growth. The city continues to support nonprofit housing organizations by
providing vacant lots for development. It is important to target spending so that results
can be realized.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I am not clear what is meant by “public-private” in that I am not sure where the public
funding would come from. I would not support an entity that has a board of directors that
is separate from the city council. I would not be comfortable handing off my fiduciary
responsibility to an outside board. I think it could be open to political pressure and political
favors. Having a separate entity with its own board presents a host of potential problems.
We have seen this on a small scale with the South Dallas Fair Park Trust Fund. This does
not mean that I am opposed to investment in southern Dallas. We must particularly
nurture the UNT area, the Inland Port area which have huge growth potential. This part of
our city must continue to receive resources to encourage growth.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: The Studio can look at a variety of areas that are struggling to help create plans for
envisioning future development. Each area is unique. Their practice of involving residents,
property owners, business owners and other stakeholders is very positive. I am currently
working with the design studio to look at an area in District 13.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: I wish people from out of the area knew that Dallas is a great place to come as a
tourist. A weekend in Dallas can be spent visiting our museums and galleries, seeing Fair
Park and the Zoo, going to performances in the evening and eating at a variety of
restaurants at every price. There is so much to see and do.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Voting for bonds is like voting for a mortgage. It is not free money. It has to be paid
back in the form of debt service which can cause an increase in taxes or a decrease in
other services.
Richard P. Sheridan
Biographical Info:
Name: Richard P. Sheridan
Street Address: 3022 Forest Lane
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: july 17, 1946
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-815-7570
Home Phone Number: 972-815-7570
Mobile Phone Number: 972-815-7570
Fax Number: none
E-mail Address: richardforcitycouncil13@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: none
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 14 years in Dallas, and 30 years in Texas
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 14 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Social Security
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Richard P. Sheridan, P.E. for (Photo Here) Dallas City Council, Dist 13 Age: 64 (I still
have most of my hair and teeth!) Lived in Dallas: 14 years Lived in Texas: 30 Years
Married 13 yrs, and Divorced 27 years; Sons, Michael 34, Nicholas 30 Ethnicity: 70% Irish,
20% Italian, 10% English, and 100% Patriotic American Born:The Bronx, New York
(Rooted for the Tigers 'n the Braves) Education: Manhattan College: Bachelor of Civil
Eng.,1969; Master of Environmental Eng., 1970; P.E., NY, 1974 Financial Condition:
Struggling like many other Americans Strengths: Communication, Personality, Sense of
Humor, and Persistence I have been active in City and County politics for 8 years, being
an advocate for representative and ethical government, social justice, and responsible
spending of taxpayer money. I was cited by the Dallas Morning News in 2007 as one of the
top 5 speakers before the Dallas City Council. Rev. Joseph Clifford, head of First
Presbyterian Church, has called me a prophetic presence, a modern day John the Baptist.
So why haven't you heard about me? Fox 4's Shaun Rabb said it best when he stated to
me recently, "Rich, the media doesn't cover you because you tell the truth." I ran for City
Council '05, and Mayor in '07 as a write-in. Some of my activities include(ed): 1.
Instrumental in the construction of the Homeless' The Bridge. 2. Assisted with the "Block-
the-Box" jobs program 3. Advocate for Major Changes to City's Ethics Code which is a
billboard. It has done little to stop City Hall corruption, 4. Advocate for breathlyzers in all
drinking establishments. 5. Advocate for Dallas adoption of Ft. Worth's C.O.P.s program. 6.
Creator of the Solomon Solution to the Trinity River Fiasco. 7. Advocate for a lowering of
taxes on District 13 homes thru the economic development of Dallas southern sector and
the Trinity. 8. Advocate for Major Revisions to our Criminal Justice System. 9. Advocate for
the Removal of Commissioner John Wiley Price. (For additional information Google:
"Richard P. Sheridan Dallas") Paid for by Richard P. Sheridan for City Council, Richard P.
Sheridan Treasurer. Campaign Headquarters: 3022 Forest Lane, No. 304, Dallas Tx. 75234
www.RichardforCityCouncil13@gmail.com 972-815-7570 4/4/11 Sheridan's "Radical"
Campaign Platform Today, our city's budget condition/crisis is more and more a reflection
of the failure of our Federal Government to promote the general welfare, fulfill their
Constitutional responsibilities, and serve the needs of We the People. I believe it is
circumstances as these, similar to what our Revolutionary Forefathers faced, that it is the
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: We must approach the southern sector holistically. This will involve a drug rehabilitaton,
education, jobs program. The mind set of many southern sector black man and women
need a major transformation, from hangin pants, and gutteral language, and a "Ho"
mentality, to one of ladies and gentlemen. This will involve elected officials at all levels of
Govt, ministers, and
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: We will obviously need such a partnership, BUT will this just be gentrification again, and
again? Why not encourage coops, where there is employee ownership in
businesses...supermarkets, clothing stores, etc...to give a good future, jobs, and economic
stablity to existing residents.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: I haven't signed off on their plan. As far as I can see, good, hard working businesses
are being driven out, and are not being compensated to start their businesses elsewhere.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: That you can find some really good, dow to earth people here.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Its mostly abvout image, and not substance. Dallas is too much a billboard, pretencious
and materialistic
Vernon Franko
Biographical Info:
Name: Vernon Franko
Street Address: 5211 Cedar Springs Rd
City/Town: Dallas
State: TX
Date of Birth: 46 yrs old
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-351-4097
Mobile Phone Number: 214-213-5782
E-mail Address: vern@vernonfranko.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.vernonfranko.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 30 plus years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 20 plus years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Insurance Agent
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: None at the moment, I’m busy campaigning for City Council.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I provide free small business development, consulting and guidance service for
primarily minority low income Dallas residents with an entrepreneurial spirit in starting
their own business. It's not a foundation and I don't write it off on my taxes. There are no
committees to decide who deserves help. I enjoy helping people with an entrepreneurial
spirit and a desire to succeed.
Q: Education
A: GED
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Self Financed
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Self Financed
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Unfortunately, Yes, twice when I was a teenager. Once when I set out some traffic
tickets that I could not afford to pay, and another time for a property offense that was
later dismissed. I am confident that these experiences have given me some positive
insight in dealing with some of the issues that may be faced by inner city youth of low
income families
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: District 14 needs experienced leadership with a proven track record that can provide
sound common sense civic policy that allows individuals and families the peaceful
enjoyment of our city and its many beautiful places, encourage and promote the personal
and economic industry of our citizens, provide for security and the future quality of life in
District 14 and all of Dallas for our residents. As a thirty year resident, I’ve seen Dallas go
through boom times and hard times. My district with the proper experience and leadership
can be instrumental in directing our civic policies on a productive path that serves the
needs and aspiration of our residents. As an Insurance Agent my experience primarily
focuses on providing fiscally responsible solutions for the security of our property, our
finances and our futures. Financial planning and fiscal responsibility need to be an
important component of our cities focus moving forward. I’m a small Business Owner. I
know how to create jobs. In Fact I have personally created dozens of jobs and assisted in
the creation of hundreds throughout my career. Before starting my own business, I
managed several others. After managing Retail, Manufacturing and Service related
businesses for a number of companies I decided it might be smarter to take that
experience into my own endeavor. Having grown up as the youngest child in a low
income family and moving to Dallas at an early age, I am familiar with the economic
challenges that can be faced by the least advantaged members of our society. The
opportunities I have found in our great City of Dallas and the doors that opened for me are
far more than I could ever have dreamed possible considering my origins. I am very
grateful to the City of Dallas. I am interested in paying it back by making a positive
difference in our city and helping us get back on the path to growth and prosperity.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I believe I am in agreement with our incumbent Angela Hunt. I have no Pet Projects or
New Committees to promote that would add to the current budget deficit.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Dallas is a city like no other in this country and it requires local leadership with the
experience to recognize the historical uniqueness of the city we live in. We need local
solutions that are germane to our community. I’ve lived in the City of Dallas and in
District 14 longer than any of my opponents. I am the only candidate in my district that
has ever managed a business and created jobs that provide employment. Over the
decades I’ve seen some successful city initiatives and a number of misguided ones. I
believe that I am the candidate with a familiarity to the needs and the sensibilities of my
district, my city and our region.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: I don't think we are getting what we should for the funds spent. If we want to grow our
tax base we have got to grow our local economy. We need to make changes in the
municipal bidding process. It’s important that we encourage local talent to participate in
the building of our city. Locally owned businesses will tend to spend more of their profits
back at the stores and shops of our own communities growing our business and sales tax
base and relieving the tax burden on our residents, resulting in jobs for our local
population and tax revenues from those dollars spent here. Larger companies from
elsewhere may take their profits elsewhere to spend.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Recent reports indicate that the City of Dallas has successfully reached our target goal
for the number of Uniformed Officers. Should the city begin to suffer safety issues or from
a lack of response ability I would support an effort to increase recruiting at that time.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No, I’m for a tax roll back at the earliest opportunity. In economic times like this, when
families are having to economize and reduce household budgets even for the essentials of
life, when most every household has been touched in some way by unemployment, our
Dallas City Council must find the courage to reign in unnecessary wasteful spending. This is
not the time to further increase taxes on already financially strapped residents of Dallas.
We must learn to spend our tax dollars smarter.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: I intend to comb every area of our budget to root out wasteful and inefficient spending.
I want to concentrate on Contracted Services, Materials and Supplies first to make sure we
are getting the best value for our tax dollars. I better not find any three thousand dollar
hammers in there.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: Our future is here now! We need to be moving forward on the development of our
green park plan and water amenities. This is an important component of spurring the
downtown urban development plan as well as economic growth and will increase our city
tax base alleviating some of our budget woes. It will also enhance the quality of life for all
Dallas residents as well as provide local jobs. The Trinity River Project bond issue has
sufficient funds still in place to begin the necessary work. The park can be built in fiscally
responsible stages and within budget. The toll road though perhaps not in as ideal a
location as we would like, is viable in recognition that it will be paid for by the collected
tolls of those who use it. We have local design and engineering talent right here in Dallas
that can address any aesthetic concerns making it workable.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: We need leadership with the experience to root out inefficient or excessive regulations
and requirements that could discourage economic investment. We must revisit our local
codes and policies to ensure that we are not cutting off our nose to spite our face. We
need to be making every effort to send out the word that Dallas will welcome the business
community. We have some of the hardest working and most industrious people you’ll find
anywhere in the world. Our business community also pays taxes and provides jobs for our
residents. We can’t expect to grow our tax base or our population if we don’t have living
wage jobs available.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Although there is always room for improvement in almost any system, I think we need
to resolve our budgetary concerns before we add additional expenses. Considering our
current fiscal condition I believe that our current leadership has done an excellent job in
maintaining the best city services that one could expect.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: It is obviously not good to have a zero growth rate. It indicates that our economy is in a
depression. In order to attract more people we must have living wage jobs available for
them. In order to do this we must encourage investment in the development of our
economy increasing the number of available jobs.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Ideally we would have a population density that is in harmony with the available
housing, amenities and employment opportunities along with a reasonable taxation rate.
Unfortunately, in uncertain fiscal times like now, there is no practical straight forward
answer to this question. Encouraging an increase in population density at this time without
a commensurate density of available jobs to employ that population would be folly due the
expectation of the need for increased city services. By the same token a decrease in the
population of the moment may lead to further degradation of the existing tax base.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: There are many things that need to be done. The single most important thing we could
do to revitalize downtown is to move the Trinity River Park Project forward. This is a
project that will enhance our quality of life and available recreational facilities for
downtown and all of Dallas. It will lead to economic development by attracting jobs back
downtown as well as provide the spark for our downtown urban goals. It will also revitalize
our downtown and all its surrounding areas.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: There is not much our police department can do under current regulation other than to
cooperate with federal authorities. Statistics indicate that most employers found employing
illegal immigrants never face a fine or criminal prosecution. I would support initiatives
designed at putting teeth into fines and strengthening penalties civil and criminal imposed
on those who attract illegal immigration by offering them employment.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: I would like to see more focus on economic development in all of Dallas including the
southern sectors. Focus should be on economic development as well as quality of life
amenities that attract investment in both residential and a living wage jobs base.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I think it's a Fine Idea.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: Perhaps we should entertain the idea of expanding their scope and putting them to work
on development in our southern sectors.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: Our people, Dallas has some of the Finest, most engaging, concerned and intelligent
citizens that can be found anywhere in the United States or the world. We need
experienced leadership on the council level and in the Mayors office that will facilitate the
blossoming of the native talent we have in all areas of personal and commercial
endeavors.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Our economy and population growth has stagnated. We need Council leadership that
has demonstrated experience in resolving issues of importance to us all and who will
continue to have the courage of their convictions in spurring our economic growth.
Angela Hunt
Biographical Info:
Name: Angela Hunt
Street Address: 5306 Mercedes Ave.
City/Town: Dallas
State: TX
Date of Birth: 12/11/1971
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (214) 907-4600
Fax Number: (214) 292-9685
E-mail Address: angela@angelahunt.com
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.angelahunt.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 12 1/2 years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 12 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Dallas City Councilmember (full-time)
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Dallas League of Women Voters Virginia Macdonald Leadership Award, Marshall
Memorial Fellow, Voted "Best City Council Member" Dallas Observer (2006-2010), Voted
"Best Dallas City Council Person" Dallas Voice Readers Voice Awards (2008-2010), Chair of
Dallas City Council Judiciary Committee, Co-Chair of City of Dallas Bike Plan 2011, led
Trinity Vote campaign, First Place - Keep America Beautiful "Graffiti Hurts" Award (group
award)
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Dallas Homeowners League - Board Member, led M Streets Conservation District effort,
Greenland Hills Neighborhood Association - Board Member, City of Dallas Permit & License
Appeals - Board Member representing District 14, City of Dallas Cultural Affairs
Commission - Commissioner representing District 14, Greater Dallas Planning Council
Dream Award, Thomas J. Watson Fellow, White House Intern
Q: Education
A: Rice University (B.A. 1994) University of Texas School of Law, (J.D. 1998)
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Since November, I have raised roughly $60,000 for my re-election effort.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Dallas Police Association John & Anne Mullen Bill Brosius & Ron Guillard
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: It has been an honor to represent one of the most diverse and exciting council districts
in our city over the past six years. During that time, we've been able to improve
neighborhoods throughout District 14, from enhancing our parks and trails to preserving
our historic neighborhoods. We've fostered economic growth and walkable communities
while protecting established neighborhoods from commercial encroachment and
inappropriate development. We've fulfilled the dream of a nationally-renowned Arts
District and revitalized downtown Dallas. And, most importantly, we've made our city safer
in the process – adding over 600 police officers to our streets and bringing crime down
30%. Although I gave up my law practice to serve my constituents full-time, my legal
background has helped me navigate and improve complex city ordinances and contracts
presented to the council. More important than my law degree, however, is my
background as a grassroots, neighborhood leader. Years before running for office, I worked
to improve my own neighborhood as well as other communities throughout the city. I led
my neighborhood's effort to become a conservation district, and as a board member of the
Dallas Homeowners League, I assisted community leaders throughout the city on issues
ranging from crime prevention to zoning education. As a councilmember, my focus has
remained on improving our neighborhoods and making our city a better place to live. On
issues large and small, I do my homework, I stand up for my constituents, and I'm not
afraid to be an independent voice on tough issues.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Protecting our Residents and Environment - As cities across North Texas struggle with
the problems associated with urban gas drilling, I have led the effort to create a City of
Dallas taskforce to revise Dallas' gas drilling ordinance to ensure our residents and
environment are protected. Making the City More Business-Friendly - Owners of
businesses large and small tell me how challenging it is to work with the City's Building
Inspections Department. We lose business to suburban cities that have more efficient and
business-friendly processes in place and that must change. Dallas must work with partners
like The Real Estate Council and the Dallas Regional Chamber to re-evaluate the City's
Building Inspections Department with the goal of making it more efficient and more
customer-service-oriented. Improve Basic City Services - Our city must focus on providing
taxpayers with city services they can be proud of -- safe neighborhoods, good streets,
clean parks, and a responsive city government. By creating a great place to live, we will
attract quality employees, which will in turn encourage business relocation -- all of which
improves our tax base.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I bring a strong record of community involvement and leadership in District 14 long
before I decided to run for office. That grassroots experience has served me well and kept
my focus on our residents, not special interests. I fight for my constituents, even when it's
not popular with the politically powerful or well-connected. There is no question that it is
easier to "go along to get along" at City Hall. But on the tough issues, whether it's gas
drilling, the Trinity Project, or protecting our neighborhoods from bad zoning, my priority
has always been doing what's right for our citizens.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: In recent years, Dallas has funded major capital improvements by borrowing too much
money, too quickly. As a result, our city is spending more and more on debt, leaving
significantly less for basic city services. For example, the city eliminated basic street
maintenance (among other things) in the last two budgets in order to pay for our growing
debt. (I voted against this and proposed other cuts instead.) We should reduce the
amount of money Dallas is borrowing every year so that we can make more funds
available for police and fire, streets, parks, libraries, code enforcement and other critical
city services. Debt should be focused on projects that improve our neighborhoods and are
a catalyst for economic development, which will help grow our tax base.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Unlike other cities that have cut their police departments during this economic
downturn, our City Council has been steadfast in its commitment to hire officers. Thanks to
the City Council's investment in police resources, we have added more than 600 officers to
our police force over the last six years, reducing crime by more than 30%. Our efforts
have resulted in the lowest crime rate since the 1960s, so we must be very careful not to
lose ground by reducing our police force. We must work closely with our DPD leadership to
ensure our police department has the staff it needs to patrol our neighborhoods and
protect our businesses. I will be working closely with the leadership in our police
department during the coming budget season to address these issues.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No. Thanks to tough choices we made last year, we are in a much better situation
financially than we would have been otherwise. It will be another tough budget year, but
we will be able to manage short-term cuts as our economy rebounds. Already there are
signs that the Dallas economy is on the upswing -- sales tax revenue is increasing and
Realtors as well as real estate developers tell me they are seeing positive signs of
improvement.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: It's unlikely that any city department will remain unscathed in the next budget. It will
be a matter of deciding which departments to cut the least. Public safety must continue to
be a priority, so we must be cautious in any cuts to either police or fire. Development
services holds the key to future economic growth, so additional cuts there would be
unwise. Otherwise, we will see cuts throughout most of our city departments.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: After ensuring our levees will protect surrounding homes and businesses, the Downtown
Trinity Park must be our focus. The park will be an incredible recreational amenity as well
as a catalyst for redevelopment projects along the levees. However, we need not wait for
the park to be fully realized before making it accessible to the public. This greenspace is a
wonderful asset just as it is, but it is under-appreciated and under-utilized due to lack of
easy public access. Not only will this allow the public to enjoy the park, accessibility will
help spur redevelopment as the economy improves. In relation to the levee upgrades, I
object to the city's current plan to pay for federally-mandated levee improvements by
transferring funds from other critical flood control projects. These projects, such as Mill
Creek reconstruction and sump overhauls, are critical to protecting our residents and
businesses from flooding. We should use funds from such projects only AFTER we have
exhausted the remaining $30 million set aside for the defunct toll road. The toll road
remains unviable, and the city's insistence on its inclusion in the Trinity Project --
intertwining it with our park and levee improvements -- only serves to grind those other
critical projects to a halt. Just as troubling, we are delaying the inevitable need to find
other solutions to the transportation problems that the toll road was allegedly going to
solve. Over the next two years, we must engage transportation experts who have
experience with similar challenges to help us address our transportation needs using
creative 21st century solutions.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: The key to attracting economic development and corporate relocations to Dallas is an
improved quality of life for residents. Dallas must attract residents and families to our city
by making Dallas safe, clean, and livable. When desirable employees choose to live in
Dallas, economic development and corporate relocations follow. In addition, our city will
attract and maintain businesses by ensuring we are business-friendly on a very practical
level. This means making sure our Building Inspections Department is efficient and
customer-service-oriented. If developers cannot easily obtain permits, they will take their
business elsewhere, pushing retail, residential, and mixed-use developments to the
suburbs.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Our police and fire departments regularly receive high marks from District 14 residents,
and the fact that we have the lowest crime rate since the 1960s underscores that fact. As I
mentioned above, basic city services are critical to strong, healthy neighborhoods. Over
the last decade we have cut spending on our streets and parks, and the effects of that
deferred maintenance is costly. We must also make code enforcement and animal control
more responsive to residents.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: Growth for the sake of growth isn't necessarily a good thing. However, if other nearby
cities and suburbs are experiencing growth while Dallas is not, we should look to the
surrounding communities to see what they have done to encourage growth. Do they have
better schools? More affordable housing? Better economic investment incentives for
corporate relocations? More job growth? Better city services? If there is something that
Dallas should be doing differently, we should take this opportunity to learn from our
neighbors and adopt their best practices, so the next census will perhaps reflect a different
outcome.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Proper density in our city's core will vary by neighborhood. Density shouldn't be
shoehorned into established single-family neighborhoods and density isn't a goal in and of
itself. Rather, it should be part of a larger plan to reduce our dependence on cars, in which
case dense housing stock must be paired with public transportation options like DART light
rail or streetcar service, as well as nearby community service retail. Neighborhoods in and
around Downtown should be the most dense -- as the major job center, living in downtown
allows residents to walk, bus, or take the future streetcar to work rather than drive. Our
city center will continue to see denser development and the census bears this out -- while
Dallas' population remained almost flat over the last decade, the population of District 14
rose by nearly 15%. People want to live in walkable, vibrant, urban communities like
Uptown, Cedar Springs, and Downtown Dallas.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: The city has made great strides in revitalizing downtown Dallas. The Mercantile, Main
Street Garden, Main Street retail, the Arts District, the Farmers Market, and other areas of
downtown have benefited and flourished thanks to public-private partnerships. We can
build on these successes using the Downtown 360 Plan as our guide, particularly those
aspects that require little financial investment, such as ordinance changes that would
encourage street vendors and outdoor restaurant seating.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: When people are arrested, their citizenship status should be determined, and those who
are here illegally should be deported to the proper authorities in their home country.
However, District 14 residents I talk with want our police focused on things like preventing
car thefts and home burglaries, patrolling their neighborhoods, and addressing unruly
crowds in entertainment districts. If Dallas police are forced to take over the federal
responsibility of immigration enforcement, they will not have the resources or manpower
to respond to local law enforcement needs. Moreover, the city will not reduce crime if
crime victims or witnesses are afraid to contact the DPD for fear of deportation.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: There are, of course, no easy answers here, but I believe improving southern Dallas
starts by improving the neighborhoods. The broken-windows theory of crime would dictate
beefing up code enforcement, animal control, and graffiti abatement in problem areas. To
spur growth, economic incentives for redevelopment, like the Mockingbird-Lancaster TIF,
should be more widely implemented to encourage real change and growth in
disadvantaged area. The city should continue to champion the Inland Port project, which
has great potential to bring business and jobs to the Southern Sector.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: Public-private partnerships have worked well to bring development to other parts of our
city, particularly Downtown Dallas. The devil is in the details, of course, but a public-
private economic development corporation could serve as the catalyst for real change in
the Southern Sector.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: The Southern Sector could benefit from the type of redevelopment plans created by the
CityDesign Studio for West Dallas. We must ensure, however, that the goal is to uplift, not
merely gentrify, communities.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: Dallas has some amazing public schools. Yes, DISD has many challenges, but it also
boasts many top-rated schools like Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and
Performing Arts, Stonewall Jackson Elementary, and Woodrow Wilson High School (which is
now an International Baccalaureate World School that offer a diverse and rigorous
education), to name just a few.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: For too long, Dallas has desperately sought approval from those outside our city -- note
how we're constantly striving to portray ourselves as a "world-class city" and investing in
large, but arguably unnecessary, big ticket projects. Most residents I talk with are less
interested in being spoken of in the same breath as London and Paris than having a clean,
safe, livable city to call home. I would hope we would become less concerned with how
visitors and tourists perceive our city and focus instead on creating a safe city with good
schools and beautiful neighborhoods.
Chad Lasseter
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: - no response -
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: - no response -
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: - no response -
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: - no response -
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: - no response -
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: - no response -
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: - no response -
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: - no response -
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: - no response -
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: - no response -
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: - no response -
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: - no response -
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
James Nowlin
Biographical Info:
Name: James Nowlin
Street Address: 6131 Palo Pinto Avenue
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 12/10/80
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (214) 446-8580
Fax Number: (214) 446-8556
E-mail Address: info@jamesnowlin.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.jamesnowlin.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: Five years
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: One year
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Small business owner
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Preservation Dallas, Lakewood Heights Neighborhood Association
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Dallas Citizens Police Review Board, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, AIDS Services
of Dallas Board
Q: Education
A: B.A. - University of Virginia, J.D. - Duke University School of Law
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: N/A
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $50,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: We have had a number of individuals who have contributed at the maximum level.
Among them are James Brewster, Karl Meyer, and Dr. Mark Parker.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background best prepares you
to serve in this post?
A: I love Dallas and want to give back to the city that has been so good to me. In these
challenging economic times, we need leadership that understands that we must grow our
economy, not our taxes. I’ve started a small business and made a success of it. In that
business, I work to bring owners and executives of businesses, large and small, a fresh
perspective on increasing profitability and efficiencies. I am a consensus-builder who
knows how to work with neighborhood leaders as well as business. These skills will be
brought with me to the Council. Economic development coupled with working to ensure
that Dallasites get the most value out of every tax dollar is my first priority.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. I will work to grow our economy, not our taxes. By collaborating with the new Mayor
and other councilmembers to identify, nurture, and execute economic development
opportunities, we will increase revenues through growing our economy. Businesses in other
states are interested in relocating to Dallas because of the vast opportunities that are
here. However, we must have the right leaders on the Council to help seal the deal to get
them here. As a councilmember and business leader, I will clearly articulate to the
prospective companies the value of doing business in Dallas and will work with the new
Mayor to lead discussions and delegation opportunities to bring economic development to
our city. In addition, creating new public-private partnerships is a way in which we can
achieve economic development. Tremendous opportunities exist in West Dallas and South
Dallas and we must work to create a plan to harness the potential, build our tax base, and
grow our city. This plan must be visionary, strategic, and attainable; it must bring together
the best of all of Dallas—private and public. 2. To find more efficient ways of spending our
tax dollars as well as identifying appropriate spending priorities, I would work to establish
a Citizen’s Budget and Tax Review Commission. We have some of the best business and
civic minds in the country living in Dallas, and we need to engage them to find the best
solutions for the challenges we face. As a new voice on the City Council for District 14, I
would actively collaborate with my constituents, my colleagues, the new Mayor, and other
leaders. This Commission would move toward that kind of leadership and away from the
contentious politics that have plagued City Hall for the last several years. 3. The City of
Dallas must stop acting as if Dallas Independent School District is a separate entity that
doesn’t affect the quality of life, real estate values, and business opportunities in the city. I
would seek to establish a City/DISD/private coalition to specifically work on those issues
which are common to the City and DISD. The ability to attract new residents to Dallas is
encumbered by the reputation of DISD. We must work together to move Dallas forward.
As you can see, pushing these issues is about working with others to achieve solutions, not
pushing others around. And, we do not need to raise property taxes, increase fees, or cut
essential services to do any of this. We need to bring the right people together and work
out solutions, using the collective brainpower, experience, and perspective of the varied
members of our city. It comes down to increasing efficiency, not increasing taxes.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I seek solutions in a collaborative fashion. I believe that the best solutions result from
working with others to build consensus and support. Positive results are achieved through
working with all the stakeholders to find common ground. I do not believe that I have all
the answers. However, I do believe that by working well with others and harnessing their
vision and voice, our city will move forward. Consensus-building does not result from my
analyzing an issue to determine what I think is best and then leaving my office with the
goal of convincing everyone else that I’m right. The citizens have been left out of too
many discussions. In a recent forum, the incumbent talked about her approach to complex
issues. After acknowledging that she does not have a financial background, she talked
about deconstructing the city budget and putting it back together in a way that she could
understand it so that she could explain it to her constituents. My approach is to review,
analyze, discuss, and find a solution that works to move out city forward. I understand that
the answers do not always come from politicians. If elected, I will support the
establishment of a Citizens Budget and Tax Review Commission, charged with seeking new
efficiencies in providing services and in reviewing spending priorities in City government.
The incumbent also believes that economic development is not the priority and comes
second to neighborhoods. I say, “Without a job, most of us would not have a house to call
home or a neighborhood to live in. Economic development is the lifeblood of our city.
District 14 deserves a leader that understands jobs and economic growth.” Our leaders
need to understand that economic development is what keeps our city alive. Without it,
the city dies - Detroit is an example. Without that understanding, Councilmembers may
treat economic development as if it were a series of stand-alone zoning issues.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: No. Dallas residents are not getting enough bang for their buck when it comes to the
high taxes that they pay. We need to revamp our process to seriously engage the citizens
of Dallas in the budgeting process. It is simply insufficient for Council members to hold a
handful of town hall meetings to say they have voter buy-in to their budget priorities and
tax increases. When the budget process is in the hands exclusively of politicians, we should
not be surprised that the budget gets politicized. I support the establishment of a Citizens
Budget and Tax Review Commission, charged with seeking new efficiencies in providing
services and reviewing spending priorities.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: It is bad for both Dallas and North Texas. Dallas is the heart of the North Texas
economy. Again, we attract people to live here by increasing the number of jobs and
business opportunities that we have in Dallas. And, we have to partner with DISD to
address the problems in our public school system. People want more bang for their buck
and that includes public schools. Furthermore, the Council must work to re-create Dallas’
reputation as a low tax, high return city. We cannot keep hammering homeowners with
higher property taxes every few years and expect newcomers to want to move into our
city. Folks relocating to North Texas must see Dallas and its public servants at City Hall as
smart, focused on efficiency, and leaders of a world class destination.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Density is not a one size fits all question for neighborhoods. Diversity in neighborhood
personality and density is one of the greatest strengths of District 14. This diversity, when
encouraged through strategic economic development, is what will attract new residents to
our city. Finally, appropriate density for Uptown is different than it is for Lakewood
Heights. As the representative for District 14 on the City Council, it will be my job to work
with my constituents in each of the district’s neighborhoods to make sure I have a finger
on the pulse of each one.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: We need to get serious about public-private partnerships. With the right vision, for
example, gems of opportunity downtown such as the Dallas Farmer’s Market can bring in
people and commerce from all across North Texas. Attractive public-private partnering is
one way to achieve this along with a commitment to improved signage, parking, and
resources for safety. Farmers grow some of the best tomatoes and onions in the nation
within an hour’s drive of Dallas, and yet people go to specialty grocery stores and pay
multiples of what the farmer’s charge for inferior produce. This makes no sense to me. In
addition, most of the time, downtown streets are virtually empty. I believe that the right
public-private partnerships will give people a reason to get out of the downtown tunnels
and onto the street. The arts and being outside bring people together - I envision a
downtown with sidewalks full of pedestrians of all different backgrounds, small business
and shopping galore, jazz being played on the sidewalk, alongside street vendors. Dallas is
a real city and we should start looking like one.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Immigration and customs enforcement are a federal, state, and local issue. The City of
Dallas and the Dallas Police Department are often the first line of contact on local
immigration issues. With the limited resources of our city’s budget and the DPD, we should
continue working hand in hand with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations
and Customs Enforcement, and other governmental agencies, as appropriate, for fair and
swift action.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: South Dallas is Dallas — and I am tired of people acting like its future is separate from
Dallas’ future. One of the reasons that we had no population growth in the last 10 years is
because some leaders have never really gotten serious about economic development in
South Dallas. Improving the quality of life south of the Trinity is all about economic
development. This challenge is not going to be met with a couple of urban revitalization
projects. We have to have meaningful conversations with business and neighborhood
leaders and articulate a meaningful, achievable vision for southern Dallas - everyone’s
voice should be welcomed at the discussion table. In addition, we have to be willing to
have some hard conversations about how some plans in the past have not come to full
fruition. We have to work to connect the North with the South, to provide job opportunities
for all so that Dallas’ collective tax base is constantly growing. I will work with the Mayor
and the council to erase the divide between the North and the South. As South Dallas
progresses, all of Dallas progresses.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I completely agree. We must bring all the stakeholders together to define the vision,
map out the strategy, develop the plan, and move forward to make it happen. Adding
more stakeholders with skin in the game on any project increases the probability for
success. Success will only be achieved with true collaborators leading the charge to reach a
common goal.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: In South Dallas, of course. However, there is no one size fits all solution to any issue. I
will work to encourage collaborative conversations between residents and businesses to
build upon the strengths of Dallas. Part of the process of the South Dallas should be
leveraging the best of the City Design Studio process and taking lessons learned moving
forward.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: Dallas is a city that works. It is a city of diversity. It is city that embraces the best
ideas. Even in these economic times, we are not faced with the monolithic challenges that
some cities are facing. There is a “can do” attitude in this city, and we will draw on it again
today to make us even greater tomorrow.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: We do have a divide in the city between north and south, and that divide is holding the
city back. It’s a historic divide and quite unfortunate. In looking for representation at City
Hall, voters should consider whether a candidate really grasps the relationship between
our current economic issues, the need for economic development throughout the city, and
the collective vision for the future. We have short, mid-, and long-tem challenges to
address. If we continue in the reactive mode of the last couple of years, we will soon
exhaust our ability to address any of these challenges. I do not fit into a box as a
business leader or as a candidate. I am ready to bridge communities together for a
greater Dallas and that’s why I am running for Dallas City Council. Dallas needs to thrust
forward to redeem transformational opportunities, and I humbly admit that my candidacy
is one.
Brian Oley
Biographical Info:
Name: Brian Oley
Street Address: PO Box 25232
City/Town: Dallas
State: TX
Date of Birth: 06/08/1976
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-377-8548
Home Phone Number: 214-377-8548
Mobile Phone Number: 214-377-8548
E-mail Address: brianoley@ymail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.brianoley.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: 6 Years (as of May 2011)
Q: Length of residency in the district
A: 6 Years (as of May 2011)
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Technical Real Estate and Consulting: Co Founder and Co Lead of a global specialty
practice (based in Dallas) in a Fortune 500 real estate services firm.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I currently serve on the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Next Generation
Committee, which is a select group who travel to the hospital in Memphis, learn the
logistics and operations of the hospital, sit in on board meetings, and are being educated to
serve as the hospital’s next Board of Directors. As a dog enthusiast, I currently serve as a
member and foster for a local animal rescue for Dallas / Fort Worth. I have been a long
time member of the Friends of the Katy Trail and the Japan American Society of D/FW;
and, with safety as one of the primary issues of my campaign, I’m also a member of our
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: Let’s talk responsible development. I live in the world of economic development, and
work closely with various Chambers and Economic Developments across this great nation
and around the world. What I do professionally forces dialogue about doing business in
these respective areas. I know what flourishing communities do right and what
deteriorating communities do wrong. To summarize an effective economic development
process, the first charge would be to create goals by identifying sectors, if any, that would
best serve a given area or community. Too often, I see an under informed community
attempt to attract a project that appears to provide favorable attributes, but is ultimately
not a good or sustainable fit and fails in the end. From the city to the county to the state,
the economic impact of such a failure is devastating at all levels. After, and only after,
recognizable and realistic returns (both quantitative and qualitative) have been forecasted
and analyzed, certain proactive measures of attraction should be deployed.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Dallas has adopted some favorable advances to going green and encouraging energy
sustainability. The Recycling program has provided an easy way for residents and
businesses to get involved, and substantially reduce our landfill issues. According to Dallas
Sanitation Services, last fiscal year the City of Dallas collected over 45,000 tons of
recyclables from their residents and diverted over 190,000 tons from the landfill. This is a
great start, but there is much to be captured above and beyond these green initiatives. It
starts in the least desirable place in Dallas – the landfill, and comes in the form of
Renewable Energy. Waste does not have to simply sit there and rot. Why haven’t we, as a
city, teamed up with both waste management companies and utilities to adopt procedures
that capture the energy from waste (which comes in the form of biomass energy) released
from landfills, preserve this renewable energy, and bring that renewable energy to the grid
as part of our generation mix? One major city in Texas has already adopted this process,
and Dallas is lagging behind.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: This lack of population growth in Dallas (estimated at 1% growth) will ultimately have a
negative impact on our city. And let’s bring into consideration a situation involving a
household (individual or family), and the relative unintended economic consequences
resulting from the 6.5% tax hike of2010. As a base line and very simple economic
example, let’s assume a household is looking to move. For most homeowners in the
market, there can be little argument that price is the primary driver of location. As a
potential buyer, would you stay in Dallas to pay more to government or move to the
suburbs, adding more favorable living conditions balanced with some extra drive time to
save the extra cash imposed by order of the largest tax increase in 20 years? The
underlying premise to all this and the unexpected impact of the tax hike serves as a
deterrent for home and businesses to consider Dallas.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: Further study is needed on appropriate neighborhood densities with respect to
circumstance and geography. For example, an area of single family residential with some
aspects of office, perhaps industrial, should be managed under different concentration
parameters compared to a multifamily residential segment with a heavy dose of retail.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: This is a question of sustainability and accessibility – one method is to address the
latter. How can we change the downtown environment from a place that people consider a
one-time visit, who are troubled by constrained parking availability, to a more sustainable
model. To achieve this, we really need to concentrate efforts to provide a more natural link
between the primary occupiers of downtown who include the multifamily residential sector,
the people who work downtown (how can we get them to stay downtown after work), and
to the thousands who live and work close by. In our city, if people can’t park, they are less
likely to visit. The city needs to review expanding parking in greater detail.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: The nature of the question and the way this is worded is a little general. But, to address
the question as I see it, police should do what they do best, and enforce the law. It is up to
the legislators and policy makers to draft the laws and legislation that the police enforce.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: I’d promote a hybrid strategy of balancing responsible economic development,
incentivizing residential and commercial development when and where necessary to supply
a long term return on investment, while pushing for more of a public-private partnership
for the private sector to step up where the public sector falls short.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I have been a strong advocate for the public-private partnership relating to economic
development. From serving on a south City of Dallas Advisory Board, I spent some time at
the MLK Community Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It is no secret that this
area is in need of strategic commercial and residential development. There’s value in how
the private sector can add to this area and a lot of areas in Dallas, and I support the active
pursuit of capturing this value and adding it to our local communities.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: As I’ve previously stated, if managed responsibly, the public-private partnership works.
The social, community, economic and environmental benefits move to provide a net
societal benefit that all of Dallas can endure. There are many areas in need in the city, and
such an effort should be thoroughly examined. The primary and initial question would be,
“What area needs the economic activity the most and where would we be able to provide
the greatest impact from our investment in time, resources, and efforts?” From north to
south to east to west, I have spent a great deal of time working, volunteering, and
enjoying leisurely activities on all sides of Dallas. I feel that from an economic perspective,
the area surrounding Fair Park in the southern sector may be a great place to move to
improve. Leveraging our existing infrastructure and city’s various attractions in the area
creates the greatest opportunity with respect to improving our city’s quality of life.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: We are a diverse city that takes pride in our culture, people, and history, and that our
city provides great opportunity to all people, regardless of age, race, or gender.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: The city faces challenges in many areas; in particular, we suffer from finding an
effective way to preserve the strength of our communities and neighborhoods while
encouraging the attraction and retention of responsible development.
Dallas Mayor
Description:
David Kunkle
Biographical Info:
Name: David Kunkle
Street Address: 5538 Ridgedale
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 13, 1950
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-563-7583
Home Phone Number: n/a
Mobile Phone Number: n/a
Fax Number: n/a
E-mail Address: contact@davidkunkle.com
needs to work best for the residents who live here. We must concentrate on building and
improving our neighborhoods. When neighborhoods are clean, safe, livable, close to parks
and recreation, near stores and amenities, people will want to live here. Let’s rebuild from
the bottom up not the top down. Let’s encourage businesses that relocate here to live in
our neighborhoods too, and not take the first highway out of town at the end of the day.
The city of Dallas must make DART into a daily asset and not simply an occasional
convenience. The investment is tremendous and only by increasing density with quality will
DART become a jewel that empowers the central city. We must create an economic
environment that attracts small businesses as well as large employers because small
businesses create thousands of new jobs. 4 of 5 private sector jobs are created by small
business yet the city traditionally devotes its energies to only large relocations. We need to
attract business to the southern sector of the city where opportunities for growth and
employees are abundant. The people of Dallas have always been its greatest asset and
this will not change. The fact that the city is a beacon for people across the country to
settle here must be leveraged into a spirit of opportunity and change. I have experience
working with every neighborhood in Dallas. I know the issues first hand and have direct
relationships with Dallas residents throughout the city and in every community. I have a
proven record of bringing groups and people together. My nearly 40 years of hands-on
experience in municipal government will provide the critical foundation for success as your
mayor.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Public Safety. I think public safety is still the basis for improvement on other fronts.
We must insure people feel safe in their homes, when they are out shopping or taking their
kids to the park. Our businesses must feel it is safe to open their doors or expand their
business. You can’t have a great city if you don’t have a safe city. My tenure as Police Chief
proved I am the candidate to protect Dallas residents. 2. Revitalize neighborhoods and
get back to basics. My motto in this campaign has been: We are overtaxed and
underserved. The benefits of big-ticket projects are not flowing back to Dallas residents.
The city must shift its focus away from grand projects and back to restoring and building
our neighborhoods. The City of Dallas needs to work best for the residents who choose to
live here. If we improve the quality of life for our citizens and create a city that residents
are proud of, then business will come and prosperity will follow. 3. Economic growth. We
must create an economic environment that attracts small businesses as well as large
employers because small businesses create hundreds of new jobs. We need to attract
business to the southern sector of the city where opportunities for growth and employees
are abundant. I believe in organic growth. Bishop Arts and North Oak Cliff are examples
that I hope to see duplicated across the city. Small business owners partnered with
community involvement to create an exciting and unique place to be. Dallas must also
embrace quality development that allows for greater density and growth of the tax base.
This is not in just large projects, but can be a larger office development or revitalized
shopping centers. The city’s development code must be flexible enough to allow for this
transition. Rather than simply pockets of prosperity in Dallas, we must strive for nodes of
activity in all neighborhoods. To pay for our priorities I am committed to re-thinking and
re-inventing government here in Dallas. I have a practical, hard-headed commitment to
looking at everything we do to see how we can do it better, cheaper and faster without
reducing the quality of the service or the satisfaction of our customers, the people of
Dallas. I have a proven record of bringing groups and people together. I believe I can work
well with the council and staff to bring needed change to Dallas.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I’m not a politician. I don’t believe you must be a CEO to be mayor of our great city. I
believe we can reduce the size of government without cutting basic services and without
raising taxes. I believe for long-term growth to occur we must start at the neighborhood
level and focus on the basics. The city must work best for the people who live here. I am
the only candidate talking about how our city can not only survive, but thrive by building
strong neighborhoods. Building more roads to move people out of the city will not help our
city grow. Our budget problems are more systemic than just a bad economy and I am the
only candidate with a plan to re-invent government. I have a proven track record of
turning around organizations in turmoil, not just in Dallas, but in every organization I have
led. When I went to Grand Prairie as Police Chief at age 30, the department was known
as corrupt. In a short time I turned the department around and changed the culture. After
14 years of building the Arlington Police Department into a nationally respected
organization, I left behind sustainable leadership. My assistant chief was promoted to chief,
and he is still in that position today. In Dallas, I promoted David Brown as my second in
command and now he is leading the DPD. My leadership has been praised internationally. I
am the proven candidate in this race. Being a major city police chief is perhaps one of the
hardest jobs in the country. You have seen first hand how I handle crisis, you have seen
my ability to take an organization plagued by scandal and turn it into an organization that
is trusted and you have seen my successful leadership style. I have led a 4,200 person
department with a $450 million dollar budget- but my business was about keeping citizens
safe, not about making a profit. That’s the key difference. Leading a city is not like leading
a company, the measures of success are different and so are the goals.
Q: Even before last year’s property tax increase, Dallas had one of the highest tax rates in
North Texas and among big cities in Texas. Are Dallas residents getting sufficient bang for
their tax buck when other cities have lower rates? Describe any changes you favor.
A: No. We need to focus on the basics and prioritize what is most important. Safe, clean,
well-maintained neighborhoods are key to growth and stability. We must return the focus
on the citizens who live here.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Dallas currently has enough police officers.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: No.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: What we need to do is far more than just identifying three areas to reduce spending.
We need to re-invent how we look at our budget. We must look at privatization of areas
where the public sector may be able to do a job better and cheaper than government.
Even in lean economic times we need to invest in services that improve the livability of our
neighborhoods. The recent census showed Dallas' growth rate since 2000 was practically
zero. While many other cities had double-digit growth, Dallas not only dropped to the third
largest city in Texas, but our growth rate was last among Texas' top twenty cities. With
fewer federal dollars coming from Washington, this translates directly to a greater burden
on our citizens. Across the board budget cuts are simply not working. With certainly 3-4
very difficult budget cycles still ahead of us I am committed to re-thinking and re-inventing
government here in Dallas. I have a practical, hard-headed commitment to looking at
everything we do to see how we can do it better, cheaper and faster without reducing the
quality of the service or the satisfaction of our customers, the people of Dallas.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: The Trinity lakes, athletic fields, parks, trails, wetlands, and other parts of the parks
portion of the plan should move forward as soon as possible. The Audubon Center is
already a great asset with its’ wetlands and trails. I believe the toll road is no longer a
viable option. Not only is funding not available for the foreseeable future, I fundamentally
don’t believe a road should be built in a flood way. The road has no exits into downtown
Dallas and does nothing for our city and it should not be built with taxpayer dollars.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: The key to growing the economy and growing the tax base is jobs. Jobs will be created
when we concentrate our efforts on building strong, safe neighborhoods, better our schools
and create spaces where people will want to live, work and play. Neighborhoods that
promote the establishment of small businesses and create places people want to go to will
then thrive. The Bishop Arts district is a perfect example of how a neighborhood came
together and created a model of urban vitality and for businesses to prosper. We need to
foster a strong belief in community, of neighbors working together towards of goal of
improving their neighborhoods. If we promote through proper incentives establishing
businesses big and small in our city that truly want to be part of our community, live in our
city and be part of its’ future, then we will grow our tax base and have a growing economy.
If we continue down the same path of just giving away tax breaks to lure a company to
come here, I think we are headed for a future of zero growth and higher taxes for our
citizens.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: Basic services at all levels need improvement. In particular, I think our streets and
roadways are in dire need of repair. I also think our city does a terrible job of code
enforcement in neighborhoods that are already deeply in trouble or those at risk of
completely failing. We must also impress on our city employees to be great ambassadors
and stewards of the citizens. We must immediately move to change the culture at city hall,
just as I did with the every Police Department I have led. When I retired as Dallas Chief,
residents had at least an 80% favorable opinion of Dallas police effectiveness. All ratings
show that our library staff does a tremendous job at treating people like important
customers – we need their great attitude city-wide. The water department is also still quite
good.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: It is horrendous for Dallas. We are the ‘donut-hole’ in a region of huge growth. My
answer is the same as in previous questions, we must re-make our city by rebuilding our
neighborhoods and providing basic services to our citizens. People are voting with their
feet and their wallet and finding that Dallas is not a great value.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: We need more density, but done correctly with neighborhood involved urban planning
that is right for the neighborhood. What works for Bishop Arts District may not what is
needed to fill the empty shopping centers in North Dallas. We must bring together the
neighborhoods, developers and urban planners to develop the right plan for each
neighborhood. We must make all our processes, particularly zoning and permits faster and
easier so projects can move at a faster rate. Dallas is considered among the slowest and
most expensive in zoning and permits than anywhere in North Texas. This must change.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: We have the opportunity to redefine the American city. To create a vibrant city
neighborhood we must have a mix of homes, offices, restaurants, cafes, people friendly
spaces and entertainment venues. Certainly we have many of these elements in play
today. We should encourage more public-private partnerships and expand business
incentives for small businesses to move downtown. We must also attract businesses to
locate downtown, but I am not in favor of offering big incentives for corporate
headquarters to relocate downtown then not having a strong commitment to living in our
city.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Our police are here to protect the citizens of Dallas and should not to be used as
immigration officers. When a person is arrested, they are taken to Lew Sterrett where the
intake procedure determines residency and there are immigration officials at the jail.
Immigration is a federal matter and we need to push our elected officials to solve this
problem.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: The Dallas Morning News has done an exemplary job in recent Pulitzer Prize winning
editorials detailing specific action that can be done today to improve the quality of life in
the southern sector. As mayor, I will make sure we use our assets; police, social services,
garbage pick-up, street maintenance, code enforcement and any other tools we have at
our disposal to accomplish these objectives. As police chief, I targeted the worst crime
areas and initiated crime sweeps. We instituted neighborhood policing. As mayor, my
emphasis that each neighborhood must be strong and safe will be my mantra for the
southern sector. In addition, the Inland Port project must be a top priority to get back on
track. The Inland Port has the potential to create 60,000 jobs, but turning the potential into
reality will take strong leadership at Dallas City Hall.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I support public-private partnerships.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: The concept of CityDesign is what needs to happen all over the city. Revitalized
neighborhoods will mean a revitalized city. Working with each neighborhood, quality
developers, and business entrepreneurs planning quality development that works. Bishop
Arts district is also an excellent example of a neighborhood with a great vision. This is the
very cornerstone of my campaign. As mayor, I will lead the effort so that every
neighborhood can marshal its’ residents, small business and developers in planning a
brighter future.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: We are more than glitzy buildings, shopping and crowded super highways. Our citizens
are a rich diversity of many cultures living and working together for a better future. We
have an incredible world-class arts district but just as important, we have many
wonderfully talented and creative smaller arts and cultural groups throughout our city that
add much to our fabric of diversity. According to DISD, there are over 70 languages
spoken in the homes of our students. This already makes us a world-class city.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: That we are the donut hole in a region of prosperity and if we don’t concentrate on
Dallas and not the region, if we don’t put our citizens first, we will continue to decline. The
city can no longer be dismissive of high quality suburbs. Instead, we must become more
competitive.
Q: The mayor of Dallas has only one vote and no more power than the bully pulpit affords.
How would you build consensus for your agenda?
A: I have experience working with every neighborhood in Dallas. I know the issues first
hand and have direct relationships with Dallas residents throughout the city and in every
community. I have a proven record of bringing groups and people together. I believe I can
work well with the council and staff to bring needed change to Dallas. As police chief you
deal with many different constituencies and you must bring them all together. A Dallas
Police Chief balances seven police unions, community groups, the mayor and council and
dozens of media outlets always scrutinizing your actions. The job of major City Police Chief
is perhaps one of the most difficult jobs in the country. I am a good listener, but also a
good persuader.
Q: Too often, the Dallas City Council divides along racial and geographic lines when
controversial issues emerge. As mayor, what would you do to break that cycle?
A: I believe the answer to this question is the same a previous question. I have worked
with every neighborhood and every community and as mayor I will work well with every
council member. As Dallas Police Chief, I had good relationships with council members for
six years. My entire 39 year career has depended on having successful relationships with
city council members in various cities.
Q: How would you assess former mayor Tom Leppert’s tenure at City Hall? What’s one
issue that you would have approached differently than Leppert?
A: I look to the future, not the past. I wish him well.
Mike Rawlings
Biographical Info:
Name: MIKE RAWLINGS
Street Address: 3232 MCKINNEY AVENUE STE 600
City/Town: DALLAS
State: TX
Date of Birth: AUGUST 25 1954
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-871-6802
Fax Number: 214-880-4491
E-mail Address: RAWLINGS@CICPARTNERS.COM or Mike@mikerawlingsfordallas.com
Campaign Web Site Address: WWW.MIKERAWLINGSFORDALLAS.COM
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city of Dallas
A: Born in Texas and moved to Dallas in 1976
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Vice Chairman, CIC Partners and CEO of Legends Hospitality
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Recently served as President of the Dallas Parks & Recreation Board, former Chair of
the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, and served five years as Homeless Czar,
leading Dallas’ effort to fight chronic homelessness
by-department to cut waste and streamline systems to make sure taxpayers get a greater
return for each dollar, • Establish budget priorities and ensure that these are funded
before dollars go to non-essentials, • Make City Hall more user friendly for small
businesses and developers by reducing development and permit fees, cutting red tape and
requiring quicker decisions and approvals from city departments.
Q: Budget concerns compelled the City Council to slow its program of hiring new police
officers annually over attrition. Should the city resume the effort, even when facing a
budget shortfall? Or does Dallas have enough police officers now?
A: Yes, hiring more police officers to reach the 3 officers per every 1,000 citizens has been
critical in reducing our crime rate, and I will work to maintain that standard. We can never
be too safe.
Q: City officials are already bracing for another lean budget year. Would you consider an
additional property tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts?
A: I think we can not only protect, but also improve, city services without raising taxes.
Q: Please identify three areas in the city budget where you would reduce spending. Be
specific.
A: I would reduce spending in every city department except for Police and Economic
Development.
Q: The city’s Trinity River Project has run into a number of roadblocks during the last few
years. Beyond upgrading the levees, what parts of the project should be prioritized, and
how will they be funded? Is the toll road a viable option?
A: The Trinity River Project will transform the City of Dallas. Our first priority must be
making sure the levees are sounds and the surrounding communities are safe. I also
believe it is critical to complete the parks and recreation component of the project, not
only for the quality of life for our families, but for economic development. At some point
the traffic concerns of the city will need to be addressed in a manner that allows it to
complement the other parts of the project. The roads we build must be done in a smart,
cost-effective manner that does not further burden our taxpayers.
Q: What, specifically, should the mayor and City Council do to spur economic development
and grow the tax base?
A: The best solution to protecting taxpayers and improve our services is making the
economic pie bigger by attracting new business, encouraging development and creating
new jobs and growth. I plan to do this by: • Making City Hall more user friendly for small
businesses and developers by reducing development and permit fees, cutting red tape and
requiring quicker decisions and approvals from city departments, • Work at a CEO-to-CEO
level to attract new business, and spend one day per week reaching out to Fortune 500
CEOs and selling them on doing business in Dallas, • Build upon beachheads like Bishop
Arts, UNT Dallas, Lancaster Kiest and West Dallas to bring new growth and jobs to our
city’s greatest untapped resource: the Southern Sector. Being mayor also means having
the courage to take on big challenges that are crippling our City, even if it means stepping
on toes or reaching beyond the traditional boundaries of the mayor’s office. For the city of
Dallas, the elephant in the room that we need to acknowledge is the state of our public
schools. Fact is, we cannot be a great city without great public schools, and stronger
schools will build stronger neighborhoods. We must be accountable as leaders, and as a
community, for helping educate our schoolchildren – because it’s an issue that touches us
all. I think we can create a brighter future for our public schools and they families they
serve. That’s why, as Mayor, I will implement a comprehensive and sustainable plan to
help improve our public schools. Helping our schools could be the single greatest thing we
do as a city to grow our economy and provide opportunity today, and for the next
generation.
Q: When it comes to delivering basic city services, where does Dallas excel? Where do you
see room for improvement?
A: I think there is always room for improvement, and a good leader always works for
greater efficiency and effectiveness. We live in a global marketplace, and we must strive
to be greater in order to compete. We have a great park system that we have spent
millions on to get it to this point. We must be more attentive to street and road
maintenance, Lemmon Avenue is a good example of that.
Q: Texas and most of its metropolitan areas showed sharp population growth in the 2010
census, but the city of Dallas did not. Is this good, bad or indifferent for Dallas residents
and North Texas as a region? If you see it as bad, what should the city do to attract more
people to live here?
A: Lack of substantial growth is bad and unhealthy. It hard for us to grow economically if
our population does not grow, so in that regard it is a bad indicator. Some people think
that crime and the state of our neighborhoods is hampering our growth. Well, our crime
has gone down over the past few years and people are still moving to the suburbs. I think
they are leaving for better schools, and that’s just wrong. Our parents shouldn’t be forced
to choose between sending their children to an academically unacceptable school or
moving to the suburbs. Fact is, we cannot be a great city without great public schools, and
stronger schools will build stronger neighborhoods where people want to live. We must be
accountable as leaders, and as a community, for helping educate our schoolchildren –
because it’s an issue that touches us all. I think we can create a brighter future for our
public schools and they families they serve. That’s why, as Mayor, I will implement a
comprehensive and sustainable plan to help improve our public schools.
Q: Neighborhood growth and questions about density remain pertinent issues. What is the
right level of density for Dallas neighborhoods, especially in the core of the city inside Loop
12? And how should city government go about achieving that level of density?
A: We have tremendous room to grow, especially in the Southern Sector. For too long we
have tried to build North and the result is congestion and problems for neighborhoods. We,
as a City, must make our next big initiative creating major growth south of the Trinity.
There are great neighborhoods like Mountain Creek, Pleasant Grove and South Oak Cliff
that are not realizing their full potential, but can, if the City concentrates efforts in that
part of the City.
Q: Revitalizing downtown Dallas has long been a priority for city leaders. What’s one action
that the City Council could take to jumpstart this effort?
A: I strongly believe that making City Hall more business friendly will not only jumpstart
new projects downtown, but in all parts of our City. Dallas has earned the notorious
distinction of being one of the worst cities in Texas to do business with, and we must
change that image. We can start by reducing development and permitting fees, and
reducing the amount of time it takes to get decisions and approvals from city departments
– but the real change must be in instilling a more customer friendly attitude at City Hall.
First, we must believe in the potential of our City. Second, we must be its advocates.
Third, we must deliver great customer service, starting at City Hall and spreading
throughout the entire city.
Q: What should the city or the police department do, if anything, to address the issue of
illegal immigration?
A: Immigration and the laws pertaining to it are federal issues. The Courts have confirmed
this. We must ensure we enforce the federal statutes. And then we must turn to providing
our citizens the basic services they need and the safety they deserve.
Q: For decades, southern Dallas has lagged behind the rest of the city by almost any
measure. What should be the council’s priorities for improving the quality of life in the
southern half of the city, and how would you accomplish these objectives?
A: The greatest opportunity the City of Dallas has is south of the Trinity. Development of
the Southern Sector will be one of my top priorities. Also, there is no greater equalizer
than education, and if our city leaders can embrace the idea of helping our schools, all
parts of our city will benefit, especially the Southern Sector. We must also work to heal
the racial division at the city council level, and I think we accomplish this with the right
mayor. And we must work to promote business and growth by working directly with
stakeholders, community leaders and business owners in the Southern Sector on real
business opportunities – and by fostering and growing minority-owned businesses as we
grow our economy.
Q: This newspaper has advocated for the creation of a public-private economic
development corporation to help speed growth in southern Dallas. What is your view of
this idea?
A: I am a huge proponent of public-private partnerships. They were the key to success on
the homeless issue, and they are critical in my plan to help our public schools. We are
fortunate to live in a city with great civic-minded corporate citizens, and we should use
these resources to improve our city.
Q: The CityDesign Studio has won praise for its plan to redevelop West Dallas. How can
this effort be replicated in other parts of the city, and where should we start?
A: First, ensure we execute the West Dallas plan as developed and celebrate its success.
Second, commend the philanthropists that paid for the work and recruit more to fuel future
funding. Third, pick the next key area that is in need of a holistic approach and do it again.
Q: What is the best under-publicized thing about Dallas that you wish more non-Dallas
residents knew?
A: I wish more of our residents knew what wonderful parks and recreation amenities we
have here in Dallas. From White Rock Lake, to the Katy Trail, to Fair Park – we a have a
wonderful system of more than 360 parks. We are the fifth largest park system in the
nation, and these are diverse amenities that offer athletics, recreation and relaxation.
Also, I think more people should know about the great burgers at Adair’s.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about Dallas that voters must confront?
A: Right now, we are a city divided. We are divided racially. We are divided economically.
And we are divided by opportunity. As mayor, I will work to erase these boundaries by
leading to improve our public schools, grow our economy and create jobs and opportunity
for citizens on both sides of the Trinity. I believe one of our greatest untapped resources
for growth is the Southern Sector, and as mayor I will work to bring real development and
business to this part of our city.
Q: The mayor of Dallas has only one vote and no more power than the bully pulpit affords.
How would you build consensus for your agenda?
A: First, as far as I am concerned, it is not about my agenda – as mayor I would lead for
OUR shared agenda for our city that is the culmination of the thoughts and ideas of the
Council. On a personal note, I would attribute much of my success in business to my ability
to relate to all types of people. My parents were both teachers, so I grew up in a home
with a lot of love and support, but not a lot of money. I got my first job when I was 12,
attended college on a football scholarship, and worked my way up from an entry-level
copywriter to become CEO of the largest agency in the Southwest. My life’s experiences
help me relate to all types of people and perspectives, and to learn the value of teamwork.
And I believe these life skills will serve me well as mayor.
Q: Too often, the Dallas City Council divides along racial and geographic lines when
controversial issues emerge. As mayor, what would you do to break that cycle?
A: So often in life, conflict arises not by what is said, but by how it is said. As mayor, I will
work to always be respectful, even when I disagree with my colleagues. Besides doing the
“right” thing at City Hall, I will work to integrate our social lives as well so that we can
learn how similar we are to each other.
Q: How would you assess former mayor Tom Leppert’s tenure at City Hall? What’s one
issue that you would have approached differently than Leppert?
A: I think Mayor Leppert was an effective mayor, especially in regard to restoring a more
business-friendly tone than his predecessor and working to expand our tax base. As a
businessman, he understands that the only way to bring sustainable improvements to our
basics without burdening homeowners is to generate new commercial tax revenues. My
only regret about Mayor Leppert is that I wish he would’ve stayed for his entire term and
then for another one.
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: - no response -
Damon J. Bullock
Biographical Info:
Name: Damon Bullock
Street Address: P.O. Box 424141
City/Town: Denton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 01/12/1975
Home Phone Number: 940-271-5107
Mobile Phone Number: 501-960-5791
E-mail Address: djbullock2002@yahoo.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.damonbullockcampaign.webstarts.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 4 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 4 years
Gerard D. Hudspeth
Biographical Info:
Name: Gerard D Hudspeth
Street Address: 606 Wilson Street
City/Town: Denton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 28, 1972
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-543-9091
Home Phone Number: 940-591-6890
Mobile Phone Number: See work
Fax Number: n/a
E-mail Address: ghudspeth@courtroomsciences.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.gerardhudspeth.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Denton for 36 years total.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I have lived in District 1, for 20 years.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I currently work as an Account Executive, for Courtroom Sciences.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Currently I serve as a CASA Volunteer, I am the Chair of the Denton Community
Development and Advisory Committee, and lastly I'm an Usher at the Inspiring Body of
Christ Church.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I served as both the President and VP of Thomas Rivera Elementary school PTA. I was
Member of the Health Services of North Texas board. Lastly I was trained in the Citizen
Patrol program (administered by DPD) IBOC.
Q: Education
A: I'm a Denton High school graduate. I then attended, North Central Texas College. I
graduated from the Professional Development Institute and earned my paralegal
certificate (accredited by The University of North Texas).
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I previously ran for the same office (City Council District 1).
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Thus far I've raised $2,600 thus far in my campaign.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Education
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Kevin Roden
Biographical Info:
Name: Kevin Roden
Street Address: 322 Texas Street
City/Town: Denton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 6/27/74
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 940-206-5239
Home Phone Number: 940-206-5239
Mobile Phone Number: 940-206-5239
E-mail Address: kevin@rodenfordenton.com
Campaign Web Site Address: http://rodenfordenton.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Denton since August 1992.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I have lived in District 1 since August 2005.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Educator. I work as the Assistant Director of Student Life for the Texas Academy of
Mathematics and Science, an residential academy for high school-age students located on
the campus of the University of North Texas.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am currently the Chairperson for the Denton Historic Landmark Commission. I serve
on the Citizen Advisory Team for the Denton County Transportation Authority. I run a local
news and opinion website devoted to educating Denton citizens on local affairs and
happenings - http://thinkdenton.com. I am the host of Denton's Drink and Think, a Denton
cultural landmark which engages the community on big ideas and issues.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I served on the City of Denton Term Limits Charter Review Committee in 2009. I have
worked as an adviser for "35 Conferette," a music festival in Denton (previously NX35). I
have served and continue to serve several non-profits and local agencies through
community service activities.
Q: Education
A: PhD (in progress) - University of Dallas, Institute of Philosophic Studies, Philosophy MA
(2007) - University of Dallas, Philosophy BA (1998) - University of North Texas, Political
Science
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Chairperson - Historic Landmark Commission (appointed in 2009 by Denton City
Council)
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $4500 so far.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Eric Pulido Eric Nichelson McKenzie Smith
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Recently, Denton has been in a fast-paced transition from a semi-rural college town to a
fast-growing cultural and intellectual center with a growing urban flare. As the upcoming
DCTA A-Train connects us to the metroplex in ways previously unimaginable, Denton will
be in need of a new brand of leadership to help us handle growth in a way that has an eye
on the character and uniqueness of our community. One way our community has felt this
pressure is from development interests in and around our precious older neighborhoods,
many of which are located within District 1. My experience as Chair of the Historic
Landmark Commission has given me a track record of pro-neighborhood advocacy.
Instead of simply protecting our core neighborhoods, it is time for Denton to begin to
cherish them through infrastructure investments. Years of city planning that has seen the
city more of a place for cars rather than humans has had the result of cutting off safe
walking and biking paths for neighborhoods that are otherwise quite close to our town
square. Denton's citizens are our greatest, yet under-utilized asset. Denton can do better
at actively involving citizen participation in civic affairs. Through my involvement with
Denton Drink and Think and thinkdenton.com, I have a proven record of getting citizens
involved in thinking through the future of their community. It is my belief that Denton has
one of the most creative and technologically-savvy workforces in the region. Our hidden
secret is that we have many post-graduate students who would rather wait on tables than
leave Denton - and they will usually be ready to work at a profession for a lower cost than
their counterparts in Dallas and Fort Worth. We need city leadership who has a vision for
how to attract new employment opportunities to our city.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Infrastructure improvements that better connect and heal our neighborhoods. Starting
with what is already planned for our downtown as part of the recent Downtown
Implementation Plan, I will push to include the surrounding neighborhoods in the plan as a
key amenity to the downtown area. Infrastructure needs included: sidewalks, bike lanes,
and safe ways to cross busy roads. The plan could be put in place today, even if we have to
wait for better financial times to begin implementation. As roads are repaved on normal
schedules, that is a good time to add bike lanes at a low cost. Reexamine how Denton
sells itself to potential employers. We need to develop a savvy, technologically driven
marketing campaign in order to attract meaningful employment to Denton. Given the
creativity already existing in this city, I trust we can enlist citizen volunteers to help with
such a project in a way that avoids the cost of outside consultants who might normally
create such a campaign. Historic preservation of our downtown structures. Most citizens
would be surprised to learn that most of the historically significant structures in our
downtown area are without meaningful preservation protection. The city has yet to learn
the lesson from the destruction of 1920s era buildings in the Fry Street area and needs to
respond with measures that prevent something similar from happening on our historic
square.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have more experience. I serve as the Chair of the Historic Landmark Commission and
as a member of the DCTA Citizen Advisory Team. I have written extensively on several
key city issues through my work with thinkdenton.com. I have more vision. A simple
comparison of the issues on my website versus my opponents will make this clear. I have
more ability to get other citizens involved in the process. My wife and I have hosted
monthly gatherings in our home over the years to thousands of friends and strangers alike
- many of these forums have centered on thinking through the city.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Denton continues to feel the pains of an ailing state and national economic crisis.
Though sales tax revenue appears to be on a consistent rebound, the downturn of the last
few years will continue to have economic consequences for some time. Expected state cuts
in the areas of public schools and higher education will continue to burden our local
turn-around. Municipalities across the country, in light of the national economic woes, are
beginning to take a serious look at what they can do to ensure a healthy economy in their
city and region in order to protect against merely being at the mercy of national or global
trends. Denton needs to take a fresh look at just how we are going about attracting and
retaining companies to our city. Some of our city’s most educated, talented, creative, and
hard-working citizens are serving our meals at restaurants, pouring our drinks at the local
bar, or pulling shots of espresso at the coffee shop. They are doing this because we have a
town with a feel, a culture, and a list of amenities that makes them want to stay – and
they are willing to work for minimum wage and tips in order to do so. We should be
actively advertising this unique workforce to potential employers around the world. I have
no doubt that many of these young college graduates would be willing to work for less than
their big city counterparts if it meant being able to stay living in Denton. In order to do
that, however, we need to make sure that we are continuing to pursue policies that make
Denton attractive for the emerging young creative class. We need to stop seeing things
such as bike lines as mere issues of concern to traffic engineers. It is precisely our lack of
such amenities that are driving many talented graduates away from Denton and to places
such as Austin and Seattle – and, no doubt, savvy employers follow such trends when
making decisions on where to relocate. We need to understand how intricately tied our
policies on issues like livability, the environment, our culture, and the arts are to our
economic well-being.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The average voting age in Denton is 61, while the median age of Denton residents is
26. Many are taking notice of an emerging crop of 30 somethings who are creating culture
in new ways in Denton. Through large civic events such as 35 Conferette and the Denton
Community Market to rising non-profits such as Querencia Bike Shop and Seeds of Change
to voices for change found in the likes of BikeDenton.org, Denton is changing through the
efforts of a younger demographic.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Immigration policy is an issue that is typically dealt with at the Federal level. But cities
can and should advise state and federal representatives on how the issue effects their
municipalities in various ways.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a seamless regional transit system. I have been an outspoken advocate of the
upcoming DCTA A-Train, a train that will connect Denton to the DART system in June of this
year. It is now our turn to make sure that perceptions change enough regarding public
transit in order to see increasing levels of success as we move forward. The only way to
effectively argue for increased infrastructure and levels of service is to create a demand.
We need to work closely with local schools, universities, citizen groups, and businesses to
make sure we are providing the best education and opportunities about the possibilities of
rail service in our region.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: In addition to regional transit, the environment is another issue that requires regional
cooperation. The nature of the environment teaches us that pollution does not remain
within the limits of a city - bad policies in one area negatively effect areas where even the
best practices are in place. Given the recent concern over the environmental and health
effects of natural gas drilling in our area, there is an opportunity for greater cooperation
and collaboration from among concerned cities. Not only will this aid in the sharing of the
best information and practices, but it allows for a greater block of voices with state and
federal regulators when it comes to local control over such issues. Another area for
cooperation is the economy. Economic health tends to track with localities. Working
together with other cities in the North Texas region can have the positive effect of
identifying areas of strength and resources that can be useful to all in terms of developing
and attracting industry.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: As we grow and there is increased interest in development, there needs to be continual
education among the key decision makers both at the council and city staff level, of the
uniqueness of our town. The state of the public administration profession today means that
a good number of our city staff members are not from here and many do not even live
within the Denton city limits. That presents the possibility of a vision for Denton fostered
among the city’s professional workers that is at odds with the vision of our citizens. Efforts
should be made to remedy this difference of perspective.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I have little criticism of how the current leadership has handled our city budget. They
have made steps to get ahead of the economic downturn impacting us through a few years
of lower sales tax and diminished property tax revenue. I would continue to critically
examine our use of high-paid outside consultants for things that could be done with our
existing professionals and engaged citizens. We need to prioritize and identify which major
purchases, replacements, or upgrades can be put off until better economic times.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The lack of meaningful citizen engagement worries me greatly. Only about 5.3% of the
voting population bothers to vote in local elections, yet it is the city where we ought to be
learning how to be effective citizens in a democracy. Without this, our sense of citizenship
will be reared solely through an engagement with abstracted, and often times polarizing,
national issues. I wonder if we ever look at our city and ask the important question: what
are we doing as a city to develop the next generation of citizens?
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: It is surprising that Denton has chosen a path of mediocrity when it comes to our
approach to the environmental issue of our day – natural gas drilling in urban areas. You
may recall the firestorm that erupted when the City Council voted to allow drilling at
Rayzor Ranch, right next to a city park and numerous medical facilities. At the time, the
Council claimed their hands were tied by state regulations and outdated city codes. After
having the chance to review and begin the process of amending city ordinances on the
matter, the Council has opted to reject a moratorium on drilling (a path many cities in
Texas have pursued) and has chosen to implement temporary rules that are not even the
toughest possible from around the state. In fact, the recently adopted rules, despite the
posturing of council members during the Rayzor Ranch drilling debate, are not even tough
enough to prevent a repeat of that scenario. We can and should do better than this.
Recently, a group of UNT professors from various departments embarked on a research
study of the environmental and health impacts of natural gas drilling in the region.
Following the quite humane “precautionary principle,” Denton should immediately declare
a moratorium on such drilling until the conclusion of such and other studies. Protecting the
health and safety of her citizens is the most basic justification of government. In the
absence of coherent or effective state regulation on the matter, cities should more
forcefully assert their power in order to protect their citizens. As we re-examine our
ordinances related to drilling, these are my recommendations: Denton should seek to be a
state and regional leader when it comes to progressive regulations. Other Texas cities
should use us as a model for tough urban drilling regulations that aims to protect our
citizens. Renters need to have a seat at the table. Although the legal justification for local
regulation in such matters stems from a city’s right to control nuisances, the current and
suggested policies dealing with issues of notification and set- back requirements dictate
that only actual property owners are included in the process. I can own a 100 unit
apartment complex and based on my recommendation alone, set-back requirements can
be eased for drilling on that property simply because I am in support. If the legal
justification stems from local nuisance regulatory powers, then ANYONE potentially
bothered by such drilling by virtue of their proximity (whether owners or not) should be
able to support percentages of the drilling application. Gas company representatives who
make it a habit of intimidating our city and residents by openly threatening lawsuits in
public hearings should not have a seat at the table in such discussions. UNT’s world-
renown environmental ethics department should be brought into the discussions and
representative researchers should sit on the relevant boards. A partnership should be
forged with the University of North Texas to gain from their expertise on these and other
environmental matters.
Zorobabel Gomez
Biographical Info:
Name: Zoro Gomez
Street Address: 3101 Cedar Hill
City/Town: Denton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 07-22-1992
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (940) 595-5501
Home Phone Number: (940) 595-5501
Mobile Phone Number: (940) 595-5501
E-mail Address: zoro.gomez@gmail.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 18 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 11 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Student
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Attempting to get a spot on City Council to get involved in my community hoping to
start getting involved at a young age.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Prosecutor for Denton County Teen Court program for two years.
Q: Education
A: I graduated from Denton High School (Class 2010) and I am currently a student at
North Central Texas College working on my core classes. Afterwards I plan on transferring
to the University of North Texas for my Bachelor's Degree in International Business.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None; This is my first time running and won't be my last.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Right now I currently have raised around the right amount I needed for my campaign.
All I am getting done is business cards, flyers, bumper stickers, a few t-shirts, and my
yard signs.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: My parents have been my main contributors to my campaign funding, then comes my
family (uncles, cousins, ect.) and my other top contributor is my insurance agent.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for office for a lot of reasons. My main reason is because I see a lot of
things that need to be changed and I don't want to just sit back and complain I want to
take action, like Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." I believe
the voters should consider me as the most qualified candidate because I bring in a
completely different perspective to the City Council because I am young, a minority, and I
don't have any preconceived notions. I would look at every problem from an un-biased
point of view. In other words, I am the best qualified candidate to make the best decisions
for the generations to come.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Improve infrastructure, communications between city hall and citizens, and address
budgetary shortfalls. I don't think this is going to need much pushing as these are issues
which should have been addressed years ago and citizens are anxious for these actions.
The most prudent way to pay for these improvements would be to cut from non-essential
services so that no further debt is acquired.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The key differences between me and my opponent is that I am not an establishment
candidate which means my agenda is completely different than what has been pushed for
the last 35 years. Judging from the state of the city it is evident that it has not worked for
us. Another is I bring a new perspective to the table: I'm young, a minority and am not set
in my ways.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Denton has not done a good job of diversifying its tax base. We lack upscale
developments, both residential and commercial, because we don't have good-paying jobs
to support such development. Attracting this type of development would be a high priority
and one way to attract it would be to streamline the planning department to be more
effective and efficient so that developers would have a pleasant enough experience that
other developers would be interested in coming as well.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Denton is one of the fastest growing cities in our area. In 1980 Denton's population was
40,000, today it stands at approximately 130,000. That is phenomenal growth. Denton is
not doing enough to address infrastructure issues (particularly streets) to keep up with
these daunting numbers. I would address the fundamentals of public safety (police, fire
and ambulance) and utilities (roads, infrastructure, etc.) before earmarking funds for
nonessential services.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Denton is not in a position to address the issue of illegal immigration because there is
no money in the budget and secondly illegal immigration is a federal, not local issue.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Yes, I favor a seamless regional transit system and we're well on our way to making it
happen. We have buses and the train is coming in June. Now we need bike lanes which can
only be done if we address the road problems. We're falling behind $16 million a year in
street repairs. The other issue which needs to be addressed is that of ridership. We need to
advertise and encourage everyone to use the system.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Denton has not fared well in partnerships generally speaking. Regional partnerships are
always a good thing, particularly with expensive projects which would be better shared and
not duplicated. I would encourage regional partnerships after becoming more familiar with
regional needs at the Councils of Government meetings.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Our city utility services, etc. are absolutely great. I'm not sure how cost-effective the
services are as City Hall was not able or willing to provide me with information I needed to
make those assessments. The changes I would make is to ask for a complete audit of each
department.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The current leadership has not done well in weathering the economic storm because
they've not made necessary cuts to the budget. We've spent some of our reserves and
have even more debt obligations than ever. The only way to balance the budget and main
basic infrastructure is to first acknowledge that spending is out of control and look for the
appropriate solutions. Thus far, our current leadership still believes it's doing a good job.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The most uncomfortable truth about our city which voters must confront is the debt
burden they are saddling future generations with. The generation before me is the first
generation which did not have the same opportunities as their parents. It is sad they are
not thinking about the future generations and the hardships they'll be facing.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: City leaders promised citizens they'd have input into crafting local ordinances to protect
the citizens. So far they've denied citizens any input, have not adopted the most stringent
drilling ordinances and seem to love natural gas well drilling because it brings "economic
development" to the city. This is sad in the sense that very little seems to have been done
to protect the citizens. There are gas wells very close to schools, houses, nursing homes,
hospitals and parks. This doesn't look like a concerned council to me.
Dalton Gregory
Biographical Info:
Name: Dalton Gregory
Street Address: 2408 Emerson Lane
City/Town: Denton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: February 15, 1952
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 940-565-9331
Home Phone Number: 940-565-9331
Mobile Phone Number: N.A.
Fax Number: N.A.
E-mail Address: daltonrgregory@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: N.A.
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 47 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 29 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Texas Teacher Retirement System
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am completing my first two years on the Denton City Council representing the citizens
of district 2. I serve on the Economic Development Partnership Board, the council
Committee on the Environment, the council Mobility Committee, and the council Ethics
Committee. I have supported stronger regulations for gas well drilling, smart growth,
appropriate incentives for economic development, neighborhood integrity, and bicycle and
pedestrian issues.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have given more than 20 years of service on boards and committees for the City of
Denton. I worked to created the Teen Court for Denton, a convenient and affordable after
school day care in all Denton elementary schools, and the Clear Creek Natural Heritage
Center. I have served 12 years on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board along with
other city committees.
Q: Education
A: Graduated from Denton High School in 1970 Bachelor of Science in Education -
University of Texas at Austin - 1974 Master of Education (Administration) - Sam Houston
State University - 1981
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I was elected in 2009 to the Denton City Council
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $1,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Four individuals have given $100 each. Others have contributed smaller amounts.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My wife and I moved back to our home town of Denton in 1982 because we believed
that it would be a great place to live, work, and raise our three daughters. We have both
sought ways to serve and contribute to the place we call home. I want to serve on the city
council as a way to help direct our growth so that Denton becomes and even greater town.
Hundreds of citizens worked to develop a comprehensive master plan in 1999. I support
that plan and want to help make it a reality.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: We need to complete phase II or our gas well drilling ordinance, implement our
downtown improvement plan, and complete a comprehensive bicycle plan. These items
are already funded.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have a proven record of service and leadership in Denton. Retirement gives me the
time to carefully study the issues and serve on council. I have a good understanding of our
issues and clear ideas about our future.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: We need a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial development. Denton is one of
only three cities in the Metroplex that has more people coming to work than leaving to
work elsewhere. It is important to grow a diverse economic base.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Like the region, Denton is growing rapidly. Since 2000, we have grown 40.8% in total
population. Denton is an affordable place to live with great schools and opportunities to
work. It is still, primarily a college town, but we have a variety of manufacturing
operations and corporate offices located here. Our airport has grown from six to over 60
businesses in the last 20 years. In June of this year Denton will be connected by the A-Train
(The Denton County Transit Authority's commuter rail line) to the DART system. The train's
northern stop is about four blocks from our authentic downtown featuring great shops,
restaurants, entertainment venues, museums, and our beautiful historic Denton County
Courthouse.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: All police departments should enforce the law and work in cooperation with state and
federal law enforcement. Illegal immigration is an issue that needs to be addressed at the
national level.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: The citizens of Denton approved a quarter cent sales tax about ten years ago. We also
agreed to share our "rails to trails" hike and bike trail with the Denton County Transit
Authority for the 20+ mile A-Train that will have a link to the DART light rail system. That
will provide train links to Ft. Worth and eventually DFW airport. Denton has been willing to
help fund the effort and we invite other cities in the Metroplex to join us.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Transportation and air quality are two major issues that face our region. Interestingly
they are linked. Our road system is not adequate for the population growth and our state
government is not willing to provide adequate funds for construction and road
maintenance. Regional leaders have offered alternative plans so that we can fund our own
transit and road projects with mixed results from Austin. We need to keep up that effort
and do more to educate our citizens so that we get more cooperation at the state level.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: We have worked hard to find every savings in order to provide the most cost-effective
services to our citizens. We need to continue to seek out was to operate more efficiently.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
Jim Engelbrecht
Biographical Info:
Name: Jim Engelbrecht
Street Address: 2305 North Lake Trail
City/Town: Denton
State: TX
Date of Birth: 06-10-1947
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: N/A
Home Phone Number: N/A
Mobile Phone Number: 940-206-5167
Fax Number: N/A
E-mail Address: jengelb@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: N/A
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 30 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 29 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: N/A
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Lake Ray Roberts Planning & Zoning Commission, City Council Committees, Denton
Rotery Club.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: City of Denton Planning & Zoning Commission (9years - Chair, 3 years), Several city
committees over my residency, Numerous local non-profit groups over my residency.
Q: Education
A: MBA - Northwest Missouri State University BA - Park University
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Completing first term - Denton City Council, District 3
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None
Derrick Murray
Biographical Info:
Name: Derrick M. Murray
Street Address: 4516 Rhone Dr
City/Town: Denton
State: TX
Date of Birth: 02/02/1972
Mobile Phone Number: 214-929-7790
E-mail Address: derrick@murray4denton.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.murray4denton.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I moved to Denton in October of 2006
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I have lived in District 4 since October of 2006
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Information Technology Manager for United Orthopedic Group in Plano, TX
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am President of the UNT Alumni Association Denton Chapter, and I am chairman of the
City of Denton Parks and Recreation Board.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I served as a Senator in the UNT Student Government Association and was chairman of
the Student Affairs Committee. I was a leader in several student issues including bringing
transparency and accountability to the Student Service Fee budget process. I also
campaigned for the creation of the Student Athletic Fee to fund athletics at UNT.
Q: Education
A: I graduated from the University of North Texas in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in
Business Computer Information Systems, and I am completing my MBA in strategic
management this May.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I have never run for public office.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $225
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Jun Lee Mark Miller Kevin Kokjohn
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I was detained in the town of Southlake, TX in 2003 for failure to pay a traffic fine I
received a year earlier. I paid the fine upon arrival at the police station and was processed
in less than 30 minutes. I was not required to go to court and I was not charged with a
criminal offense.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for city council because I believe in public service and I believe I can help
make Denton a better community. My business career has helped to shape my skills in
teamwork and building consensus among many stakeholders. I have ideas on how to
make Denton a better city. I want to help guide our budget process to ensure we have
adequate funding for vital city services such as building roads, providing public safety, and
offering reliable utilities. I want to improve relations between the city and our two
outstanding universities by forming a University Relations Advisory Board. And finally, I
want to help bring business and commerce to Denton so our citizens can enjoy a better
quality of life, instead of wasting precious family time sitting in traffic and commuting to
other cities in DFW.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Ensure that funding for local roads meets the recommendation submitted to City
Council earlier this year. Paying for this would require fully utilizing funds provided by
TXDOT. I will publicly press for roads to be fully funded, encouraging citizens to participate
in the process and ask their city council to increase funding to appropriate levels. 2. I will
propose an ordinance establishing a University Relations Board. I believe that the city of
Denton should take full advantage of the resources offered by the two local universities.
We have a thousands of students graduating every year who leave Denton for other cities
and better job opportunities. I want an advisory board comprised of university officials,
business leaders, citizens, and city council members. The goal of the board would be to
ensure that the goals of the city, its citizens, and the universties are aligned. I believe such
a board would have been very beneficial in negotiation a solution to the UNT football
stadium traffic issue. 3. Business development needs to improve in Denton. Of the top 10
Denton employers, only 4 of them are private business. Over 27% of our citizens are
employed by a government entity. Local employment of our citizens has fallen from 37.9%
in 2001 to 33.6% in 2010. I believe that spending several hours a week commuting to
surrounding cities in order to provide for our families abates our quality of life. I will work
with city council members to encourage business development, with a special emphasis on
attracting industries that can take advantage of a young, educated workforce generated by
our universities. These would include computer technology, electronics, aviation,
telecommunications, and biotechnology. I will support aggressive tax incentives in the
form of 10 year abatements to bring these industries to Denton.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Chris Watts has served the city of Denton honorably for 4 years. I respect his desire to
serve and the success he has achieved in our community. However, his voting record has
at times been adverse to the growth and progress of our city. Mr. Watts voted against the
Fry Street pharmacy drive-thru that pretty much killed the plans United Equities had for
that property. There were legitimate concerns about the drive-thru, but I believe United
Equities offered a reasonable solution and the planning board endorsed the plan by a vote
of 5-1. Partly as a result of the 4-3 council vote, the lot has remained empty after 4 years.
Mr. Watts has opposed other proposed developments in the city during his two terms on
the council. Mr. Watts has also voted twice for tax increases for a total increase of 9.9%.
He has also voted in favor of raising the city budget by 30% over the last three years. I
believe in our current economic climate, the city needs to get the budget under control.
Priorities needs to be set, and vital city services need to be fully funded.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: It is one of my top priorities. The city of Denton has done a poor job of attracting
commercial and industrial developments. In fact, I would call their actions in recent years
borderline hostile. Boeing left Denton several years ago, and six of our top 10 employers
are government entities. While Schlumberger and Target have plans to move operations
into Denton, our city council needs to so a better job of encouraging economic growth.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Denton is growing rapidly. Denton County has grown by 53% since the 2000 census,
and the city of Denton has grown over 40% in the same timeframe. Our universities are
also growing. UNT has enrollment of about 38,000 and TWU is about 14,000. Our city
needs to do a better job keeping up with our tremendous growth. That will mean we need
to prioritize our city budget expenditures, with a special emphasis on roads, public safety,
and utilities.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Illegal immigration is a federal issue and as such needs to be enforced by the federal
government. Our police department should check the immigration status of criminal
suspects in the course of performing their routine duties. However, we cannot afford for
our police officers to be ICE agents and we should not target people based on their skin
tone. I do not want the city of Denton to follow the lead of other communities such as
Farmer's Branch in implementing local ordinances that are hostile to people who seek to
make their lives better by coming to our country. Instead, I would like the city to consider
actions that can put pressure on the federal government to enforce current immigration
laws. Some cities and states have considered suing the federal government for
compensation of the costs to educate, house, and provide medical care for illegal
immigrants. I would support such a measure if the federal government continues to be
lackadaisical about immigration enforcement.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support a completely seamless regional transit system. Such a system could realize
economies of scale and provide better service at the same cost to taxpayers. Our
transportation issues are spreading, and they are not going to improve any time soon. We
simply cannot build enough roads to keep up with our growth. I would like to see a light
rail system that connects our major cities in a hub and spoke system of rail lines. DART has
built a good foundation on which we can expand. My wife and I are thrilled that we can
now take the DART Green Line to Stars and Mavs games, but we were very disappointed
to find out that we would not be able to ride the train all the way to Denton. We find it hard
to believe that Denton County citizens have paid millions of dollars in taxes for a light rail
system that will run only part time. As a member of Denton City council, I would support
any plan that would seek to consolidate DART, DCTA, and The T.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Other issues where we can benefit are education, utility services, and social services. I
would like to see more regional advisory boards comprised of citizens, community leaders,
and city officials to find areas where we can cooperate.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: No. Our city commissions studies regarding the condition of our roads and then fails to
act upon them. In 2003, the Denia Mobility Plan urged the city focus resources on roads in
the neighborhood and feeder roads in order to accomodate the planned UNT football
stadium. Eight years later, the city has failed to act on this plan. Why commission these
studies and then ignore their recommendations?
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Plain and simple, we need to set priorities. It is unfortunate that when revenue growth
was in double digit, our city government failed to fund our most vital city services such as
roads. Now that we face serious economic problems, our city council must make the tough
choice of cutting some non-essential services in order to balance the budget.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: I think the thing about Denton that many find frustrating is the resistance to change. We
have wonderful historic neighborhoods and our college culture is eclectic and amusing. But
that does not mean we have to preserve areas of our city that have become neglected and
run down. We need to realize that progress and growth can be a driver for positive change.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Unfortunately, state law limits what cities can do to limit the impact of urban drilling.
The Denton Record-Chronicle ran a series called Citizens of the Shale, and I highly
recommend it to all DFW residents. I wish we could find a balance between providing
energy to our citizens and protecting their health. This is a tough issue, and we are finding
out more about the effects of urban drilling every day. I am encouraged that the state
recently passed a bill requiring fracking chemicals be made known to local citizens. Specific
to the city of Denton, I would support a 90-day moratorium while we gather more
information on what we can do to protect the residents of Denton.
Mike Sutton
Biographical Info:
Name: Michael Wallace Sutton
Street Address: 1306 W Hickory St
City/Town: Denton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: May 2, 1954
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 940 383 7478
Home Phone Number: 817 403 3594
Mobile Phone Number: 817 403 3594
Fax Number: 940 387 5824
E-mail Address: mike_sutton_1999@yahoo.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 18 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 18 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
and credit qualifications required for service. These measures harm the least advantaged
members of our community and pose a risk to all of our civil liberties. As previously
stated, I believe that a mixture of economic stimulus for local businesses to keep money in
Denton, targeted cuts of municipal services and some tax increases can easily offset the
additional money supposedly gained at the cost of privacy. 3. I would support stringent
anti-corruption legislation at the municipal level, which would be aimed at controlling the
losses being sustained by the citizens as a result of the current council members' and
mayor's self-interest. This measure would cost the city nothing, but gain Denton honest
representation and ensure appropriate use of the city's tax funding.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My opponent would favor outsourcing of municipal functions in tune with the supposed
"ebb and flow" of the city's workforce. I would favor keeping the profits made through
commerce in Denton within the city and keeping jobs generated by our citizens within our
own workforce. I believe in the people, businesses, workers and spirit of Denton over and
above a community of supposed expertise which might be found outside of our city. My
opponent has also gone on record in favor of fracture drilling, including his vote in favor of
the resolution which granted mixed use zoning of the Rayzor Ranch property. While I
believe in mixed use zoning, I believe that privilege should be afforded to local businesses
rather than large conglomerates outside of our municipal borders. Our multiple esteemed
universities produce a wealth of expertise which can be sought out rather than looking to
outside firms. A strong alliance between the city and its universities can aid both alumni of
the schools and our city, while keeping jobs created by our city in Denton.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Denton has been one of the fastest growing cities in Texas over the past ten years. I do
not, however, believe that growth has been promoted by the current council in the most
responsible and efficacious way. Current initiatives to bring money into the city have
revolved around tax incentives for firms headquartered outside of Denton. The promotion
of local business and culture should be the driving force for Denton's expansion and the
corresponding expansion of the tax base.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: As one of the fastest growing cities in Texas and the nation, promoting jobs within the
city limits is the best economic policy. Where my opponent would contract city projects
from outside I would always look to how much can be accomplished by businesses already
based in Denton first. Denton is also a beautiful place to live as well as very affordable
compared to other urban areas of North Texas. In that regard I will champion homeowners
and support commuters from Denton to jobs across North Texas.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I would advise the city and the police department to cooperate with federal agencies
and allow the proper authorities to handle these issues. At the same time I encourage
participation from all sectors of Denton. The Western part of the district in which I seek
office includes many Spanish speaking households and I expect every lawful citizen to be
free to pursue a means of living and be able to robustly participate in local government if
they so choose. I strongly believe local government most dramatically effects the lives of
Denton residents.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: While I am excited about the upcoming DART rail connecting Denton to the rest of the
Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex I pledge to strongly evaluate the consequences of invoking
immanent domain.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: As Denton City Council I will cooperate with other communities which fracture drilling
has effected in order to determine the likely short and long-term consequences of these
efforts. We need to understand how our sister communities are coping with prevailing
issues that effect the city's land and the health of its citizens.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I would support a reformation of our code enforcement division, which would
significantly decrease our annual expenditures. I am in favor of the method of completing
the most cost effective projects which look foremost to the promotion of the local economy
and workforce rather than seeking external solutions. The most conservative and prudent
proposals for completing necessary or beneficial initiatives will always be my solution.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The Denton waste water management system is world-class. Our continued support of
efforts to modernize and engage in effective management practices will ultimately produce
a value that far outstrips our investment in infrastructure. Additionally, I would favor a
targeted system of tax increases and cuts to inessential community services in order to
fund our continued maintenance of municipal infrastructure.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: I am most uncomfortable with the truth that our municipal government is wrought with
corruption. Our current council is pre-occupied by special and personal interests which are
allowed to override the best interest and will of Denton's residents.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: As stated above, I would favor a repeal of the mixed zoning privileges provided to
corporations drilling for natural gas in the city. Clearly the city is neither monitoring the
on-going operations of the companies involved nor has any consideration been made to the
mounting evidence of health issues related to fracture drilling for the surrounding area.
Chris Watts
Biographical Info:
Name: Chris Watts
Street Address: 1900 Jasmine Street
City/Town: Denton
State: Texas 76205
Date of Birth: 03/31/1961
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (940) 594-6604
Fax Number: (940) 387-4419
E-mail Address: chriswattsatty@yahoo.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: My family moved to Denton when I ws an infant. Been here since except for 6 months
in my 20's.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: About 20 years.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Real Estate Development/Investment
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Board of Directors Health Services of North Texas; Denton City Council; Chair of Council
Audit Finance; Chair of Council Committee on Property Maintenance; Member of Council
Committee on the Enviornment; Member of Council Committee for Hotel/Motel Tax;
Council appointee to Board of Directors for Texas Municipal Power Association serving as
Secretary; Negotiation Coach for Texas Wesleyan School of Law Student Division of
American Bar Association
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Board of Dirctors Court Appointed Special Advocate CASA; Volunteer advocate for Court
Appointed Special Advocate CASA
Q: Education
A: B.S. Computer Science University of North Texas; M.Ed Counseling and Student
Services University of North Texas; J.D. Texas Wesleyan School of Law;
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Incumbent for Denton City Council District 4 2007 to present.
fund balance and have cut expenditures without reducing essential city services. When
replacing vehicles, we are choosing the most fuel efficient models appropriate for the job.
We must continually review our costs of service during the planning and development
review process to ensure our fees are in line with our costs. Any public/private
partnerships or economic incentives should ensure the greatest return on tax dollars spent.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Voter turnout. We have very low voter turnout for local elections.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: We are currently in phase two of our gas well ordinances. We are waiting to see the
outcome of the current legislative session to determine what, if any, new laws affecting
municipal regulation of the oil and gas industry are passed. Once we know what changes
have been made, we will complete the gas well ordinance. It is encumbent that we protect
the health and safety of our residents.
Jeff Burton
Biographical Info:
Name: Jeffrey P. Burton
Street Address: 810 Delphi Drive
City/Town: Duncanville
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 20, 1952
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-641-3084
Home Phone Number: 972-780-0723
Mobile Phone Number: 214-641-3084
E-mail Address: jeffpb88@aol.com
Campaign Web Site Address: Facebook.com/JeffBurtonDuncanvilleCityCouncil
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Duncanville from 1983 to the present, with the exception of the years
1987 - 1989, for a total of 26 years.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I have lived in District 4 since the city of Duncanville initiated single-member districts.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I work as a Special Projects Coordinator for AECOM as a direct contractor to Dallas Area
Rapid Transit's Rail Program Development Group.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am currently an appointed commissioner on the Duncanville Planning and Zoning
Commission. I have also served for approximately 10 years on the Duncanville Board of
Adjustments and as the Chair of that board for approximately 3 years.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Duncanville High School Band Booster supporter (4 years). Duncanville High School
Volleyball Booster Club supporter (5 years, President for 3 years). PTA President and PTA
Life Member.
Q: Education
A: Homer High School, Homer, Illinois 1970. Electronic Technology Degree from United
Electronics Institute, Dallas, Texas 1972. Brookhaven College, DCCCD, Dallas, Texas,
Business Management studies 1977 - 1979. Rochester Institute of Technology, Bachelor of
Electronic Technology studies 1987 - 1989 Rochester, New York.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $1500.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: ProDunc PAC Bruce and Sue Hafer Duane Starkey
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Duncanville is my "Hometown" and I love my city and my desire is to accentuate the
positives of my city and the school district. I have a passion for improving my city and
promoting this great city to our citizens and those not living in Duncanville. I have several
years experience with the boards I have been appointed to and know the ordinances and
zoning plans for the city. I will provide information to and seek input from ALL the citizens
and businesses of Duncanville. I have managed projects for many years and have
experience as a communicator and have developed my abilities as a very good listener to
achieve success in these areas of expertise. Listening, communicating and being able to
manage are necessary attributes for the At-Large member of the City Council as that
position represents ALL the citizens and businesses of Duncanville.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Economic Development to include the 5 major areas designated by the Duncanville
Master Plan (I-20, Hwy-67, Main Street, Camp Wisdom and Cedar Ridge) by developing
ways to encourage families and businesses to come to Duncanville. 2. Promotion of the
city and school district to bring young families to our great city by accentuating the
positives of Duncanville. 3. Encourage the citizens of Duncanville to become more involved
with their city by asking for their inputs, concerns and accomplishments and responding
through "Town Hall Meetings and my Facebook Page as an interactive tool to facilitate my
understanding of them and their understanding of what is before the city as a whole.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: This is an open City Council position and all of us that have chosen to offer our time and
effort are to be commended. There are four people running for the At-Large position, but
only two of us have been in attendance for the pre-election meetings which indicates to me
that only two of us are serious about our desire to serve our city. I have the experience
with the years I have served on the city boards, my attendance and involvement with the
city council, and my ability to listen to the people, communicate to, and have compassion
for the concerns that will be presented as I seek the input of the citizens of Duncanville.
The key difference between myself and the other serious candidate are my years of
service and experiences with that service.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Most people think Duncanville is totally built-out. It is not. This is a top priority of mine
as we have numerous opportunities to attract residential development if we promote our
school district and the attributes of living close to Downtown Dallas and the Mid-Cities. We
must, and I will, publize the positives of Duncanville as they are many. This is an area our
city can improve on as we seek to maintain the small-town atmosphere while providing
the metropolitan amenities that are expected these days. We must be positive with this
publicity and not amplify the negatives that we all need to work toward eliminating.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Again, it is believed there is no room for growth in Duncanville. This impression could
not be any further from the truth. The Southwest Dallas County area is booming even in
this time of economic concern. Duncanville is a great city for younger families to consider
as their children approach school age. We have a great school district, know for our
academic as well as our athletic achievements. We need to develop opportunities for those
that would choose a more "urban" life-style. We need to do all we can to bring transit-
oriented-development to Duncanville which tends to encourage an alternative to single-
family traditional housing.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Our police department, city officials and staff, and the citizens of Duncanville should
follow the existing laws and regulations as currently constituted. When identified those
laws and regulations must be followed to protect all those involved.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Current legislation does not facilitate a "seamless" regional transit system as your
question asks. For the entire Dallas-Ft.Worth metropolitan area to continue to expand, as
it will, there is a need for a regional approach to the transit needs that growth will bring. I
favor a regional approach to a transit system, but laws will have to be amended or
completely re-written to accomplish those needs.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: We smaller cities must continue to partner our resources (people) to provide ideas and
solutions to develop thge North Texas Region. The great secret of the beauty of Southwest
Dallas County is no longer a secret and the region needs to recognize that not everyone
that comes to this region goes north. This is not just assurance that we smaller cities are at
the table, but that there is serious consideration for the needs and wants of our city. I
would be ready to volunteer or be appointed to any committee or board that would
address these cooperation efforts.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: We have a very good city manager and city staff that work to bring us the best service
for the most efficient cost. I do believe there could be budget concerns in the near future
for Duncanville, and I will seek input from the citizens to get an idea of services they think
could be performed more effectively or eliminated if necessary and have the ability to
bring those ideas to the council and/or the city manager. We will have to put our heads
together to make sure we are using the available funds most efficiently.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our city manager and city staff have done an excellent job of keeping the necessary
needs (Police, Fire, Water, Sewer Service, etc) in good condition. The city budget is in good
shape currently, but factors out of our control could affect that dramatically. We must
attract more sales tax generating business to Duncanville and can do that by making sure
we are as "business friendly" as possible.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The most prevalent situation currently is the situation with what use to be a Dr. Pepper
Stars Center that is now a Bobby Knights Fieldhouse. The economics of both of those
businesses has raised a concern of how that will affect the tax payers of Duncanville and
our Economic Development Board. This is prime retail real estate on one of our major
intersections and we must assure this is developed into a very profitable business.
Janet Harris
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Don Freeman
Biographical Info:
Name: Donald B. Freeman
Street Address: 1003 Lansdale
City/Town: Duncanville
State: TX
Date of Birth: 11-03-1941
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214.808.7299
Mobile Phone Number: 214.808.7299
E-mail Address: freemanforduncanville@gmail.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: We moved to Duncanville in the 70’s when Duncanville was a small, 2-3 red light town.
We were attracted to Duncanville because of the good schools and because it is a safe
community to raise a family.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: We have lived in District 1 since the 70s.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Our city is building an inclusive community with open arms to all races and religions.
Like any city of our size, there may be an isolated case of non-acceptance by some
individual acting alone. Local faith-based groups have established programs teaching
English. I want to expand to include other languages, including Spanish.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Duncanville has a wonderful Chief of Police. The police department follows all local,
state, and federal laws, which they have sworn to protect. Just because a person is
suspected of being from another country does not relieve our officers of their sworn oath to
protect a person’s rights. All persons have rights under the laws. Unless the State of Texas
or federal laws change, the police department must follow the laws.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: DART already has buses on our western border with Dallas. As far as a rail line coming
to Duncanville, the citizens have turned down this proposition 2 times before. However,
should another vote arise about light rail and the citizens vote for light rail, I would work
hard to make it work, realizing that it would take years and years for light rail to reach
Duncanville. If the vote turns down light rail, I would work hard to take the same amount
of sales tax earmarked for DART and pour that same money into our economic
development.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I support regional cooperation. One example is the Tri-City Dispatch system currently in
place. Also, the Tri-City Animal Shelter and Adoption Center is proposing more cooperation
within the service cities of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, and DeSoto. One proposal is combining
Animal Control Officers (AOCs).
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The city is striving to provide services in the most cost-effective manner. One example
is outsourcing the refuse collections. I will be open to citizen input about other cost-saving
measures.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: To maintain the current budget, the city raised property taxes and increased water fees
and other fees, while cutting back recreation center and library hours. For next year’s
budget, we need to take a second look at top management salaries. Optimally, we want to
avoid employee furloughs.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth about Duncanville is the lack of forethought. The city has set
the salaries of top management with seemingly little planning or thought about what if…
what if the federal government cuts programs? What if the State of Texas cuts down on
grants and medical assistance? What if the sales tax revenue keeps falling? What if home
values keep falling? Now the city has high management overhead with a decreasing
revenue source. We need to take a second look at management salaries. Not raise taxes
and furlough employees to fill the gaps. We need to take a second look at our Economic
Development projects. We should start spending more of those dollars on preserving the
businesses we have. We should help our merchants. They pay taxes. We need to fill up the
vacant spaces to enhance our quality of life while increasing our tax base.
Ken Weaver
Biographical Info:
Name: Ken Weaver
Street Address: 110 N. Venice Dr.
City/Town: Duncanville
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 05/17/1943
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-780-9810
Home Phone Number: 972-780-9810
Fax Number: NA
E-mail Address: kweaver@ci.duncanville.tx.us
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 38 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 38 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Reired Chief Financial Officer, Army Air Force Exchange Service, Dallas, Texas
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Score Counselor, Board Member Best Southwest Partner, Advisory Board Member
Methodist Charlton Hospital,Rotary Club of Duncanville mamber, Local Coordinator AARP
Tax-Aide Duncanville,
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Past Chairman Duncanville Chamber, Past Treasurer Duncanville ISD Education
Foundation, Past member and President Duncanville Community & Economic Development
Corporation. Rotary Club of Duncanville Past President & Treasurer,Duncanville Chamber
"Man of the Year" 2009
Q: Education
A: BA Accounting - Boise State University Certified Public Accountant, Texas (Retired)
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Duncanville City Council District 1
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $550.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Ken Weaver - $250.00 Ray Dorton - $150.00
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: NO
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Since my retirement in 1999, I have been a very active volunteer in Duncanville. I
began my service by being appointed to the Duncanville Economic Development Board in
1999. I have served seven years as a Councilman for District One. I spent 31 years in
financial management for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). I was the
CFO when I retired. I am committed to being involved in our City and I have a strong
financial and management background
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Duncanville is a land locked first tier city. We are close to being fully built out in our 11+
square miles of land. A land locked City faces limitations on new growth and must look to
redevelopment of existing structures. I will take the lead on setting up a workshop for the
Council to discuss and develop a plan to give us direction going forward. The challenges we
face as a land-locked first tier, older city are real. We are not going to see the type of
economic development some neighboring cities will enjoy in the coming years. Therefore,
we must elect leaders who have business experience to make good business decisions for
our City. I will support small business expansion and assist new businesses to get started.
I am a volunteer SCORE Counselor which falls under the Small Business Administration. I
help motivated individuals take a business concept from an idea stage through start-up to
success. We are a city of small businesses and their survival is important to our city. I will
encourage citizens to become involved in our city and serve on Boards/Commissions and
be active volunteers. Neighborhood Watch Associations are a good place to start getting
citizens involved. We have a good Neighborhood Watch program in my neighborhood. We
use an annual picnic and periodic communications via email to stay in touch.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have served on the Duncanville Chamber Board as a member and as Chairman. I
understand the local businesses. I have 31 years of financial management experience. I
am a volunteer that serves as a counselor to small businesses. I am interested in prudent
financial management and I am consistently looking for ways to improve the process and if
possible do more with less. I have leadership experience in local government through
serving as a Councilman for seven years and being selected Mayor-Pro-Tem twice during
those 7 years.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting economic development to our City is a top personal priority. I have served on
the Economic Development Corporate Board as a member and President. Duncanville has
an impressive record of attracting development since 2000. We have attracted a Hilton
Garden Inn, Pappadeaux Restaurant, Costco, and had major expansion of Tom Thumb and
Kroger grocery stores. As I noted in an earlier question, our City is land-locked and that
provides a unique challenge regarding residential and commercial development.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The demographic changes in Duncanville mirror what is happening in the region. South
Dallas County is seeing changes in demographic status greater than our northern County
cities. We offer Spanish speakers to assist for our courts and code enforcements activities.
We have established a Multicultural Commission to promote citizen participation and
engagement in the government process and to foster cooperative relationships among the
culturally diverse citizens in order to fulfill the needs and desires of our culturally diverse
community.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I believe the issue of illegal immigration must be addressed by the Federal
Government. Cities, such as Duncanville, do not have the authority or the resources to
deal with this problem. The local police department should report illegal immigration
problems to the Federal Authorities as appropriate.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I do favor a seamless regional transit system. I spent 6 years in Germany and saw
what a national transit system can offer. I would support a local sales tax option to fund
expansion of our transit system to include Southwest Dallas County. The citizens should
have the right to vote on whether to increase the sales tax rate to fund the expansion of a
transit system as an extension to the DART System.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Duncanville has been active in regional cooperation in South West Dallas County. We
have a three city regional dispatch for police and fire. The same three cities have an
animal shelter that they share. We have an agreement with surrounding Cities with our
fire departments, where we have back up agreements with other cities. That provides the
maximum protection at the lowest costs. We have a Best Southwest Partnership of four
bordering cities. This partnership actively promotes economic growth in Southern Dallas
Counties through image enhancement, legislation, education, and transportation
initiatives. I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Best Southwest Partnership. We
are benefitting from the important regional cooperation we have in place. I will continue to
support regional partnerships.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Duncanville has made changes over the past few years to “do more for less” I will
continue to be supportive of initiatives that allow the use of the latest technology. Recently
solar panels were placed on the roofs of our major structures. With the use of grants, our
cost was amortized in one year. I do think our city deliversthe necessary services in a cost
effective manner especially after our budget constraints over the past several years.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Duncanville leadership has a done a good job of weathering the economic storm. We
have used innovative options like employee furlough days before and after national
holidays to reduce personnel costs without eliminating staff positions. Our staffing level is
reasonable and fair. We review the level of staffing per 1,000 population as it relates to 20
other local cities our size. We consistently have the lowest ratio of staffing using this
metric. We have reviewed our pay scale and benefits and both are competitive. One
advantage to being a built-out city is our cost relative to roads, sewers and other basic
Harold Froehlich
Biographical Info:
Name: Harold Froehlich
Street Address: 13831 Braemar Drive
City/Town: Farmers Branch
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 11/10/1947
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972 738 8444
E-mail Address: haroldf4fb@tx.rr.com
Campaign Web Site Address: electharoldfroehlich.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 23 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Bank Employee
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Prior Planning and Zoning Commissioner, Farmers Branch Current City Council Member
Place 2, Farmers Branch Current Mayor Pro-Tem Member Farmers Branch Rotary Club
Member Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Foreman of Harris County Texas Grand Jury Prior Planning and Zoning Commissioner,
Farmers Branch
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Science University of Houston
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $3000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Personal funds, Metro Tex Association of Realtors, Friends,
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: NO
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am the Incumbent. I have 35 years of financial services and real estate experience.
My current professional background is in property management, real estate sales and
acquisitions. Farmers Branch is experiencing new growth and interest from the real estate
development community. My experience and insight into the planning, site selection of
industrial, retail and multi- tenant property users will be and has been valuable to the
citizens of Farmers Branch.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Continue to review all new development initiatives projected by the City Staff. We have
had GREAT success with our Four Corners area. A new Wal Mart store and CHASE Bank
rebuilding in the immediate area. The Wal Mart project was recognized by The Dallas
Business Journal as one of their "The Deals of the Year". Review the current city budget
document and discuss current YTD expenses. Be aware only 6% of our General Fund is
spent toward debt service. Farmers Branch has maintained a strong AA Bond rating and
strong financials in the worst recession since The Great Depression. Review and assist
where necessary in the marketing and revitalization efforts in Farmers Branch. Review
current Building vacancy rates, staff marketing plans, and work with Realtors, to sell our
City in a Park. I do spend my personal time to visit with City prospects as required. I do
not believe any cost would be associated with my ongoing participation and reviews.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have proven experience in many aspects of real estate management and budget
planning. My work related experience has given me an advantage working on the City
Council during this important time of re development in our City. My experience and
insight into the demolition phase of the Four Corners project allowed the City to save
several hundred thousand dollars. It was my review of the initial demolition cost, along
with a recent experience on a work related project that gave me the insight to pursue a
cost saving effort for the City. My local knowledge of the real estate community and costs
associated with construction, gives me an enormous advantage. I am a proven
"consensus builder". While I do not agree with all decisions made by the Council and
Mayor, we have moved the City forward. We have brought new business and new
properties to the City. Our City is cleaner, streets are safer, unsightly buildings and falling
down Walls have been removed. A new Fire Station is being built. We have maintained a
first rate Parks system and Programs for citizens and visitors. I have brought a sense of
continuity and accountability to our City Council. We are at an important point in our City
Development. Continuity is important to continue our direction. We need Leaders that can
plan for our future and not have a platform dedicated to discontent, innuendo and agenized
politics. Until a few months ago. I had no knowledge of my opponent. It is my
understanding he has held no capacity in our city government or any of its Boards. He
says he favors "term limits" for Mayor and Council as do I. I was a sponsor of the move to
put the issue on the Ballot to the Voters. My wife is an employee of the School district at R
L Turner. She and I have had strong ties to the District and community for many years.
Organizing a new school district would be a "gigantic challenge". As a City Councilman, I
will focus my efforts in the review of the city government and the continuing progress of
our City revitalization efforts. School Board business should be left to the School Board.
We as a City, do not need, A New Direction. We need qualified, dedicated Leaders who can
keep Farmers Branch on Track!
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: It's a Top Priority and we have been successful. Attracting new business and residential
development is critical. During the last three years we had had major successes in the
heart of our City along Midway Road. New Apartments at Prairie Crossing and a new
townhome development have attracted new and younger residents to our community. In
addition, a major developer has plans to start a "patio home" development in the same
area. Wal Mart, Weirs Furniture, Essilor, Colgate, Coca Cola, Wisteria, SoftLayer, Maxim
all announced plans to move into our City or have had significant expansions. 2.2 Million
square feet of space expanded or added to Farmers Branch in the last year. 196 new
businesses moved into Farmers Branch creating more than 2000 jobs in our community.
We have done an "Outstanding Job"!
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Our City, like our State is changing every decade. Our goal in Farmers Branch is to
provide a safe and secure place for our citizens to work and raise their families. Market
forces dictate who will move to and live in each community. We welcome all who want to
take part in our City in a Park.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Farmers Branch Police have been trained and certified under Federal program 287(g).
They have an outstanding record, proven by our crime statistics.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Yes. I would encourage any City Leader in our region to participate. Many citizens are
not aware that not all cities participate in the services of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
Making this happen depends upon how the program is sold to the regional citizen.
Education, and marketing the benefits and advantages of a regional system should be an
ongoing process. As Transportation costs increase, the demand for regional transit services
will follow. I do support the efforts of Dallas Regional Mobility.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Shared City Services. Where City boundaries are contiguous, municipal services should
be shared. Examples Fire and Police, Municipal Court Services, Emergency Medical
Services. City’s sharing and cooperating in these areas would reduce taxes for all
participants in such a program. Farmers Branch has several cost and equipment sharing
initiatives working with Carrollton, Addison and Coppell.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Farmers Branch is one of the lowest cost and cost effective Cities in North Texas. Our
staff constantly manages the budget process and is quick to make recommendations for
change. As one of the most cost-effective Cities in North Texas we have attracted more
than 40 Fortune 500 businesses to our City. Our Citizens do not pay for trash service. I
will continue to monitor, receiving citizen input, the excellence of our services and their
cost effectiveness.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Farmers Branch has a balanced budget and our reserve fund is 100% funded. We have
no challenges to our basic infrastructure budget. We reduced our budget from $95 million
to $78 million with no reducions in our services. We have excellant infrastructure and
funding, in the event of unforseen enginerring issues. Our City staff does an excellant job
of monitoring street and sidewalk repair.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The same uncomfortable truth that City’s and Governments across the USA must
confront. "Wages and Benefits for Municipal and Government Employees are not
sustainable at current tax rates."
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: No. Under current law, it is not practical. I would prefer that our voters elect officials
who support those changes that reflect local needs and State requirements.
Q: What are the key development issues in Farmers Branch? What do you propose to do to
create development in the DART center in Farmers Branch?
A: We waited 27 years for the DART rail line. Revitalization of our Four Corners area and
replacing and upgrading our housing stock are key issues. During my term in office our
Council has taken several bold initiatives toward Revitalization. The new Wal Mart project
and citizens replacing and repairing their Homes. We are in negotiations for a new 200
unit Apartment project to be built in the Dart Station area. I would encourage similar
steps in all of our neighborhoods. We have a "Housing replacement program" where the
City gives a tax refund where homes are torn down and a new home built. Another option,
the city could purchase "dangerous buildings or homes" demolish, and then resell the vant
lots to residents or Builders. A similar program was succesful and This could be a practical
long term project to provide building sites in the City. The City’s Revitalization program
should be "ongoing".
Q: Would you support the city of Farmers Branch spending city funds to jumpstart
economic development there at the DART location, as they did in the Four Corners area
when they raised taxes and purchased the land?
A: That move will not be necessary. Our City owns 19 acres of "ready to build" land. There
are several different options to consider with the right Developer or Site selector. The
Four Corners, an award winning project, was opportunity brought about by the terrible
economy, critical evaluation and a bold decision making. It is a decision, that has created a
"new beginning" in our City. The decision to move forward with the Four Corners project
has caused a “ripple effect” in our community. Chase Bank has announced a major
reconstruction of their Bank building in the Four Corners area. "Success brings more
Success".
Q: Is there a limit to how much city funds you will allocate to legally defend the city in its
immigration ordinances? If the legal bill reaches $5 million, will you vote against spending
further city funds? If the legal bill reaches $6 million, will you vote against spending further
city funds?
A: Yes there is a limit. You should remember, 67% of our Voters indicated that they would
support the city's Licensing effort. Our goal was to know our neighbors next door. The City
is the envy of others in North Texas. Farmers Branch is growing new busneses and is
experiencing exciting economic growth. Business and property owners will invest in a
community where they know there employees and property are safe. Elected Officials
take an Oath to protect the Health and Welfare of our Citizens. What is that worth? Our
crime rate to date is down 30% from 2010's low numbers. We have not had a Murder in
our City in more than 2 years. Our citizens enjoy safe and secure neighborhoods. In any
event, as an Elected Official I cannot speak to or about ongoing litigation with the City.
Q: What percentage of the city population do you think is in the U.S. with unlawful
immigration status, either because they overstayed a visa or because they entered the
U.S. illegally?
A: I have no idea. Any number I gave would be pure speculation.
Q: Farmers Branch has been polarized by the illegal immigration issue—as witnessed by
the huge shouting matches outside and sometimes inside City Hall. What would you do to
bring the city together?
A: There is a small group of "Naysayers" who see division in our community; it would be
GREAT if we could get all to share their ideas. Focus on working together, become involved
instead of divisive. Nothing brings a group together like success and good leadership. We
have both in Farmers Branch. As a Community, we are addressing our diversity issues on
many fronts. As I attend our City functions and events, School and Church activities I see
parents and children from across our community. If I could change one thing, it would be
to get more parents involved with their children in church and school activities.
Q: Do you support further outsourcing of various departments or services in Farmers
Branch? If so, which ones?
A: It depends on the City service. Major Corporations started "outsourcing" 50 years ago.
Many Oil Refinery's on the Gulf Coast, had employee Pipefitters, Plumbers and Sheet Metal
Workers. Today businesses outsource, Janitorial Services, Computer Maintenance, Video
and technical support, Payroll Accounting, Printing and many other activities. You should
be aware that Payroll and Benefits are the large expense of any City’s General Fund. As we
enter the 21st century it is incumbent upon the City Fathers to use technology and
innovation to provide less government and better services. In Farmers Branch we manage
to maximize our services at the lowest cost to our taxpayers.
Q: Do you believe the City Council made the right decision on Feb. 8 in keeping paper
refuge bags for residents rather than saving more than $100,000 with a switch to plastic
bags?
A: The paper refuge bags in our Community are our Tradition. The actual dollar cost of the
bags is not reflective of the total benefit to both citizen and the city. We have no initial cost
to purchase and replace "unsightly and smelly" trash recepticles as used by other cities.
The Landfill, that we own, is managed to very high enviromental standard. Plastic is not as
biodegradable as the paper refuge bags. Paper bags, over many years, have proven to be
stronger and more reliable to the user. If there is a total cost vs safety vs enviromental
savings. Our citizens, consistantly tell us. They like the Paper.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: We like other cities in the area have experienced local drilling. It has been minor and
limited to the west side of our town in a less inhabited area. We have reviewed our
ordnances and are prepared to adopt additional safety standards as required. Currently,
we have a watch and monitor position. Our Staff follows the actions of communities with
similar issues.
Jack E. Viveros
Biographical Info:
Name: Jack E. Viveros
Street Address: 2524 Danny Lane
City/Town: Farmers Branch
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 9/15/1951
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-620-0816
Home Phone Number: 972-620-0816
Mobile Phone Number: 214-636-3523
Fax Number: 214-722-7662
E-mail Address: jeviveros@att.net
Campaign Web Site Address: Jack E. Viveros (facebook)
http://jackeviveros.blogspot.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 16 yrs
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 16 yrs
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Sales of investments and insurance
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: • President-elect Farmers Branch Rotary Club • Member Farmers Branch Chamber of
Commerce o Selected Member of Farmers Branch C of C Education Committee • Member
Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce • Mentoring program at Vivian Field Middle
School • Engaged with the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) students at
Vivian Field Middle School
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: See previous response concerning civic involvement.
Q: Education
A: BS Sul Ross State University
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $6,505
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Self, Serena Connelly, Joseph Dingman
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for the position of Farmers Branch City Council to be a new voice and
create a new direction for Farmers Branch. I have a community agenda, not a personal
agenda. I believe in the power of the community of Farmers Branch. I will listen to all my
constituents; all includes across race, ethnicity, where one lives—the entire city. I have
been a resident of Farmers Branch for 16 years. My professional background includes
banking, financial services, and entrepreneurship which help prepare me to be an effective
councilman.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: • Our fine city needs to have its pride, spirit and unity restored. I am committed to
making this happen. Foremost we must eliminate the toxic cloud that has been hovering
over us for several years and settle the legal issues that have been dividing us: enough is
enough. • Maintaining high quality city services is paramount. As councilman I will work
closely with the professional city manager to monitor not just the cost of our services, but
also the high standards we expect from these services. I will also strive to work with the
council to take a slightly different direction for beautifying our city. We need to improve
much of the infrastructure, such as streets, alleys and sewage pipes rather than continue
cosmetic enhancements. • Attracting new business, developers, and home builders is vital
to ensure that Farmers Branch is a city in which people want to live and work. We are a
diversified community with wonderful people.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: As a councilman for Farmers Branch I will help lead our town in a new direction. My goal
is to bring all our citizens together, to have all our residents feel welcome, and to create an
atmosphere of openness between the council and the city. I will hold “Jack’s Community
Chats” at a local neighborhood nook. My goal is to have an inclusive community; not one
of exclusivity.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting more businesses and home developers is of paramount importance. The city
council together with our city employees must work diligently and wisely to develop the
entire city from north to south, east to west.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Based on the latest census results, Farmers Branch has an approximate Hispanic
residency of 45%. The city is not addressing the population dynamics. The city should
begin to study single member districts.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Farmers Branch police department participates in the Criminal Alien Program (CAP)
program and has one officer trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who
is qualified to deal with any illegal immigrant that the police may encounter as well as any
gang activity.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Farmers Branch has supported DART for over a quarter of a century and recently has
had a light rail station built in our city. The arrival of DART at the Farmers Branch Station is
part of our crown jewels in the city. We should continue to support a regional transit
system with the current tax our citizens pay.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The completion of the DART orange line to DFW airport will be a major benefit to not
only Farmers Branch residents, but people throughout this region. Working closely with city
councils in our neighboring communities on regional issues will benefit all concerned.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Overall our city has worked diligently to maintain a balanced budget. We should strive
to balance present personnel providing services with fiscal responsibility for the services. I
am very conservative about out-sourcing our city services.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I believe for the near future we should not build more parks and we need to reduce
expenditures on cosmetic enhancements. I want to revisit the way the council negotiates
with commercial developers to increase development and increase our tax base. The
infrastructure of Farmers Branch must receive higher priority.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is that Farmers Branch has a 45% Hispanic population and no
representation in elected city government.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: No. The Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD continues to strive for improvement to reach
the needs of all students. CFB ISD has strong leadership in the school board. We have
excellent dedicated teachers and administrators. Our students want to learn, to participate
in the school experience, and complete their education. We have parents who are involved
in our schools with more seeking participation at all levels.
Q: What are the key development issues in Farmers Branch? What do you propose to do to
create development in the DART center in Farmers Branch?
A: Key development issues are the completion of Four Corners at Josey & Valley View and
the development near the DART center, developing the west side of town, and
revitalization in the older neighborhoods. To create development in the DART center, it
must be open to all qualified developers. A new strategy to decrease the time given to
developers for funding must be put in place, with careful analysis of credits/incentives
offered to developers to ensure our city profits from new development.
Q: Would you support the city of Farmers Branch spending city funds to jumpstart
economic development there at the DART location, as they did in the Four Corners area
when they raised taxes and purchased the land?
A: I would support the city spending city funds to jumpstart the development only if the
voters approved it. Decisions must include realistic cost analyses to prevent our giving
away too much and ending up with too little.
Q: Is there a limit to how much city funds you will allocate to legally defend the city in its
immigration ordinances? If the legal bill reaches $5 million, will you vote against spending
further city funds? If the legal bill reaches $6 million, will you vote against spending further
city funds?
A: My stance regarding the immigration ordinance is that we go no further than the Fifth
Circuit Court level. Enough is enough.
Q: What percentage of the city population do you think is in the U.S. with unlawful
immigration status, either because they overstayed a visa or because they entered the
U.S. illegally?
A: I have no data to support a particular figure and I will not speculate.
Q: Farmers Branch has been polarized by the illegal immigration issue—as witnessed by
the huge shouting matches outside and sometimes inside City Hall. What would you do to
bring the city together?
A: Enough is enough---settle the legal issues, and rebuild the unity of our neighborhoods
by opening a two-way dialogue with our residents and listen to what they have to say. I
and other council members must represent the entire city—100% of the population.
Q: Do you support further outsourcing of various departments or services in Farmers
Branch? If so, which ones?
A: At this time I do not feel we need to out-source more departments or services. What
must be done is not have the council try to determine outsourcing on its own. We have a
good professional city manager: let him do his job with his staff.
Q: Do you believe the City Council made the right decision on Feb. 8 in keeping paper
refuge bags for residents rather than saving more than $100,000 with a switch to plastic
bags?
A: This is an opportunity for the city to continue something special for its residents. The
paper refuge bag is worth the extra cost.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: For a newly elected city council member, this topic requires more in-depth study.
Charlie Bird
Biographical Info:
Name: Charles L. Bird
Street Address: 14635 Tanglewood Drive
City/Town: Farmers Branch
State: Texas
A: Education Improvement: The cost will be minimal. The task is one of creating
awareness. It is a published fact that a 10% increase in test scores translates directly into
a 10% increase in property values. Farmers Branch demonstrated in the past that citizen
participation works. I initiated and managed the CCOFB – the Concerned Citizens of
Farmers Branch, a group that pitched in and assisted those unable to make necessary
home repairs. In that same community spirit I will create a Mayor’s Education Group with
a core membership from those who have children enrolled in C-FBISD. I will ask that
group to uncover ways the Mayor’s office can, among other things, contribute to increasing
PTA attendance, encourage citizen participation at sporting, theatrical and musical events,
expand the existing mentoring program, and create a group of volunteers ready to assist
as needed. New Home Land Use & Development: This will require investment monies. I
think a carefully organized and fully explained program would convince citizens to approve
such an undertaking. The goal will be to repeat a housing development along the lines of
what we did at Branch Crossing. This project added noticeably to our tax base. I believe
this model will work equally well when applied to more modest priced housing. It is critical
that we make it possible for parents of school age children to buy and build in Farmers
Branch. We must encourage younger and up and coming people to our city. Reduce Legal
Expenses: I will be a consensus mayor. I will fully and clearly explain our current situation,
including current and probable costs and remind the citizens that it is their vote that
determines how their money is spent.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I served on the Farmers Branch City Council for 11 years (1996-2007). Prior to that, I
served for 5 years on the Building Code of Appeals. I also served on the Zoning Board of
Adjustment for a period of 5 years. I initiated and managed the Concerned Citizens of
Farmers Branch (CCOFB), a volunteer organization that provided the labor and material to
make necessary repairs to more than 150 homes that would have received a code
violation had the work not been done - all at no expense to the home owner. During my
time as Councilman, Farmers Branch built a new Courthouse and Jail, the Farmers Branch
Senior Center, The Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center and approved the
construction of Fire Station Number 3. All of this construction was paid for in cash. No bond
money was required. This saved the city approximately $18,000,000 tax payer dollars in
interest payments. I was a major supporter of buying the land now known as the Dart
Station area. I was instrumental in supporting former councilman Berry Grubbs in creating
an innovative land use project called Branch Crossing. I was a leading force in honoring
our veterans. As a former Marine, I thought it time our city had a formal place for doing
so, and worked to create the “Walk of Honor” and to erect the symbolic statue “Poppy”
that adorned the front of our city hall for 10 years. That same statue is now positioned in
Liberty Plaza. I have received numerous awards from organizations for my volunteer
work throughout the city. As a long-term member of the Farmers Branch Rotary Club, I
was please to be presented the “2010 Rotarian of The Year” award. I am an active
member of the Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce and their top membership
recruiter. I am running with my proven record. It is up to the voters to determine if my
opponent’s record is as worthy.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting residential and/or commercial development ranks extremely high on my list
of priorities. City staff has done an excellent job marketing Farmers Branch to interested
parties and in utilizing the TIF (tax incremental financing) program. Expenditures on new
street signposts, logos, and decorative clocks do little to increase development. These
expenditures would be better spent on improving our schools and on programs similar to
Branch Crossing
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The 2010 census indicates that Farmers Branch has realized a 4% population growth.
Farmers Branch is ideally located with access to major highways, downtown, airport, and
DART services. But location is not enough. We must complement our superb location with
creative ways to invest our financial resources. We need to stop spending money on things
that look good and sound good and start spending it on things that work. By example, we
need more city investment in programs similar to Branch Crossing, initiated by former
councilman Berry Grubbs. We must make this model work in other areas of the city for
more modest priced housing. It is critical that we make it possible for parents of school
age children to buy and build here. We need to encourage younger and up and coming
people to our city and we need to be a visible contributor to our school system. We need to
recognize that quality education drives economic growth.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Continue to support the 287(g) program. This program has proven to be effective. It is
how our police department interfaces with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: The city has contributed millions to the DART transit system and area. I am personally
very favorably inclined toward public mass transit. We must be diligent in working to
ensure that the millions invested pay off. The DART area is a classic opportunity for
employing imagination in land use. We have the mass-transit; now we must ensure that
our actions contribute to population growth, tax base growth, increased sales activity, and
more jobs for Farmers Branch citizens.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I would work with cities adjacent to or close to Farmers Branch to determine where
consolidation would provide better quality and lower cost. It is worth investigating, for
instance, if Carrollton, Addison, Farmers Branch and nearby others could benefit from
sharing a detention center rather than each paying for duplicate individual facilities, land,
administrative and operations personnel.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I doubt there are residents anywhere in the Metroplex who are better served than
those of us who live in Farmers Branch. Our Fire and Police departments are exemplary,
our city services are outstanding and the creative efforts of our city parks and recreation
force are on display daily. Added to this list are the talented, efficient and courteous people
who serve on committees and boards behind the scenes, plus those in the offices of our
city administration. These are the people that make Farmers Branch - “The City Within A
Park.”
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Economists tell us that changes in property values are the most direct way to measure
the performance of local government. If property values rise, government is efficient. To
the extent property values fall, government is inefficient. The Dallas Morning News
published that Farmers Branch property appraisal values took an extraordinary drop
compared to surrounding cities. (http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-
news/collin-county/headlines/20100521-Dallas-County-land-values-plunge-4-2585.ece)
Balancing the budget is a legal requirement not an accomplishment. We have an excellent
City Manager and Chief Financial Officer to keep us in compliance. My focus will be to
eliminate cosmetic expenditures and get control of legal expenses. We have better uses for
those monies such as innovative land use programs and financial incentives to attract new
businesses.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: We must fully understand and acknowledge the challenge posed to us by surrounding
cities and the large undeveloped landmasses they posses. Urban planners, specialists in
guiding cities like ours, tell us that Farmers Branch, like so many other towns that grew up
just outside a large city, faces critical competing forces. Surrounding towns have large low
cost open landmasses. These landmasses convert into low-cost building lots providing
builders the opportunity to construct the larger and more expensive homes desired by
high-income families. For much of Farmers Branch it is necessary to purchase an existing
home and clear it to get a vacant lot. This adds considerable and, for all but a few, an
unacceptable cost. This situation is a contributing reason why home rentals are an
appealing business in Farmers Branch. It is more profitable to buy a home and rent it, than
to tear it down and build on the land. In addition there are within Dallas, just inside LBJ,
considerable areas of commercial space and facilities already available at discount prices.
These circumstances make it evident that location alone isn’t enough for Farmers Branch.
We must complement our superb location with creative ways to invest our financial
resources. We need to stop spending money on things that look good and sound good and
start spending it on things that work. By example, we need more city investment in
programs similar to Branch Crossing, initiated by former councilman Berry Grubbs. We
must make this model work in other areas of the city for more modest priced housing. It is
critical that we make it possible for parents of school age children to buy and build here.
We need to encourage younger and up and coming people to our city and we need to be a
visible contributor to our school system. We need to recognize that quality education drives
economic growth. It’s a challenge, but we can do it. We have done things like this in the
past and we can do it moving forward!
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: I am opposed to the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District.
Q: What are the key development issues in Farmers Branch? What do you propose to do to
create development in the DART center in Farmers Branch?
A: Urban planners, specialists in guiding cities like ours, tell us that Farmers Branch, like so
many other towns that grew up just outside a large city, faces critical competing forces.
Surrounding towns have large low cost open landmasses. These landmasses convert into
low-cost building lots providing builders the opportunity to construct the larger and more
expensive homes desired by high-income families. For much of Farmers Branch it is
necessary to purchase an existing home and clear it to get a vacant lot. This adds
considerable and, for all but a few, an unacceptable cost. This situation is a contributing
reason why home rentals are an appealing business in Farmers Branch. It is more
profitable to buy a home and rent it, than to tear it down and build on the land. In
addition there are within Dallas, just inside LBJ, considerable areas of commercial space
and facilities already available at discount prices. These circumstances make it evident
that location alone isn’t enough for Farmers Branch. We need more city investment in
programs similar to Branch Crossing, initiated by former councilman Berry Grubbs. We
must make this model work in other areas of the city for more modest priced housing. It is
critical that we make it possible for parents of school age children to buy and build here.
We need to encourage younger and up and coming people to our city and we need to be a
visible contributor to our school system. We need to recognize that quality education drives
economic growth. The city has contributed millions to the DART transit system and area. I
am personally very favorably inclined toward public mass transit. We must be diligent in
working to ensure that the millions invested pay off. The DART area is a classic example of
what is meant by land use. We have the mass-transit, now we must ensure that our
actions contribute to population growth, tax base growth, increased sales activity, and
more jobs for Farmers Branch citizens.
Q: Would you support the city of Farmers Branch spending city funds to jumpstart
economic development there at the DART location, as they did in the Four Corners area
when they raised taxes and purchased the land?
A: We should not even consider raising taxes until we have demonstrated to the voters a
disciplined control of expenses. Economic development, regardless of location, will follow
when we stop spending money on things that look good and sound good and start spending
it on things that work.
Q: Is there a limit to how much city funds you will allocate to legally defend the city in its
immigration ordinances? If the legal bill reaches $5 million, will you vote against spending
further city funds? If the legal bill reaches $6 million, will you vote against spending further
city funds?
A: The Mayor does not have a vote in Farmers Branch except in the case of a tie. It is my
understanding that as of today, costs will not be between $50,000 and $200,000 to petition
the Supreme Court to hear our case. We have spent years and millions of dollars to get
this far and the majority of voters have repeatedly elected officials who are in favor of
continuing legal action(s). If the range of $50,000 to $200,000 is correct, and if because of
a tie I was forced to vote, I would agree we should petition the Supreme Court. However,
I think it unreasonable to demand the 11,000 homeowners in Farmers Branch be made to
stand alone against the United States Government and pay legal fees indefinitely.
Q: What percentage of the city population do you think is in the U.S. with unlawful
immigration status, either because they overstayed a visa or because they entered the
U.S. illegally?
A: CBS News reported that 2009 United States illegal immigrant population was 10.8
million according to a report from the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Q: Farmers Branch has been polarized by the illegal immigration issue—as witnessed by
the huge shouting matches outside and sometimes inside City Hall. What would you do to
bring the city together?
A: Guarantee that the people get all the facts, fully, clearly and in a timely manner and are
given an opportunity to speak and be heard before the council.
Q: Do you support further outsourcing of various departments or services in Farmers
Branch? If so, which ones?
A: We have an extremely qualified city staff that correctly takes outsourcing into
consideration along with other economic factors when plans are made to spend taxpayer
money. However, it is not uncommon for taxpayers to elect to “Keep At Home” the
operation of a city facility or service even though it may be more economical to have it
outsourced. It is the people’s money and therefore I believe the people should have a
voice when disagreement arises. I will work to ensure that the people will have a “Keep At
Home” option made available to them when disagreement over outsourcing is strongly and
deeply felt.
Q: Do you believe the City Council made the right decision on Feb. 8 in keeping paper
refuge bags for residents rather than saving more than $100,000 with a switch to plastic
bags?
A: Yes. I went before the council and argued for that decision.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: I am aware of only 1 application to drill for natural gas within the city. I do not believe
any drilling has taken place since the application was granted. The application was granted
with the agreement that drilling, if it were to take place, would not interfere with housing
and the land drilled upon would be restored to pre-drilling condition once drilling was
complete.
Q: Tim O'Hare became mayor at the age of 38. How do you respond to those who suggest
you may not have the energy to be mayor?
A: No one has made that suggestion to me, perhaps because I energetically engage with a
great many Farmers Branch residents on a daily basis. Further, I am today, the top
recruiter for the Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce and I actively mentor in our city
schools. Just last year (2010) I was voted Rotarian of the Year.
Bill Glancy
Biographical Info:
Name: William Glancy
Street Address: 3808 Wooded Creek Dr
City/Town: Farmers Branch
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 1/31/41
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-536-4364
Home Phone Number: 972-241-5229
Mobile Phone Number: 214-536-4364
E-mail Address: williamglancy@sbcglobal.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.billglancyformayor.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 43 Years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired/Social Security and 401 Funds
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Resigned from Planning & Zoning Commission Building & Standards Commission
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Farmers Branch Industrial Development Board Founding Member Farmers Branch
Rotary Club and Past President Past Board Member Metrocrest Hospital Authority, Past
Chairman of Board Co-Chaired last Farmers Branch Charter revision committee Planning &
Zoning Commission Building & Standards Commission
Q: Education
A: Graduated Lebanon High School Attended Cincinnati Art Academy for two years Ohio
State University, School of Commerce: Majored in Managerial Accounting (3 Years)
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Served two Terms Farmers Branch City Council
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $2215.00
A: Farmers Branch has always done a good job in maintaining our infrastructure and
providing the services our citizen’s desire. I think the present leadership has started
rejuvenating economic development which was neglected prior to their being elected.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: I don’t think there is an uncomfortable truth in the city of Farmers Branch other than
what is possibly created in the media.
Q: Do you support the formation of a separate Farmers Branch Independent School
District? If so, how will you go about obtaining the necessary special legislation to change
current requirements that a new school district have 8,000 students?
A: No, I do not support an independent school district. First of all, it cannot be done under
present law. Secondly, under Texas school funding equalization laws, all schools receive
basically the same amount of money to educate a child. A smaller district would have a
difficult time providing the variety of educational opportunities that the larger systems
provide.
Q: What are the key development issues in Farmers Branch? What do you propose to do to
create development in the DART center in Farmers Branch?
A: As stated earlier, seeking out desirable, sustainable development is the key to
prolonged economic development. Also, in a land locked city like Farmers Branch, it is
financially desirable to have your retail on the borders of your city so people from other
cities will spend money in your city and create more tax revenue for the citizens. I have
long advocated drawing development and other businesses to the Dart station area with
such things as a child development center that riders could drop their children at before
boarding the train. Also, I talked to Wal-Mart about the idea of placing a store at the Dart
Station so People riding the train could order the groceries or other merchandise on an
IPOD or computer at work and have them ready for pick up as they return at night.
Wal-Mart thought this was a great idea. We need to think of ways to make it easier for our
citizens to enjoy life and spend more time with their families or whatever they choose
Q: Would you support the city of Farmers Branch spending city funds to jumpstart
economic development there at the DART location, as they did in the Four Corners area
when they raised taxes and purchased the land?
A: I think it behooves us to use our good sense to attract development rather than use
financial incentives at this time. The City owns a large amount of land in the station area
and we need to work to develop that asset in the best for our citizens.
Q: Is there a limit to how much city funds you will allocate to legally defend the city in its
immigration ordinances? If the legal bill reaches $5 million, will you vote against spending
further city funds? If the legal bill reaches $6 million, will you vote against spending further
city funds?
A: I am sure there is a limit that is prudent to spend. Before a lot more money is spent I
think different legal advice needs to be obtained. I also would like to see the content of all
8 or so of the cases brought against the city published, as well as all the litigants and
attorneys who are involved. I think the citizens need more information about these cases
before making a decision about their support or lack thereof.
Q: What percentage of the city population do you think is in the U.S. with unlawful
immigration status, either because they overstayed a visa or because they entered the
U.S. illegally?
A: I know of no one who has that answer.
Q: Farmers Branch has been polarized by the illegal immigration issue—as witnessed by
the huge shouting matches outside and sometimes inside City Hall. What would you do to
bring the city together?
A: I think the city needs to recognize the contribution that legal citizens have given the city
no matter what their country of origin.
Q: Do you support further outsourcing of various departments or services in Farmers
Branch? If so, which ones?
A: I would have to look at what the department’s function is in the city. Also, if the level of
service could be maintained or improved with less cost then I think it is advisable to look
at outsourcing. Another factor to be considered is what is the cost of going back to city
provided service if the private provider didn’t meet the citizens’ level of expectations.
Q: Do you believe the City Council made the right decision on Feb. 8 in keeping paper
refuge bags for residents rather than saving more than $100,000 with a switch to plastic
bags?
A: I was in the packaging business. I have some knowledge of that business. I think a test
should be run on an area of the city that would like to try plastic bags. Plastic costs less
than paper but resin prices vary more than pulp. The key in plastic bags is the millimeter
thickness of the bag and the volume you make the bag. Too large a bag is hard to load on
a truck and can break open losing the content. Landfills are designed so that there is very
little degrading so ground water is not contaminated. The volume of plastic is less in a
landfill than paper. I would prefer a limited test to see what happens. Unforeseen problems
might arise that would be undesirable.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: The city needs to pay particular attention to the fracturing process that is used to
extract gas from many wells and the hazards that it can cause, especially the waste water
that is expelled as well as escaping gases.
Q: Tim O'Hare became mayor at the age of 38. How do you respond to those who suggest
you may not have the energy to be mayor?
A: That is a good question. I had a complete physical before I entered the race to make
sure there were no health issues at present. I am 70 years old and in very good health. I
have an ancestry of longevity. I feel very good and have held up very well going door to
door in the city. My wife often calls me the Energizer Bunny. I have a farm in Oklahoma
which I have maintained for over 15 years as well as maintaining my home in Farmers
Branch. I am a member of the Bennington Oklahoma Volunteer Fire Department and am a
certified First Responder in the Oklahoma EMT program. If age is an issue I am 12 years
younger than my opponent.
Kendra Stephenson
Biographical Info:
Name: Kendra Stephenson
Street Address: 2321 Roadrunner Dr
City/Town: Flower Mound
State: TX
Date of Birth: April 23, 1963
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-707-6117
E-mail Address: kendraforfm@kendrastephenson.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.kendraforfm.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 9 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: N/A
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Parent and strategy consultant within a referral network
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Recently completed a three year term on the McKamy Sanctuary HOA Board. I
volunteer at my children’s schools as needed.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: 2008 -2011 – McKamy Sancturay HOA Board; two years as the board president
2009-2010 – Flower Mound Oil and Gas Board of Appeals and Board of Adjustments 2003 –
2005 - Denton County Court Appointed Special Advocate
Q: Education
A: B.S. Accounting University of Wisconsin Platteville, MBA emphasis in strategy and
marketing University of Chicago
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $3000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Kendra and Bobby Stephenson, Art House – Flower Mound, TX, Virginia and Keith
Simonson
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I believe my 20 years of business experience in accounting, finance and strategy
consulting will bring a new perspective to the Flower Mound town council. My desire is to
help Flower Mound move past the divisive issues of the past few years and continue to
grow the community into a place where • Residents can eat, shop, work and play • Quality
housing options are available to all generations of Flower Mound residents • Taxes are not
increased My background includes making tough choices related to spending and force
reductions, establishing and building businesses in the U.S., France and China and assisting
US corporations develop strategies to grow their businesses and improve their business
processes.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The three most important actions I want to take would vastly improve Flower Mound’s
financial position in the future, yet cost little in monetary dollars. The first will be to
streamline the development process in Flower Mound, beginning by meeting with
developers around the Metroplex. The goal of this meeting would be to determine what
are the root causes of the perception that Flower Mound is difficult to do business with, and
to recommend immediate corrective action. Improving this negative perception will
increase Flower Mound’s ability to attract the quality development that residents are
demanding. The second action will be to work to bring increased housing options to Flower
Mound so that residents can have all generations of their families live in Flower Mound if
they choose. The third action will be to explore the use of new long distance drilling
methods to find common ground between mineral owners and surface owners. The actions
related to development and housing options will improve Flower Mound’s financial position
in the future by expanding our tax base and allowing Flower Mound to capture more sales
tax revenue. Finding common ground with large mineral owners will minimize Flower
Mound’s future legal expenses.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My opponent, Jeff Whittaker, is a respected business person in Flower Mound and has
dedicated many hours to our community. That said, we have very different business
experiences. My educational background and business experience has given me a deep
background in identifying, developing and evaluating complex strategies for growth and
improving the efficiency of business processes. Specifically, I have assisted in resolving
government contract disputes, streamlined accounting processes increasing accuracy and
reducing processing time, established effective internal control policies, processes and
procedures, negotiated third party sales arrangements, established the related party
pricing arrangements for a foreign joint venture, developed detailed growth strategies for
retailers, telecommunication companies, package deliverers and government contractors.
This experience will be invaluable in evaluating the complex issues that come before Town
Council.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Providing a variety of quality housing options and expanding the dining, retail and
recreation options in Flower Mound is one of my top priorities. Over the last year, Flower
Mound has seen several traditional residential subdivision approved and progress toward
filling existing commercial space with good, solid companies. What we have not seen is a
consistent effort put forth to bring a variety of housing options to Flower Mound or progress
towards expanding the dining, retail and recreation options to Flower Mound. The residents
of Flower Mound are demanding options that allow all generations of their families to live
in Flower Mound. These housing options will be in keeping with the Master Plan and should
allow residents to enjoy a pedestrian oriented development. Residents are also
demanding to spend their tax dollars at home, and not in surrounding communities.
Development to fill these demands needs to be a priority.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Flower Mound is becoming much more diverse. The community has embraced this
change and welcomed the expanded world view that it brings.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: It has not come to my attention that illegal immigration is a huge issue in Flower
Mound. Flower Mound’s current procedures are adequate.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Yes, a seamless regional transit system would be a great way to connect Flower Mound
to DFW and the Metroplex, along with reducing traffic congestion. I will work with Flower
Mound’s representative to the Denton County Transportation Authority, so as plans
progress, Flower Mound will be part of the discussions.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Gas drilling is a key area where North Texas would benefit from further regional
cooperation. Municipal ordinances differ greatly in North Texas. Flower Mound has some of
the strongest ordinances that protect our residents from drilling near our homes, schools,
churches and parks. Surrounding municipalities do not always offer as much protection.
Flower Mound residents who live near these municipalities are often negatively impacted.
To correct this issue, I would encourage a sharing of information with the residents and city
councils of our surrounding municipalities to broaden their understanding of Flower Mound’s
ordinances. The goal would be to encourage a harmonization of the ordinances.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Flower Mound runs a tight ship monetarily. I would encourage this approach towards
fiscal responsibility continue. However, Flower Mound should never stop looking for ways to
provide more services for less money.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Flower Mound has weathered the storm relatively well. Decreases in property appraised
values have been compensated for by Flower Mound’s TIRZ zone and sales tax revenues
have begun to increase. The current leadership was faced with budget shortfalls earlier in
the year and made cuts to close the gap. A recovering economy should allow Flower
Mound to avoid further cuts. Flower Mound must do a better job of increasing our tax base.
This can be done by bringing more dining, shopping and recreation options to Flower
Mound. Increasing the availability of quality housing options available in Flower Mound will
also increase our tax base. Doing so will not only fill the demands of Flower Mound
residents but will increase Flower Mound’s tax revenues.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Flower Mound has been in the spotlight regarding gas drilling, which has caused some
division in our town. This division stems from real disagreements over key procedures,
ordinances and issues. It is my hope that in the coming year, that we will be able to work
together as a community and resolve these issues.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Flower Mound has led the way in establishing ordinances that keep gas drilling away
from our homes, schools, churches and parks. Flower Mound recently had a citizen’s
advisory board review its ordinances and make recommendations. The new council will
review these recommendations and take action. I’ve reviewed the recommendations, and
also want to add mandatory vapor recovery and air monitoring at all pad sites. Long
distance drilling methods may also offer further opportunities to keep drilling away from
our homes, schools, churches and parks. Flower Mound should explore the use of these
methods to unify mineral owners and surface owners. This could limit the push by mineral
owners for new drill sites in Flower Mound, and reduce litigation costs related to Flower
Mound’s oil and gas ordinances. I also believe Flower Mound should use its municipal
authority to regulate the location of pipelines related to gas drilling. When unregulated,
these pipelines can needlessly intrude on residents’ private property and create a spider
web of pipelines on undeveloped land, limiting the future development of Flower Mound.
Centralized natural gas collection facilities (CCF) are also an open issue in Flower Mound.
Flower Mound has a CCF at 1171 and Scenic Road that is currently limited to natural gas
compression. Flower Mound must use its municipal authority to ensure no other facilities
are established without resident knowledge, input and approval. Flower Mound must also
work to make sure the current facility is as safe as possible.
Jeff Whittaker
Biographical Info:
Name: Jeffrey Whittaker
Street Address: 4305 Auburn Drive
City/Town: Flower Mound
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 22, 1959
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-539-4977
Home Phone Number: 972-539-4977
Fax Number: 972-539-4977
E-mail Address: jeff@electjeffw.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.electjeffw.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have resided in Flower Mound for 13 years.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I resided in Carrollton for approximately 9 years.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am Certified Public Accountant in private practice. I own my firm and receive fee
income for the completion of tax returns and providing financial and accounting assistance
to hundreds of individuals and businesses in North Texas.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Board Member and Treasurer Lewisville ISD Education Foundation, Board Member and
Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce,
Member Board of Governors of the Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Hospital of Flower
Mound, Town of Flower Mound Planning and Zoning Commissioner.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Board Member and Treasurer Friends of the Flower Mound Public Library, Board Member
and Treasurer Town of Flower Mound Community Development Corporation.
Q: Education
A: I am a graduate of the University of South Florida with a BA in Accounting and
Marketing and I obtained a Masters in Business Administration in Corporate Finance from
the University of Dallas. I am a Texas and Florida Certified Public Accountant, a Certified
Financial Planner and a holder of the Personal Finance Specialist designation.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I have not previously sought public office.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $2270 has been deposited into my account.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I am the largest contributor to my campaign. Al Demarzo and Peter Fuenfhausen have
also contributed.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No have not been been arrested or involved in an criminal proceedings or civil suits.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I seek to offer the same leadership to the Town that I have provided to many charitable
and civic organizations I support. I have provided significant financial and operational
leadership that has benefited those organizations. I am willing to perform most any task
and have always been welcomed upon joining organizations and encouraged to lead. I am
a CPA well versed in Corporate Finance and have held many financial leadership positions.
I am the only candidate for Place One that has actually had control over the tax dollars of
the residents and always ensured I spent less than we took in. I provide service that most
people find highly beneficial thus I was voted the Best CPA and Best Financial Planner in
Denton County in 2009. I believe I bring complimentary skills to add to those already
found on Council.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: May initial focus will be to complete in the work currently in progress on the Town Gas
Ordinance. I feel it needs to be completed, it needs to be done right the first time and we
can move on. Next I want to do everything we can to move the development of medical
facilities forward. We need to ensure the medical office building attached to the hospital is
constructed and that experience is as good for the developer as was the construction of the
hospital. Finally I would like to see senior housing addressed within close proximately to
the medical facility. I would push to find a developer seeking an opportunity to provide a
multi-level care facility.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My opponent is also a highly qualified and skilled individual. I would point out that I
have 10 years more business experience and have contributed significantly more time to
the community. I have supported many charities and been an integral part of civic
organizations where my opponent has not. I am fairly well know to business, banks and
Town Staff and would be able to step in immediately upon election. Finally I was placed
into a Town Appointed position and faced significant challenge and opposition. In my first
few months some extremely important and highly contended issues came through Planning
and Zoning. My opinion was frequently not in the majority. I was determined to stay
through these difficult times and ensure my voice was heard. My opponent when presented
with similar circumstances resigned.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Adding more high quality residential housing is very high on my list of priorities. I
strongly favor home ownership projects. I have yet to have one resident say to me they
request upon joining Council that I move forward projects for high density apartments.
Commercial development, particularly that which adds jobs must also be a significant
priority. To continue a high level of services the public demands Flower Mound will need
new tax revenue. Commercial development with related jobs is a must.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: I think the predominant demographic issue in the Town is how to serve the aging. As a
member of the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce I was part of the initial Senior
Resource Group. I have visited many senior housing and care facilities in the Town. We are
fortunate to have one of the highest rated facilities in the state. I would gladly become a
champion for senior housing, particularly in the Riverwalk area, that would serve seniors
and offer varying levels of care. I have parents who reside in such a facility in California.
That would be an excellent addition to the Town, particularly in an area so close to services
seniors would need.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Illegal immigration is not an issue in Flower Mound.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Regional mass transit must be viewed as an investment just as any other expenditure
of the people's money. Any proposal to add Flower Mound to the regional transit system,
be it bus or rail must be justified financially. While I have visited the new rail system in
Lewisville and look forward to riding, I believe it remains to be proven that Flower Mound
would be a logical next step. However I would be willing to listen to proposals for
consideration of Flower Mound's participation.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I support the continuing to work with our neighboring communities on Legislative
initiatives that for which we have a common interest. In addition, I support working
together on transportation and other similar infrastructure opportunities.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe the Town, and specifically Town Staff have done an excellent job in cost
control. Given my background in accounting and finance this would be an area where I
would seek to participate and provide insight.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The Town of Flower Mound has done an excellent job in maintaining a balanced budget
in difficult economic times. Businesses within the Town have new facilities under
construction that will in fact add to the tax base. As the hospital matures we will see
Elwood Leonard
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: - no response -
Mark Wise
Biographical Info:
Name: Mark Wise
Street Address: 4409 Biscayne Dr
City/Town: Flower Mound
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 18, 1966
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number:
Home Phone Number: 972-355-9473
Mobile Phone Number: 972-454-9473
E-mail Address: mark@markwise.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.electmarkwise.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: November 1996-Jan 2003 Aug 2004-Present
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: November 1996-Jan 2003 Aug 2004-Present
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: My main source of income comes from my full time position as a systems engineer with
a global communications company headquartered in San Jose, CA. I am part owner in our
family real estate business that my wife Kris manages.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I currently serve as Place 3 on the Town of Flower Mound's Oil and Gas Board of Appeal
and Flower Mound's Board of Adjustment. I'm the secretary of the Summit Club of Flower
Bart Crowder
Biographical Info:
Name: Bart Crowder
Street Address: PO Box 2074
City/Town: Frisco
State: TX
Date of Birth: 08/04/1964
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-908-7384
Mobile Phone Number: 214-908-7384
E-mail Address: bart@bartcrowder.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.bartcrowder.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 7 Years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 7 Years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Managing Director, Charles Schwab & Co.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Frisco City Council, Place 5 2008 - Present Chairman, City of Frisco Budget & Audit
Committee Member, City of Frisco Governance Committee National League of Cities
Representative, Washington, DC 2010 SMU Cox School of Business Associate Board
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Leadership Frisco Class XI CFA Society of Dallas / Ft. Worth Board of Directors Frisco
Soccer Association, Soccer Coach
Q: Education
A: Master of Business Administration Southern Methodist University Bachelor of Business
Administration University of Oklahoma Chartered Financial Analyst Designation (CFA)
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: N/A
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $2,500
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Sam Roach Collin County Association of Realtors Robert Medigovich
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My strong business, management & finance background made me the most qualified
candidate in 2008. Today, I add to that three years experience on City Council, working to
address issues and find optimal outcomes for the city. My skills and experience will enable
me to continue adding value and leading the City of Frisco.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The three most important issues facing Frisco are: 1. Managing Continued Growth - We
have been appropriately cautious in infrastructure investments during the recent economic
downturn. As the city continues to attract new residents, we will have to re-engage in
infrastructure development to ensure that we don't fall behind. Fortunately, Frisco
weathered the economic challenges better than most and is positioned well. We continue
to add new construction of business and residential properties. Sales tax receipts have
been increasing over the last year. This will enable us to provide necessary funding for
required development. 2. Air Quality - The challenges of a lead recycling plant in the city
are well known. We must continue to take all appropriate actions to ensure compliance
with safety guidelines or demand closure. 3. Housing - As a growing city, we must
proactively manage housing types to ensure that we provide an appropriate array of
housing at all levels and are able to remain in control of the process.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: As the incumbent, I have spent many hours studying the issues and making thoughtful
strategic decisions. I have consistently taken steps that are in the best interests of the City
of Frisco. Things are going well in the city and I am proud of my contribution to that
success.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: The City of Frisco does an outstanding job in economic development. We have a great
structure in place with a funded Economic Development Corporation, a great City Manager
and an engaged City Council. We are deeply involved in the development process and
work together to create winning proposals to attract development.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The City of Frisco embraces citizens of all backgrounds and origins. We appreciate the
contributions of all people. From an economic perspective, we were not immune to
challenges during the recession. Our volunteers and social service organizations were very
busy helping those facing setbacks. We will continue to support social services initiatives.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Immigration is a Federal issue that should be dealt with at that level. Our local police
should focus on protecting our city and prosecuting criminals regardless of immigration
status.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support regional cooperation in developing efficient transit systems. However, the vast
geography of the metroplex makes it difficult to build a comprehensive system. Our goal is
to attract jobs within Frisco so that fewer citizens are commuting to far away areas.
Currently, I do not believe there is sufficient interest in mass transit to justify the expense
of bringing it to our area.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Our region could benefit from greater cooperation in pursuing major corporate
relocations. By working together to first position North Texas as a desired location, we
would present a unified front. Regardless of which city was ultimately selected, we all
benefit. The lack of this coordination was cited as a factor in the Boeing move to Chicago.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes. Our city is extremely efficient. Our maintenance & operations tax level is one of
the lowest in the area. Our City Manager has built a strong staff with employees that take
great pride in their work and do their best to meet the needs of the citizens.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The City of Frisco has weathered the economic challenges extremely well. The City
Council and City Manager have worked together to address essential needs and postpone
expenditures which could wait. The worst of the downturn is behind us now and we must
carefully begin to ramp up our development efforts to ensure that we meet the needs of a
rapidly growing city.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Most of the current conflict is occurring between those with traditional conservative
values and newer extreme conservatives. Overall, things are in great shape in our city and
it is unfortunate that some are choosing to imply otherwise and detract from moving the
city forward. Many of us feel there are significant fiscal issues in Washington. We need to
be able to see the difference at a local level. Our city has a great City Manager and staff
who have efficiently managed our development.
Q: What are the next steps the city should take regarding the Arts of Collin County shared
arts hall?
A: The Arts Hall was one of the projects that was postponed during the recent economic
downturn. It was appropriate to wait until conditions improved before moving forward. I
did not support the effort to revoke bond authorization. Now that it is on the ballot, I
believe we will have clear direction on next steps. If the voters re-affirm their commitment
to the project, I believe we should move forward with funding and construction in the very
near future.
Q: Do you favor a public investment in rail service for Frisco, and, if so, how would you
pay for it?
A: In the current environment, I believe we have more pressing needs. I believe we
should set aside appropriate right of way to keep this option open for consideration at a
later date. I do not believe we should invest in rail service at this time.
Tim Nelson
Biographical Info:
Name: Tim Nelson
Street Address: 10412 Noel Dr.
City/Town: Frisco
State: TX
Date of Birth: 11 July 1970
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-699-8461
Home Phone Number: 214-699-8461
Mobile Phone Number: 214-699-8461
E-mail Address: Tim@VoteForTim.org
Campaign Web Site Address: www.VoteForTim.org
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 12 Years - Since 3/27/1999
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Army Officer/Real Estate Investor
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: At the national level, I continue to serve as an officer in the United States Army/Army
Reserve and have done so for the last 21+ years. I currently serve on the city's Veterans
Advisory Committee and my homeowners association board of directors. I'm also actively
involved in leadership roles in many organizations to include Cub Scout Pack 282, Frisco
VFW Post 8273, the Reserve Officers Association, the PTA and Smith Elementary's
Technology Funding Subcommittee. Additional service includes my life membership in the
Heritage Association of Frisco, volunteering with: the Frisco Soccer Association,
WatchDOGS at Smith Elementary, the Association of the United States Army and I am a
trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member. Lastly, I am a Mentor in
FISD's Independent Study and Mentorship Program.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: My previous service has included appointment by the Mayor and City Council to the
Charter Review Commission. I have been asked to speak at Frisco Memorial Day services
and to students at Allen, Bright and Smith Elementary schools. I've been awarded the
Bronze Star for my military service in Iraq and the Meritorious Service Medal amongst
other military awards. My involvement also includes service as a division officer and local
advisor to college organizations. As a youth, I was appointed as the Chair for the Simi
Valley Youth Council and served for two years as a Community Service Officer with the
University of California Police Department.
Q: Education
A: B.A. Administrative Studies – University of California Riverside, A.A. General Studies –
Moorpark College. My civic education includes: Frisco City Hall 101, Frisco Citizens Police
Academy, Frisco Citizens Fire Academy and CERT - Community Emergency Response Team
training. In addition I have over 22 years of leadership, management and engineering
training through the United States Army, and major corporations such as EDS and UPS.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Candidate - Frisco City Council, 2008.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $1450
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Charles Hanebuth, William Sowell, and Robert Medigovich.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have lived in Frisco for the last 12 years with my wife and three children.
Professionally, I serve as an Officer in the United States Army Reserve and have done so
for the last 21 years. I have been continuously active in the community through
government, nonprofit organizations and the schools. I bring over twenty years of varied
leadership, management and values-based decision making to the table. My unique
experiences both domestically and abroad provide me with a wealth of experience and
perspective to draw upon. As a Soldier and businessman, I have visited 5 continents,
more than 26 countries and most of the individual United States. During this time I have
experienced some of the best and worst that national and local governments have to offer.
Successful governments have individuals that make strong effective decisions in a timely
manner. During my tour of duty in Iraq, I was awarded the Bronze Star. Since then I've
received numerous other accolades for my service and leadership abilities to include the
Meritorious Service Medal, the Strom Thurmond Junior Officer of the Year Award and
selection as only one of two officers to the Reserve Officer Exchange Program with the
United Kingdom. These awards and selections demonstrate the highest level of service and
self sacrifice to our country, and also highlight my ability to make values-based decisions
under the harshest of conditions. I find myself uniquely qualified to share a special blend
of leadership and experience with my community. Adding my skill set to our current City
Council will add the leadership decision making and consensus building that the city of
Frisco needs at this time.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Frisco has and will continue to experience many issues unique to cities enduring major
growth. As Frisco's population has now exceeded 120,000 I believe managing growth is the
most important issue. Under the growth umbrella I see safety and security, infrastructure,
land management, taxation and managing city services as top priorities. Effective
budgeting, cost reductions, improving efficiency and outsourcing non-key governmental
responsibilities and roles will all assist in paying for future needs.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My opponent believes that raising taxes during budget shortfalls and funding projects
outside of the city through bond sales is a priority for the city. I firmly disagree. I believe
that core government functions such as Police, Fire and infrastructure should ALWAYS come
first. Projects within the city limits such as the building of Grand Park should become the
leading project among city "wants". I believe that an elected representative of the people
should be representative of the people. This can only happen through regularly meeting
with your constituents, those that you agree/disagree with and hearing their concerns.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting quality residential and commercial development is critical to the City. Quality
developments increase the tax base and have allowed Frisco to grow as fast as we have.
The City leaders in conjunction with our EDC, CDC and Chamber of Commerce have done
an admirable job in attracting development such as Stonebriar Mall, Ikea, and many
others. We need to continue to focus on attracting quality developments on both the
commercial and residential sides to ensure the long term success of the city.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Demographically our city is still very young. Families move here to improve their
quality of life and superb schools. Better quality of life attracts individuals from all walks of
life and this has been reflected in our growing minority populations. Our city has embraced
these new groups, understanding that with diversity comes strength and understanding.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The enforcement of laws and ordinances is critical to maintaining order and quality of
life that is unique to Frisco. Residents choose to live in Frisco not only because of the
residential, retail and entertainment options, but because of the community that has been
forged based on laws. I believe federal laws currently in place regarding illegal immigrants
are adequate. If these laws are enforced throughout North Texas, controversial ordinances
like those passed in Farmers Branch and Irving would not have taken place. The Frisco
police department has a mandate to enforce state and local laws and ordinances. The
federal government needs to uphold its responsibilities.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Suburban sprawl does not lend itself to cost effective mass/regional transportation.
There must be population density to support mass/regional transportation. People love
their cars, trucks and SUVs. Only when the time or costs associated with utilizing private
transportation become too high will mass/regional transportation become a viable
alternative.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I think regional cooperation will always be a "force multiplier". Not every city needs a
football stadium or a major performing arts complex. As our city continues to build out, we
need to look at other city's strengths and resist duplication of efforts. There are plenty of
projects and events that no one city could do alone. Cooperation on roads, water and other
infrastructure can all be enhanced through regional cooperation. Two other examples
include Super Bowl XLV and Dallas' bid to host the Olympics. Both are good examples on
the types of partnerships that should be duplicated moving forward.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe Frisco does an outstanding job delivering quality services in an efficient
manner to the residents of Frisco. Two prime examples are strategic partnerships with
Community Waste Disposal for trash AND recycling and Texas A&M for water conservation
services. Also, Frisco Police and Fire Departments conduct regular outreach and
educational programs such as the Citizens Police Academy, the Citizens Fire Academy and
Community Emergency Response Team training. Additional educational programs and tools
such as the Neighborhood Watch program and Safety Town are wonderful examples that
prove an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In addition, we should consider
instituting electronic billing for utility bills, which would save the costs of printing and
mailing to thousands of homes every month.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: We’ve had significant challenges in the current economy and have managed better than
most. We need to continuously evaluate the programs we offer, some programs may no
longer provide a benefit, or may just cost to much to justify, if that is the case we need to
have strong leadership that is willing to cancel a program and not just continue to move
forward because “that’s what we’ve always done”. We also need honest leadership that is
willing to make courageous decisions and honestly justify and explain their actions.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Frisco is no longer a small town. The overwhelming majority of residents have lived
here less than 10 years. Meeting resident’s vision of our city is a real challenge as we have
a growing number of new residents that are looking for amenities similar to what they had
in their previous communities. Balancing this vision with the vision of long-term residents
will be a challenge for years to come. Listening to our residents and exercising leadership
will provide viable solutions. We need to continuously evaluate the direction of the city to
ensure we are making it the premier city in North Texas for people to work, play and live.
Q: What are the next steps the city should take regarding the Arts of Collin County shared
arts hall?
A: The Arts of Collin County (ACC) is a current ballot item. Should Frisco residents vote
"For" revoking the bonds then the city will have no realistic funding method to remain a
Member City and I would notify other Member Cities of our withdrawal from the project.
Should the voters elect "Against" revoking the bonds then I will move the project up on the
list of prioritized "wants". At no time would I prioritize the ACC above core city "needs"
such as safety, security or infrastructure.
Q: Do you favor a public investment in rail service for Frisco, and, if so, how would you
pay for it?
A: Based on current needs and projected population density for the city of Frisco, I do not
favor public investment in rail service at this time. Potential rail routes show rail lines
connecting Frisco with Dallas via Carrollton or east Plano. I am interested in studying the
viability of bus connector service to either of these two stations. This would provide
virtually the same service to a rider but would likely be at a reduced cost to taxpayers.
Peter A. Vale
Biographical Info:
Questions:
John C. Classe
Biographical Info:
Name: John Classe
Street Address: 14688 Ballentrae Drive
City/Town: Frisco
State: Texas
Date of Birth: October 20, 1976
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (972) 608-0873
Home Phone Number: (972) 712-0664
Mobile Phone Number: (214) 336-5557
Fax Number: (972) 608-0874
E-mail Address: john@JohnForFrisco.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.JohnForFrisco.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 10.5 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 13 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Practitioner – 10 years – Bell Financial Group –
Frisco, TX
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Arts of Collin County Board of Directors – Frisco Representative - October 2010-Present,
Grace Avenue United Methodist Church – Discipleship Council – January 2010-Present,
Heritage Association of Frisco – Lifetime Member
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Parks and Recreation Board – October 2006-September 2010 (Secretary 2008, Vice
Chairman 2009, Chairman 2010), Collin County Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter – Treasurer -
2004-2009, Villages of Hillcrest Homeowners Association – President – 2002-2005, Frisco
FACTS Political Action Committee - 2002
Q: Education
A: Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN - Bachelor of Arts, Economics – Magna cum Laude,
May 1999
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: n/a
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $10,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: My top 3 donors are individual citizens and not organizations.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: As a 10-year resident of Frisco and native of the Dallas area, I have witnessed
first-hand the tremendous wave of growth that has enveloped the city. From my days as a
college student waiting tables at La Hacienda Ranch in the 1990s, to the establishment of
my home and financial planning practice right here in Frisco a decade ago, I have
experienced all aspects of life in this burgeoning community. My daily interaction with
Frisco citizens through my practice plus my background in economics gives me the unique
perspective of witnessing just how our city’s growth and the economy affect us all. When
times are good, I see the direct effects on the lives of Frisco citizens. When times are
tough, I work hand-in-hand with them understanding and partnering together through
their struggles. I live here, I run a business here, I worship here, and I plan to remain
here. Involvement in local government has long been an interest of mine. Since the early
days of my residence in Frisco, I opened and maintained good lines of communication with
civic leaders. I served on the Frisco FACTS political action committee in 2002. Shortly
thereafter, I joined a group of concerned citizens to prevent the tolling of State Highway
121 leading up to its construction through Denton and Collin Counties. While the road is a
toll way today, we were instrumental in preventing its sale to a foreign company. In 2006,
I was appointed to the Frisco Parks and Recreation Board, serving for four years and as
elected by my peers as board chair in my final year. Last fall, I was unanimously chosen by
our current city council to represent Frisco’s interests on the Arts of Collin County Board.
My family, my business and my heart are in Frisco. I am asking the citizens of Frisco to
elect me to represent their vision for our city. With over 50% of our land mass yet to be
developed, I want to ensure that the decision-makers we elect to shape our continued
growth have both feet firmly planted here and are wholeheartedly in it for Frisco.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Keep Tax Rates Low: When surveyed on the reasons for moving to Frisco, residents
here list three features above all others: exemplary schools, low taxes and great
amenities. In my decade as a citizen of Frisco, nothing gives me more pride than to see all
that Frisco has to offer its citizens -- and at a total tax rate that is significantly lower than
neighboring cities of comparable size. Public-private partnerships have much to do with
this success and have become the jewels of Frisco: Dr. Pepper Ballpark, Pizza Hut Park, Dr.
Pepper Star Center, Stonebriar Center, and Hall Office Park just to name a few. Projects
like these go hand-in-hand with a low tax rate by making Frisco a destination city, bringing
people from other cities here to spend money. If elected, I would encourage the continued
active pursuit of these opportunities where it fills a need, by supporting policies that
promote economic development. In order to lessen the tax burden on residents of Frisco,
we must remain a destination city so that outside dollars help fund the high level of
services that Frisco residents have come to expect. These projects will find a home
somewhere; we must work hard to attract them to Frisco. Improve Air Quality: Frisco has
recently faced several environmental challenges with industrial partners like the Exide
Battery Plant and APAC Asphalt Batch Plant. I support the efforts of City Manager George
Purefoy, the City Council and state Senator Florence Shapiro in continuing to work closely
with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in Austin and the Environmental
Protection Agency to effect the necessary changes to bring business partners like these into
compliance with existing rules by adopting the latest technology. Not only do we need to
ensure the health and safety of our families, we must also get in front of these issues to
avoid a drop in home values. If elected, I plan to represent Frisco for years to come, so I
will be here to guarantee that Frisco’s industrial residents stick to their promises. Invest in
Infrastructure: At its core, the city of Frisco provides its residents with roads, police and
fire protection, safe water to drink, and parks where our children can play. With over 50%
of Frisco’s geography still undeveloped, there will certainly be continued pressure from a
growing population to provide and improve these basic services, but in a way that doesn’t
disturb our existing quality of life. Responsible, effective infrastructure development
requires teamwork and partnership: with state and regional entities, with agencies like the
Frisco Fire Department and Frisco Police Department, and with our citizens. There must be
a two-way dialogue on infrastructure. Citizens need to be heard at City Hall, and they need
to receive timely, accurate information about project costs and timelines. I will ensure this
communication continues and will be a citizen voice and advocate on city council.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My decision to ask the citizens of Frisco for their vote comes solely from my desire to
continue to serve the city. I have no political aspirations beyond serving the citizens of
Frisco. As a 10-year resident, parent of a Frisco ISD student, and owner of a Frisco
business, I have both feet firmly planted right here. If elected, I promise to serve out the
entirety of my three-year term. I challenge my opponent to make the same promise.
Frisco has some of the highest development standards in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
-- and for good reason. These standards keep our city looking attractive to residents and
tourists, but more importantly, high-quality development lasts longer and costs less over
the long term. In the recent update to Frisco’s comprehensive zoning ordinance, my
A: Rather than acting cohesively, North Texas sometimes suffers from an “every man for
himself” mentality. Several years ago when the Boeing Corporation sought to move its
headquarters from Seattle, North Texas made the short list. However, when Boeing came
calling, executives had to negotiate with Dallas, Fort Worth and many of the suburbs and
ultimately Chicago was chosen instead. When attracting major corporate relocations or
large-scale events, we must act as one. We must play to our individual strengths and
agree that having a partial involvement in a regional event is a better outcome than not
having the opportunity to participate at all.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: In Frisco, I am certain that our city is run more efficiently than most. City services are
provided at a high level, and at a tax rate that is the lowest in the Metroplex among cities
with 100,000 residents or more. And to cut costs, the city has frozen unfilled staff positions
for the last several years, while the population continues its march higher. I believe that
there is always a budget item that can be reduced or eliminated when needed. Still, Frisco
could benefit from a “sunset committee,” similar to the nationally acclaimed department of
the State of Texas. This committee would annually evaluate all existing programs to seek
places to eliminate inefficiency and needless spending.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: It is always imperative that the city act with the same fiscal prudence that we do as
families. I have to balance my own household budget; deficit spending is not an option for
me, nor should it be for Frisco. But, by not spending wildly in the “boom” years, we can
create a financial cushion that can ease the pain of the inevitable “bust” years. Over the
last two decades, city staff and leaders have been very prudent in balancing our low tax
rate against expenses, and as a result we have weathered the recession more successfully
than many similarly-sized cities around the state and country. I believe this steady,
cautious approach should continue -- led by Frisco servants who will be here to answer for
the outcomes. Thanks to careful planning, the city maintains a reserve fund for such
downturns; if necessary for an infrastructure funding emergency, Frisco can tap its
reserves.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Though Frisco’s population has ballooned over the past decade, citizen participation has
remained relatively flat. Important issues are being considered and leadership selections
are being made by fewer than 5% of the city’s residents. Demographically, we are a young
community. I know first-hand that with young children comes a hectic schedule, and it can
be challenging to find time to get involved, to learn about city issues and participate in
elections. But if Frisco is to remain a robust and desirable place to live, citizen input is
crucial. I support concerted efforts to make city government proceedings more accessible,
to use affordable technology to increase communication to citizens, and to make voting as
easy as possible for Frisco residents in all parts of the city. We are also about to
encounter a cold, hard fact from Austin: ultimately Frisco needs to be prepared for greater
self-sufficiency, as millions of dollars are about to be cut by the Texas Legislature from
previously-funded local programs. Frisco leaders will need to work cooperatively with all
our departments and community partners to find innovative, positive ways to cut waste
while maintaining services to our growing and diverse community. To do this successfully
will take City Council members who are firmly invested in Frisco’s future, and who are not
afraid to have difficult conversations with state and county leaders.
Q: What are the next steps the city should take regarding the Arts of Collin County shared
arts hall?
A: Frisco’s continued participation in the Arts of Collin County project is back in the hands
of Frisco voters. The citizens will have an opportunity on May 14 to tell city leaders
whether or not they want to continue with the project. The outcome of that referendum
should determine the next steps for Frisco.
Q: Do you favor a public investment in rail service for Frisco, and, if so, how would you
pay for it?
A: As discussed earlier in the question regarding a seamless regional transit system, I
believe that Frisco’s existing revenue sources are currently better served in their current
uses: the FEDC and FCDC. As demand for rail service grows in Frisco, I would prefer to
explore alternative sources of private funding, where available.
Scott Johnson
Biographical Info:
Name: Scott Johnson
Street Address: 6072 Dripping Springs Dr.
City/Town: Frisco
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 15, 1971
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-929-1189
Home Phone Number: 214-929-1189
Mobile Phone Number: 214-929-1189
Fax Number: NA
E-mail Address: Scott@ElectScottJohnson.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.ElectScottJohnson.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: We have lived in Frisco 5 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: NA
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Partner in a local private equity firm
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Frisco City Council since 2008 Governor Perry appointee to the Texas Economic
Development Corporation Board of Directors for the Collin College Education Foundation
Active member of Prestonwood Baptist Church Serve on numerous other boards and
commissions
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Recognized twice as one of the Top 40 Dallas area business professionals under the age
of 40 in the Dallas Business Journal's "40 Under 40" (2005 & 2010)
Q: Education
A: Bachelors degree from Auburn University
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I have been a member of the Frisco City Council since 2008
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $30,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Richard Strauss, David Siciliano, Charles Adams
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: When I decided to run for office, I made only one promise. That was to follow Sam
Houston's maxim - "Do right. Risk consequence." Over the last three years I have
consistently led with that in mind and have tried to put it into practice daily. Fortunatly, as
a three year councilman, this is very simple. I stand on my record and hope that I have
earned the trust and confidence of our citizens and have thousands of votes on record that
go far beyond what I could write in any response here.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The most important issue in Frisco is the health and safety of our citizens as it relates to
the lead recycling plant, Exide Technologies. Finding a solutiuon to this problem will be the
most important thing I do on council and I am confident that we can do that and I that I
can help.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am running on a three-year record that I am very proud of. We have had tremendous
success keeping our tax rate low, cutting wasteful spending,and attracting high quality
businesses to Frisco. I have experience that one can only get serving on Council and have
unmatched experience in the private sector building public/private partnerships.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: We have done an outstanding job attracting varied development to Frisco during some
very difficult economic times. Diversifying our tax base and bringing high quality, high
paying jobs to Frisco is essential to the long term health of our community and remains a
very high priority for me. So much goes into creating a city that is attractive for growth.
We have to have the best schools and make sure people are safe. We have to keep taxes
in check while we build a city that has services and amenities that are secoond to none.
And we have to continue to build a Community, rather than merely a City. By focusing on
the long term growth of Frisco, and by structuring creative public/private partnerships, we
continue to attract positive development and are in a perfect position for long term
economic health. I truly believe that Frisco is at the best time in its history. The
opportunities here are endless and Frisco's best days are ahead of it.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Frisco is experiencing tremendous growth. We have been named the fastest growing
city in the country and that influx of new citizens requires a huge amount of planning.
Frisco is less than 50% built out and how we plan for the continued growth and how we
develop the infrastructure of our city will largely determine the long term success of Frisco.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Simply, we need to enforce the laws on the books. For our part, we need to continue to
ensure that our police department is one of the best trained, the best equipped, and the
highest paid forces in the State. Additionally, we need to demand that our representatives
in Washington give the states the tools they need to deal with this growing problem.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support finding solutions to transportation issues that we have and that our region
has. I would not support re-allocating tax revenue that the city currently uses for economic
development purposes to a regional transit system. The rail plans that are currently
proposed are too expensive and ridership projections are too low to justify the cost. It is
obvious that we have major transportation challenges and they continue to get worse with
increased population and decreased funding from Austin. We need to continue to address
the challenge regionally while at the same time being mindful of how our citizens want us
to use their money.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: In almost every area of importance there is some level of regional cooperation that is
needed. In transportation, economic development, water,and many other areas, a
regional perspective is important and is often key to finding solutuions to our shared
concerns. I have worked very hard while on council to foster a spirit of cooperation and
open lines of communication with our North Texas neighbors. We continue our involvement
on regional boards and commissions, and it is important that we continue to build
relationships with elected leaders from other cities. With Frisco now at over 120,000
citizens, we are taking a leadership role in the area and are being looked at as the model
for growth. I take our regional responsibilty seriously. At the same time, it is important
for elected officials to remember that the money we spend is that of our citizens. While
they want us to think regionally and build relationships with outside cities, and try to solve
certain problems together, more than anything they want us to be resposnive to them.
There is a delicate balance here that is important to recognize and maintain.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The maintainance and operations budget for Frisco compared to other cities of our size
is not even comparable. We live in the fastest growing city in the country and our citizens
have come to expect an extremely high level of city services at a low cost. As we grow and
as we mature, that balance becomes more difficult. Our city manager and city staff have
done a great job of giving our citizens value for their taxes. We deliver services in a very
cost-effective manor - but there is room for improvement. Just as our citizens are
scrubbing their budgets in their home lives and their own businesses, we need to be doing
the same. It is often very easy for government to forget that the money we spend is not
ours and I have often been the minory vote on council fighting against excessive spending
and waste at city hall. I will continue to fight for our taxpayers to ensure that we are
watching every dollar, and that we remember that the money we spend is not ours.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: As part of the current leadership, I believe we have done a good job of weathering the
economic downturn - but that we can do better. We raised taxes at the bottom of the
economic cycle and I voted against that and still beleive that we made a tremedous
mistake. I have voted against excessive spending on numerous occasions and believe that
we have failed our citizens on these issues as we spent money needlessly. And after our
last budget cycle we distributed excess revenue to our city employees rather than funding
important capital items, or restocking our reserve fund, or sending the their money back
to our citizens. So we have done well, but we have not done well enough. We should work
harder to find saving in every area of our budget. We should contract labor and outsource
where we can and allow private enterprise to do what they do best. And we should make
certain that we are turning over every rock from the county, the state, and the federal
government for grants and dollars that may be available to us. In one sense, the downturn
has been a good thing. It has forced Frisco and other cities and governments to make do
with less and we have found creative ways to fund our needs and accomplish our goals. If
we can maintain that culture and continue to spend wisely when the economy has
recovered, we will be very strong financially and will be in an even better position than we
were before.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Frisco citizens get it. They understand that maintaining a city to Frisco's standard takes
capital and that we still have a tremendous amount of growth that will take place. There
really needs to be nothing that is uncomfortable. We certainly have challenges that will
require an honest dialogue but if their elected leaders are honest and ethical and
communicate well with them, Frisco's citizens understand that tough decisions have to be
made and they are comfortable with us making them.
Q: What are the next steps the city should take regarding the Arts of Collin County shared
arts hall?
A: The next step Frisco will take concerning the ACC project is for our citizens to vote on
May 14. On that day, almost 9 years after they originally approved the project, our citizens
will decide whether or not they want the City Council to continue to have the authority to
sell bonds to publicly fund this project. We have some pretty smart folks in Frisco and I am
very comfortable letting them decide if they want their money to be spent on this project.
Q: Do you favor a public investment in rail service for Frisco, and, if so, how would you
pay for it?
A: I do not currently favor a public investment in a rail system in Frisco. Rail is part of our
master plan and remains a worthy goal as we plan long term for transportation solutions.
But the current plans are too expensive and our citizens would not use it enough to even
come close to justifying the cost. I welcome the exploration of a public/private
transportation plan that addresses our long term needs, but to suggest that publicly funded
rail is Frisco is the answer, given the current economic climate and the pressing needs our
community has, is nonsense.
Frisco Mayor
Description:
Maher Maso
Biographical Info:
Name: Maher Maso
Street Address: 10902 Ormond Lane
City/Town: Frisco
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 03/27/1964
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-746-1274
Home Phone Number: 972-335-3113
Mobile Phone Number: 972-746-1274
E-mail Address: maher@masoformayor.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.masoformayor.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Frisco since 1992
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: Same
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: VP of CMTEX, a retail services company.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: My wife and I have been involved in Frisco and the region since we moved here in 1992.
We have chaired and co-chaired several events and galas, and enjoy serving our
community through civic involvement. A partial list of my civic involvement highlights
include: Chairman of Collin College Education Foundation; Frisco Public Library Foundation
Board Member TIRZ Board Member Regional Transportation Commission representative
for Frisco, Prosper and Lucas North Texas Commission Board Member Metroplex Mayor’s
Association Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition board member Tex-21 board member
National League of Cities Community and Economic Development Committee U.S.
Conference of Mayors International Affairs Committee and Transportation Committee
Mayor’s youth Council Memorial Day Committee Community Parade Committee Chair of
the NCAA Division 1 Football Championship committee & certified tourism ambassador
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have been involved with many civic groups in Frisco since moving here in 1992. I have
enjoyed being part of the growth of Frisco, and have helped many organizations become
what they are today. I am especially proud of my work with the Frisco Independent School
District, where I served on the Technology Committee, and my role at Collin College,
where I chair the College Foundation. In addition, I have assisted in the effort to bring
Frisco the capital reserve fund, wider neighborhood sidewalks, a reduction in multi-family
zoning, a water re-use master plan, stronger cultural arts programs, and assistance in
neighborhood revitalization efforts. My previous civic involvement includes: ** 2005
Frisco Citizen of the Year ** 2004 “21 for 21st Century Leader” award recipient **
2000-2007 & 2010 annual Texas Municipal League and 5-year award recipient ** Frisco
City Council member, 2000-2007 ** Frisco Mayor Pro Tem, 2003-2007 ** Frisco Deputy
Mayor Pro Tem, 2002-2003 ** Chair of Budget & Audit Committee for City Council,
2003-2007 ** Frisco Tax Increment Finance District Board member, 2000-2007 **
Chairman of Collin College Education Foundation ** Frisco Square Municipal Management
District Board Member, 2000-2007 ** Frisco Association for the arts president 2005-2007
and board member, 2000-2007 ** Leadership Frisco Chair from 2003-2005 and curriculum
committee member, 1997-present ** Collin County Bond Committee member ** Clark
Middle School and Curtsinger Elementary school campus committees ** Texas Association
of Mayors, Council Members and Commissioners nominating committee ** Collin County
Bond Committee ** Plantation Resort-- HOA President ** Texas Municipal League training
– over 500+ hours in government training including public funds investment officer
training ** Frisco Chamber of Commerce committees and programs as needed **
Assistant coach, YMCA Girls & Boys Basketball ** Coach and assistant coach, FBSA girls
softball and boys baseball
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Science in Business Management--with honors Executive MBA w/ Asian
Studies Certificate – University of Texas at Arlington Texas Municipal League - 500+ hours
of continuing education Senior Officials WMD/Terrorism Incident Preparedness training
(Department of Homeland Security) # FEMA IS-00288 – Emergency Management Training
– Role of Voluntary Agencies Certification # FEMA IS-00800.b – Emergency Management
Training — National Response Framework Certification # FEMA IS-00100.a – Emergency
Management Training – Introduction to the Incident Command System Certification #
FEMA IS-00700.a – Emergency Management Training – National Incident Management
Systems (NIMS) Certification
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Frisco City Council 2000-2007 Frisco City Council Mayor Pro Tem, 2003-2007 Frisco
Mayor, 2008-current
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: To date, I have raised approximately $65,000. With the support of civic leaders, the
business community and the citizens of Frisco, I am confident that I will have the financial
support needed to mount a comprehensive campaign.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I am fortunate to have many supporters and contributors aiding my campaign. A few of
my top financial supporters include Donnie Nelson Jr., Robert Wechsler & Stanley Graff. I
am thankful for all my supporters and contributors.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have never been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings. I was mistakenly
named in a civil suit many years ago when an alleged employee at one of our company job
sites was injured. The case was dismissed.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have enjoyed being a public servant and serving our community. I want to continue to
serve our community to ensure that Frisco remains the best place to live, do business and
raise a family. During my three years as mayor, Frisco has the distinction of having one of
the lowest tax rates in North Texas. Frisco was also named as the 14th safest city in the
country, and 4th safest in nation for cities with population of 100,000-499,000. Money
Magazine named Frisco in the top 100 places to live in the U.S. and Forbes named Frisco as
the No. 7 place to relocate. During my term on council, Frisco was named No. 1 in the U.S.
for number of new jobs created. I have created jobs for our citizens. During my term,
Frisco has added over 5,200 jobs, realized capital investments of $484 million, and filled
over 2.7 million square feet of space. During these difficult economic times, Frisco has one
of the lowest unemployment rates. It takes hard work and tough choices to keep taxes low
and I have committed the time and resources on behalf of our citizens. I am the only
candidate that has engaged with the civic groups in Frisco long before I was mayor. I
understand our community, and have volunteered my time to help our community groups
grow. I am also the only candidate who has interacted with our regional and state officials
on a regular basis. This includes attending meetings of the Regional Transportation Council,
Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, and Metroplex Mayor’s meetings. I have also testified in
Austin on behalf of our city and citizens. I am a member of the Regional Transportation
Council (RTC), representing Frisco, Prosper and Lucas. My business background,
especially my experience in finance and negotiation, gives me the tools needed to handle
the complex issues that growth brings. My experience in city government and leadership in
some of the major initiatives in Frisco affords me the unique perspective needed to
continue our long-term planning and growth management. I have earned the respect of
the mayors and council members of many North Texas cities, as well as state and federal
officials. This has allowed me to build relationships with which to help Frisco achieve
regional cooperation on such matters as transportation, pollution and congestion.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: By approximately 2030, Frisco is anticipated to reach build out of approx. 280,000.
Frisco has many challenges to face during this period of growth. First and foremost, as
mayor, I will ensure that this growth is judicially managed. This means maintaining a low
tax rate for our families, ensuring our transportation needs are met, expanding our local
law enforcement and fire safety capabilities to ensure they have all the tools necessary to
keep our families safe. As I have always said, while I would love to narrow it down to just
three, Frisco cannot afford to focus on just a "few" issues. Frisco is the fastest growing city
in the country and we must address many challenges as we continue our growth. These
challenges include infrastructure, education, pollution, congestion, regional issues, public
safety and a host of other important parts of having a successful community. Some of
these challenges are very broad, but equally important. Creating a sustainable city for
future generations and maintaining our neighborhoods as they age, are key issues that we
must address. Understanding the long-term impacts of such rapid growth and putting
measures in place to manage the maintenance of our structures are keys to our continued
vitality. Also, during these tough economic times, we cannot increase the financial burden
on our residents and the way to do that is to continue to bring new jobs to Frisco,
strengthen our retail tax base and continue to invest in the community to make it
attractive for corporations and residents to locate here. Additionally, I am engaged in
protecting our families by addressing the Exide pollution situation and am working
diligently with our legislature to address our citizen’s concerns.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Proven results would be the key difference. My opponent talks about low taxes. I have
done something about it. Frisco has one of the lowest tax rates of any city of over 100,000
in Denton, Collin, Dallas and Tarrant Counties, while providing an ISO1 rated fire
department and outstanding city services. My opponent only talks about taxes, but has no
plan on how to keep them low. I have the experience and have succeeded in doing so. He
uses buzz words that belong on a bumper sticker, but are not based on the reality of what
it takes to keep Frisco’s tax rates one of the lowest in the region. My opponent has not
engaged, spoken to or attempted to improve taxes in Frisco. He speaks about how his
taxes were raised, yet he pays $3.96 less annually today in city taxes than when I first
took over as mayor. Additionally, even before being elected to office, my wife and I
engaged our community by volunteering our time with Frisco Family Services, Leadership
Frisco, Frisco Arts and many, many other civic groups in our community. We enjoyed being
part of so many groups who make Frisco what it is today. I have not seen community
involvement from my opponent and I believe I have proven my dedication to the
community, with no other agenda then to make Frisco the best place to live. I believe you
must be a committed part of the city before attempting to lead it. Simply put, experience,
a proven track record of success and an unyielding service commitment to the community
are the very real differences that separate me from my opponent, making me the
candidate of choice. Other highlights of my term in office include my promise to bring
about a charter review, which I delivered. I also promised to strengthen our ethics code
and brought forth a citizen’s committee to our council. As a result, Frisco has one of the
strongest ethics code in the region. I promised transparency and our checkbook is now
online for the public to view as well as live streaming of all meetings. I also established a
monthly “Coffee with the Mayor” and helped put in place a new town hall format where we
contact our citizens at home. In my three years as mayor, I have helped lead several
projects including cleaning up the lead produced by Exide. I have spent countless hours
meeting with executives from Exide and working with Senator Shapiro on legislation that
protects our families. I worked with TXU in an effort to first mothball then dismantle the
plant on Preston Road. Roads have been a priority for me and I was successful in gaining
a seat for Frisco at the Regional Transportation Council, where I serve Frisco, Prosper and
Lucas. I have worked closely with TxDOT to expedite construction of 423 and also of Main
Street between Preston and Custer. I have personally led the fight against increased multi-
family zoning and, in fact, my 3-step plan was the center of how we removed more than
half of the excessive multi-family zoning in Frisco. If you enjoy the wider sidewalks or
lighted street signs, those are initiatives I brought forth. I have sought and received
training from FEMA, Texas Municipal League and Department of Homeland Security
amongst others. I have represented our city and citizens by testifying when necessary in
Austin to stop unfunded mandates, unnecessary tolling and to allow our citizens the
opportunity to vote on what is acceptable with road funding. I have built broad
relationships with regional, state and federal officials that my opponent does not have.
Frisco is regularly invited by federal agencies to present to national and international
governments as a model of how to build a successful city. I have given multiple
presentations to citizens and our partners and have held classes on leadership and civic
service. I have been involved in organizing and leading the Leadership Frisco program,
where many of our future leaders learn about our city and organizations. I have been
proactive with transportation issues and have attended meetings at the Regional
Transportation Council (RTC), Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition (DRMC), North Texas
Council of Governments (NTCOG) and North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA). I have
testified in Austin on transportation and other issues as well as attending Texas
Transportation Commission (TTC) meetings in Austin. My opponent has never attended
these meetings or championed these causes on behalf of our city or as a resident. I am
not afraid to make difficult decisions and stand my ground to protect the taxpayers of
Frisco as shown by my stand on tolling SH 121. I was the only council member to stand up
to unfair double taxation of tolling SH 121 and, after my years of being vocal on this issue,
other elected officials started to join me in opposing this new form of Robin Hood. I gave
presentations to hundreds of citizens and local and regional groups on this issue. I have
always been accessible to the public and to the press. I have participated in numerous
interviews with local newspapers and TV. I have a reputation of always being accessible
and willing to discuss any public issue, as can be shown by the number of interviews I have
done since first being elected to city council. I enjoy public debate and disclosure; it is the
public’s right to know what their government is doing and I have never shied away with
discussing any issue in public forums. I have represented our city at legal hearings and
court mediation. I have a proven track record of building consensus as can be shown by
the number of endorsements from elected officials from our city, region and state. These
men and women have seen my hands-on approach and my dedication to serving our
community during my entire term on city council. I have earned their respect and their
endorsement. It is important to note that while many of these accomplishments have
been achieved in office, there are just as many that I achieved before becoming mayor. It
is my belief that any any candidate should show a dedication to the city outside of the
political area before deciding to run for office. I have a proven record in serving our
community and I have enjoyed being a public servant.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting quality developments, both commercial and residential, is a top priority for
me. The key word is “quality.” Frisco has been fortunate to be in the growth corridor and
during my years of service, I have always weighed whether a development coming into
Frisco would enhance our quality of life and family atmosphere as well as help us keep
taxes low and services high. Creating jobs is one of the highest priorities I have been
successful in that endeavor. I am the only mayoral candidate who has personally
negotiated and/or met with, on behalf of the city, some of the largest developments in
Frisco. This includes T-Mobile, General Growth/Forest City (new mall) and many others. My
negotiation strategies and solutions helped finalize the deal with the Hicks Group for the Dr
Pepper Ballpark. I have the experience, knowledge and skills to smartly balance this
growth. The city has a tremendous record of adding quality developments. Especially
when taking into account the tough economic times in which I took office. And even as
difficult as the times have been, we have added over 2.7 million square ft. of space, $40.3
million in capital investments and over 5,270 jobs. Frisco is used as a model by many
other communities.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Frisco is still the fastest growing city in the country. With growth comes challenges of
providing infrastructure, roads, public safety and quality of life. Our Demographic, while
still very young, is growing rapidly. Frisco ISD has gone from 5 schools a short 13 years
ago to 53 today. Lewisville ISD has also experienced growth and serves part of Frisco.
Even with the economic slowdown, Frisco has grown by over 20% during my term to over
120,000 people. By scrubbing the budget, we reduced the budget growth from over 20%
to just 2.5%. In other words, Frisco has grown by 20,000 with a minimal amount of
government growth and a job freeze in place. Our citizens have supported building
infrastructure through bonds and Frisco has kept up well with the growth. I have focused
on creating jobs in Frisco. Since my election, I have taken a hands on approach to business
growth and through 2010, we have had capital investment in Frisco totaling $484 million
and 5,270 jobs created. Frisco an EZRI international Award winner for the GIS and SAFER
public safety systems, named one of the safest cities in the country, named by Money
Magazine as one of the top 100 places to live, Forbes named us as the No. 7 place to
relocate to in the U.S. and we have received several other successes. With being a young
community, education is also a high priority. I have worked with both LISD and FISD over
the years to make Frisco the best place to raise a child. I think most people will agree that
we have an excellent education system. I also serve as the Chairman of the Collin College
Education Foundation. One of my priorities is to continue increasing higher education
opportunities in Frisco and I am proud to say that I was successful in this effort and a new
MBA program will start in Frisco this fall through UTA. Public Safety is another challenge
during extreme growth. That is why I worked closely with our police and fire departments
to make sure we have the best personnel in the country. I worked with the departments to
submit and approve grants. Over 16 grants worth over $1 million for personnel, equipment
and training. For the fire department, we succeeded in receiving over $450,000 in grants,
which helped reduce expenses. Of course, roads are also critical when you are growing as
fast as we are. I serve on the regional transportation council where I have been successful
in receiving grants for road improvements. With these savings, our taxpayers have to bear
less of the burden. I have personally engaged TxDOT expedite road construction in Frisco.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Our city operates under state and federal laws. Illegal immigration is a nation-wide
problem that needs addressing at the state and federal level. Frisco uses all the resources
available to us to enforce immigration laws. We participate in the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement program.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
Tex-21, Vision North Texas and the list goes on. We have to be part of the solution of
sustainable growth.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: While I believe Frisco operates one of the most efficient cities, there is always room for
improvement. We must always be looking for ways to save taxpayer dollars, but yet
deliver what our residents need and expect. The best way to judge how efficient we are is
to compare ourselves to nearby cities. While each city has different challenges to deal
with, and this is no judgment on their operation, it is important to always benchmark
yourself. Frisco's portion of the property tax that is used to operate the city (public safety,
services and all operations) is called the M&O rate. Frisco has and M&O rate of .261882 per
$100, which means that if you own a home valued at $100,000, you would pay $261.88 to
fund the M&O portion of the tax rate. Some nearby Cities M&O rate: Frisco: .261882
($261.88 per $100,000 valuation) McKinney: .40650 ($406.50 per $100,000 valuation)
Little Elm: .462180 ($462.18 per $100,000 valuation) Plano: .32840 ($328.40 per
$100,000 valuation) Allen: .410751 ($410.75 per $100,000 valuation) Fort Worth .71090
($710.90 per $100,000 valuation) The Colony .491580 ($491.58 per $100,000 valuation)
As you can see, Frisco has a very low operational rate compared to cities around us. We
have instituted a hiring freeze, even while we have grown over 20% in population. All
departments have made cuts to keep us running efficiently. During these tough economic
times, we have put off purchasing new equipment and asked our employees to do more
with less. We will continue this fiscally responsible approach to funding our operations.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I have taken a very proactive stance in weathering the economic storm. Even while we
had one of the lowest Maintenance and Operation rates in North Texas, we began a hiring
freeze even before the worst part of the economic downturn. In other words, we took an
already lean city hall and made it leaner prior to the real economic recession. Keep in
mind, even while we had a hiring freeze, Frisco grew by more than 20% in population
during my term! We put off capital purchases and asked each department to reduce their
budgets and find cost savings. Even with declining property values, Frisco did not cut
essential services and we were able to serve the large population growth with what we
had. Frisco maintains one of the lowest tax rate of any city over 100,000 in our immediate
4-county area. Frisco has an ISO1 rated fire department, which saves our taxpayers on
their insurance. An important economic component of weathering the storm has been our
partnership with Frisco and Lewisville ISD, Collin College and Denton and Collin Counties.
With the Tax Incremental Finance District, which is a partnership with FISD, Collin College,
City of Frisco and Collin County, we have been able to save our taxpayers millions of
dollars! I approached our revenue from the perspective that we should place as little of a
burden on our property owners as possible. We have been able to do this successfully, as
evidenced by our low property tax rate. I have worked hard over the last year to attract
new business to Frisco. With over 5,200 jobs created since I began my term, and a
substantial increase in capital investments, we have generated much additional revenue.
Additionally, I have been very successful in assisting with the development of Frisco’s
tourism trade as a third stream of revenue to supplement our taxes. Thus developing
more ways to lower the tax burden on our citizens, while maintaining the high level of
services our citizens have come to expect. In addition, I helped start the capital reserve
fund, which will allow our city to save the cost of paying debt services in making
improvements to aging infrastructure. I will also use my years of experience working with
budgets and pro-forma calculations to make sure we do not exceed our capacity to meet
our financial obligations.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is that Frisco is one of the fastest growing cities in the country
and with that, it faces unique challenges and responsibilities. This means that Frisco needs
a mayor that is experienced in managing this growth and finding unique solutions to the
challenging problems we face. This includes a leader proven in attracting new businesses
and jobs, retaining current jobs, handling infrastructure and transportation needs, public
safety needs and partnering with our school districts while keeping one of the lowest tax
rates in our region. I believe we have to create ways to sustain and maintain our growth,
especially during an economic downturn. We have to continue to look into the future and
not be reactive to our problems. Managed planning is critical to our success.
Q: What are the next steps the city should take regarding the Arts of Collin County shared
arts hall?
A: This is an easy answer: the next step is for our citizens to gather the information they
need and decide how they would like to proceed. They will have the opportunity to do so
during the election. My goal is to ensure that our citizens receive the answers to their
questions during this period and to keep the city together as we have healthy dialog on the
issue. In the end, we are one city and we need to maintain our long-term sustainable
planning.
Q: Do you favor a public investment in rail service for Frisco, and, if so, how would you
pay for it?
A: I favor rail in Frisco and am constantly evaluating ways to connect to the larger regional
network. Those methods cannot place an undue financial burden on our citizens. I will
continue to work hard to identify grants and private partners to participate with the BNSF
line. Thank you for taking the time to read my answers and I hope you will visit my
website or contact me if you have additional questions.
Tom Smith
Biographical Info:
Name: Tom Smith
Street Address: 12013 Creek Point Drive
City/Town: Frisco
State: TX
Date of Birth: 10-23-70
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-742-8684
Home Phone Number: 972-377-8893
Mobile Phone Number: 972-742-8684
E-mail Address: tom@smithforfrisco.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.smithforfrisco.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 9.5 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: General Counsel, Davaco, Inc.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member, Maverick PAC Associate Member, Golden Corridor Republican Women
Associate Member, Frisco Area Republican Women
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Leadership Frisco, 2009-2010 Young President's Club, Heritage Foundation Regional
Co-Chair, National Republican Congressional Committee, 2010 Regional Finance Chair,
Giuliani for President, 2007
Q: Education
A: B.A., The University of Akron, 1993, summa cum laude J.D., The Ohio State University,
1996 Candidate, Master's of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of
Public Policy
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Village Council, Chesterhill, Ohio; 1990.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $40,000 to date.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Besides a self-contribution/loan to the campaign of $15,000, several $1000 donors
including Cherie Egert, Jennifer & Mike Barnes, and others.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for Mayor because having been a resident of this city for nearly 10 years,
I am concerned about the future direction of the city. For years, Frisco was flush with
revenue from sales tax growth, permit fee dollars, and a solid economy. Those days are
gone. The economy is volatile, unemployment is high, and growth is more challenging.
Like many cities, Frisco will face the reality of confronting continuing economic challenges
the complexity of which our leaders may have never seen in the last several decades.
National economic volatility will present enough challenges for growth, but as the city
matures it will face hard questions and decisions about how to grow, where and how much
to spend, and how to grapple with questions such as long term benefits for city employees
as they age and the city ages. Currently, Frisco is still seen as a young, up and coming city
and it is, but we are turning the corner towards maturity. If Frisco's leaders do not plan
now for how to handle issues associated with that maturity, it undoubtedly will affect us
down the road. Most of those difficult questions surround spending, and financial decisions.
Currently the city has $378 million in long term bond debt with another $100 million in
bonds that have been authorized by the council but not yet sold. I believe that is
extremely troubling for a city that is around 50% mature, and puts us on an unsustainable
financial path. I am the most qualified candidate for this office because my wide
experience in business, law, government, and public affairs provides me with a balanced
perspective on how to confront these difficult issues. For the past 13 years, I have worked
in the private sector, first in private practice, then the last ten years as counsel for both
public and private companies, all the while staying involved in public affairs and supporting
elected officials working for conservative causes. I have not spent an entire career in
government, and for that reason I bring private sector knowledge, a legal background and
analytical approach to issues, and understanding of how government and politics functions
within the Mayor's office. No other candidate in the race has that variety of experience.
On a personal level, I spent two years as a law clerk for the renowned Judge Thomas J.
Moyer, who had served 24 years as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio at the
time of his death in 2010. He was known for treating both friends and political rivals with
dignity, respect, and fairness, and I strive to conduct myself accordingly every day. Like
the court he led, the current council has members with a number of viewpoints and I
believe the Mayor's job is not only to speak for council, but to serve as the glue that
maintains a collegial culture within the council so that we can all work for the good of our
citizens. Further, I consider myself a listener first, someone who processes and analyzes
information with others before coming to a judgment. That is critical in the relationship
between the Mayor and his or her residents; no Mayor can be an effective advocate for
residents without listening first. Last, I think Frisco deserves a Mayor who governs in a
style similar to former Mayor Leppert in Dallas, someone who listens, respects different
viewpoints, then acts decisively.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: We have got to do more about the Exide battery plant. Residents are scared, for
themselves and their children. We have a high school less than one mile from the plant.
Damage has already been done. Incremental action and indecisive leadership does not
give comfort to our citizens. Beyond Exide, the top priority once I am elected is to build
Fire Station No. 7, which would be located near the senior community of Frisco Lakes.
Response times from existing stations are inadequate and potentially unsafe for our
seniors who live in that community. Building the station will not only protect seniors who
live in Frisco Lakes, but it will also alleviate pressure on our fire and EMS personnel who
work at the existing stations. Our firemen do an incredible job and are widely recognized
as among the best in the nation. We need to build Fire Station 7 to allow their excellence
to continue and protect our community. Last, we need to get beyond the construction of
Fire Station 7 so we can properly evaluate the plan for Fire Station 8. Frisco's growth will
also require that roads be built. We must try to plan roads effectively to prepare for the
growth, and stay out in front of it where possible so that we do not burden current and
future residents with excessive congestion and pollution. Frisco currently has 8 road
projects in construction and another 8 in design, all of which serve as a potential burden for
residents as they move about the city, so effective planning is a key. The city's priorities at
this time also include park and trail funding, including Grand Park, a project that has
merit. Paying for these projects properly is essential. I would push the city to find funding
for Fire Station 7 first by finding savings in other areas, analyzing the budget to determine
what savings can be realized, then evaluating how much funding would be required to
finish the project. Growth needs to pay for the other projects; if the sales tax revenue and
commercial tax base continues to expand, then sufficient revenue will exist to pay for
them. I will not vote to raise property taxes to pay for them.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: There is a clear choice in this election. My opponent's philosophy is to fund city
government in traditional ways, through steadily increasing taxes and spending that puts
Frisco further into debt. I believe now that with our sales tax revenue being volatile and
our permit fee revenue having declined, he will feel even more pressure to raise taxes in
the future. I think that such an approach combined with the debt we already have incurred
puts us on a path to financial suicide once the city reaches maturation. While it is true that
Frisco has a lower tax rate than surrounding cities, the fact is that rate exists because of
sound financial decisions made by city leadership in the late 1990's and the year 2000
(taxes were even cut at some points). Since 2002, taxes have risen by 34%. My vision is
to carefully plan the remaining build out of Frisco with a combination of business and
residential growth that is dynamic, maintains a certain character and "brand" such that the
city ultimately evolves into a destination city, one with a long term low tax rate where
businesses thrive and people from surrounding cities visit, work, and play here. To
accomplish this vision, we cannot stay on the current tax and spending path. Growth itself
needs to pay for needs; if the economy is so uncertain that sales tax revenue and the
commercial base is not supporting growth, then by necessity we must slow down and
approach growth policy correctly rather than take money from the private sector and put it
into city government in an effort to force growth. That approach does not work on any
level of government. That is the approach of the current Mayor and I disagree with that
viewpoint. Last, I am a private citizen who is not a career politician. I have not spent 10
years in city government but my business, legal, and public affairs background gives me
more than enough experience to be a successful Mayor. I have no use for special interest
projects that do not benefit the city as a whole. And I will see to it that the first priority,
always, is to take care of the public safety of our residents, and to equip our police and fire
departments with the tools they need to do so.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting the right kind of residential and commercial development is at the top of my
priority list. For the sake of Frisco's long term future, we need to attract development that
makes sense for the city's long term growth plan. It would be a catastrophic mistake to
simply open our doors for any kind of development or business just to grab tax dollars in
an uncertain economy. We have to be thoughtful, process oriented, and patient if
necessary. Frisco's development historically speaks for itself, and the Frisco Economic
Development Corporation is to be saluted for their outstanding work in developing this
community. That does not mean, however, that all is well. Currently, Frisco has a shortage
of office space that is hampering our efforts to attract large scale corporate clients. It
makes no difference to engage corporate CEO's if we cannot accommodate their needs.
We also face retail challenges in assisting Stonebriar Mall and its needs in keeping that
retail center vibrant as it heads into its second decade. Further, we face key retail decisions
in terms of what kind of retail developments and tenants we want in other parts of our city
yet to be developed. I have several years of experience in all of these areas to address
these issues. For the past ten years I have worked on a daily basis with corporate CEO's
and other top executives, and have learned what they look for when considering office
space and what community in which to place their business. I have personally negotiated
large scale office space transactions in areas as complex as New York City, and have a
direct understanding of how to get those transactions completed. Last, I opened retail
stores for a period of time and have thorough, direct knowledge of what retailers and
developers want when considering what city in which to open a business, and what they
need once they get there. I will put all of that knowledge to use immediately as Mayor.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Frisco is relatively young with an average age in the mid 30's, but like all cities it will
grow older over time. We have to know how those changes will affect the city as that
occurs, both within neighborhoods and from a business standpoint. From a city
government standpoint, we need to address now how we plan to handle more city
government retirees down the road so that we are not caught in a dire budgetary crisis
when that day comes. The urgency of that issue is compounded by the amount of debt that
Frisco currently has, and again, we cannot continue to trek down the same spending path
because as the costs of benefits rise our financial challenges are only going to get worse.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The federal government should enforce all laws related to illegal immigration. The city
and police department should have all tools at its disposal to enforce laws within its
jurisdiction, and has a right to expect the federal government to do its duty to enforce
federal laws that affect Frisco within its borders, including those related to illegal
immigration.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: The idea of a regional transit system is appealing, particularly within a large
metropolitan area such as DFW but I do not believe it is financially sustainable for Frisco
within the current economic environment.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I believe the best use of regional partnerships is to work together on behalf of economic
growth for our entire area. The focus should not solely be on transportation, but rather
how communities can collaborate economically and support the diverse strengths of each
in building an economic powerhouse in the entire region. We need more regional
discussion on how to maintain low tax rates and foster market oriented economic growth
within communities across the Metroplex. I would encourage regional partnerships under
the following criteria: 1) it makes financial sense for Frisco residents; 2) the partnership
provides an overall benefit to our residents; and 3) the time spent engaging in such a
partnership actually adds value from a local and regional perspective.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe the city has operated efficiently in service delivery, and that is a tribute to the
commitment of our city employees and our city manager. The city can always improve on
its efficiencies, and we must be careful in engaging in comparisons of our success relative
to another city government, since both can be inherently less efficient than the private
sector. I believe our city employees, if challenged and rewarded, could become even more
efficient and find savings for taxpayers. Frisco has a $78 million budget; as with our own
checkbooks, careful examination and thoughtful discussion are bound to yield savings
somewhere.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Frankly, I believe the current Mayor has done a poor job steering Frisco through the
shaky economy. By casting the tie breaking vote on a tax increase in 2009, he alone was
responsible for raising taxes on Frisco residents in the middle of the worst economy in our
lifetimes. This was one year after he pledged in his 2008 campaign not to raise taxes. Just
over 10% of Frisco's rainy day fund, already funded by our tax dollars, could have been
used instead to hire more city government employees, but instead he chose to raise taxes
and pull more money out of the private sector at a time when the private sector could
least afford it. Although I respect the current Mayor's service to Frisco, I believe that was
an example of poor leadership. We cannot afford a Mayor who steers the ship in this
direction. I credit our city manager for operating the city efficiently and maintaining a
committed force of city staff, but the Mayor must understand what occurs when more
money is put to government use that could have been put to use in the local economy. If
the more than $2.5 million raised by the tax increase had instead been left in the hands of
the residents to spend at local Frisco businesses, the local economy could better have
endured the recession. Worst of all, it sent a poor message to residents in that if the
current Mayor was willing to support a tax increase in the worst of times, then there are
virtually no circumstances in which he will not support one. In this economic environment
we must focus on core priorities first, searching for savings, and making hard decisions.
Like business, government has to focus first on critical needs - public safety and
roads/infrastructure - before even considering funding other priorities. We cannot just
charge ahead and ignore the economy in which we live. Above all else, we must become
more efficient, work harder and smarter and do more with less.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: First, voters must realize we have a polluting battery plant in the center of our city that
is harming children and other residents every day that it operates. Whatever compliance
benchmarks are or are not being achieved are immaterial; the mere fact that residents
are being tested for lead and the soil is being tested for lead is proof that damage has
already been done. The health and safety of our citizens is paramount. Voters must
confront issues that can plague any city as it grows to maturity, and Frisco is no different.
Many people moved to Frisco to escape problems that arose within their former cities, such
as high taxes, increasing crime, and debt. We need to make sure those problems either do
not arise or are minimized in our community. Further, as Frisco matures and grows,
different neighborhoods within the city have grown and acquired different interests. This
issue is exacerbated by the fact that Frisco sits within both Collin and Denton counties, and
we are also a large community geographically. That can lead to division and conflict, and
the next Mayor will be challenged to maintain the civic pride we have built in this
community. As a resident of the "older" part of Frisco, I have particular appreciation for
this issue and will see that all areas of the city are represented and I will listen to all
residents, regardless of their place of residence, party affiliation, or length of years in the
city.
Q: What are the next steps the city should take regarding the Arts of Collin County shared
arts hall?
A: The issue of whether to revoke the bonds that have been authorized but not yet sold for
the Arts of Collin County hall to be located in Allen will be before the voters on May 14. I
will vote to revoke the bonds. The current Mayor supports the Arts project, has from its
inception, and opposed putting the issue before the voters. We cannot afford this project.
It is that simple. There was a time when the vision for this project was a laudable one, and
I respect the supporters of the project, but it will lose money and drain city finances from
the day it opens. We face a total cost to repay the bonds of $29,600,000, and operating
and maintenance costs of $500,000 per year or more. This project will be at least 85%
publicly funded, a stark contrast to the private funding that built the AT&T Performing Arts
Center in Dallas as well as Bass Performance Hall. Texans are generous people, but in 9
years this project has not even raised 30% of the private funds necessary to build it
despite the hard work put in by its supporters. The arts should be funded through the
hearts of individuals, not on the backs of taxpayers, but this project has not captured the
hearts of people within Collin County to construct it. These circumstances can only cause
the conclusion that the project is not right for Frisco at this time. Our downsized economy
has produced a reality where there are limits to entertainment venues and the dollars
flowing into them. I believe this project would struggle in such an environment,
particularly when subjected to competition from the nearby Eisemann Center, the AT&T
Performing Arts Center, and other local arts venues. I also remain unconvinced it would
help local arts groups who might use the center for performances; the history of the
Eisemann Center indicates that many local arts groups who moved their performances
there actually were hurt financially by higher rent and fees. It takes leadership to stand up
in difficult times and say we cannot proceed with a project that in theory many people
would like to have. I do not believe Frisco should participate; our council has ranked it near
the bottom of the priority list and I agree with them that there are multiple other needs
which require the attention of city leadership.
Q: Do you favor a public investment in rail service for Frisco, and, if so, how would you
pay for it?
A: I do not favor a publicly funded rail project in Frisco. The current economic environment
prohibits any consideration of such a project.
Biographical Info:
Name: Lori Barnett Dodson
Street Address: 2501 Lakeside Drive
City/Town: Garland
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 8/31/1963
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (214) 443-1988
Mobile Phone Number: (214) 334-4533
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Life long resident of Garland
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 25+ year resident of District 6
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Asset Manager with E2M Partners, LLC for 20+ years
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Volunteer with the Senior Source Money Management program - which helps low
income seniors who need budgeting and bill paying assistance (www.theseniorsource.org)
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Garland Parent Teacher Association; Treasurer, North Garland Little League Association;
North Garland Band Booster Association
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Business Administration - Accounting from Amberton (fka Amber)
University. In addition, I am a Certified Public Accountant
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: City of Garland, District 6 Plan Commissioner, May 2006-February 2011
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $3,000.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Recently I received the endorsement of the Metroplex DFW Realtors who currently is
the largest contributor to the campaign.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No criminal arrests or proceedings.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I will bring knowledge, experience and a proven ability to make responsible decisions.
A CPA background will benefit the City as we work to develop and balance the budget. A
background in real estate will be beneficial as the District looks to develop the real estate
surrounding Forest / Jupiter DART station and the re-gentrification of the West Garland
neighborhoods. Finally the established working relationships with City Staff, Chamber of
Commerce, and Neighborhood Associations will assist with a smooth transition.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Given the older established neighborhoods a continued focus on maintaining the existing
neighborhoods is important. The City currently has programs in place to assist with this
goal (Great Neighborhoods, proactive Code Compliance program) so the main issue will be
working with the City Staff to make sure West Garland benefits from existing programs.
The re-development of the older retail, strip centers will be important to the District. This
will require a close relationship with the Chamber of Commerce and City staff to make
sure the District is obtaining exposure and quality development. Finally the development
of the land surrounding the Forest/Jupiter DART station will be an important project for the
District. This will require the same focus as the re-development of the District. Currently a
Tax Increment Financing program exists for this area and my background in real estate
investing will positively influence the decisions for this asset.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My prior involvement, knowledge, experience, and established relationships are the
major differences in our qualifications.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting residents and commercial development to the City creates a source of tax
revenue to operate the City and is important. Garland draws citizens based on its
diversity and affordablity. In addition, the City offers a quality education. The City
currently has an Economic Development group that focuses not only on attracting new
commercial development but in retaining existing commercial businesses.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Based on the 2010 preliminary Census reports the three highest populations by race are
57.5% White; 37.8% Hispanic; 14.5% Black or African American. The population growth
from 2000 to 2010 was 5.2%. The Garland Independent School District is a Recognized
District that provides a quality education to all of the students. The City of Garland has
basically reached build out. However, we have maintained the small town feel while
offering "big city" services.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: This is a difficult question and currently there does not exist a common sense working
solution. Having said that I feel any illegal immigrant convicted of a crime should be
removed and not allowed to return. A definite solution needs to be found for students who
have completed their primary education, completed a secondary education or Associate
type program and have abided by the rules so they have a clear path to citizenship. We
should encourage and reward positive behavior!
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: A seamless regional transit system is the wave of the future. It allows a choice of
transportation and greater mobility for citizens. Ease of transportation into Garland would
allow outsiders easy access to Garland which could create tax revenues from outside
sources. Involvement, communication, cooperation among regional cities is required to
move forward on any joint effort.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Coming together, working together and finding solutions will benefit the area as a
whole. I expect to be involved and bridge communications and cooperation.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: For the most part Garland has maintained services at a resonable cost.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Currently Garland is operating under a balanced budget, which was achieved through
cost cutting measures and debt restructuring. Balancing a budget and maintaining,
personal rights and basic services is the main responsibility of the Council. With lower
revenues, the re-gentrification, development of the remaining open land becomes
important.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The divisive North/South/East/West Garland feeling. The City needs to be viewed as a
whole with all parts receiving equal recognition. District 6 benefits from multiple
entrances from neighboring communities. If you ignore these areas it will be difficult to
draw outsiders into Garland from those sources. My personal goal is to encourage greater
citizen involvement so that West Garland obtains its share of the resources.
Ricardo Rocha
Biographical Info:
Name: Ricardo Rocha
Street Address: 4013 Justice Lane
City/Town: Garland
State: Texas
Date of Birth: June 20, 1984
Home Phone Number: 214-501-4758
E-mail Address: rochaforgarland@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.facebook.com/rochaforgarland
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 20 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 3 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: City Government
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: North Texas Crime Prevention Association Big Brothers Big Sisters Program Board of
Trustees- University of North Texas Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: South Garland High School, 2001 Richland College, Associates Degree, 2002 Texas A&M
University. Bachelors in Political Science with a Minor in Sociology, 2005 Currently in the
Local Government Management Certificate Program at the University of Texas at Dallas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: In total? $0.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have had the desire to get involved in Garland since I moved into my home, yet I
have been unable to obtain a position on a board or commission. With the council position
opening up in District 6 I felt it was a great opportunity. I worked briefly for in federal
governement and for a local police department for four years. I currently work in city
government and I see firsthand the relationship between the elected officials, the
employees, and the citizens. I know what is expected at each level and am prepared to
make the commitment necessary to properly serve the employees and residents in
Garland.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I want to increase communication between the city and the residents. We need to utilize
the city's Twitter and Nixle accounts better, as well as get our residents signed up for email
alerts. Start different city ran facebook pages for our Departments and city events. As well
as keep our webpage updated. I made a small joke about our Christmas on the Square
event still being promoted on the website a few weeks back. It is still there as of today.
Unless we are doing a Christmas in July it may be time to retire it until next year. This
may be an addition to communication, but I would like to see citizen comments added
back to the recored portion at the council meetings. It ia important for everyone to know
the thoughts and concerns of citizens. There could be citizens watching at home that share
the same thoughts and concerns but do not have the time to go to the meetings or are just
not the "fill out a card face me in front of elected officals while I speak my mind" type.
There is strength in numbers and if the citizens share the same concerns there is a better
chance it will be addressed. The third is competitive pay and benefits for Garland
employees. As other North Texas cities continue to grow we need to be capable of keeping
the employees happy and making Garland an attractive place for potential employees to
work.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have a lot of respect for my opponent so I will not say better, just different. I am
young Hispanic male and I would bring a different dynamic to council. I think I represent
part of the changing demographic and would bring a different perspective on current issues
through my diversity and work experience. My opponent has served under, is endorsed
and supported by the current council member for district 6, so there may be some
similarity in their leadership styles. Either way, I am glad that there is a choice to be made
in District 6 as the city's only contested race.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: 5th. I think Garland has done and will continue to do a great job in attracting
development. Building around the downtown Dart Rail Station shows their dedication to do
this, as well as everything in place for the future through Envision Garland.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: There is a growing Hispanic population in Garland just like the rest of North Texas.
Other than having brochures and handouts in Spanish, I don't know if there has been any
other efforts have been made. I am interested in seeing how much that new additions to
Garland utlize our city services. I have a feeling that more can be done to get them to do
so and if we can them on board it will help make Garland a more welcoming community.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I believe it is the police department's job to enforce the law and serve its citizens, not
serve as immigration officers. If through the course of their work and investigations they
come across illegal immigrants then they must take appropriate action with the proper
authorities and utilize ICE detainer holds (like they already do). Our Officers have enough
work as it is to add something else to there plate.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Although I am in favor of it, other than Dart rail expansion, I do not feel like this is a
realistic goal at this time. I have a hard enough time get home from a Mavericks game, to
try to coordinate with other cities, rails and buses... and in a 'seamless' fsshion does not
seem too likely. I have a feeling I would be stuck getting an expensive cab ride home.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I think the largest way regional cooperation can benefit is for emergency preparedness.
Public Safety is stetched thin across North Texas but we still expect us all to be prepared in
case of emergency. Through federal and state grants and through regional cooperation our
cities can share specialists and equipment in different fields and be prepared for any
emergency situation.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I think they did a fantastic job. They were able to reinstate pay cuts taken in the
previous budget year and found the money to open and staff a new recreation center in
the district. I would be in favor of having a four day work week with Fridays off. I think I
have a biased opinion on this one though. I would also look at the services that Garland
provides and see which recreation centers and libraries can limited use and can do with
reduced hours and part time staff, which is better than a recommendation to close, no
matter what Ted says.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Participation is lacking in Garland and we have low voter turnout. I hope that Garland
District 6 goes out and votes even if I end up being the only one that votes for
me(Considering the amount of funding I have raised this very well may be the case). I was
able to get my petitions and application in just before the deadline. Had I not all the races
would have been unopposed, and that seems to be more common then not. We should
have a choice when we are electing our officials, and for lack of a better term not be stuck
with whoever runs unopposed. Opposed races encourages voting which in turn increases
participation. I hope they keep this in mind come May 14th.
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: - no response -
Bill Thorn
Biographical Info:
Name: Bill Thorn
Street Address: 1629 Avenue F
City/Town: Grand Prairie
State: TX
Date of Birth: 9-18-32
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 9722638517
Home Phone Number: same
Mobile Phone Number: 2142445968
Fax Number: 2142638517
E-mail Address: billthorn@swbell.net
Campaign Web Site Address: none
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 32 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 15 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Real Estate brokerage
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: City Council District 3 Board of Directors-Great South West Industrial District
Association Board- Grand Prairie Housing and Finance Grand Prairie Chamber of
Commerce City Council Economics Development Committee Board of Directors- Rotary
Club
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Grand Prairie Today news paper -Citizens choice Public official of the year 2006 Grand
Prairie Chamber Public Service award-2009 Man of the Year-2010 Active in Boys and Girls
Club Active in Lifeline shelter
Q: Education
A: Hinds Jr. College Raymond Mississippi Universit of Texas at Arlington( Then Arlington
State)
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Grand Prairie City Council (6Years)
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: 3000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Individuals
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Military Officer Director of Sales, American Eurocopters (retired 1991)
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Continue to expect balance budget. Continue our great street program Continue my
work on industrial Development. No new taxes- we increase the efficiency of desired
projects within the confines of our tax income.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am totally involved in the activites that make this city great, including the Grand
Prairie Independent School District. My opponent is not involved.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Economic Development is a high priority Grand Prairie is at the top of the list in the
Metroplex
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Demographics always change. Our policy of providing World Class Service to all citizens
is for everyone
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Follow the law set forth by the State & nlocal Governments
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
David Gutierrez
Biographical Info:
Campaign Web Site Address: N/A
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Q: How do you rate the performance of City Manager Tommy Gonzalez?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the next steps should the city take on the planned $250 million Las Colinas
entertainment center?
A: - no response -
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: - no response -
Dennis Webb
Biographical Info:
Name: Dennis Lee Webb
Street Address: 520 Gilbert Rd.
City/Town: Irving
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 10 1958
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972 849-9421
Home Phone Number: 972 790-7362
Mobile Phone Number: 972 849-9421
E-mail Address: dwebbplace3@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: dwebbplace3.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 29 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 29 years in the area that the district now encompasses
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Lieutenant Grand Prairie Fire Department.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Candidate for Place 3 City Council City of Irving Representative for the Urban League
of Greater Dallas CSBG Board of Directors
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: •Served 6 years on the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Irving.
•Re-appointed to a second term on the Planning and Zoning Commission November 2010
• Served on the Mayors Human Relations Advisory Committee • Was part of two
delegations representing the City of Irving in the All American City award contests in
Atlanta Georgia and Louisville Kentucky • Volunteered with Thomas Haley Elementary
School Saturday Math Camp • Served on the board of Trustees of the Rennascance
Charter School in Irving • Founder and present Pastor of the Bear Creek Community
Church , 2700 Finley Rd. Irving Texas. Has served as the non-salaried pastor for 15 years.
• President of the Board of directors of the Bear Creek Development Corporation. (A non
profit community housing development corp. whose mission is to build affordable houses in
the Bear Creek Community) The Bear Creek Church under my leadership was awarded the
Golden Apple Award February 24 2011. This is the highest award given by the Irving
Independent School district to a person or organization each year. The winner
demonstrated their committment to the students of IISD by their volunteer commitment
to the district. • Co founder and ex President of the Grand Prairie Firefighters
Association
Q: Education
A: Graduated Nimitz High School 1977 Attended Southern Bible Training Institute
Attended Criswell Institute for Biblical Studies
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Planning and Zoning Commission for the city of Irving Texas Serveed on the Trustee
Board of the Rennascance Charter School Irving Texas
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $ 11, 425.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Charles Cotton William Bueck Robert Stewart
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running to serve. When I look at the position of City Council representative, too
me it's the ultimate position of sacrificial service. I believe people pursue this work for one
or two reasons. Either they have a personal agenda or special interest agenda that pops
up and they want to come in and implement that agenda. Or they as in my case have no
agenda or special interest agenda but simply want to be used by God to provide
experience, quality and common sense leadership for the city where I live. My personal
background reveals years of committed service in many areas. I am a hard worker, have
good organizational skills, visionary leadership, and I am result oriented. I believe in
getting things done.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I am asking questions of citizens as to what is the issues they feel need to be
addressed. From there I take action. There is some concern about the lack of transparency
in our city government. Others want to bring back the televising of the citizens forum
portion of the council meetings. As I listen I am always aware that I work for the citizens.
Therefore I must insure the citizens feel they are represented and heard, and that is the
action I must take first.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I believe I have the most pertinent leadership experience, community service
commitment, civic and government involvement, and executive management experience
than both candidates. The areas of my experience are more germaine to what the city
council does than the others leadership experience. My record of service in the Irving
community, my tenure in the city of over 29 years, my passion for serving people in my
neighborhood of Bear Creek by helping elderly widows get new homes built at no charge to
them, my willingness to volunteer on boards and commission, my sacrifice through my
church to partner with the IISD in the education of our children, the feeding of people
through our church food pantry, providing clothing, and school uniforms to the youth of
Irving gives you insight into my passion for community service unmatched by either of my
opponents.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: It's ranks in the top three priorities. Development to a city is like employment to a
household. You need it to insure long termm financial stability. We need to continue on the
path of attracting new development. When you look at the number of new companies and
businesses that have come to Irving in previous years its encouraging. We need to focus
on working with the Irving Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, the Irving Independent
school district, and the Irving Convention and Visitors bureau to create a magnet to draw
Rose Cannaday
Biographical Info:
Name: Rose Cannaday
Street Address: 104 W. Northgate
City/Town: Irving
State: Texas
Date of Birth: Nov. 4, 1944
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-871-0019
Home Phone Number: 972-871-0019
Mobile Phone Number: 972-742-7557
Fax Number: 972-719-4808
E-mail Address: rcannaday@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: http://.rosecannaday.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Irving 17 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 15 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: President/Owner of Cannaday & Associates Mediation company
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Lyric Stage Guild Irving Police Foundation - President & Founder Salvation Army Irving
Heritage Society Dallas Baptist University Women's Auxiliary Lifesaver's - Exec. Bd
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Irving School Foundation Executive Board Est. the Irving Police Awards Banquet -
created Brass Pig Award Founded Irving Police Foundation - President/Founder Irving
Symphony League - Exec. Board Irving Rotary - Exec. Board Rotary - Exec. Bd Dallas
Baptist University Women's Auxiliary Board- Exec. Bd Lifesaver's
Q: Education
A: Dallas Baptist University Master's Degree - Psychology/Counseling Bachelor's Degree -
Marketing/Psychology - graduated Magma cum Laude Assoc. Degree in Banking -
American Institute of Banking Certified in Mediation, Advanced Family Mediation, Multi-
ethnic Family Mediation, Transformative Mediation, EEOC Mediation, and Arbitration
(Member of State Bar of Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution Section) Texas Real Estate
License - late 1970's to early 1990's. Graduate of Leadership America Graduate of
Leadership Irving - President of class
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: In 2000, I ran for the newly created district in Texas House of Representatives Dist. 105
- Lost in primary Irving City Council - Ran 2007 and held office for 4 years-currently
running for reelection.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $12,050
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Robert and Debra Stewart Carol Susat Colleen and Charles Cotton
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have held this office for the last 4 years. I originally ran, and it still applies, because
Irving was going to be starting major real estate and transportation development projects
and also begin the task of revitalizing the older part of the city. My promise to the voters
was to support Fire and Police initiatives to keep families safe; to strengthen our code
enforcement; encourage economic development to create new job opportunities, enhance
our tax base; and ensure that Irving's future water needs are met. I have kept those
promises and will continue to focus in these areas as well as others. I held a real estate
license for many years and was at one time involved in both commercial and residential
real estate developments. I built my own home in Irving. My work background also
includes radio/television and public relations work which has been helpful in
communication. My Master's degree from college is in psychology, my Bachelor's Degree is
in Marketing/Psychology and I have an Assoc. degree in Banking and Finance. I have my
own mediation and arbitration business. The skills needed in my past work experiences
have all been invaluable in dealing with city budgets, developments, negotiations, and
working with people.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Since I am already in office: 1. Transportation and economic development are closely
linked in Irving. I will keep pressure on DART, through relationships and public pressure, to
complete Orange line on time, while keeping the focus on retention of businesses,
attracting new business, housing, and other types of economic developments to Irving.
The financing for these actions are already in the budget. To date Irving has paid over
$800,000 to DART and has over $1 Billion including tax to have our Orange line reach DFW.
2. Water - I recently moderated a Round table discussion at TML with mayors of large
cities and water was the big issue for all cities because of the rapid growth taking place in
Texas. Irving already has money budgeted to link our water line we already own to East
Texas to other identified water sources. I will continue this work. 3. Library system: April 9
our first state-of-the-art, technological advanced library will open. It is a net zero, Leeds
certified library. It will be first of its kind in Texas. We are already creating plans for the
next 2 libraries to be built. After a trip to California 4 years ago to look at a library, I came
back and said we can build even better libraries. I have led the charge. This effort is
already covered by the sale of Bonds. We got a double - AAA Bond rating from Moodys and
Standard & Poor (one of only two cities in Texas to do so) and have a balanced budget.
Because of quality management of the city, we are in a great position to continue
delivering excellent service to our citizens.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I know very little about my opponent. To my knowledge my opponent has not sat on a
committee or a board in the city of Irving, and her knowledge of the city operations
appears to be very limited. I have been involved in politics since I was 16 years old. I have
years of involvement in city, state, and federal government politics, and my background
and education have prepared me to hold office and be effective. I have a proven track
record of doing what I said I would do do while in office. As Chair of Communications, I
have provided leadership in changing the city logo and re-branding the city adn enhancing
the city newspaper Spectrum. I introduced the idea for the new website and social media
and digitally upgrading ICTN. They have all won awards for excellence. Liaison to chamber
of commerce: this year I helped recruit 55 new businesses to Irving leasing 1 million SF of
space; created 2500 new jobs, retained 25 businesses and 3000 positions. Liaison to
ICVB,opened new Leeds certified Convention Center; Liaison to Library-opening new
zero-net, Leeds certified library next week- 2nd of 4 to be built. Audit & Finance-work on
budget--AAA Bond rating this year from Moody and Standard& Poor; Chair of Legislative
Committee-set agenda-and lobby Austin and Washington DC; Treasurer for Texas High
Speed Rail Transit Corp and the South Central High Speed Rail Dev. Authority. Support new
water development. I'm a member of Planning and Redevelopment. I work well with
others. I'm good at identifying, analyzing, and finding solutions to problems. I'm very
much involved in many ways with preparing Irving for the 21st century. I've been
extremely productive on council and will continue to do so. I am the best choice.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: I am the liaison the the Irving Chamber. I serve on the Economic Development
committee and development ranks at the top of my priorities. We have done quite well in
attracting new businesses and retention. This past year alone we recruited 55 new
businesses to Irving, signing leases for 1 million SF. We created 2500 new jobs, and
retained 25 businesses and 3000 positions.In retail, we brought 30 new shopping and
dining venue to Irving. I give us an excellent rating. We are revitalizing our Heritage
District and still working on the Entertainment Venue financing. The project is shovel
ready. Housing has always been a problem in Irving and that is also a focus. We have
several new single family developments and they are selling quickly. I would like to see
the Heritage District develop more quickly because that will cause new neighborhoods to
be built. We have been very progressive in our thinking. As a result our city got the AAA
Bond Rating again from Moody and Standard & Poor. The progress we have made in this
recession is remarkable. We have not cut services, furloughed or fired employees, or close
libraries and such. We are in a great position to keep moving forward.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Irving has a huge Hispanic population, as well as the Indian and Asians. We are now a
majority minority city. We have identified the problems that come with rapid growth. We
have made many plans to keep our city safe, revitalize neighborhoods, and see that water
does not become an issue. The 24/7 Criminal Alien Program was developed 4 years ago
and to date over 6400 criminal aliens have been deported to 42 countries. We are
experiencing a 40% reduction in violent crime. Our city is safer for everyone. Other
programs: taken down 1000's of substandard apartments (we decided that poor people
had a right to live in a clean environment) and removed abandoned buildings and sign
poles; increased citizen involvement through neighborhood assoc, town halls (both in
English and Spanish); revitalizing older areas of town; supported the schools giving laptop
computers to each junior high and high school students - preparing the workforce for the
future, keeping kids stay in school; supporting the YMCA programs for youth; built a new
youth center; offering First Offender programs, parenting classes, family counseling and
other family related programs at the city owned Family Advocacy Center. All of these
services are free if you live in Irving. There are many other types of programs and
outreach made by the city. I can't think of anything i would do differently because when
there is a need we address it quickly.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The city has a 24/7 criminal alien program. To date over 6400 criminals have been
exported from our city back to 42 different countries. The result is a 40% decline in violent
crime. We do not go looking for illegal immigrants because that falls under the Federal
government. I have no desire to spend the Irving tax payers money on lawyers and courts
like Farmers Branch. Our 24/7 criminal alien program got national attention and many
cities around the country have implemented this program.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I do favor a seamless regional transit system. Irving has a deep commitment and a
long-time involvement in Transportation. I attend Tex21 meetings; the Multi-Modal
meetings, and the Texas High Speed Rail Transit Corp. meetings (I am the Treasurer and
Exec Board member of the THRSTC), and the So. Central High Speed Rail Development
Authority. In order to make a seamless regional transit system a reality, I work and meet
with other city mayors and council members from all over the region, as well as the state.
I lobby and testify before transportation committees in both Washington DC and Austin
telling our transportation story. Irving's 14th Transportation Summit will be in Irving in
August. People that attend come from all over the United States as well as the world. I just
got back from Irving's 4th annual Transit Summit in Washington DC. Creating a seamless
regional transit system is going to take a lot of people coming together, getting on the
same page, then working together to make it happen. DART first has to fulfill it's
commitments to its original member cities; then a discussion needs to take place with all
the place holders, plus the cities that now want to participate in transportation and decide
what is fair to everyone. I will work to get everyone to the table for the discussion.
Everyone knows it has to happen and we will all benefit from it.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Transportation is the big issue regionally. The reason: large group of people that are
relocating to the North Texas Region requires region needs to cooperate. Water is going to
be the next big issue in the southern states. Irving has it's own water resource but buys
from Dallas if a drought occurs, while most other cities have no resource except to buy
from Dallas or Ft. Worth. There needs to be a round table discussion of all the city leaders
to develop a plan for the region. Without a plan and an agreement, no progress will be
made to develop a regional approach. I feel it is going to be hard to get Dallas and Fort
Worth to the table. They have controlled water for many years for the region and I don't
think they will be all that cooperative. But I would make the effort to try and bring
everyone to the table.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Irving does an excellent job of delivering services to our citizens. When we do citizen
surveys we continue to get excellent marks for service. Lean Sixth Sigma program has
been adopted throughout our city. This is a quality management program and all our
employees have bought into the program and are regularly recognize at work session for
excellent work. Example: We still do garbage pick-up twice a week, and it was still done in
the last major snow storm, right on schedule. Changes: I would like for us to be able to do
more recycling. We ran a trial recycle program and the older citizens rejected the use of
recycle containers. As for as changing the delivery of our service system, it is working
beautifully and very cost-effective.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our city manager prepared the council and the city staff for the financial storm that was
going to impact our country. Four years ago we started the Lean sixth Sigma program and
began leaning our city through attrition and retirement of employees. We would freeze
some positions and eliminate others. We eliminated Asst. City Manager positions and now
have Directors of departments saving over a million dollars in salaries. By pairing like
functions under one Director and paying them a little more money, we also saved
hundreds of thousands of dollars on salaries. An IWIN program was created and
implemented. This is a health program designed and adopted by all city employees and is
based on Cooper clinic tests where every employee can participate in getting healthy.
Based on age and health condition, employees could work to qualify to get $50, $100, or
$150 a month put into a tax-free annuity and the city would match the money. They would
receive the tax free money at retirement. So far, over 1700 lbs of fat has been lost, people
have fewer visits to doctor, they are healthier and happier. It dramatically cut sick days
missed by employees. Savings is well over $800,000 in insurance costs. In mentioning all
of this, it is to say we are creative, efficient, and proactive; therefore, all of the cost saving
measures have allowed us to run a lean, healthy city while balancing the budget. We
created a strategic plan 4 years ago, and we have simple worked our plan. We have sewer
replacement happening on a planned schedule, as well as other infrastructure projects.
Because of our leadership we are still able to add solar lightening to south Irving Blvd.,
widen our major roadways through city and add new pocket parks and sculptures to city.
We are running our city like a business and it's paid off for the citizens of Irving.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Our city is doing extremely well through the recession; however, we have a group of
naysayers who think the sky is falling. There are citizens who listen to the lies told by this
small, but loud group. Fear develops because a lot of changes are taking place in Irving,
and a lot of change is hard for some people to understand. Even though Irving got our AAA
Bond Rating again from both Moody and Standard & Poor, which shows the city is on solid
ground financially, some citizens get confused by those who are crying that we are in
financial ruin. The sky is falling mentality. The sky is not falling in Irving, Texas. All anyone
has to do is ask themselves if things are better in Irving than they were 4 years ago and
the answer is Yes.
Q: How do you rate the performance of City Manager Tommy Gonzalez?
A: I give him an excellent rating. He has guided this city through the worst Recession that
this country has seen since the Depression of 1929. Our city manager and his remarkable
staff, and his use of the Lean Sixth Sigma program (quality management) has kept the
citizens of Irving from having to suffer what other cities are going through. The city
services have not been cut, but improved. Our water and taxes are still lower than most
cities. The city infrastructure is being taken care of. We still have our AAA Bond Rating
from Moody and Standard & Poor (only 1 of 2 cities to have that honor). Other cities are
continually trying to hire our city manager because of his exceptional leadership. Texas
Governor Rick Perry has created a committee for Risk Management and ask our city
manager to be on the committee. Even the governor of the state is interested in how he is
running the City of Irving through these difficult times and delivering quality services while
balancing the budget. We have not been like other cities who have had to fired hundreds of
employees, cut their services, give employees furlough days, and still having difficulty
balancing their budgets. Irving plays a starring role in how best to run your city in hard
times.
Q: What are the next steps should the city take on the planned $250 million Las Colinas
entertainment center?
A: The Las Colinas Entertainment Center is a shovel ready project. Difficulty financing the
project is the problem. Creative financing options were sought due to the recession we are
experiencing. The attorney general and the state comptroller said they would sign off on
the financing if the court agreed it was legal. The city went to court for the judges opinion,
but during that time, AEG (a competitor management company that operates the Verizon
center) and former Mayor Putnam of Irving filed a lawsuit to stop the project. Every time
the city won in court, the group would appeal. A new case against the city has now been
filed to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. To date, the city has had to spend $1.2 million
dollars defending the project and the total bill will most likely come to around $1.6 million.
The project is on hold waiting to see if the Texas Supreme Court is going to accept this
case. The contract with LCG development group runs out in Dec 2011, so at that time if
things are not settled, the project will go on hold until we hear from the court. Whatever
the ruling, the project will have to be reevaluated by the city council to see what the next
course of action will be. This project was begun because with the loss of the Cowboys,
Irving needed something to make it a destination city again. Also several corporations,
who leases are coming up in the next 3 years, wanted to know if the city was going to do
something to bring more restaurants and entertainment to the area. They don't like having
to drive somewhere else with their clients and not having more places for their employees
to eat. The city has been responsive since the businesses of Irving pay 75% of our taxes
leaving homeowners with only having to shoulder 25%.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Irving will always be looking for ways to better serve the needs of residents,
businesses, and visitors. I would support periodic review of the gas well ordinance,
especially in the light of changing conditions, potential for legislative changes every
biennium, and out growing knowledge of gas well operations. We want to be proactive and
utilize best practices in Irving. The City's action in regard to gas wells and pipelines have to
follow state and federal law. We advocate that local government have the abilities to
promote safety and protect its residents. This will keep the companies accountable to the
cities where they operate, and the cities, of course will be accountable to its residents.
Julie D. Grant
Biographical Info:
Name: Julie D. Grant
Street Address: 2026 Durham St.
City/Town: Irving
State: TX
Date of Birth: August 31, 1940
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469.360.2774
Home Phone Number: 972.255.3682
Mobile Phone Number: 469.360.2774
Fax Number: 972.255.3682
E-mail Address: juliedgrant.irving@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.citizensforjuliegrant.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Thirty-seven years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: Thirty-seven years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Owner of The Pet Chauffeur
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: President, Heritage Advisory Council, Area Director for Dallas and Tarrant Counties for
small business owners. As they stop leaving and look to Irving as a place to grow, expand
and incorporate their businesses, Irving will gain revenue and more businesses will desire
to not only come into our City, but stay. When one considers the importance of small
businesses standing beside large corporations, we need to remember Bill Gates and what
he did in his garage. Is it possible that somewhere in Irving, there is someone who will
make another great discovery? Will Irving push them out in favor of a large corporation?
We as a City need to make room for both. This brings long term careers, development as
they grow, and an increase in revenue. It also brings the City back into a focused balance.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: As more companies make Irving their home, large numbers of employees are moving
here. Not only do we have great movement on the north side of Irving, but more residents
are considering the south side of Irving. With improvements moving forward in the
southern sector of our city, new single family homes are being built. Once the City
removes Mr. Delbert McDougal’s company from the south Irving improvement project,
sends it out for bid, selects a company with a stable and long history of completing projects
on time, Irving can move forward in making south Irving that “destination” not only for
home owners, but tourists alike. All of Irving Blvd (Hwy 356) needs to be developed with
the Heritage Crossing theme. East Irving Blvd can be improved. The City can work with
owners of the buildings to improve and carry out the Heritage Crossing theme, which once
done will increase their income by tourist and residents alike.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Continue to work with ICE, and follow the Federal guidelines as they have been doing.
Educating the public on the issue will bring about a better understanding between cultures
in our City. There is a great need for more visibility in our residential areas. While the City
states crime has dropped, there are pockets where cruisers are needed to prevent crime,
rather than use the Crisis Management type of enforcement by answering calls of crimes
already in progress. This system would deter any crime activity and enhance the public’s
cooperation with the Police.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I will work with the City Council on a transit system that is economical, green, and
brings benefits for our residents
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Many cities have successful programs that would benefit Irving. Recycling is one where
a study needs to be made and a solution implemented for apartment owners and certain
plastics that have no specific recycling benefit. Air quality control and other environmental
issues need to be addressed. Following cities who have implemented programs from start
to current would encourage Irving and its residents to find a specific and successful
program for these issues. Examples would be gas replacing oil, but controls need to be
placed on the programs before Irving could take advantage of its benefits. Other cities
have studied these issues. We could benefit by alliances with them.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Irving has overlooked recycling benefits. Citizens have suggested remedies, but the
City is slow to consider any change in the program. Irving should work with apartment
owners to update their dumpster service for their renters who must currently watch and
smell the deterioration of garbage from their front doors. Enforcement needs to be
updated and new programs administered. This can be done with little expense.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Irving’s infrastructure is quite old. Maintenance should have been kept up instead of
being neglected so long. This has been Crises Management. By focusing on all facets of
incoming businesses, rather than bringing in only Fortune 500 companies, Irving can be a
more rounded city, more balanced in revenue. Dealing with tough economic times as the
present, not spending more than is being brought in can bring great benefits in the next 10
years, including a true balancing of the budget and not the creative financing we’ve seen
with these last five years. One cannot buy itself out of debt.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The City’s budget has not been successfully balanced in a way that our residents can
benefit. Costs from law suits have not been budgeted for and have caused unexpected
expenses. Instead of living within its budget, Irving currently does not have money to do
many of the things that need doing to keep Irving at its best in North Texas.
Q: How do you rate the performance of City Manager Tommy Gonzalez?
A: Mr. Gonzalez’ salary is a large concern of our citizens. Having a contract extended and
signed after seven months of service does not endear him to our residents and does not
follow proper guidelines, especially at the rate the City has approved. With the climate
resulting from invoices paid for services not allowed under contract ($1,000 for Billy Bob
Barnett’s chauffeur and other “consulting” charges), his service has been negligent in this
matter.
Q: What are the next steps should the city take on the planned $250 million Las Colinas
entertainment center?
A: Private funding is available. Taxes from hotel and rental cars place the expense onto the
user and not the tax payer. The City needs to take this forward with private funding. There
are other cities who have gone into the retail business and they have found it to be
disastrous for their citizens. Our City is not a for-profit business. It is there to serve the
residents and it’s time the City Council started listening to them and doing what the
majority of our citizens want, rather than a few.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Natural gas drilling has been proven to disturb the environment and has a great impact
on water and other necessary services. There is still a question about cancer and other
debilitating diseases being caused by the neglect of companies who drill. The City Council
has stated its concern over gas drilling and is continuing to watch as the companies come
closer to Irving. Our City laws need additions to properly protect our citizens.
Irving Mayor
Description:
Herbert A. Gears
Biographical Info:
Name: Herbert A. Gears
Street Address: 3716 Santiago Ct.
City/Town: Irving
State: Texas
Date of Birth: May 21,1962
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-831-8866
Home Phone Number: 972-791-0592
Mobile Phone Number: 214-676-1912
Fax Number: 972-831-8877
E-mail Address: hgears@aol.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.gearslink.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 28 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Co-owner of Creating and Managing Wealth,LLC, a small independent financial
consulting firm in Irving.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Currently Mayor of Irving. I am involved in countless civic activities and with almost
every organization in the city in some way.
lowest property tax rates and lowest residential water rates in all of North Texas! We have
improved our community and our city services adding new parks, new state of the art
libraries, a new no-kill animal shelter and dog park, new contemporary aquatic centers,
youth recreation centers, and an exciting new convention center. This upcoming election is
a classic example of a choice between then and now. Do we return to decline and decay as
we had then or do we continue the work that has brought great progress to our city in so
many important ways? Ask yourself, is the city of Irving better today than it was just six
years ago? I say it is and that is why I am qualified and running to continue as Mayor.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The most important action I will take will be to continue with an aggressive substandard
apartment demolition program in our city. Secondly, I will fight to protect and maintain our
very successful, nationally and internationally recognized, criminal alien deportation
program. Thirdly I will continue to attend to public safety and to the quality of
neighborhood city services. Our budget and financial condition is sufficiently strong to
address these important priorities. We will continue to invest in economic development
activities attracting new and retaining businesses in Irving.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: There is an important difference between me and my opponent. I fight and win against
slumlord apartment property owners and their lawyers to demolish non-compliant
apartments in Irving. My opponent,as a lawyer, makes his living defending the slumlord
apartment owners against Irving. We are as different as night and day on the apartment
issue in Irving, our most serious challenge.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: We have built a reputation as a business friendly city. Businesses pay over 70% of all
the taxes paid in Irving which allows us to maintain one of the lowest property tax rates in
Dallas County. We work comprehensively supporting our economic development
partnership with the Greater Irving Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Irving
Convention and Visitors Bureau. We actively recruit and work to retain businesses in a
very competitive environment and we are successful in creating jobs and growing the tax
base. A strong commercial tax base provides us the needed funds to continue delivering
excellent neighborhood city services.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Irving is a very diverse international city. Our population is 42% Hispanic-Latino, 31%
White-Anglo, 14% Asian, and 12% Black African American. With over 220,000 jobs, we are
the largest jobs center in north Texas outside of Dallas and Ft. Worth. Our international
airport and our large corporate residents bring good people from all over the world to
Irving and we are very proud about that. What we do differently now, since I have been
Irving Mayor is, we embrace and appreciate the opportunities our diversity provides our
community now and in the future.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: As I mentioned earlier, since 2006, Irving´s criminal alien deportation program has
been the country´s most innovative approach to illegal immigration law enforcement.
Remember, under our tough program MORE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE BEEN DEPORTED
FROM OUR IRVING JAIL THAN FROM ANY OTHER CITY JAIL IN AMERICA (over 6,400). Our
city has not been sued, we haven´t passed any new laws, we are not called a racist city,
and we have not spent one cent for the program and yet, as featured on the front page of
the New York Times, we are now THE most successful community dealing with the illegal
immigration issue and we get THE best results in the entire United States! For six years as
Mayor, my opponent did nothing and was removed from office.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Transportation infrastructure, in all modes, is critical to the long term viability of our
region. Irving has been a leader in promoting and facilitating critical dialogue with key
people and organizations around the country to create a cohesive strategy and approach to
attending to our future transportation services. We have and will continue to invest heavily
in transportation planning and solutions for our city and our region.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: We will serve our region best when we join in a common organized effort to secure
future water supplies for the entire region. Irving is a water entity and has been very
active regionally with plans to bring water to North Texas from Oklahoma and other
sources in Texas. We own and operate a large water pipeline that will be used for the
transport of new water supplies from the East and North.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: 70% of Irving residents rate Irving neighborhood city services as good or excellent.
92% for the Fire Department and 83% for Police services. Our strong commercial tax base
provides us the funds to continue to deliver excellent services to the citizens of Irving.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: We have done well, avoiding cuts in city services, avoiding employee layoffs, and
maintaing one of the lowest property rates in North Texas. We are rated AAA by both
national financial rating agencies which is an honor only achieved by two cities in Texas and
20 in the entire United States.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The slumlord lawyer wants to come back as Irving Mayor. He is challenging my
apartment demolition program and he withholds support for our criminal alien deportation
program. We simply cannot turn back on our great results.
Q: How do you rate the performance of City Manager Tommy Gonzalez?
A: Tommy gets great results and is compensated well for it. My job is to hold his feet to
the fire and continue to demand excellent performance.
Q: What are the next steps should the city take on the planned $250 million Las Colinas
entertainment center?
A: Our next step is to continue to win the court challenges by our competitor from
California. Joe Putnam was forced to admit, under oath in the trial, his association with this
California competitor and that they were giving him hundreds of thousands of dollars for
legal representation to sue our City. Shameful. This economic development project, voted
on by our citizens, means 2000 jobs for Irving and hundreds of millions in economic impact
to our region every year.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: We have ordinances to protect our community from the potentially dangerous impacts
of this kind of operation. We all continue to learn more about this new phenomenon and
our city will make sure the interests of our citizens guide our policies moving forward.
Biographical Info:
Name: Beth Van Duyne
Street Address: 2123 Shumard Oak
City/Town: Irving
State: TX
Date of Birth: 11/16/70
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-898-7500
Home Phone Number: 972-831-8188
Mobile Phone Number: 972-898-7500
E-mail Address: beth@bethforirving.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.bethforirving.com facebook.com/beth.vanduyne
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 25 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 25 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
100s of internal corporations that comprise over 65% of our tax base. The Mayor of Irving
needs to be a proficient business person, with a professional demeanor, who can carry on a
knowledgeable conversation with business owners and CEOs. As a corporate
communications executive and business owner, I’ve worked with CEOs and Executive
Boards, counseling them in times of crisis, growth and loss. I understand and appreciate
their needs, their concerns and the support they require from their local government to
successfully compete in today’s tough economy. Independence: Unlike all of the other
candidates, I am not beholden to the interests of any developers or hotel corporations who
stand to gain by the City’s continued support of costly and unproductive projects or by
competitive developers who stand to gain by suing the City. Dedication to Education: I
appreciate the importance of a strong education having worked to put myself through
college. Both my children attend public schools in Irving and I know the significance of a
strong school system when deciding where to live. As the past liaison to the Carrollton-
Farmers Branch and Coppell School Districts, I’ve worked first hand with our local school
boards to improve communications between the City and school districts, increase
awareness of development plans and seek innovative partnerships to enhance the
opportunities for all Irving children.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: I support all good economic development, but not all development is positive. The
Council should do all it can to promote and attract new businesses that bring jobs and
make Irving better, while protecting the community from projects that bring down the
area, lower property values, or put an undue burden on city services and schools.
Currently, this administration favors flash over substance and it has cost the taxpayers
millions of dollars with nothing to show for it.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Irving is a very diverse and growing city that has to address housing and transportation
needs for the city. I believe it is important to increase the number of single family homes
in the city. For example, new developments like apartments affect schools, roads, property
values and the aesthetic feel of the area. All these factors should be considered, including
most importantly the views of Irving citizens. The Council should not railroad re-zoning
approvals through opposition, but rather try to resolve the apparent problems.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: In order to keep our community safe our laws against criminal illegal aliens should be
enforced. This is not a race issue, it is about keeping Irving safe from criminals, whether
here illegally or legally. While on the city council I voted for an increase in enforcement
against criminal illegal aliens through the Federal 287(g) program and voted to support the
continuance of the Irving Police Department’s use of the Criminal Alien Project program.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: As a daily commuter, I value a transit system that would help alleviate traffic on our
streets and highways. Since a road systems is only as good as its most congested spot, the
City needs to work with members of the North Central Texas Council of Governments,
DART, local metroplex elected officials and state officials to focus resources on combating
the issue from a regional perspective.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Regional partnerships are most productive when cities have an alignment of incentives.
Issues such as water, energy, transportation and economic development are best tackled
with regional cooperation. Participation on regional boards, committees, and chambers is
essential.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: As a limited government conservative who believes in lower taxes, balanced budgets,
and reducing spending, I’m running for Mayor of Irving because I believe we need to stop
the wasteful spending, massive debt and backroom deals we see at city hall today. The
City delivers excellent services including police, fire, garbage, library, recreation center,
park, municipal services and public works. Focusing on the core services and dispensing
with the unnecessary spending would greatly enhance our ability to provide first-class
services.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Because of wasteful spending and gross mismanagement our city now faces a
$450,000,000 debt. Rather than tighten the city’s belt and make appropriate adjustments
to spending, the current Mayor has frivolously spent millions of dollars with little to no
benefit for our citizens. Late last year, Channel 8 ran an investigative report into the lavish
and unchecked spending the Mayor is allowing in support of an entertainment district. Not
one shovel of dirt has been turned and yet more than $32 million of our tax dollars have
been used to pay for consultants, luxury restaurants, travel, and much of this was done
without any justification. Trimming back on the use of unnecessary consultants,
boondoggle travel excursions, receptions for out of town politicians and better
management of current economic development projects could shave millions of dollars
from our budget.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Like most people in Irving, I’ve become frustrated with our City’s mayor, his
Washington-style political tactics, lack of accountability to the community and wasteful
spending of our hard earned tax dollars. Put simply, the Mayor has abused his power and
broken faith with the trust voters placed in his hands. When I was on council, I never
forgot who I was serving, whose money it was we were spending and that it was my sworn
responsibility to be your voice. It was not always easy and many times I found myself
standing alone in defense of responsible budgets and government. But that was what you
elected me to do and that is what our city deserves.
Q: How do you rate the performance of City Manager Tommy Gonzalez?
A: Tommy Gonzalez is an effective and efficient City Manager. However, I believe his
compensation is excessive.
Q: What are the next steps should the city take on the planned $250 million Las Colinas
entertainment center?
A: In all my 26 years in Irving, I have consistently heard the same thing from residents,
business owners and employees - “Las Colinas has such potential but without a night life, it
will never be successful.” Construction of the Convention Center was a step in the right
direction for development in that area. Unfortunately, an ill-conceived entertainment
center plan that lacked funding, private support and sustainability is not the answer. This
project has gone from bad to worse costing more than $25 million with nothing to show for
it. If elected Mayor, I would immediately request an account of all monies spent and paid
to this developer and any of his associated companies, a review of all properties purchased
and their past and current valuations, an investigation into the business dealings with
property owners and a restructuring of the contract to include penalties for missed
deadlines. I consistently voted against giving this developer any more money until he
could account for his expenses and fulfill his end of the deal. Deadline after deadline has
passed, and still this developer could not secure any funds for this project, yet the Mayor
continued to support it. Millions have been misspent on erroneous “expenses” and
“pre-development costs” without a single mound of dirt being turned, yet the current
Mayor continues to vote to give away more money. Unable to account for the millions
spent, the Mayor spent even more money on an “audit” that was so poorly executed that it
gave oversight to the same people who approved the invalid reimbursements in the first
place. An entertainment project may be necessary for the long term success of the
convention center, but not as it is currently conceived. The City can aid development but
should never leap to being one. If the private sector is turning their backs on this project,
it behooves the City’s leadership to understand why before continuing to waste any more
money.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: Natural gas drilling has become the buzz in cities across North Texas, as communities
grapple with budget shortcoming and potential service cuts. Drilling may be a potential
revenue stream, but the City must be diligent and proactive in ensuring the long term
safety and wellbeing of its residents. Irving should continue to research the effects on
other cities with drilling operations, stay active in the state legislature and examine the
consequences of the various laws currently in effect.
Mike McCary
Biographical Info:
Name: Mike McCary
Street Address: 331 West Walters
City/Town: Lewisville
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 03/29/1965
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-417-9768
Home Phone Number: 972-420-0165
Mobile Phone Number: 469-417-9768
Fax Number: 972-436-0122
E-mail Address: mikemccary@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: MikeMcCaryforCityCouncil.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 26 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I have lived at this address since 1996.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Owner of real property.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Church activities and neighborhood revitalization.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Same as above and president of voluntary home owners' association, neighborhood
clean up coordinator.
Q: Education
A: Lewisville High School, SBCCI training, state certified code enforcement and building
inspection training, extensively trained in zoning and the enforcement thereof.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I ran for Justice of the Peace in 1998.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I am not accepting monetary contributions so that I may avoid even the appearance of
returning favors.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: n/a
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have been involved in family law matters and have minor traffic-related convictions.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My training and experience as a code enforcement officer and building inspector for two
municipalities in Denton County makes me uniquely qualified for the challenges that our
city faces. My personal investment in this community, i.e., investing in and rebuilding my
own neighborhood, demonstrates my commitment to this community.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Align our city with Farmers Branch and Irving in strict enforcement of current zoning
and minimum housing standard ordinances. Recognize publicly that our current state of
urban decay has been prolonged by ignoring our sanctuary city status. 2. Strengthen police
and fire departments, thereby improving the safety of our neighborhoods. 3. Stop out of
control spending, such as city-sponsored purchase of alcohol for city events and consultant
fees. Redirect our city's emphasis back to neighborhoods and community.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My opponents are liberal and I am a Texas conservative tired of supporting government
Leroy Vaughn
Biographical Info:
Name: Leroy Vaughn
Street Address: 1101 Hillwood Dr.
City/Town: Lewisville
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 26,1946
Home Phone Number: (214) 513-9446
Mobile Phone Number: (214) 918-1902
E-mail Address: leroy@electleroy.com
Campaign Web Site Address: electleroy.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Nineteen years approx.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am a retired firefighter. Primary source of income is from city government
government retirement plan.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Vice Chair, Lewisville Community Development Block Grant Committee, Benefits
Counselor- Department of Aging and Disability Services, and Nursing Home
Ombudsman-North Texas Council of Governments
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Vice Chair-Lewisville Community Development Block Grant Committee (2 terms),
Chair-Lewisville Industrial Waste Hearing Board (2 terms), Chair-Lewisville Senior Center
Board of Advisors, Vice Chair-Lewisville Lake Safety Committee, Vice Chair-Lewisville
2010 Goals Committee, Member-Lewisville Transportation Board, Quality Control
Enumerator U.S. Census (2010), African American Museum Docent (1995-2000), Volunteer
Christian Community Action (1995-2010), Member-Zoning Board of Adjustment Austin TX,
Volunteer-National Kidney Foundation of North Texas
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and Business from UNT, Graduate Fellowship as a
Ronald McNair Scholar, Master in Public Affairs from the L.B.J. School of Public Affairs at
University of Texas at Austin
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: 2007 Candidate for City of Lewisville City Council Place 3
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Over 2500.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: N/A
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Over 42 years ago, in my early 20s, was convicted of possession of stolen property
after the fact and had a DWI. No record exists today of these events, but disclosure is in
the interest of complete openness and honesty to voters. However, I am the only
candidate in Place 1 eligible to serve as a volunteer to the parks and the convention
bureau based on past criminal convictions.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office? I want to join the city council as it continues to ensure that
Lewisville remains a dynamic and vital community in which our residents can safely work,
play and enjoy life. For over 17 years I have served on numerous of municipal boards
and commissions, and gained insight into the inner workings of our great city. Through my
involvement, I have gained both the experience and the commitment to successfully
represent all of Lewisville’s citizens.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Neighborhood improvement through a combination of tax incentives that cost the city
no revenue compared to what it would collect without improvements, and stricter code
enforcement. By providing incentives for improving property, Lewisville will realize a
return by raising the values overall in neighborhoods in need of revitalization. 2. Transit
oriented development/increase visitor and tourism dollars to let the free market fund the
improvements largely on their own. Also, work with viable real estate developers to
conduct brownfield studies on commercial properties in Old Town to assist in renovating
these properties to ensure that stable businesses take root in the area, and help raise
values throughout Old Town. Lewisville currently has funds for these studies, we just need
to attract the right investors so these funds are not wasted. 3.Maintaining city’s multiple
AAA bond ratings through judicious planning and intelligent spending combined with
exploiting the extraordinary features of the city, including the lake, Old Town and
I35/SH121 corridors to keep city income up without burdening taxpayers.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My outstanding record of over 17 years on city boards and commissions serving
Lewisville. I have served on 10 or more boards and commissions in Lewisville alone, and
others statewide over 18 years while my opponents have served on none. It all started
when I was a member of the Leadership Lewisville program, and it made me realize the
challenges the City faces internally as well as within the County and region. In my opinion
this is too important a time for the City to have leadership that will be learning on the job.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: We must continue to look at cost-effective ways to drive economic development in
order to keep our residents’ tax burden low and have jobs for our workforce. We have
driven hard bargains with developers to build our tax base in exchange for conditional tax
abatements to everyone’s mutual benefit. I will look upon these abatements critically to
ensure this lifeline continues to offer the best deal for our taxpayers. Right now
revitalization in some parts of town are as important as new construction since incentives
given for it will result in increased values throughout an area, resulting in increased tax
revenue overall.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: As a Quality Control Enumerator U.S. Census (2010) I observed first-hand that
Lewisville is experiencing demographic changes toward a more Hispanic origin as has
happened with many areas of the country. Lewisville has adapted very readily to our
changing demographic with the inclusion of specialty grocery stores, continuing to offer
Spanish translated city documents and employing Spanish speaking members of City Staff,
Police and Fire.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The city must continue to work with state and federal officials to reduce the burden of
illegal immigration on cities like Lewisville. We should continue with the CAPS program,
sharing information on criminal suspects in our custody with ICE.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: FAVOR. Encourage TXDOT Funding, Ensure public safety during reconstruction Lewisville
is already clearly on track to provide regional transportation through its A-train line set to
open in June. In essence, most of this work is now behind us in Lewisville, particularly
when compared to other DFW area suburban cities. In order to manage the growth that
Denton County has had and will continue to have, we must foster private/public
partnerships to develop major corridors that the County and State identifies to link
Lewisville to the North Texas Region. We must also fight diversion of transportation
resources. DCTA will be bringing new shoppers and sales tax dollars to Lewisville and this
influx should be used to expand and enhance the experience for the public as they
contribute their sales tax dollars to the betterment of Lewisville
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: We must work to carefully guide the I-35 expansion process, which will be a major
transportation issue for Lewisville in the future. I-35 will be a state-of-the-art freeway
system that addresses many of our congestion issues Use redevelopment to enhance
Lewisville and attract additional visitors to our shopping, dining, retail, entertainment and
recreation opportunities. We need to establish public/private partnerships especially for
this project as it is the major artery running through Denton County. With the current
budget shortfall in Texas, we need to pull together throughout the community to get I-35
expanded, and assist property owners and businesses that will be displaced by this
project.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The City of Lewisville is committed to providing quality services and has implemented
many cost effective programs. Historically, it has done an outstand job at this. I promise to
continue to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars and will be vigilant to avoid waste,
redundancy and inefficiency. The City of Lewisville is one of only 16 cities in Texas to have
a AAA rating on general obligation bonds from Standard & Poors, and one of only eight
cities in Texas from Fitch Ratings. Recently the City of Lewisville was able to refinance
debt, saving nearly $500,000 for residents. This is a reflection of the quality of staff, and I
intend to join all council members who will continue the practice of running a lean but
T.J. Gilmore
Biographical Info:
Name: Thomas "TJ" Gilmore
Street Address: 724 Juniper Lane
City/Town: Lewisville
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 12-11-1972
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-322-9432
Home Phone Number: 2146496076
Mobile Phone Number: 2146496076
Campaign Web Site Address: www.tjgilmore.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 10 Years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 10 Years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Telecommunications Sales
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: 2010-Current Lewisville Planning and Zoning Commissioner 2010-Current one of three
Lewisville citizens participating in the City's oil and gas drilling ordinance review meetings
actively working to improve our ordinances 2010-Current Cubmaster Pack 233 Lewisville
Texas Degan Elementary PTA Parent Brownie Troop 972 Parent GLASA Parent 2010-11
Relay for Life Advocacy Chair
We need to change our energy ordinances to encourage wind and solar usage. We also
need to encourage private investment in residential neighborhoods to improve property
values through tighter codes, ordinance enforcement, and investment programs. As a
councilman my career as a sales professional makes me uniquely qualified to build these
working relationships.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: There are 3 demographic changes that are significantly impacting Lewisville: 1. The
continued influx of citizens of various ethnicities. Lewisville has a rich and diverse history;
we need to ensure that we work with this community. I’d like to see more cultural events
celebrating Lewisville’s African American, Latino and Asian communities. I believe this can
be accomplished with our new arts district. 2. The population of residents over the age of
65 is expected to double over the next 15 years. This will put a particular burden on our
emergency responders as well as our social service agencies. Lewisville continues to fund
organizations like Meals on Wheels and Day Stay for Adults, as well as provide
programming at our senior center. We will have to ensure funding continues for these
agencies so our seniors will continue to be a vital and engaged part of the populace. 3.
Influx of Burmese or ‘Chin’ religious refugees. Lewisville has approximately 600 of these
refugees who have been given asylum by the US government. Since these refugees tend
to settle where others of their extended family, displaced church, or regional affiliations
have settled, we can expect many more of these oppressed people to make their homes in
Lewisville. As residents and citizens they will bring a unique perspective, and unique needs
that we as a city are only now beginning to understand. The city needs to create an
outreach program to work with Chin families and help them acclimate to their new home.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Lewisville police do an excellent job and process all arrests through the Criminal Alien
Program, having removed upwards of 2,000 criminal aliens from Lewisville at last count.
Why sign contracts that make our police work for the federal government when we have
an outstanding program that makes the feds work for us? Our police have done an
excellent job with managing our enforcement resources and have even received feedback
from local immigration officials stating that Lewisville is a model for using CAP and ICE
Access programs. We should continue to explore programs that allow us to leverage
federal resources without expending our limited enforcement budgets and manpower.
Operation Community Shield was one of these. As a councilmember I would listen to law
enforcement and enact programs that keep our citizens safe.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Lewisville has spoken and we are large investors in DCTA and the light rail program.
Having lived in cities with world class public transit; Tucson Arizona’s bus system and
Boston Massachusetts’ commuter rail, I’m excited by the opportunities the rail will give to
our citizens and am in favor of making the system as seamless as possible. I currently
attend transit public forums and have given regular citizen input. As a council member I
would push to create mixed use developments that are commuter friendly. I believe this
will be one of the biggest economic boosts for our region over the next 20 years as energy
prices continue to climb.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Lewisville already participates in regional water and transportation associations. I would
continue to keep Lewisville involved. We could also look to create and strengthen regional
councils on aging to ensure our seniors continue to be an active and involved part of our
communities. We can also look to develop regional plans for sustainable development to
keep the North Texas region leading in programs that encourage low energy consumption
and local jobs. I have, as a citizen, given input on these types of programs and would
continue to build those relationships as an elected representative.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Lewisville does a solid job of providing good services at a low cost. I would like to see
the city peruse voluntary electricity aggregation for citizens, review our waste collection
and recycling programs to perhaps lower costs and increase recycling so we can stretch out
the usefulness of our landfill as a revenue source. I would also be interested in creating a
‘municipal mulch’ program much like Plano and Arlington have for things like mulch,
decomposed granite, and crushed cement fill for projects. These could create revenues and
would also provide additional services to residents.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Lewisville has maintained one of the lowest property and sales tax rates in the
metroplex. Our fiscal conservativism has allowed us to bring outstanding developments
like the new arts center, the light rail, and Railroad Park online. As a city we raised fees
last year and are still experiencing at least a half million dollar shortfall for the upcoming
fiscal year. The city has consolidated several bonds to take advantage of lower interest
rates to keep from raising taxes. There will be a slow down in capital expenses
(infrastructure projects) but the city still has a ¼ cent sales tax option that every city
surrounding us has taken advantage of. This of course would be up to the citizens to enact
and not council. I believe my property reinvestment agenda will help raise property values
and in turn bring more revenue to the city without having to raise taxes.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Lewisville is a mature city with little in the way of empty developable space. Because of
our lack of “master planning” that other, younger communities enjoy, there can be a sense
that the grass is greener in another community. Without large Home Owners Associations,
we have to work harder to engage with our neighborhoods, and we don’t have the newest
and swankiest retail and restaurant options. With that being said, we do have history,
stability, and more of an independent streak. That authenticity is a competitive advantage,
as is our geographic location and the Lake. We will have to work hard over the next couple
of years to ensure that the I-35 development, Old Town redevelopment, neighborhood
revitalization and the light rail are encouraged to flourish. This can only happen with more
citizen involvement and more voter involvement. This race will be decided by less than
2,000 of our nearly 100,000 residents. That’s a shame.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: As one of only three citizen members on our ad hoc drilling ordinance group I have
worked hard to more strictly define setbacks, make drilling development conform to our
business development ordinances, and to ensure that emissions are tightly controlled,
reported, and quickly re-mediated should a release happen. Drillers are business partners
with our residents, as such residents should be allowed to access their mineral rights but
not at the expense of our air, land, water and most importantly, long term property
values. As drilling continues, I will look to other cities, like Fort Worth to ensure our
ordinances are fair to all parties, but most importantly protect our citizens.
Steve Hill
Biographical Info:
Name: Steve Hill
Street Address: 964 Camden dr.
City/Town: Lewisville
State: TX
Date of Birth: 01/31/1974
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-488-7337
Home Phone Number: 214-488-7337
E-mail Address: steve.a.hill@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.HillForLewisville.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 12 Years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 12 Years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Computer Consultant
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I was elected and currently serve as Precinct Chairman for the Denton County
Republican Party for Precinct #319. I am an active member in the Lewisville Tea Party. I
am a member of Toastmasters International. I volunteer with the city to save tax payer
dollars.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $300 in donations. I am mostly funding the campaign myself.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Labib Basta Jackie Stanfield Dan Ottinger
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for council because the votes on big issues go against the way I would
vote and against my values. I have no political background. I am conservative and would
bring conservative values and principles to the office.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I would vote for code enforcement and an end to illegal immigration in the city. Support
Police and Fire Departments Focus on Basic city services like roads, parks and trails. I
would pay for these items by reducing spending on other items like Lakeside development
and transit oriented development.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have signed a pledge to run a clean campaign. I will not speak for my opponent.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I would expect the police encountering an illegal immigrant in a traffic stop to detain the
illegal immigrant and turn them over to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) for deportation. Illegal means Illegal.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: There exists a regional transit system. The voters approved it and it is already built.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The city does a really good job of keeping costs down. Using grant money for police and
fire equipment. I think the city spends money on things that it shouldn't, and that that
spending should be eliminated.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: My idea to balance the budget with less revenue is to SPEND LESS.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Lewisville is effectively a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.
Q: What changes, if any, would you make to existing city laws dealing with natural gas
drilling? Is the city doing enough to ensure the safety and protect the interests of its
citizens?
A: The city does a good job with the drilling ordinances. I am in favor drilling for gas.
Steve Bell
Biographical Info:
Name: Steve Bell
Street Address: 808 Mayberry Drive
City/Town: McKinney
State: Texas
Date of Birth: August 13, 1943
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-507-9929
Home Phone Number: 972-529-2583
Mobile Phone Number: 214-507-9929
Fax Number: 972-346-9024
E-mail Address: rsbell13@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.stevebell4mckinney.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 15 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 15 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Partner (50%), KBM Properties, LLC, Partner (50%), Aeronca Partners, LLC, Partner
(50%), Aeropointe Partners, Inc., Partner (50%), Christmas Traditions, Inc.,
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Governing Board of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Chairman CASA Golf
Tournament, Host and Founder of McKinney Men's Halftime
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Member of the McKinney Thorough Plan Committee, McKinney City Councilman District
4, Habitat Board of Directors, Council Liaison McKinney Economic Development
Corporation, Council Liaison McKinney Airport Board, Council Liaison McKinney Community
Development, Council Liaison McKinney Parks and Recreation Department, Rotary and
Lions Club
Q: Education
A: San Jacinto College, Pasadena, Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Deer Park Independent School Board, McKinney City Council District 4, McKinney City
Mayor
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Self Funded
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: N/A
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: NO
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: The reason I am seeking the position of McKinney City Council at Large is to bring vision
and a deeper accountability to our city government. City government should be
transparent to all the Citizens of McKinney. As an elected official you serve at the will of the
people. I am convinced if you do what is right for the Citizens, you have done what is right
for the City. But I am also convinced that if you do what is right for the employees of the
City, you have also done what is right for the City. With my experience as a past City
Councilman, I can begin working immediately for the well being of our City and it’s
employees. I will serve the citizens and employees of the City of McKinney with integrity in
doing what is right for all concerned. I will tell the truth and operate in the open and not
behind closed doors. I will be honest about where I stand on all issues. I will be accessible
to all citizens. I will work hard for the employees to establish equal or exceed pay parity
with surrounding cities of like size. We need to make sure our employees stay with us. We
cannot survive being the training center for other cities due to sub-standard pay. We need
to make sure all of our employees can afford to live in the 5th best City in the United
States.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1.We need to be pro-active in selling our city to the right type of developers that will
bring retail, commercial, manufacturing and distribution to McKinney. We need more
businesses that create sales and property tax dollars to entice our citizens to shop in
McKinney and attract people from other cities to spend their dollars in McKinney. Why
should Plano, Allen, Fairview and Frisco get the tax benefit that we deserve? A more
professional job needs to be done to bring in new businesses to our City. We do not get the
opportunity to often to bring a Cabela’s, Andrew Distributing and Cracker barrel
Restaurants to our town. We cannot afford to miss the opportunity. Our leaders need to be
at the top of their game like the leaders of Frisco, Allen and Fairview. McKinney is out of
balance with our ratio between residential and commercial development. Consequently our
homeowner taxes are one of the highest in the state. The latest statistics shows our
property revenues come from the following: Residential 65% Commercial 25%
Un-developed Property 10%. To be able to function properly the City needs to be at a
balance of 50-50 residential and commercial. 2. Council needs to reduce the number of
closed session Executive meetings. Our leadership needs to be more transparent to the
citizens. Open sessions would reduce the risk to have another 121/75 Gateway debacle on
our hands. This cost the citizens millions of dollars in settlement, land purchase and
attorney fees. It’s decisions like this that contribute to program cuts and the freezing of
employee salaries. City Boards and liaison selection procedures need to be changed to
provide a diversity of ideas. 3. Safety for our citizens is an overwhelming issue. Salaries
have been frozen and agreed to compensation programs changed by our previous City
Manager and agreed to by some Council members. Why in a survey of similar cities in our
area are our policemen, fireman and EMS personnel paid the least? There is a 4-5%
disparity in the pay. Because of the disparity the police, fire and EMS pay grade levels
makes it difficult for the City to attract experienced safety personnel. A rookie is hired and
trained at city expense. The downfall of this is that when the rookie becomes experienced
he or she begins looking for higher paying similar jobs in other cities. They leave and we
loose our investment in them. McKinney has become the training ground for new safety
personnel. McKinney looses and our sister cities benefit. It cost a lot less to train a tenured
officer, firefighter or EMS personnel as apposed to training a rookie.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My previous experience of serving on the McKinney City Council. Knowledge of how a
city functions and the laws that govern it. In depth knowledge of all city boards and how
they function. My proactive stand for public safety (Police, Fire, EMS). Experienced
businessman. Specialized management in start up and turnaround management. Fiscal
Conservative. Understanding profit and loss. Advocate of the citizens and employees of
McKinney. No allegiance except to the citizens and employees. Doing the right thing when
it is not the popular. Not involved in special interest groups. Doing what is right when no
one else is around. Honoring commitments. Accessable to all.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Commercial development is at the top of my list. McKinney is unbalance between
residential and commercial development. To have the tax dollars to function properly the
City needs to be at 50/50 between residential and commercial. Our city has not been
successful bringing large employers or development to McKinney. The city needs to take a
more aggressive approach with a "can do" attitude. McKinney's reputation is the city is not
developer friendly.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: McKinney has been consistently rank as one of the fastest growing cities in the United
States. McKinney was recently recognized as the 5th best place to live in America. The best
growth estimate is the city will top out at about 340,000 in population by 2040. The city
needs to be proactive in looking at infrastructure needs and public safety. Its one thing to
recognize it and talk about it but programs need to be initiated now that we can build the
future on for the services our citizens deserve.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: They should follow and enforce the State and Federal Government guidelines.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a seamless regional transit system but unfortunately McKinney chose not to
participate in Dart over 30 years ago. The buy in today is more than $40 million and rising.
McKinney and other North Texas cities have to look at an alternative program that would
connect to Dart or directly to a destination site.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Establish the Collin County Regional Airport as a commercial commuter airport servicing
the surrounding 5 state area. This would make Collin County a destination point and bring
in additional tax revenues and business. I would work very closely with the North Texas
Council of Governments for air traffic, highways and regional business development.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes. The previous council I served on and the ones after have done an excellent job
providing cost effective services for our citizens.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Anytime you experience a economic down turn you have to look at two things. One is
the present situation and the other is future opportunities. Salary freezes are currently in
place for all employees. But existing programs and projects need to be examined and
prioritized. All of the cost needs to be examined to eliminate any excess spending. Each
project should be ranked by need and payoff. I would also look at pay cuts for upper
management that could be trickled down to the rank and file. I would look at keeping the
current fleet and keeping two years longer than you normally would. Looking at the
future you need to focus on bring all the suitable commercial developments you can for the
city. The problem is that it takes time to attract and construct these businesses. As an
example, if we sold a hotel and conference center today we would not recognize the
benefits for at least two years. We need to be planning and aggressively focusing on who
we want to relocate to McKinney.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: We need to move past self serving interest and move to what is best for the citizens and
our city employees. All city business should be conducted in open sessions with the
exception of sensitive legal and employee issues.
Roger D. Harris
Biographical Info:
Name: Roger D. Harris
Street Address: PO Box 978
City/Town: McKinney
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 6/12/54
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972.542.2392
Home Phone Number: 972.877.7578
Mobile Phone Number: 972.877.7578
Fax Number: 972.369.8598
E-mail Address: roger@electrogerharris.com
Campaign Web Site Address: electrogerharris.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 19 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 19 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: President/CEO Metro Linen Service
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: McKinney Economic Development Board (MEDC) MEDC Business Retention and
Expansion development advocacy committee North Central Texas Workforce Development
Board McKinney Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: McKinney Airport Board of Directors(now known as Collin County Regional Airport)
McKinney Airport Board Chairman Addison Airport Board of Director McKinney Chamber of
Commerce Community Development Sector Chair Storm Water Education Committee
Q: Education
A: High school with numerous business and industry related courses
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: none
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: The campaign is in the early stages of fund raising.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: The campaign is in the early stages of fundraising. To date, I’ve loaned the campaign
the operating funds.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have experience as a successful local business owner/operator over the past 24 years.
My business was honored as the Outstanding Business of the Year in 2010. I have the
leadership skills and management experience to assist in running the city as a successful
business. In addition, I know how to continue to develop a management structure of a
growing organization. My expertise in general aviation airports includes serving on the
Addison Airport Board, the McKinney Airport Board (now known as Collin County Regional
Airport) including as chairman of the Board, and I am a licensed private pilot. I know how
to build an airport to secure corporate general aviation flight departments having been
involved in this endeavor in Addison and McKinney. One corporate jet can pay the
comparable amount of taxes as a three or four story office building. The ability to generate
tax base on an airport decreases the tax burden of every citizen in the community. I serve
on the McKinney Economic Development Board and the North Central Texas Workforce
Development Board bringing businesses and jobs to McKinney. In addition, I was involved
in forming the Business Retention and Expansion Development Advocacy Committee
where we are working to make McKinney the best city to build a business. I have been
involved in the tax base development initiative and met with several local businesses to
discuss strong business retention initiatives. I am passionate about McKinney serving two
terms on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors which provides me with the
knowledge and insight of what the local business community would like their city to be and
the services the citizens would like to have available to them. I believe it is time for
McKinney to further develop the local economic environment, the many wonderful
community assets, and help make McKinney the number ONE place to live in America. I
further believe that McKinney has the resources and the citizens to make our city the best
in the country.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Gain momentum on economic development to help reduce our homeowners property
tax burden. Being involved currently in economic development projects, I would bring
continuity to current economic development projects and initiatives and be able to
contribute immediately. The front door to McKinney known as Gateway needs to be
finished professionally as soon as possible. The Collin County Regional Airport should play
a large role in our tax base creation effort. 2. Create strategic development planning as an
integral part of the economic development and community development initiative.
Planning activities should include long range planning with phased areas of commercial and
is to increase revenues and start restoring the losses made during the downturn.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: We must elect people to the city council who have the experience and credentials to
develop tax base and make prudent investments with taxpayer money.We have great
natural resources in McKinney to build on. We must bring in additional commercial tax base
to reduce the property tax burden on our homeowners.
Geralyn Kever
Biographical Info:
Name: Geralyn Kever
Street Address: 2409 Clublake Trail
City/Town: McKinney
State: Tx
Date of Birth: 1/31/60
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972.562.1186
Home Phone Number: 972.562.1186
Mobile Phone Number: 972.743.5465
E-mail Address: geralyn@electkever.com
Campaign Web Site Address: electkever.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Since 1982.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I have lived in District 2 since 1995.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Communication Consultant. I work with energy providers and pharmaceutical
companies to provide a process for issue management, collaborate with clients to develop
communication strategies and conduct issue-oriented communication labs in high risk, high
stakes communication arenas.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: •Regional Transportation Council Member(RTC)- representing McKinney and multiple
other cities (The RTC oversees the metropolitan transportation planning process) •Dallas
Regional Mobility Coalition, Communication Chair (The DRMC is an organization of cities,
counties and public transportation agencies in a five-county region that advocates for
transportation policy, funding and solutions on a local, state and federal level) •University
of Texas at Arlington College of Engineering Advisory Board Member •Member, McKinney
Chamber of Commerce •Long time member, First Baptist Church McKinney (served in
youth department, with young married couples and on various FBC committees)
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: • The Samaritan Inn Board Volunteer • The McKinney Education Foundation Board
Volunteer • McKinney Airport Board • McKinney Arts Commission • McKinney Economic
Development Corporation Board • McKinney Alliance • McKinney Concert Association •
Communities in Schools Volunteer
Q: Education
A: BS Electrical Engineering Texas A&M University MA International Management
University of Texas at Dallas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: 2008- Present: City Council Representative, District 2 1997-2006: McKinney ISD
trustee, Place 2
level. From my perspective, cities that have attempted to address illegal immigration have
created community divisiveness, angst, and high legal bills. And they haven’t solved the
problem. Our money and our time will be more effectively spent by developing and
implementing local policy focused on the issues and needs facing our community. As
improved citizenship identification methods and systems are defined and funded at the
national level, local officials will likely play a role in enforcement.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I am in favor of planning for such a system in the future. I am not in favor of making it
happen today. There are too many unknowns and the costs are prohibitive. New vehicle
rail technology and smart cards continue to offer new opportunities to lower costs and
negotiate through complex equity concerns. I am hopeful innovation efforts will continue to
drive cost down. From a bigger picture, Texas has yet to put forward a statewide rail plan
although such efforts are underway. Even with the costs and uncertainties of today, it is
smart to place future regional rail lines on the map to allow cities to look at potential value
capture at and along future rail stations. It is not too early to look at land use and
infrastructure at these locations so that when a solid rail plan and funding sources are
identified and supported by the public the citizens benefit.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Our legislators know funds are short and look to the region policy makers to prioritize
needs. In the North Texas region we do a good job of coming together to identify priority
transportation corridors. I have been a part of this effort as I represent McKinney on the
Regional Transportation Council and the Dallas Mobility Coalition. I would like to see
more "cross pollination" in terms of regional cooperation. For example, this spring I
worked to bring TxDOT leadership and North Texas Council of Government leadership to
McKinney to facilitate a workshop between the McKinney City Council and the McKinney
ISD Board. Staff from all groups attended. We talked about where to build schools in the
context of neighborhoods. We rolled up our sleeves and talked about what worked and
what didn't work and what we can do better. We identified possible funding sources. All
parents want their children to get to school safely. Most folks don't like school zones on
major arteries. Air quality concerns all of us. ISD's don't always have transportation issues
on the radar; cities aren't always aware of school boundary/attendance issues. Can we
cooperate and make better decisions? I think so. Schools in neighborhoods matter. Our
regional transportation experts brought information and value to the meeting. This
partnership effort was unique. We should be more intentional about reaching out to other
jurisdictions to leverage information and resources for the good of our region and the
taxpayer.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Not consistently across all areas. Last month we made a major change; we hired a new
city manager (CM). Jason Gray's official employment began on March 21st. I am looking
forward to a fresh set of eyes on the challenges and opportunities we face. The CM is
responsible for building a city staff that is capable of executing council policy. We have a
very talented staff overall. We also have a very young staff. I am hopeful our new CM will
look to fill several critical positions that are now open with strong, experienced leaders
who can step in and execute. I'm boldly confident we are going to make strides in this area
over the next few months.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I give current leadership high marks. Over my first term in office in the face of declining
tax revenues we consistently cut our budget and held our tax rate steady. While we have
had no lay-offs or furloughs through the recent recession, our city employees have not had
a raise in two years. In the current budget we will need to look hard at the programs and
services we currently provide. This process is currently underway and I am expectant the
evaluation will highlight the most effective and critical programs and services we offer and
free up funds for salaries and important new initiatives. At the end of the day, our city
budget should support city priorities.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Our citizens realize that city resources are not unlimited. We have to carefully consider
and choose where to spend our tax dollars to do the most good within a limited budget.
Raising taxes to fund luxury municipal spending would hinder McKinney's competitiveness
and economic success and place an undue burden on already financially stressed families. I
want to make sure we're thoroughly evaluating, making the best choices possible for our
city and effectively communicating with our citizens and business leaders.
Tracy Rath
Biographical Info:
Name: Tracy Rath
Street Address: 2403 Cayenne Drive
City/Town: McKinney
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 05-02-1963
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-578-9561
Home Phone Number: 214-548-4587
Mobile Phone Number: 214-578-9561
Fax Number: 214-548-4587
E-mail Address: tracy@tracyrath.com
Campaign Web Site Address: tracyrath.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 20+ years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 15 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Community Volunteer
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: McKinney Community Development Corporation Board Chair, MCDC Human Resources
and Marketing Committee Member, Rotary Club of McKinney Paul Harris Fellow and Public
Relations Chair, Collin County Conservative Republicans Board of Directors, Stonebridge
Ranch Ladies Association Fundraising Co-Chair, McKinney Economic Development Alliance,
McKinney Alliance, McKinney Economic Development Corporation Liaison, Citizens Fire
Academy Class of 2011, Relay for Life Team Member, McKinney Historic Neighborhood
Association.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: McKinney Community Development Corporation, Parks Board Liaison, McKinney
Convention and Visitors Bureau Liaison, Courthouse Sub-Committee Chair, Rotary Club of
McKinney Paul Harris Fellow and Rotarian of the Year 2009, Heard-Craig Center for the
Arts-Trustee, McKinney Family YMCA Board of Directors and Partners in Youth Fundraising
Chair as well as 1997 Samuel G. Winstead Volunteer of the Year, City of McKinney Bond
Committee (2), and McKinney Independent School District Bond Committee, Leadership
McKinney Graduate 2010, Citizens Police Academy 2010 Graduate, Stonebridge Ranch
Ladies Association, Rebuilding Neighborhoods Team Captain, McKinney Parade of Lights
Co-Chair, McKinney Make a Difference Day, McKinney Youth Leadership Mentor.
Q: Education
A: Certified Tourism Ambassador Certification 2010 City of McKinney Supervisor
Certification Attended University of Arkansas Jacksonville High School 1981
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $10,330.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Scott Smith, Bill Darling, Sherry Tucker David, Robert O'Donnell
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am seeking to serve the citizens of District II because I believe that someone with my
volunteer experience and common sense approach can be an asset to the City Council. I
have a long track record of volunteering and leading projects to a successful completion.
Having previously worked as a City of McKinney employee, I understand the budgeting
process and inner workings of our city government. I have attended City Council meetings
for over 5 years now and remain fully involved in the day to day issues facing our
community. As current Chair of the McKinney Community Development Corporation I
constantly strive to collaborate with community partners to ensure that we maintain that
same Quality of Life and Place that our residents expect and deserve. Since being elected
Board Chair by my peers my number one priority has been to represent the Board openly
and honestly, constantly engaging and communicating to ensure they receive the same
information I do. I work with our amazing staff to implement policies and procedures that
makes our processes more open, consistent and accessible to our constituency even when
not required by law to do so. I tackle the tough issues by doing my homework, soliciting
expert opinions, and communicating and coordinating with our public to ensure that their
voices are heard.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Immediately after election we will begin the budget process. My first order of business
will be to review the recommendations of the City Manager and look for savings within the
line item budget to ensure that we continue to operate a balanced budget, while continuing
to provide quality services to our residents without increasing taxes or decreasing our
reserves. Secondly I will look for opportunities to better communicate and collaborate with
our various organizations promoting economic development to increase our commercial
tax base. My third action will be to raise awareness within my district and citizen
participation in important City issues. I will continue to listen and reach out and meet with
my constituents on a regular basis so that I can carry their messages and not my own to
City Hall.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have been attending City Council meetings and been engaged in issues facing our city
for years prior to my decision to run for this office. I have spent a tremendous amount of
time to learn and understand the various aspects of how our city works. I believe in an
open and public forum when dealing with government issues and will ensure open and
transparent debate, just as I have implemented since being elected McKinney Community
Development Corporation (4B) Board Chair by my peers. I understand that as a
representative of District II, my responsibility will be to communicate with my
constituency and carry their message forward.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: As the number 5 best place to live in the nation according to Money Magazine, McKinney
hasn't had an issue with attracting residential growth. Attracting commercial development
has proven to be a bit more difficult and is my number two priority. The three challenges
that need to be addressed are: communication, coordination and implementation. We
need increased communication and coordination between the entities that provide
economic development incentives including: City of McKinney, McKinney Economic
Development Corporation, Community Development Corporation and McKinney
Convention and Visitors Bureau. This coordination insures that we are all on the same page
and provides for a better informed citizenry. We should also utilize private sector resources
like our Chamber of Commerce representatives. Finally, the implementation of best
practices identified in the Zucker Report, ultimately streamlining the development process.
My number one priority is budgetary. A balanced budget and sound fiscal policies will
ultimately help attract commercial development to our city. I believe we as a City can do a
much better job.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Our population has increased 141 percent since the last census. We have had an
increase in our Hispanic population which currently makes up about 17 percent of our
population. We have also had an increase in families with young children. Our McKinney
Independent School District alone has over 24,000 students and we have six other school
districts in our city limits. We have been the fastest or one of the top three fastest growing
communities in the country for the past several years which raises challenges for our city
in meeting our citizens' needs. Our Chamber of Commerce, as a result of their Leadership
McKinney Program is currently evaluating the specific needs of our fast growing Hispanic
population. As a 2010 graduate of this program, I understand and appreciate the value
that volunteers will bring to this endeavor. I believe that this is the appropriate response at
this time. We will also be tasked with redistricting this year as a result of our changes in
population.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I believe the issue of illegal immigration should be addressed on a national and state
level. However, after graduating from our Citizens Police Academy I understand the
challenges that our officers face with this issue. When an individual is arrested for
committing an illegal offense, the first thing that is requested is proof of identity. If a
driver's license, social security number or fingerprints cannot prove an individual's identity
then the assumption will be made that the individual is here illegally and they will be
promptly transported to the Collin County Sheriff's Office. Our McKinney Police Department
does not charge them with the illegal immigration offense, only the original arresting
offense. I would not support The City of McKinney becoming a sanctuary City.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor it, of course, but the more difficult question is how to fund a seamless regional
transit system that ensures service to our community and also is viewed as fair to those
who have paid into the system for years. The current funding model does not provide the
answer. I would not support giving up our 4a or 4b sales tax to fund a system when we
currently have so many needs and such limited funds to enhance our quality of life and
provide incentives for economic development projects.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Certainly transportation, economic development, and budget constraints will continue to
affect our quality of life in the North Texas area. I will spend my time learning about issues
that face McKinney as well as our sister cities and look for opportunities to work together
so that our entire region flourishes. As an example, a neighboring City may "land" the
huge corporate client, but McKinney's role could be the corporate jets that so typically
accompany corporate relocations. These opportunities will only be successful if we have
built trust among other cities in our North Texas region.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Absolutely, McKinney has continuously had one of the lowest employees to citizen ratios
in the metroplex. We have always been very frugal from a staffing perspective, but at
what cost? When, as a resident I consider what quality of life is to me, my expectations
are that my family and property are safe, that in the event of an emergency there is
adequate personnel to respond, my trash and recycling gets picked up weekly and that I
have plenty of water coming out of the faucet when I am thirsty. We must continue to
communicate with our contracted service providers IESI and North Texas Municipal Water
District to ensure our residents are receiving the best service at the best value. Our Police
Officers and Firefighters are concerned about providing our residents the highest level of
service but their manpower is strained. Our benchmark cities currently average 1.6 Police
Officers per 1000 citizens. With our current population approaching 123,000 that equates to
211 sworn officers, we have 161. While participating in The Citizens Fire Academy this
Spring I have learned that our McKinney Fire Department, currently with 167 Fire
Personnel, 145 of those on the front lines is about 40 firefighters short. What does this
ultimately mean for our personnel and our citizens? I am concerned about the long term
effects of this approach to staffing and will strive to look for creative approaches to address
this issue. I am committed to being fiscally conservative and operating McKinney with a
balanced budget and not increasing the tax rate so a "creative approach" will be key in this
endeavor.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The City had budgeted for a 2 1/2% decrease in revenue and ultimately had less than .5
percent last year so I am optimistic about that conservative approach. We need to do as a
City what most American families have done, separate the “needs from the wants”. We
must strive to communicate with our City employees (not just from a Director level) and
engage their expertise in looking for efficiencies. Pursue opportunities to collaborate with
other entities when it comes to employee training, maintenance, planning and other areas.
By reviewing the budget, line by line and questioning every opportunity for savings I
believe this can be accomplished.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: In my opinion, we have missed out on economic development and recreational
opportunities because of more concern over their location and who would receive credit
than what makes sense for our city. I want all of McKinney to be successful and believe
that each specific area has their own unique qualities. Our Historic District, Craig Ranch,
Adriatica and other areas all offer different qualities that our diverse population can
appreciate. Let's come together as a City and continue to Move McKinney forward...we will
all benefit when that happens.
Al Forsythe
Biographical Info:
Name: Al Forsythe
Street Address: 4209 Aralia St
City/Town: Mesquite
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 24 July 1934
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-754-4255
Home Phone Number:
Mobile Phone Number: 972-754-4255
E-mail Address: alforsythe1934@att.net
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 50 yrs,1961
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 50 yrs, 1961
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired, Texas Instruments Inc.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Mesquite Planning & Zoning Commission, 5 yrs Mesquite Parks & Recreation Board, 7
yrs AARP Tax-Aide Volunteer, 1 yr
Q: Education
A: BS/Computer Science, Texas A&M Commerce, 1978
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Mesquite City Council, 3 yrs, 2008 thru current date
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None as of 7 April, 2011
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Mesquite Firefighters Assn Mesquite Police Assn Self
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have a vested interest in maintaining Mesquite's Quality of Life
(safety,convenience,opportunity) now and in the future for my family and the citizens of
Mesquite. And my past 3 years as a councilman have prepared me to contribute to
solutions for the many inner-ring city problems Mesquite is facing as our state and nation
strive to recover from a recession and deficit spending.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Advocate for move-up housing (Ridge Ranch Addition, Lucas Farms Addition) Increased
activity in Economic Development - Capstar data center employment, Peachtree Centre
development, Rodeo area development, light rail planning, Industrial park utilization (due
to Panama Canal widening to be complete in 2013) Continued progress in Project Renewal
(older neighborhoods revitalization)
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: 3 years of council experience; already up a steep learning curve and exposure to a wide
assortment of city-related circumstances and policy challenges. Also, my years of service
prior to council on the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Parks and Recreation
Board give me an insight into the inner workings of city government my opponent does
not have.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Residential: 'Move up' or aspirational housing has been sorely lacking in Mesquite. Now
we have the opportunity to remedy this shortcoming with the planned development of the
Ridge Ranch and Lucas Farms additions. Commercial: There is available industrial space in
our business parks. There is also some existing commercial and office space available.
And we have the newly converted Western Electric facility into a Data Center complex of
up to 4 separate data centers. All of these areas will be marketed carefully to assure
orderly and value-added development.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Mesquite demographics are changing. There is greater diversity by both age and
ethnicity. The city must provide opportunities for new arrivals to assimilate into our Texas
and American cultures.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Currently the Mesquite Police Dept contacts ICE (a federal agency) for disposition of
illegal immigration issues. This is the City's policy and avoids duplication of rules and
regulations by any state or city ordinances.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: The city of Mesquite is pursuing light rail through Mesquite to the Mesquite Metro Airport
from a western terminal near the Dart system at Lawnview (Green line). The Mesquite rail
line does not actually tie into the Dart system. The Mesquite rail line is considering private
financing and/or grant money for it's funding.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Regional air and water quality control, which is probably already under consideration by
one or more of our existing regional organizations.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes. Many city services may be accessed now by use of online requests. And the City
water bill may now be paid online. Mesquite has been proactive in providing these
conveniences for it's citizens.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The Mesquite city staff has done an exceptional job of guiding the city through 3 years
of declining revenues without incurring additional debt and minimizing cuts to city
services. Staff reductions have occured only through attrition. No tax increases have been
made during this period. The city has tapped reserve funds only as necessary to meet our
bare-bones budgets. Hopefully, this recessionary cycle is coming to an end in 2012.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Mesquite needs a better balance of available residential housing. We have a major
shortage of 'Move up' or higher-end housing.
Brad T. Underwood
Biographical Info:
Name: Brad T. Underwood
Street Address: 921 Via Coroando
City/Town: Mesquite
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 01/29/69
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 9724604055
Home Phone Number: 9722799487
Mobile Phone Number: 4692334213
Fax Number: 9727041713
E-mail Address: brad@mesquitefirst.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.mesquitefirst.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: most of 42 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: most of 42 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Citibank, Problem Management Analyst
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Mesquite Pregnancy Resource Center Walk for Life supporter Heroes of Mesquite Board
Member (Mesquite Veterans Memorial Foundation)
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Coached youth football for many years Habitat for Humanity volunteer worker United
Way Vice Chair and Team Captain at Citibank Mesquite Pregnancy Resource Center Walk
for Life supporter Heroes of Mesquite Board Member (Mesquite Veterans Memorial
Foundation) State Political Convention Delegate
Q: Education
A: Attended Fountaing Gate Bible College, Plano Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: 2009 Mesquite City Council
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $1,025.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Brad and Kathy Underwood Other small contributors
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: no
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have always been involved in my community, my Mesquite church home, sports
programs, and others. I want to give back to the community that I have lived in for almost
42 years because this community has given my family so much. In addition I will bring
new ideas, new approaches, and new energy to the council.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: Move to make the city government more open and accessible to the public by moving
the city council sessions to 6:00 pm from 3:00 pm, implement term limits for all elected
city officials, begin to schedule regular town hall meetings in our schools and churches to
begin a more open dialogue with our constituents where they live. All three of my
objectives can be implemented with little or no cost.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I strongly believe that public servants should be held to the highest standards. I have
an impeccable reputation for honesty and integrity. I am and shall be available to my
constituents. I have made my phone number and email address public. Many citizens’
concerns require a timely response. That is why when I am elected, I will make sure that
anyone who wants to contact me will be able to do so directly as opposed to having to call
the City of Mesquite’s main number, leave a message, then wait for him to call you back.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting new business development is critical because it gives citizens job
opportunities as well as the ability to shop locally. In addition it will increase our tax base.
With the cost of transportation rising, it will become even more critical that people can
live, work, and play near their Mesquite homes. I see this as an opportunity to both
improve the quality of life and the quantity of opportunities. There are large sections of
Mesquite’s interstate and state highway frontages that are undeveloped and under
developed. For example, both sides of Interstate 30 from the Dallas city limits to 635
should have been targeted as a focal point for development.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Mesquite is growing like many of the northern Dallas County communities. We have a
relatively stable community; many of our older neighborhoods are still occupied by the
original homeowners. That is true for many of our businesses also, which gives Mesquite a
hometown feeling. I think this strong sense of community should be translated through our
city services and Mesquite schools to help new residents feel at home.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Although illegal immigration is primarily a federal issue, our police department can play
a positive role by identifying individuals who have been arrested so that they can be
reported to I.C.E.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I believe that in the longterm the entire Metroplex should be interconnected with a
seamless regional transportation system. There is legislation in Austin being proposed that
would make it easier for cities like Mesquite to become connected. I would support
Mesquite becoming part of the regional mass transit as long as it does not burden our
residents through increased property taxes.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Regional economic growth will benefit everyone in North Texas. I know that several
Dallas County cities have sponsored foreign trade delegations, and some have even
traveled abroad. I want Mesquite to partner with other area cities to better compete in the
world market. North Texas in general and Mesquite’s proximity to several major highways
and rail make this an ideal area to locate businesses.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I think the city employees do an outstanding job for our residents; however, I do have
concerns over the hundreds of millions of dollars of unfunded liability the city has accrued
in the employee retirement fund. I value the service of all of the city employees and
believe it is the city council’s responsibility to address this issue in a manner that will
ensure that when our employees retire there will be sufficient funds to cover the city’s
obligations.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Mesquite residents are struggling to meet their personal financial obligations and that is
why I was glad to see that the proposed $0.01 property tax increase was defeated last
September. I am not in favor of raising taxes or city fees because I believe they are
counterproductive to Mesquite’s competitive edge. I am in favor of increasing our tax base
by attracting new businesses and supporting the existing businesses here today.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: In looking at past city council agendas I have noticed the large number of executive
sessions. I then looked at other cities’ past council agendas and was surprised how
infrequent executive sessions are in those cities. My concern is how open and transparent
are our city council meetings. For example, at the April 4th council meeting a citizen during
citizen comments was gaveled to silence when he attempted to address an issue sensitive
to many council members personally. He was referring to a recent article in a national
journal that used Mesquite’s bond junkets to New York City as a bad example of what
should never be done. The council used the excuse that this was a personnel issue, and
they blocked his freedom of speech; however, the issue deals with the city council
members themselves who are elected officials and not city personnel.
David Fitzgerald
Biographical Info:
Name: David Fitzgerald
Street Address: 1837 Palo Alto Drive
City/Town: Mesquite
State: Texas
Date of Birth: October 27, 1966
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (214) 267-8747
Home Phone Number: N/A
Mobile Phone Number: (214) 335-3489
Fax Number: None
E-mail Address: David@FitzForMesquite.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.FitzForMesquite.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 15 Years Total.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 10 Years.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Senior Valuation Specialist
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: President - Texas National Tae Kwon Do Federation Member - Mesquite Area Republican
Club
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: President - Mesquite Area Republican Club Treasurer - Texas National Tae Kwon Do
Federation Secretary - Texas National Tae Kwon Do Federation Republican Precinct 2302
Chairman Mesquite Board of Adjustment Mesquite Automated Traffic Signal Enforcement
Advisory Committee
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Public Address - The University of North Texas
Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences - Eastfield College
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $2,800
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: David & Theresa Fitzgerald MetroTex Association of Realtors Many Small Contributors
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: In 2010, I was elected as Republican Precinct 2302 Chairman
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: At a young age I learned the importance of service to God and country in the Boy
Scouts. I see serving on the Mesquite City Council as a way for me to further my service to
my community. I have always held myself to a high standard of honesty and integrity and
will work for all of the citizens of Mesquite. I value honest and open communication
between citizens, city employees, and the city council. I have learned the importance of
new ideas, perspectives, and innovations that improve an organization’s effectiveness.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I think citizens’ involvement with their government is important, so my first two items
address that issue. 1. I would push to move the city council meeting from its current 3:00
p.m. afternoon time to an evening 7:00 p.m. time to allow more citizens the opportunity
to attend council meetings. This can be accomplished without additional cost by allowing
comp time for employees who are required to work later. 2. There are many qualified
citizens who, if given the opportunity, would serve on the city council. I believe having
term limits for council members would allow more citizens the opportunity to serve. There
would be very little additional cost involved if a charter item is added to a normally
scheduled election. 3. I would make it easier for businesses to come to, start up, and
operate in Mesquite. There are several things that can be done to accomplish this. First, I
would create a single point of contact at city hall. This would allow a business to call a
designated city employee for all of their needs as they build or renovate their building.
There would be little or no additional cost to the city budget.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I will be open and accessible to citizens — I have published my phone number and
email address. Once elected, I will ask that this information be posted on the city website
and included in appropriate city publications; because I believe if you’re going to serve the
community, you must be available to the community. Sadly, only one current council
member publishes his personal contact information. To reach my opponent you have to call
his work number during business hours or call city hall and leave a message. I have not
and will not accept campaign funds from employee groups that I will later have to make
budget decisions that would affect that group. Unfortunately, that has not always been the
case, and the city faces hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded mandates. My opponent
is sitting and waiting for the budget-broke state legislature to fix our problem.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting residential and commercial development to Mesquite is very important and
ranks as one of my highest priorities. It is important for Mesquite to develop a reputation
as a “business friendly” city. With our proximity to highways I-635, I-30, I-20, Hwy 80, and
eventually the George Bush Turnpike, we are in a unique position within the Metroplex to
offer both residential and commercial opportunities. As the cost of fuel continues to rise,
Mesquite will have a much stronger position for economic development, which I believe
will limit our need to provide tax and other incentives to attract new growth.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Mesquite has had modest increases in population, which currently stands at slightly over
139,824 (2010 U.S. Census). As a first-tier suburb, we have a limited amount of
undeveloped space left and are facing build-out; therefore, we need to concentrate on
quality development. Because of our location, I believe Mesquite can grow as we make
development easier without having to provide excessively large tax incentives.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The City of Mesquite should implement the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) Agency's Criminal Alien Program (CAP), similar to what other cities have
implemented. CAP will allow the police department to identify those inmates who are
illegal aliens so that ICE can place detainees on a list to process them for removal so that
they are not released into the general public.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: With the increase of gasoline prices, increasing population, and lack of funding for road
maintenance and new road construction, a seamless regional transit system will become
increasingly necessary. I would be in favor of Mesquite becoming part of a regional transit
system as long as it does not increase property taxes. I have been following HB 1742
which, if passed, will make it easier for Mesquite to become a part of the regional system.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Our region, state, and nation have long suffered as jobs have been moved offshore.
Now with the higher cost of fuel and political unrest in other countries, it is time we begin
to “on-shore” jobs. Our region’s transportation system, skilled workforce, and low tax
rates make this an ideal place to move and grow a business. If Mesquite and North Texas
pull together, we can aggressively market ourselves to the world.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The City of Mesquite does a good job of delivering services to taxpayers. However,
there is always room for improvement. For example, one local city has an app for smart
phones so that citizens can submit a photo of a possible code violation, needed street or
sidewalk repair, or other similar issue. The smart phone’s GPS location and time are
automatically included with the photo so the issue can be addressed quickly and efficiently.
Embracing such technology will help to make city government more efficient and cost
effective.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The current city council was able to pass the 2011 budget without implementing service
cuts, layoffs, or a tax increase. However, with decreasing property values, reduced sales
tax revenues, and increasing fuel and healthcare cost, the Mesquite City Council will need
to make tough decisions in the future. One cost saving idea is to extend the time that a job
opening must remain vacant to 60 or 90 days to see if it truly must be filled. Another idea
would be to have new employees work as contract labor for 90 to 180 days to make it
easier to terminate them if they prove not to be a good fit. Furthermore, wasteful
spending on pet projects like Mesquite's own "Bridge to Nowhere" must stop.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: There is a serious lack of leadership and transparency on the current city council and in
the city management. An example is a recently reported race down Beltline Road by two
of the city ambulances which never resulted in a public investigation. That’s not surprising
since all but one of the city council members’ campaigns have been heavily (thousands of
dollars) funded by that employee association (union). Another example is that the city has
not disclosed to the citizens the amount of money paid to the Target store developer for an
undevelopable piece of land adjacent to the store as a way of funneling taxpayer money to
that developer.
Dennis Tarpley
Biographical Info:
Name: Dennis Tarpley
Street Address: 712 Violet Ct.
City/Town: Mesquite
State: TX
Date of Birth: 11/28/1950
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-613-1002
Home Phone Number: 972-288-1273
Fax Number: 972-613-1516
E-mail Address: dennis@mesquitecpa.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 37 Years, 11 months
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: Same
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Certified Public Accountant
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Council Member Information: Dennis Tarpley (Deputy Mayor Pro Tem) City Council
Place 6 City of Mesquite P.O. Box 850137 Mesquite, Texas 75185-0137 Office:
972-613-1002 Occupation: CPA First Elected: 2003 Mesquite resident since: 1973
Community Activities: Rotary Club of Mesquite (Board Member) Lucas Farms Tax
Increment Finance Reinvestment Zone No. 6 Ridge Ranch Tax Increment Finance
Reinvestment Zone No. 5 Falcon's Lair Tax Increment Finance Reinvestment Zone No. 4,
Chairman Mesquite Health Facilities Development Corporation Mesquite Housing Finance
Corporation Board
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Mesquite Chamber of Commerce, Chairman Mesquite Quality of Life Corporation,
President Exchange Club of Mesquite, President Keep Mesquite Beautiful, Inc., Chairman
Historic Mesquite Foundation Trustee
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas 1973
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: To Date - None
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: N/A
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for re-election to this office because I feel I still have many things to offer.
It takes several years in office to feel comfortable making suggestions, proposing ideas, or
just understanding what is going on. Most people think they can just walk in and pick up
where the previous member left off, but there is a lot of history on many issues that has to
be learned before a councilmember can be effective. As an accountant, I have almost 40
years of experience dealing with problem solving and analyzing data. My background in
accounting has also helped in working with the budget process. Since future budget years
will be even more challenging, I believe my expertise in this area will continue to be an
asset for the council.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I would continue to work hard to improve the safety and integrity of older
neighborhoods. We have begun improvements to infrastructure in these aging areas to
encourage homeowners to improve their properties. I also want to continue working to
bring legitimate move-up homes and neighborhoods to Mesquite to encourage our children
to return after college, as well as encourage our young professionals to stay here. Finally, I
want continue to increase our tax base – both commercial and sales tax related. This is the
only way we can keep our property tax rate one of the lowest in North Texas.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I believe I have the financial background and civic experience to better cope with and
understand the issues facing Mesquite citizens today.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: I believe one of the most important issues facing the council is directly tied to producing
more revenue for the general fund. Mesquite has one of the lowest tax rates in North
Texas. I want to keep it that way. Therefore, we need to find new funding sources. This
means more economic and residential development. We currently have two quality
residential developments ready to start if only the economy would cooperate. More
residential roof tops means more restaurant and retail development which will boost our
already increasing sales tax. By increasing our property values and sales tax base, we can
generate new revenue and hopefully avoid a tax rate increase in future years.
Encouraging more industry to come to Mesquite usually means offering incentives. I am
not opposed to giving incentives to new business under the right circumstances. I have
voted to do so in the past. However, I do not want us to be frivolous with our incentive
program. I have also voted against incentive programs because I did not believe they
were necessary to get the business. I believe we have to be smart about these issues and
not give away tax dollars when it is not necessary. One of the things we determined as a
council a few years ago was that Mesquite’s image needed to be addressed. We have
worked hard on improving it over the past 5 years, and now it is paying off. You can see
necessary in the next two years. We will continue to seek out both industry and sales tax
related economic development. I think we will be able to increase our revenues in the next
two years, even if our existing property values decline.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Mesquite’s per-capita income is very low in relation to most of our neighboring cities.
We need to improve our housing stock with move-up houses in order to encourage higher
income and higher educated families to stay in Mesquite and not move to the outer ring
suburbs. I think we have much more to offer in amenaties than the cities further out, but
we currently do not have the housing needed to keep those citizens in Mesquite. I am
working diligently to make that happen.
André Davidson
Biographical Info:
Name: Andre' Davidson
Street Address: 2713 Royal Troon Drive
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: December 7, 1945
Mobile Phone Number: 214-914-5992
Fax Number: 972-649-6688
E-mail Address: andre@andredavidson.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.andredavidson.com
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/v/xOau68tGYeU&hl=en
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 33 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 25 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Plano City Council, The Medical Center of Plano Board of Trustees, Meals on Wheels,
Plano Chamber of Commerce, National League of Cities Energy, Environment & Natural
Resources Steering Committee, Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church-Eucharistic Minister
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Graduate of Leadership Plano, Plano Citizens Police Academy and Plano Citizens Fire
Academy; Former chair/president of PISD Education Foundation, Volunteer Center of Collin
County, Leadership Plano Executive Board, Mayor's Community Outreach Task Force, Plano
Youth Leadership Board, Collin Classic Bicycle Ride (founding director); member of City
House Board, Plano Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board, Plano Emergency Volunteer
Management Task Force, Junior League of Plano Advisory Board, Junior Achievement
(volunteer teacher); Awards/Recognition: 2005 Plano Citizen of the Year, Leadership Plano
Distinguished Leadership Award, UTD General Studies Outstanding Alumnus, Collin County
Children's Advocacy Center "Thanks for Mentoring Award", first recipient/namesake for the
"Andre' Davidson Spirit of Volunteerism Award".
Q: Education
A: BA, University of Texas at Dallas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Plano City Council Place 3
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: As of April 7, 2011, I have raised $13,986.
Cathy Fang
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Q: Plano is a charter member of DART. Has the city reaped the benefits of transit service,
and what, if any, changes would you make?
A: - no response -
Jim Duggan
Biographical Info:
Name: James F. Duggan
Street Address: 5500 Seapines Drive
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 6-17-56
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-980-9686 #112
Home Phone Number: 972-378-3781
Mobile Phone Number: 214-801-9940
Fax Number: 972-980-9705
E-mail Address: jim@duggan4plano.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.duggan4plano.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 15 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: N/A
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: President & CEO of Duggan Realty Advisors, LLC a full service real estate service firm
established in 1992 headquartered in Plano.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am currently an active Board of Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County. I
have served in this capacity for the past four years and served as Chairman of its One
Campaign for the prior two years. In addition, my wife and I are strong supporters of
various children's charities such as City House, Childrens Advocacy Center, CASA, Cystic
Fibrosis and other worthy causes.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have served as Chairman of the City of Plano's Planning & Zoning Commission for the
past four years and have been on the commission for five years. In addition, I am
President of the WRCE Home Owners Association and am an active member in the Plano
Chamber of Commerce, Frisco Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Realtors,
the Texas Real Estate Commission and North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors.
Q: Education
A: I graduated with a double major in Accounting and Finance from the University of Iowa
in 1978. In 1979 I received my CPA certificate while working for a national public
accounting firm and have been a licensed real estate broker in the State of Texas since
1989.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: This is my first candidacy for public office.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $20,000 to date.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Mike and Lisa Engels, David and Caryl Cherry, and Dr. John and Renee Peloza.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for Plano City Council Place 5 because I am deeply committed to serving
our community. Serving on the City Council is the highest form of City public service. I am
the most qualified candidate in my race because of my business experience and time
served on the Plano Planning and Zoning Commission. This combined experience provides
me with an understanding of the important issues and the ability to make difficult decisions
when necessary. In addition, my financial background as a CPA combined with my business
relationships developed over the past 26 years makes me uniquely qualified to serve on
the City Council. Chairing the Plano Planning and Zoning commission has sharpened my
leadership skills and ability to understand and analzye land use and zoning issues which
account for many of the decisions voted on by the City Council.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: When elected my top three priorities will be: 1. Maintain the high quality of public
safety and city services by efficiently using city resources. 2.Establish strong partnerships
with businesses to keep Plano a vibrant employment center. 3.Utilize my business and
financial experience to promote new development in both residential and commercial
properties. I will use a collaborative approach between the City Council, staff and our
stakeholders to seek ways to establish public and private partnerships to fund new
developments and pursue the use of technology to create efficiencies. During the budget
process I will work to provide additional resources to our Economic Development
Corporation to allow them to increase their activities.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: One of the key differences is my experience in running a successful business for the past
20 years, which has developed my decision making ability and allows me to understand
the impact of long and short decisions made. Another key difference is my sevice as
Chairman of Plano's Planning and Zoning Commission for the past four years which has
provided me with a clear insight of how the City of Plano operates. The combination of
these qualities will allow me to be an effective City Councilman immediately, and that is
why I am the best candidate for City Council Place 5.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting commercial development is a top priority because it leads to job creation
which in turn will strengthen our demand for housing. In cooperation with our Economic
Development Corporation, the City Council has done an excellent job in attracting new
businesses and creating jobs over the past few years. Coporate relocations such as Cigna,
Encana, and Pizza Hut have brought thousands of new jobs to Plano.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Plano is a maturing city that is changing in age and cultural diversity. As this trend
continues, our housing needs and services should continue to adapt. With increasing
employment centers, we will have an opportunity for more young people to move back to
Plano and help us revitalize areas of our community. I believe our city leaders have done a
good job addressing the needs of our citizens but will need to be proactive going forward to
make sure we continue to address the needs of all our citizens.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The City of Plano's Police Department adheres to the Federal Statues dealing with
immigration and they should continue to do so.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support a seamless regional transportation system. Being a member city of Dart is a
value added service to our citizens. In order to expand our regional transportation system
I will seek mutual cooperation with policy makers on both local, state and federal levels.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Other issues needing regional cooperation include transportation, water and air quality.
As your City Councilman I would participate in regional committees to promote Plano's
interest for the betterment of North Texas.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Plano provides its citizens high quality services in a cost effective manner. Plano's
citizens enjoy one of the lowest tax rates in the metroplex while receiving benefits from
award winning departments.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our current Mayor and City Council have done a great job of cutting expenses and
increasing revenues where possible without having a noticeable effect on city services to
its citizens. The best way to balance the budget going forward is to leverage the use of
Russel Head
Biographical Info:
Name: Russel Head
Street Address: 4664 Old Pond Drive
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 11/9/1960
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972.489.2748
Mobile Phone Number: 972.489.2748
E-mail Address: rhead4664@aol.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.russelhead.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Plano since 1994.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Partner, Texas Alternative Energy Solutions
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Board Member, Assistance Center of Collin County Board Member, Dallas Providence
Homes Board Member, Hendrick Scholarship Foundation Member and International
Director, Plano Sunrise Rotary Member, Legacy Church
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Former Board Member, Dallas Sustainable Skylines Past President, Jasper HS Booster
Club Former Mentor and Coach
Q: Education
A: Creighton University, BA, Political Science 1983
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Candidate, Plano City Council Place 5, 2008
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $6000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Mike Beniot Jeff Reinhardt Bob Cross
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: The economic conditions that are facing our country have certainly effected the way of
life for many in our community. As a board member on several non-profits, I have seen
firsthand the struggles that many in our community experience. Our City has faced the
same financial difficulties, and have taken steps to minimize the effects it has on the
services and support it provides. The upcoming fiscal year will prove even more
avoid this is to do everything we can to drive revenue as fast as we can. We need to think
out of the box and be creative.
Q: Plano is a charter member of DART. Has the city reaped the benefits of transit service,
and what, if any, changes would you make?
A: I addressed this in my comments above.
Matt Lagos
Biographical Info:
Name: Matt Lagos
Street Address: 6500 Burrows Court
City/Town: Plano
State: TX
Date of Birth: August 27, 1978
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-886-5444
Mobile Phone Number: 972-207-2722
Fax Number: 610-423-1991
E-mail Address: mattforplano@yahoo.com
Campaign Web Site Address: mattforplano.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: About 31 Years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Lead Pharmacy Technician
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Leadership Plano - Class 28, active Volunteer in Plano (VIP) and Live Green in Plano
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: City of Plano Self-Sufficiency Committee and Youth Advisory Commission
Q: Education
A: Hold 2 Bachelors of Science Degrees in Accounting and Finance from UT Dallas and
AA-Business from Collin College
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Was elected to UT Dallas Student Government as Student Senator in 2010
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Over $6,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Jack Ternan, Steve Lavine, Matt Lagos
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I bring leadership that stresses new ideas and a new vision for Plano. This includes
three specific proposals: (1) Make Plano the #1 city in the metroplex for new business
startups. (2) Upgrade the Collin Creek Mall and (3) Improve Plano Government efficiency
by Obtaining Ideas and Recommendations from City Employees and Plano Citizens. I also
bring leadership that addresses the most important issues facing Plano: Balance the
Budget, Promote Economic REdevelopment and Revitalize Neighborhoods.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Balance The Budget Responsibly Plano faces growing budget deficits due to a
declining tax base and flat sales tax receipts. The City must cut costs and I will look for
common-sense cuts within the budget. I am not in favor of a budget that puts a larger tax
burden on residents and businesses. 2. Promote Economic RE Development Various areas
of our city are facing increased competition from newer retail and business development in
neighboring cities. I will work with city planners on the new master plan called “Plano
Tomorrow” to find new and creative uses for our aging properties around the city that will
bring new development into Plano. 3. Revitalize Aging Neighborhoods Since 1998, the City
has identified areas needing improvement in a program called “1st Choice
Neighborhoods”. As a member of the Plano City Council, I will ensure this program is fully
funded and continues a strong relationship with these neighborhood associations. As a
Volunteer in Plano (VIP), I value the importance of giving back to the community and will
strongly support any program or initiative that will enhance our older areas of the City.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Taxes: I am not in favor of a budget that puts a larger tax burden on residents and
businesses. My opponents have stated that they are open to a tax increase. New Ideas for
Plano: My opponents have not offered new ideas to improve Plano. My specific proposals
are: (1) New Business Incubator: I will work to make Plano the #1 city in the metroplex
for new business startups through a business incubator that offers free office space,
consulting and access to financing and venture capital. As these companies grow, so will
Plano’s property values and sales tax revenue. This is the only business incubator in the
area that specifically brings new business startups to Plano. The NTEC brings new
businesses to Frisco. The Collin County Small Business Center, funded by the SBA and
State of Texas, and the UTD initiative do not specifically bring small business to Plano. (2)
Upgrade the Collin Creek Mall I have met with General Growth Properties and they are
committed to upgrading the mall. Plano must support this important effort, starting with
improved signage on Central Expressway, which is traveled by 250,000 cars daily. The
Collin Creek Mall pays $71,000,000 in annual taxes to Plano. (3) Improve Plano
Government efficiency by Obtaining Ideas and Recommendations from City Employees and
Plano Citizens. Employees know best where we can increase efficiency and my proposal
will reward them with 15% of the savings. I will distribute the larger checks to employees
at City Council Meetings.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: The City has done a good job in attracting large companies. The challenge is bringing
development/new retail to our older corner shopping centers, in upgrading the Collin
Creek Mall and in attracting new business startups and helping them become successful in
Plano.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Plano continues to become more diverse. Our policies, our governance, must reflect the
increasing diversity of our citizens.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Enforce the Law.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a seamless regional transit system and will aggressively work with our
transportation representatives at the transit systems to ensure the Plano continues to be
an active participant.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The North Texas Municipal Water District includes thirteen member cities. We have a
challenge to ensure fair and equitable billing that meets Plano's current and future water
needs. We currently purchase excess water from NTMWD that Plano citizens do not use.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: The city delivers services in a cost-effective manner. The challenge is balancing revenue
and expenses.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: We are in need of new ideas for Plano. I propose an initiative to make Plano the #1 city
in the metroplex for new business startups. Additionally, I propose that we work with
General Growth Properties to upgrade the mall and streamline Plano government by
asking, and rewarding, our employees and citizens for their best ideas to reduce expenses.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Plano citizens are increasingly shopping in Frisco and Allen. We must work with General
Growth Properties to upgrade the Collin Creek Mall, support the Willow Bend Mall and
Shops at Legacy and support neighborhood shopping centers to retain the sales tax paid by
Plano residents.
Q: Plano is a charter member of DART. Has the city reaped the benefits of transit service,
and what, if any, changes would you make?
A: A Cost-Benefit Analysis must be completed for our DART ongoing investment. We must
be transparent regarding our costs and ridership and communicate the financial data,
including the cost to subsidize a single rider, to our citizenry on a regular basis.
Pat Gallagher
Biographical Info:
Name: Pat Gallagher
Street Address: 6305 Park Meadow Lane
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 02-18-50
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-914-3157
Home Phone Number: 972-378-9152
Mobile Phone Number: 214-914-3157
Fax Number: 972-378-9152
E-mail Address: gallagherpw@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.PatGallagherforPlano.com
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/v/cURv8jWNP00&hl=en
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 20 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: n/a
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Police Officer - Patrol Supervisor, Town of Addison
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Commissioner - Plano Civil Service Commission 2007-2011
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Volunteer Police Officer 9 years, Dallas County Sheriff's Office and Town of Addison
Q: Education
A: Jesuit College Preparatory, Phoenix, AZ University of New Mexico, BA History Attended
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law Alumnus Stanford University Executive
Management Program
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: none
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $15,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: self-funded
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am a candidate for Plano City Council - Place 7 because there are critical decisions
ahead for our city which require leadership, experience and a proven track record of
success. My professional background includes management positions with two of the most
admired companies in the world, IBM and Philips, and Corporate Officer positions with two
of the most successful publicly traded corporations in North Texas, CompuTrac and AMX. I
am the former Chairman of Plano’s Civil Service Commission and currently serve the Town
of Addison as a public servant – Police Officer. These credentials are evidence of a leader
who is qualified, experienced, involved and has earned the right to seek the position of
Plano City Council member.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. I will support efforts to maintain and enhance our Public Safety Services so we may
continue to feel safe and secure in our homes and businesses. 2. I will focus on strategies
to make life easier for businesses and developers to create economic opportunities and
broaden our tax revenue base. 3. I will not balance the budget with more furloughs and
layoffs of employees who keep the parks clean, the libraries open and the recreation
centers operating. Hopefully, Plano can continue to provide superior services without a tax
increase. I pledge to maintain an open mind on this and other issues and base decisions on
balance and informed judgment, but Plano will not lose its status as a great service
provider on my watch. How will the city pay for the actions I would take if elected? The
2010-11 operating budget assumptions do not propose reducing the budget for Public
Safety Services. Funding for the Economic Development Incentive Program is projected to
remain at current 2 cents on the tax rate and most likely will not be reduced. I fully
support these budget items.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I urge voters to closely monitor the resumes of the three candidates running for Place
7. Remove the names from the resumes and simply look at the credentials that would lead
you to believe they are prepared to manage an enterprise with 2,000 employees, 270,000
residents, millions of visitors and a strained budget of $400 million. If you have
successfully managed a million customers, recruited, hired, fired, trained, developed,
promoted a thousand employees, I would vote for you. If your experience includes
managing a budget in the tens of millions of dollars and includes the challenges of making
a payroll each month in tough economic times, I would vote for you. Plano is a big,
complex business. Hire City Council candidates that have successfully managed big,
complex businesses. I am the only candidate in Place 7 meeting those criteria.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting residential and commercial development is a top 3 priority for Plano
alongside public safety and balanced budget. How would I evaluate the job our city has
done to date in attracting such development? I’ll list our city leader’s accomplishments:
The Dallas Business Journal selected Plano for “Best Real Estate Deals of the Year”: • Pizza
Hut Corporation • Encana Oil & Gas • Denbury Resources • Hyundai Capital America Plano
maintains a diversity of quality business parks from Legacy to Granite Park to International
Business Park to Research/Technology Crossroads to 190 Corridor. Plano’s Mayor and
Economic Development team exceeded all performance goals for 2010. Note: Residential
development will continue to lag until housing values, consumer spending and
unemployment numbers improve.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Enter any Plano ISD classroom to see the state’s shifting demographics. A little more
than 20% of Plano ISD’s students are Hispanic, up from 10% a year ago. Asian students
make up 19% and African American students account for 10% of the student population.
The percentage of white students has dropped from 90% to 51%. How has the city been
dealing with those changes? It appears Plano draws quality people regardless of
demographics. Here’s the proof: • Ranked Most Affluent City with population of 250,000 or
more – Forbes • Lowest poverty rate 6.3% - Forbes • Ranked Best Place to Live – Money
Matters • Top Three Suburbs to Live Well – Forbes 2010 I will continue to support the
legacy of Plano’s world class quality of life reputation.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Between 7 and 20 million immigrants are estimated to be living in the United States
illegally. Immigration has been a long standing issue in the United States, creating
immense controversy. Police Officers are not immigration officials. The Center for
Immigration Studies recommends allowing local police discretion whether to run legal
status checks on people detained. Dangerous felony suspects are always checked and
traffic violation offenders seldom checked. As a Police Officer, I agree with that strategy
and do not wish to see mandates compelling our officers to focus on immigration issues
that do not directly affect public safety of our citizens.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: The Transportation Network in Plano is a critical component of the city’s development
pattern. Great cities have great transportation and a transportation system impacts
quality of life issues such as air quality, accessibility and choice of transportation modes.
Plano is not in a position to reduce traffic congestion and increase roadway capacity by
adding more lanes of pavement. Instead, the city must rely on approaches that reduce the
level of vehicular travel on its roadways, particularly during peak hours. A seamless
regional transit system simply allows smooth movement from one transit mode to another
without the hassles of driving and parking a car. Buses, Light Rail and bicycles represent an
alternative to the typical suburban automobile. I support providing Plano residents with a
variety of transportation options. I will work closely with County, State and Federal
agencies to develop a public/private partnership to fund these projects. I endorse the City
of Plano Comprehensive Transportation Plan (updated March 2008) and recommend all
residents become familiar with this document. Transportation is an essential service and
should be subsidized from public funds as necessary to provide a satisfactory level of
service for all residents.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The Arts of Collin County project - The City of Frisco ballot initiative scheduled for May
14th asking voters whether they support the revocation of authorization of the remaining
16.4 million in bonds previously approved to build a Performing Arts Center will be closely
monitored by Plano and Allen residents. Frisco support is critical to move forward with the
project. I have attempted to reach out to elected officials in Allen, Carrollton, Parker,
McKinney and Murphy and plan to establish relationships with officials of each city that
shares common boundaries with Plano. I will also encourage regional partnerships with
elected Collin County and State officials and will propose quarterly regional City Council
meetings to discuss issues of mutual benefit.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe former City Manager Muehlenbeck performed at world class levels in
producing cost effective services to taxpayers. I support City Manager Glasscock and am
confident he will exceed all expectations in delivering value to our residents and
businesses. Further, our city is well prepared to survive and thrive in a tough economic
climate due to the skill set of our Mayor, Phil Dyer. As you can tell, I am not a disgruntled
citizen running for City Council. I simply believe we’d better hire the most experienced and
talented men and women we can recruit for City Council because the management job is
unlike any economic challenge our city has faced in many years. City Services will not
deteriorate on my watch!
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The current leadership has increased revenue from fees and fines a total of $2.5 million
and reduced expenditures from budget by $32.5 million. They have eliminated 129 full
time positions and 17 part-time positions, delayed staffing Fire Station 13 for a reduction of
$1.8 million, outsourced the Douglas Community Center for $508,000 savings, and frozen
employee salaries. I would give current leadership a grade of A for weathering the
economic storm. On May 15, at least two new members will be elected to our Council.
Property tax revenue, sales tax revenue and unemployment numbers are not likely to
change by any measurable amount, so how are we going to spend our money in the
future? I work for the taxpayers and if they want to balance the budget on the backs of our
employees and reduction in services, then I am well-prepared and trained to make that
happen. But, I will urge voters base their decisions on accepting a small tax increase with
balance and informed judgment. Should revenue remain flat, basic maintenance of a
city’s infrastructure always trumps other service requests. The areas that traditionally
suffer are Libraries, Parks and Recreation Centers.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Until housing values rise, consumer spending increases and unemployment numbers
improve, we will balance our budget by spending less (reduced services in some cases) or
will balance the budget with a small tax increase. These are the only two options available
to our residents.
Q: Plano is a charter member of DART. Has the city reaped the benefits of transit service,
and what, if any, changes would you make?
A: Great cities have great transportation. Ask the Fortune 1000 companies that relocated
to Plano what role transportation played in their decision. Almost 24,000 people use DART
and travel north from Dallas and Richardson to jobs in Plano. Over 13,000 people
commute to Plano from Allen, Frisco and McKinney. Over 12,000 people travel to jobs in
Plano from Carrollton, Garland, Lewisville and Wylie. By any definition, that is a win for
Plano. A proposal I would suggest would be to request non-charter member cities of DART
(Allen, Frisco), using Plano facilities, to provide additional financial assistance to Plano for
providing Plano services to their residents.
Greg Myer
Biographical Info:
Name: Greg Myer
Street Address: 4100 Saltburn Dr
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: October 31, 1971
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-533-5556
Home Phone Number: 972-964-3889
Mobile Phone Number: 972-533-5556
E-mail Address: gregmyerforplano@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.gregmyerforplano.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 10 Yrs
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 10 Yrs
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: IT Project Manager for IBM
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Plano Youth Leadership Board Member, Plano Chamber of Commerce Public Policy
Committee Member, Plano ISD Career and Technical Education Committee Member, Collin
County Assistance Center Volunteer and Supporter, Arts of Collin County Donor, Cub Scout
Pack 18 Den Leader, America's Attik Volunteer, Saigling Elementary (Plano ISD) Dad's Club
Member and Congregation Beth Torah Member.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Plano Library Advisory Board Member and Chair, Leadership Plano (Class XXIII)
Graduate, Leadership Plano Executive Board Member and Finance Chair, CITY House
Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity Volunteer, Plano Citizens Fire Academy Graduate, Plano
Football League (YMCA) Youth Coach and Plano Sports Association Youth Softball Coach.
Q: Education
A: I am a graduate of the University of Missouri, holding a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
and a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Candidate for Plano City Council, Place 8, 2009
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: About $8,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Collin County Association of Realtors, Greg and Kathy Nelson, and Paul and Dr. Bayla
Myer
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for Plano City Council because I am a strong believer in servant leadership
and I intend to serve the citizens in a significant manner. I bring a passion to this campaign
and the City of Plano that is uniquely my own. I was not asked to run for this position; I
made the decision to do so on my own after consulting with family and friends, and lots of
thoughtful prayer. If you look at the depth and breadth of my civic experience, it is clear
that I stand out from my competitors. I not only graduated from Leadership Plano, but
was elected by my peers to serve on the Executive Board. On that Executive Board, I was
again selected by my peers to serve as the Finance Chair. I have also been selected to
serve on the Board of Plano Youth Leadership. I served on the Library Board for four years
and was honored to be selected by the City Council as Chair of that Board. These are just
some instances in my background where my calm, steady leadership has been recognized
by my peers and by other leaders. In my day job, I manage multi-million dollar projects
for IBM and I have also been endorsed by the Collin County Association of Realtors. It is
all of these factors that demonstrate that I am the best candidate for Plano City Council,
Place 7.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: First, the Council needs to renew its focus on basic city services, including Police, Fire,
Libraries, Water and Sewer Lines, and Streets. We must maintain Plano as a safe city, and
make sure that our citizens can get to and from work, shopping and play. Second, the
City and its employees (like most employers and employees) have seen dramatic
increased in health care costs and insurance premiums. I intend to work with others on the
Council (and utilize the Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration that I hold) to see
how we can deliver high-quality health care to employees at reduced cost. I believe an
employee clinic may be the answer here. This clinic would provide basic health care (like
physicals and immunizations) to employees and their families using nurse practitioners and
physician assistants. This would lower the cost of care and reduce lost productivity time
that it sometimes takes for an employee to get and keep an appointment with their
Primary Care Physician. This facility could also be shared with Plano ISD, other cities in
Collin County or even Collin County itself. Cost savings from this project would have to be
enough to cover its expense. Third, I intend to work with my fellow Councilmen to be
more efficient in the provision of back-office functions like Accounting and Human
Resources. I also believe we could share these services with Plano ISD, other cities in
Collin County or even Collin County itself to deliver high-quality services to the citizens at
a lower cost.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I feel that the depth and breadth of my experience set me apart from my opponents
and make me the best choice for Plano City Council, Place 7. In addition to what I have
mentioned before, I have volunteered and supported many non-for-profit organizations in
Plano, including the Collin County Assistance Center, Habitat for Humanity and America’s
Attik. This work has given me an appreciation for the contribution that these organizations
have made to make Plano as great as it is.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: For decades, city leaders in Plano have been planning for the future and have done an
excellent job. One only has to look at other cities that have followed Plano’s lead to prove
this. Having said that, Plano does has challenges in the East and Central corridors of the
City with aging neighborhoods and retail centers. For neighborhoods, I favor expansion of
the “Love Where You Live” program, a program that encourages neighbors to work with
the City and many civic organizations to develop action plans to spruce up aging
neighborhoods. For retail centers, I support redevelopment efforts that will increase the
stock of moderately-priced, single-family housing so that more people can make their
dreams of home ownership come true in Plano, the city that I love. I also see
Redevelopment / Rezoning as a simple Supply and Demand issue. Plano is about 97%
built-out in terms of residential areas and about 70% built-out commercially. We need to
explore rezoning SOME of those commercial spaces to focus more on residential.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Plano is becoming more diverse, with increasing populations of African American, Asian
and Hispanic people, and I think this is a wonderful thing. You can see this in the increased
diversity of stores opening to serve the needs and wants of these populations. I would like
to see more African American, Asian and Hispanic people get involved in City Government
and serve of one of Plano’s many City Boards or Commissions.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The Plano Police Department should continue to work with agencies at the State and
Federal level whose mission is to handle illegal immigration and assist these organizations
in enforcing the law.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I absolutely favor a seamless regional transit system. This will assist Plano’s citizens in
many ways, only one of which is being able to get to work in an easier, more convenient
way. I also encourage Plano’s neighboring cities to join DART and make their commitment
to a seamless regional transit system as well.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I support the Arts of Collin County and I think it could be a good example of regional
cooperation. I feel it is a worthwhile project, with a definable return on investment and
other indefinable yet significant educational and cultural benefits. I encourage my friends
in Frisco to vote for this project and I encourage other municipalities to join as partners.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: For the most part, yes. The City Council has done a good job in the last three years of
cutting nearly $30 million of expenses out of the budget. I am confident that we can be
more efficient in terms of back-office functions by sharing services.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Current leadership has done a good job of balancing the budget with the increasing
need to maintain roads and sewers. They have made strategic cuts that have saved a lot
of money for the taxpayers. There are more efficiencies that can be gained, and will need
to be explored to ensure that Plano’s taxpayers get the most service for their tax dollars.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Plano must acknowledge that is it a mature city, and that growth from construction and
population increases will not fund city services. We now need an increased focus on
maintenance of streets, water lines, neighborhoods and other items. We must encourage
private developers to invest in their properties and build more moderately-priced, single-
family housing. We must encourage Plano homeowners to invest time and effort to work
with their neighbors and the City to keep their neighborhoods beautiful and vibrant.
Q: Plano is a charter member of DART. Has the city reaped the benefits of transit service,
and what, if any, changes would you make?
A: I think that Plano’s decision to join DART many years ago was the correct one. While it
is expensive for Plano and some question the wisdom of this, I feel we will see its benefits
in the years to come when Plano citizens can get on a DART train in Plano and ride to
either airport in the Metroplex or ride to work in areas that are east or west of Plano, not
just south along Central Expressway. If I could change anything, I would speed up DART’s
plans to use the Cotton Belt line for service from Plano to DFW Airport and beyond.
William Gordon
Biographical Info:
Name: William Gordon
Street Address: 1808 JJ Pearce Dr
City/Town: Richardson
State: Texas
Date of Birth: January 14, 1966
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-375-7480
Mobile Phone Number: 972-375-7480
E-mail Address: WilliamGordon@Vote4William.com
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.Vote4William.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I married into Richardson 21 years ago.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 21-years.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Managing Director, Simplified Data LLC
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Chair, Civic Committee, Barkner Park Neighborhood Association Leadership Richardson
Alumni Association
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: RISD Council of PTAs; RISD Parent Advisory Committee; Boys & Girls Club of
Richardson; Richardson Chamber of Commerce Education Committee; Community Action
Network; HASR (Helping Agencies Serving Richardson); and the Richardson Police
Department’s Neighborhood Crime Watch Patrol (Springridge).
Q: Education
A: I have a Master’s Degree in International Political Economics from the University of
North Texas, a political science degree with a dual focus on international politics and
economics. I have also completed additional graduate work in finance and accounting from
the University of Texas at Dallas.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: RISD Board of Trustees
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I report all campaign financing in accordance with state law, and will file my first report
next week; any information I have at this time would be incomplete.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I report all campaign financing in accordance with state law, and will file my first report
next week; any information I have at this time would be incomplete.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My primary reason for running for Place 1 Richardson City Council is economic
revitalization. We need to focus on attracting Cloud and data-center-based companies to
Richardson where the infrastructure is ideal; as well as continued investment in our future
through such programs as the Emerging Technology Fund, STARTech, and the International
Business Development Program. My background in Cloud, virtualization, Web 2.0,
analytics, and data centers could play an important role as we try to convince companies
worldwide to locate in Richardson.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The number one action is economic revitalization. The second action is to develop
more effective policies and procedures to track and manage City investments in resources,
programs, and people. There is no effective return-on-investment measurements in place
to truly gauge how well our money is being utilized. Sound fiscal responsibility is
important. The third action is to address demographic changes in our community with
more effective communication processes and tools that engage residents and business
leaders in new ways emphasizing new priorities. We need to seek the participation and
involvement of all residents regardless of their nationalities and socio-economic
backgrounds.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am a business executive who understands exceptionally well the latest technology in
the market place, and can leverage that knowledge and market relationships on behalf of
the city. I have a high energy level that the city needs at this moment. My opponent
indicated four years ago at multiple candidate forums that he would not run again, but he
continues to do so; after 10 years on the Council he has had his opportunity to accomplish
his goals, it's now time for someone else to have that opportunity.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting commerical development is essential. Bill Sproull and the Chamber of
Commerce in Richardson have worked hard to accomplish some very real goals during
these economically challenged times. My intention would be to work with him closely to
accomplish even greater success.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The City of Richardson is experiencing many of the same demographic changes and
challenges as are other cities in North Texas. There is nothing unusual about our city in this
regards. I would place greater emphasis on communication processes and practices to
more fully engage our diverse residential base than my opponent has to date.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Follow state and federal guidelines, and enforce city codes.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor regional transit. The City of Richardson has made a significant investment in
support of advancing its transit options.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Regional economic development should be a continuing priority.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe the City of Richardson provides the highest level of service, and has an
amazing City staff that meets and exceeds expectations; however, I would like to see a
greater focus on cost accounting because at the end of the day we're talking about my
money and the money of each and every city resident that the city uses to provide those
services; I know we do good, but we can do better.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: We need more effective cost accounting of projects and resources; cost containment is
something businesses have been doing for many years now, and it's time we do the same
in government.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: We are land locked, and have limited options for commercial and residential
development; whether it's neighborhood revitalization or economic revitalization, we need
to understand the additional challenges this provides.
Bob Townsend
Biographical Info:
Name: Bob Townsend
Street Address: 904 Troon Circle
City/Town: Richardson
State: TX
Date of Birth: January 6, 1933
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972/235-1462
Home Phone Number: 972/235-1462
Mobile Phone Number: 972/569-0605
E-mail Address: BLTRICH@AOL.COM
Campaign Web Site Address: WWW.TOWNSENDFORCOUNCIL.COM
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 51+ years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 11 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Social Security and Investments
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Serving on Richardson City Council, Place 1, as Mayor Pro Tem
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: One of the founders and early president of the Cottonwood Heights Neighborhood
Association and the Richland Meadows Neighborhood Association.
Q: Education
A: Undergraduate work (BS) at The University of Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoms
State University and MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Have served on the Richardson City Council Place 1 since May, 2001, serving as Mayor
Pro Tem since 2007.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $4849 as of April 7, 2011
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Richardson Firefighters Association Richard McLarnon Felix Chen
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: There are many positive things, in both the residential and business areas, that are in
progress because of the present City Council actions and I want to be sure that this
progress continues. It is obvious that I am the most qualified candidate because of my 10
years experience on the Council and my service as Mayor Pro Tem for the last four years.
Also, my education and technical background makes me the most qualified. Experience is
establishing and serving as president for two neighborhood associations in different parts
of Richardson add to my qualification. My 37+ years of experience at Texas Instruments
in technical and management positions, my higher education background, my prior service
on the City Council and community service in neighborhood associations have prepared me
to continue to serve as the City Councilman for Place 1.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Revitalization of aging neighborhoods. I will continue to support initiatives that
encourage redevelopment and home improvements through various recognition and
incentive programs paid by the general fund budget. 2. Enhancement and expansion of
the City's business base through continued support of the Richardson Economic
Development Partnership between the City and The Richardson Chamber of Commerce.
3. Redevelopment of the underutilized shopping centers in the City through working with
the developers and owners and establishing plans for revitalization of the centers with City
participation where practical.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am the most qualified candidate in this campaign because of my experience (My 37+
plus years in technical and management positions at Texas Instruments, my ten years on
the Richardson City Council and my four years serving as Mayor Pro Tem for Richardson)
John A. DeMattia
Biographical Info:
Name: John DeMattia
Street Address: 2214 Shannon Lane
City/Town: Richardson
State: Texas
Date of Birth: May 7, 1953
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972.792.7272
Home Phone Number: 972.644.8568
Mobile Phone Number: 214.477.7787
E-mail Address: johnd@dallas-online.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.johnforrichardson.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 29 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 29 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I own and operate a Papa Murphy's Take-N-Bake Pizza store in Richardson, TX
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: RISD Budget Review Team, Richardson YMCA Advisory Board, Richardson Rotary
member with 30 years active membership
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: RISD Budget Advisory Team, Chairman of Richardson YMCA, Chairman of Richardson
YMCA Capital Campaign, Chairman of Richardson YMCA Annual Sustaining Campaign,
Chairman of the North Texas Boy Scouts Explorers Program, Ten year member of the
Richardson City Plan Commission including Chairman, Co-authored Richardson's Green
Ordinance draft, RISD Insider Class of 2009, RISD Technology Advisory Team, RISD
Community Ambassador, Recipient of the RISD Distinguished Business Award, and RISD
Graduate Advisory team
Q: Education
A: BSBA in Quantitative Management, Minors in Marketing and Computer Science,
University of Florida
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: none
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: approximately $4,000 at this time
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: The Richardson Citizens Alliance, my wife and myself,
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Like many cities, Richardson is not living within its means. Each year we outspend our
income resulting in more debt. The growing debt service drains a bigger percentage of the
city's income leaving less for operations. If this trend is allowed to continue, it will lead to
a reduction in services and possible layoffs. I want to advert this by assisting in building
and living within a balanced budget. My 30 year business career has provided me the skills
needed to monitor the city's budget details, watch trends, and contribute the needed due
diligence to make sure we run a responsible city operations. The citizens of Richardson
deserve this kind of oversight and they should be able to trust in their elected officials to
and must be approached with proper, detailed planning to make sure we don't cause
problems that manifest in ten and twenty years out like what has occurred in the West
Spring Valley corridor between Central Expressway and Coit Road. Residential density is
needed and should continue to be promoted particularly along mass transit corridors. The
density needs to be kept in check as there are many examples of unrealistic plans
dragging a city down with them. Fortunately, Richardson can learn from these prior efforts.
Richardson's most recent sizable high-density development in Brick Row is experiencing
significant challenges to complete its planned mix use development despite being
immediately adjacent to a DART rail station and within a half mile of the main artery
through Richardson, Central Expressway. Brick Row has been unable to lease even one
retail tenant. Since the current trend in housing is a strong rental market, the apartments
there and elsewhere have done well, but all other types of housing and retail have not. If I
had been on the city council, I would have worked hard to reduce the approved residential
units cap at the recently approved two parcels of land in north Richardson around Central
Expressway and George Bush Turnpike. If the developers develop these parcels with the
highest density permitted, it will be nearly twice as dense as any other mix-use
development in North Texas. The positive potential is there and the risk of failure including
significant development delays is great such as in the Brick Row project. I don't believe in
gambling with the little undeveloped land left in Richardson.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Since local governments are not capable of controlling our boarders, there is only so
much one can expect to be done at this level. At least we can enforce the current laws and
make our representatives in Austin and Washington aware of the need to take additional,
proactive measures. I'm in favor legal immigration at a rate that doesn't unfairly tax our
health system, schools, and job market.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I do favor a regional transit system and see the value in them. Texas and Texans have a
problem when it comes to using mass transit, we have a big state and instead of having to
grow through density because of physical limitations, we just grow by moving further out
from our center. This fact makes it very difficult to have an effective mass transit system in
the near term like is found in other major population areas like Boston, New York, London,
etc. Another problem we have is we like our freedom to go when we want. Despite the
higher gas prices, we still don't see full HOV lanes. Hence, our mass transit plans need to
be realistic.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Richardson is fortunate to have a terrific performing arts center. Unfortunately, we
alone cannot operate it for what the city officials predicted it would cost. Centers like this
must be built as regional centers for the short and long term use with shared costs. We
need to build bridges of cooperation between cities, school systems and other large
operations to better leverage our infrastructure and contain costs. I will work with these
organizations to do just that, not only because I want to, but because it is necessary,
particularly in today's economic times.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe Richardson is for the most part well run. There are a few isolated situations
that need attention to get more bang for our buck. For example, we have a very good
municipal golf course where the golf pro has a super sweet deal that by just about
anyone's standard is not fair to the city. The future contract will not be the same as the
current one.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I'd give the city officials a C+ considering what they have given away to secure what
they have achieved in economic business development. I believe in public-private
partnerships, where the relationships and exchange of monies is fair to both parties and
the proper safeguards are in place to address when one party does not live up to its part of
the deal. This is an areas needing improvement in Richardson's economic development
world. Richardson has a balanced budget, they just don't live within it. There are several
areas where millions can be saved. I will work to make sure we live within our means.
Richardson has budgeted each year funds to maintain its roads, sewers and other
infrastructure. I expect this will continue. The amount budgeted has been able to cover the
basic repair needs. Not to confuse this with the need for more expensive, periodic major
replacement that is needed in an aging city. These periodic infrastructure challenges cannot
be achieved alone in an operational budget and will continue to require bond money. A
long term bond usage management plan can keep future bond debt service from
increasing beyond our ability to pay. I will work to make sure such a plan is in place.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Like many cities, Richardson is not living within its means. The growing debt is like a
time-bomb that if it continues to grow, will result in reduced services and layoffs. Action is
needed now to keep this from happening and I am committed to putting in the needed
effort to properly manage our finances. Our future depends on this and the prosperity of
Richardson requires us to be responsible leaders.
Mark Solomon
Biographical Info:
Name: Mark J. Solomon
Street Address: 1530 Hindsdale Dr.
City/Town: Richardson
State: TX
Date of Birth: April 9, 1944
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-739-5610
Home Phone Number: 972-644-1373
Mobile Phone Number: 214-502-4397
Fax Number: 214-739-5404
E-mail Address: marksr@assurnet.biz
Campaign Web Site Address: www.re-electmarksolomon.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 23 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 23 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Owner and operator of Assurnet Insurance Agency for 25 years
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Richardson City Councilman 2009-11 Member of the Board of Directors Richardson
Central Kiwanis Club Member of the Board of Directors of the Professional Insurance
Agents of Texas Member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Association of Business
Member of Yale Park Homeowners Association Member of Spring Valley United Methodist
Church Richardson Chamber of Commerce Member of the Dallas Park Cities Philatelic
Society President Wildflower Consortium
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Richardson Parks and Recreation Commission 2002-08 Vice Chairman 2006-08 Past
President of the L.V. Berkner HS PTA Past President of the L. V. Berkner Atheltic Booster
Club Past President of the Automobile Insurance Agents of Texas Honorary Life Member -
Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Science - Southeastern Louisiana University 1966 Master of Education -
University of Southern Mississippi 1973
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Currently serving on the Richardson City Council Deputy Secretary of Culture,
Recreation and Tourism for the State of Louisiana
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $8900.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Mark Solomon (me) Richardson Firefighter Association Felix Chen
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No to the criminal proceedings. Yes,unfortunately civil litigation is often part of being a
small business owner. I have had two small civil suits against the agency over disputed
return commissions owed to two different insurance carriers. Both suits were successfully
settled to the mutual benefit of both parties.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My current service on the City Council, extensive experiences as a business owner,
active current and past participant in numerous civic activities on both the city, state and
national level, combined with a caring attitude and demonstrated positive leadership make
me the most qualified candidate for Place 2 on the Richardson City Council.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The West Spring Valley Initiative is the most pressing long range project the City has
undertaken in years. This project has already taken on a life of its own and will continue
for many years to be a focal point for all of Richardson. It will need to have multiple
sources of funding, public, private and combinations. The City has already put general fund
dollars into the initial planning and rezoning for the area and has dedicated a staff person
to the overall direction of the project. I will continue to work with the various stakeholders
to seek out funding opportunities on the local, county, state, national and institutional
levels. Another important action item is to retain and attract new commercial and
residential development to continue to expand our tax base. In order to do this I support
continuing to use the economic incentives that we have used successfully to this point such
as TIF’s, tax abatements and incentives. I am also open to new strategies that might be
presented that are not presently being used. Additionally I will continue to seek ways to
improve our infrastructure. Our water and sewer mains, streets, public buildings continue
to age and need to be continually evaluated for their usable and productive life. Paying for
over $300,000,000.00 in already identifiable potential needs is a formidable task. I will
continue to work with our citizens and City Staff to see what funding opportunities are
available to address this issue.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Consistency and a positive approach are the key differences between my opponent and
me. I have continued a very positive approach to all my activities over the years, in
business and in community activities. When presented with opportunities to make
Richardson a better place to live and raise our family, work growing my business, or
playing, I always stepped forward to support those programs. I have consistency in my
business and community service as demonstrated in 25 years as the owner of my
independent property and casualty insurance agency.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: This ranks #1 in Richardson and the Richardson has done an outstanding job in this
arena. Richardson has been recognized by Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s for our
outstanding financial management. “Standard and Poor’s Rating Services assigned its ‘AAA’
long-term rating, and stable outlook, to Richardson”. This rating is the result of a long
practiced efforts on behalf of the Council and Staff to equip the city for growth. Residential
and commercial developers look to these ratings when deciding on investing in a
community. This recognition has enabled Richardson to experience a continued growth
even in face of the national recession. The start up of the TI Fab plant, the relocation VCE,
and the retention and expansion of Blue Cross and Fossil are but some of the major
commercial achievements Richardson has experienced in the last two years. The
aggressive leasing of Eastside is a shining example of how we have grown our retail base.
Even though Richardson is limited on new residential areas, we have seen growth in those
areas as well. We are one of the few cities that have seen new subdivisions being built. The
future is only brighter with the recent re-zoning of over a hundred acres at Bush and
Renner Road. Richardson continues to position it’s self for quality growth.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The recently released 2010 census did show some slight changes in the demographic
makeup of Richardson. These changes were not as dramatic as in other areas of the
region. Our population remained very constant, yet we did have some slight changes in
our various ethnic populations. The Council has continued to work on insuring diversity on
our various Boards and Commissions, a New International Business Development Office is
being created, and our public services from the Library to our Neighborhood Services
programs have continued to reach out to all communities to enhance their participation
within the city. We have and will continue to work closely with our educational partners,
RISD, PISD, UTDallas and Richland College in addressing these changes.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Our Richardson Police will continue the same policy we have had regarding arrests. If
the person arrested is determined to have immigration issues ICE will be called to handle
the matter.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Richardson has been a member of DART since 1983 and is a strong supporter of a
seamless regional transportation program. Richardson has been a key player in the
visioning and now the implementation of the Cotton Belt rail link from the Bush/Renner
station westward to DFW and beyond and eastward to Greenville. Richardson will continue
to be involved with NCTCOG in air quality and other issues that benefit from a regional
seamless transportation system.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Air quality, water, transportation, economic development are but a few of the major
issues facing this region. The region is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation and
in order us to avoid duplication and maximize our resources we must cooperate. Failure to
do so will be an unnecessary waste of our tax dollars. Richardson’s elected and appointed
officials have a long history of committed leadership in the region. I will continue to
encourage our Council, Commissioners, and Staff to take a leadership role in regional
activities.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes, Richardson has not seen a cut back in the quality of our municipal services. Our city
is currently delivering our outstanding service with 3+% less staff than we had in 2005. As
a Councilman I will continue seek out new ways to improve our efficiency and to look at
any opportunity to reduce cost, yet maintain quality.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our current leadership has done as an excellent job as evidenced by the previously
mentioned ‘AAA’ ratings. The leadership took a very proactive position in 2001-02
regarding city finances and services. This proactive focus has continued and I will work to
insure that we continue to be sensitive to economic conditions. As I have stated above we
will continue to look at our infrastructure and seek innovative ways to address these
needs. We have maintained our same operational tax rate for the past 7 years and with
good high quality economic development we should be able to continue this record.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Richardson is a vibrant community yet has very limited area for new residential or
commercial growth. This realization is one that will challenge the city as we try to
redevelop or develop what little green space we have left. It may mean changes that
possibly were not considered heretofore in order for us to remain economically competitive
with other areas in the region.
Biographical Info:
Name: Laura Gibbs Maczka
Street Address: 301 Overcreek
City/Town: Richardson
State: TX
Date of Birth: September 19, 1964
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-230-8334
Home Phone Number: 972-783-1960
Mobile Phone Number: 214-732-3754
Fax Number: 214-540-7207
E-mail Address: lauramaczka@sbcglobal.net, laura.maczka@nfte.com,
laura@lauraforrichardson.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.lauraforrichardson.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 27 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Executive Director of a non profit, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
which provides entrepreneurship education to 2000 disadvantaged youth currently enrolled
in our program in DISD middle and high schools.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: State Representative Angie Chen Button Education Committee and Water and Natural
Resources Committee, City of Richardson Wildflower! 100 Committee and Music Festival
Ambassador,Canyon Creek Homeowner’s Association Board – Executive Vice President
Richardson, Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Advisory Committee, Leadership
Richardson Curriculum Chair, Leadership Richardson Advisory Board, Leadership
Richardson Alumni Association Board, Friends of Library Board, Prairie Creek Garden Club,
Prairie Creek Elementary PTA Board - Legislative Chair, RISD Budget Review Team,
Richardson Rotary, Chair of Discovery Point – raised $130,000 in private funds for outdoor
classroom in public park, Young Men’s Service League, Texas Recreation and Parks Society
(TRAPS) Board, Citizen Branch Chair for the State of Texas
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Those items listed above as well as: City of Richardson Parks & Recreation Commission,
Vice Chair (appointed 2010) Commissioner (appointed 2007), City of Richardson Christmas
Parade – Broadcast Co-Anchor, Canyon Creek Homeowner’s Association Board – VP
Beautification, Secretary, Leadership Richardson, Class XXII (2006 – 2007), Advisor
(ROC), (2007-2010, Leadership Richardson Alumnus/Volunteer of the Year (2010),
Leadership Richardson Alumni Association Board, Prairie Creek Garden Club – numerous
positions held including VP Ways and Means, VP Civic Beautification, Junior League of
Houston, Junior League of Richardson, Junior League of Dallas, RISD Council of PTA’s
Board and Local PTA Boards (Prairie Creek Elementary, North Junior High, and JJ Pearce
High School) – numerous positions including President multiple times, VP Hospitality,
auction chair, VP Ways and Means, Legislative Chair, etc. Received PTA Lifetime
Membership Award, JJ Pearce Athletic Booster Club Board, Chair of Public
Relations/Publicity Chair – Back to School Kickoff, RISD Excellence in Education Foundation
Board – various positions held, Inside RISD (2006 Class), City of Richardson Swim Team
Board, Chair of Discovery Point – raised $130,000 in private funds for outdoor classroom in
public park, Co-Chair, Vote YES! Bond Campaign – successful $66 million bond effort for
the City of Richardson, Young Men’s Service League, Texas Recreation and Parks Society
(TRAPS) Board, Citizen Branch Chair for the State of Texas
Q: Education
A: Graduate of JJ Pearce High School in Richardson BS of Science from Texas A&M
University
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Approximately $11,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Richardson Fire Fighters Association, MetroTex Association of Realtors,Sam Yang
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Having grown up in Richardson, my roots are firmly established in this community. Like
my parents who made the same choice in the 1970’s, my husband and I chose to move
back to Richardson because we knew it would be a great place to live, work and raise a
family. As I have become more involved in the entire community, I have come to both
understand and appreciate the changes that have taken place over the years as well as our
community’s ability to successfully navigate through difficult times. Richardson is at a
critical moment in time. We must pay close attention and make solid decisions in the areas
of fiscal responsibility, attracting and keeping more employers and jobs. We must take
care of our neighborhoods - especially those in need of re-investment, insuring that we are
a safe place for all. We must meet the needs of our current citizens -including the seniors
who represent a growing portion of Richardson, while at the same attracting both young
professionals and families who are key to our future success. Our citizens have enjoyed
and come to expect high quality public services. Rightly so, there is an expectation that the
very real aging infrastructural issues will be addressed by the City. We must work to
maintain and improve on what we offer residents. However, we must also work to
understand and balance the cost of those services and how we fund them. This will be hard
and will require some difficult decisions because the answer is not to put the entire burden
on taxpayers. As part of the next generation of our community’s leadership, I am running
for Richardson City Council with an appreciation of the past and an eye on the future. I
have spent the last 14 years actively working in this community. The list of boards I have
served on and the leadership roles I have held is extensive. I have worked in all aspects of
the community…the schools, the neighborhoods, the community at large as well as the
state. In my professional life, I serve as the Executive Director of a non-profit (The
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship - NFTE) that provides entrepreneurship education
to 2000 disadvantaged youth in DISD. I am responsible for raising all funds and managing
the budget that implements the program. I understand the importance of job/business
creation as a means of moving forward economically because that’s what NFTE enables our
students to do. As a community volunteer I have had the vision and successfully led a
number of efforts from concept to implementation including building an outdoor classroom
in a public park utilizing a committee of community leaders and partnering with the school
district and city to both create the vision, design the plan, raise the funds required and
build the project which is now available for the entire community to enjoy. I am a strong
communicator and very approachable and accessible. Like I have done on every project I
have undertaken with the city, as a council member, I will work hard, listen, study and
understand the issues and challenges. I will make decisions through the lens that my three
sons might be able to be the third generation to call Richardson home.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: 1. Economic Development. We must recruit businesses and jobs to the community as
well as keep those that are currently here. We must work to have a mix of companies both
large and small as well as maintain a good mix of industries. To do this I would look at
what analysts forecast as growth industries and target them – Energy, Healthcare,
Bioengineering and Cloud computing. I would leverage the research initiatives of UT Dallas
and create technology clusters or centers of excellence. We are in a competitive world in
terms of attracting new businesses. Where a lot of cities can give a great deal of up front,
we do not have the pocketbook to give out large sums of cash. We must look at the long
term affect of incentives which could possibly help fill empty buildings and should be used
to help create clusters of desirable companies. I will utilize the newly created Mayors Office
of International Business and the International Business Advisory Committee to attract
more international companies to Richardson. 2. Transit Oriented/Mix Use Development
Projects. I would work to insure that the transit oriented/mixed use development project
at George Bush/Renner Road as well the Spring Valley Corridor revitalization projects get
underway in a thoughtful, conscientious but expeditious way that sticks with the current
vision that has been presented for both projects. I would push for this by working with
citizens for input and suggestions, land owners/developers for accountability to the vision
and city staff for implementation. 3. Community Redevelopment: We must look at aging
parts of the city and reinvest in those areas. This effort is a three way partnership between
City Council, city management and the community – all of whom should be encouraged to
initiate and implement reinvestment/redevelopment efforts. I will push for implementation
of the projects associated with the recent bond. I will encourage all groups to feel the
responsibility for pushing the projects along. Numerous ways to pay for the efforts exist. I
would encourage residents and neighborhoods to take advantage of current city programs
that provide either matching funds for beautification projects or incentives for renovating
and investing. Additionally, private funds could be utilized for certain efforts and projects.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: As a candidate I have a positive outlook for the future Richardson as well as the energy
and experience to get us there. I would work to leverage our past successes and build on
them. I am pro growth minded and feel that bringing jobs to the City of Richardson is a top
priority. I am open minded and willing to consider strategic use of tax incentives to attract
businesses from growth industries into Richardson whereas my opponent has been
adamant that such measures such not ever be used. I have spent the last 14 years
working in the this community serving on dozens of boards in a variety of leadership roles.
My experience ranges from involvement in RISD both at the school, district and state
levels to neighborhood as the vice president of my home owners’ association to the entire
community through the Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Richardson and a member of
the City of Richardson Parks and Recreation Commission. I’ve been actively engaged in
the business of the City through regular attendance at Council meetings and participation
in several recent City undertakings including the Parks and Recreation Open Space and
Master Plan, the recent zoning case at George Bush/Renner Road as well as the Spring
Valley redevelopment. This range provides me with both knowledge and experience.
Additionally, I have a proven track record of successfully bringing divergent interests
together to take a project from concept to implementation, an example of which is the
Discovery Point at Prairie Creek Park – an outdoor classroom for the community to enjoy –
which required raising more than $130,000 in private funds to build a project on a public
park.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting residential and commercial development to Richardson is at the top of my list
of priorities. The key to a vibrant city is economic development. Richardson has a solid
foundation in this area and we need to build on that. We must continue to be business
friendly and work to bring in a diverse mix of both large and small companies from across
the state, the country as well as internationally. We should have the goal of increasing the
current 52% commercial tax base to ease the burden on taxpayers. Richardson is a
landlocked city with limited green space options. While we develop those green spaces in
way that meets both current and future needs of the city, Richardson must simultaneously
focus on redeveloping/repurposing/reinvesting in older areas. Through Tax Increment
Finance (TIF) districts, the city has established a way to reach its’ mission of “new and
renew”. An emphasis on Transit Oriented Developments along the DART rail is a step in the
right direction. Several mixed use developments have taken place with several more in
the planning and visioning stages. These will help attract both residential and commercial
developers to the city. Strong neighborhoods are important to businesses considering
Richardson as their home. The Neighborhood Vitality Program will have provided more
than $12 million to utilize homeowner/neighborhood associations and community
participation to create stronger neighborhoods. This coupled with a number of residential
revitalization programs implemented by the City like the Home Incentive Program which
provides renovation incentive support have encouraged residents to re-invest in their
homes and have significantly increased property values in areas that this has taken place.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Richardson like many other cities in the region is a very diverse community which
continues to change in its’ mix of residents. The city is working to adjust to the changing
demographics. In the Richardson Independent School District alone, more than 90
languages are spoken by students currently enrolled. Areas the city must consider include:
continue to encourage diversity for leadership roles in the community such as boards and
commissions, continue to reach out and work on building relationships with each
community, seek non-traditional ways to reach out to and communicate with the varying
cultures that exist in the City, provide a variety of opportunities for input, questioning, and
ultimately engagement and involvement. Each group has its own unique interests in terms
of involvement and the city must adapt to those terms. Additionally, the senior citizen
population of the City continues to increase. A good mix of senior housing options must be
developed as well as programs and services directed to the senior citizens in an effort to
keep them in our city.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Illegal immigration is a challenge for the country. The federal government has not been
able to solve the problem of immigration which has put both states and cities in difficult
positions. Richardson currently works closely with and collaborates with federal and state
authorities (Immigration and Custom Enforcement – ICE) to enforce current immigration
regulations. The City needs to continue this policy of enforcement without overly burdening
the city resources and taxpayers with additional responsibilities.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor a seamless regional transit system. Working to enhance and facilitate mobility
throughout the region is one key factor to our city’s continued success. With multiple stops
on the DART Rail and access to four major highways, Richardson is centrally located with
access throughout the region. A regional transit system will alleviate some of the concerns
of rising fuel costs and allow employees commute options, reduce traffic congestion and
pollution as well as make access to communities throughout the region easier. I would
continue to partner with DART to develop the 67.7 mile commuter Cotton Belt Rail Line
which will connect the region East to West. I will consider seeking private money to build
the rail line in hopes of making it happen in a shorter period of time, despite significant
anticipated cuts by the State of Texas to transportation. I will also encourage membership
in DART by those cities that are not currently contributing and participating.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Because of our central location within the Metroplex, Richardson is very much affected
by regional issues and decisions. The City has a history of strong regional cooperation and
engagement through a variety of ways including the North Central Texas Council of
Governments. Richardson has been actively involved in the regional transportation
strategy through Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the North Texas Tollway Authority. With a
projected regional growth from 4 million to 8 million people by the year 2020, I will work
with the North Texas region to discourage urban sprawl and encourage the use of density
around rail stations. Other areas that could benefit from greater regional cooperation could
also include healthcare, public safety, and education. Additionally, with limited resources
that most municipalities are experiencing, opportunities for collaborative efforts to bring
amenities and services to communities like trail systems, recreational facilities, municipal
buildings, etc. should be explored as a way to pool and share resources and expenses.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Richardson residents enjoy high quality services in all areas – public safety – police and
fire, emergency management, trash, water and sewer, trail systems, library and parks and
recreation facilities to name a few, all delivered by professional, capable and dedicated
City staffers. A stronger emphasis on recycling should be considered. We should expand
recycling to businesses as well as encourage recycling of yard waste. In terms of costs, it is
important in these difficult economic times to be mindful of the costs associated with
delivery of services and look for ways to maximize service delivery at a reasonable cost.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Richardson has weathered the current economic storm very well. The downturn in the
Telecom Industry in the early 2000’s gave the City the opportunity to purposefully diversify
its’ business base. Richardson now benefits from a greater mix of businesses that call
Richardson home making it the 2nd largest regional employment area. There is currently
significant office space available which coupled with Richardson’s central location makes it
ideal for major corporate relocations. Leveraging our technology base, recent
announcements have been made of companies moving into or expanding in Richardson:
United Healthcare and AT&T(users of the Technology); VCE, Digital Realty Trust and Acadia
(developers of technology); and id Software (a leader in the high growth gaming industry).
These moves indicate the three year trend of modest tax base growth should continue. The
presence and growth of UT Dallas and Richland College provide a high quality, skilled
workforce for businesses in the area. In balancing the budget, first we must look for
additional sources of revenue including increasing businesses, supporting retail to impact
sales tax revenue, and bringing in visitors to increase hotel/motel tax revenue which can
be used to deal with infrastructural issues. Looking for ways to reduce expenses without
sacrificing services is crucial. We must use fiscal restraint, pay attention and evaluate all
expenses. Increasing contract services where appropriate should be considered but
balanced with quality provided. We must have a short term and long term debt reduction
program. While labor intensive, I would consider moving towards or phasing in zero based
budgeting as a way of validating and confirming that spending decisions made each year
are fiscally responsible, or at least consider periodic, staggered departmental reviews. The
passing of the recent bond insures that some of the aging infrastructural needs will be
addressed.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Richardson is an aging community in a competitive market with surrounding cities who
are working to attract companies, jobs and residents. We must maintain and improve
aging infrastructure, neighborhoods and commercial areas to attract new corporate and
residential citizens without placing too much burden on taxpayers.
Karl Voigtsberger
Biographical Info:
Name: Karl Voigtsberger
Street Address: 411 Canyon Ridge Drive
City/Town: Richardson
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 8/12/1952
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-585-0999
Home Phone Number: 972-234-1713
E-mail Address: electkarl@att.net
Campaign Web Site Address: www.electkarl.net
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 22 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 22 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Data Analyst at Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. in Plano Texas.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member of Town North Presbyterian Church Member of Rotary International
Campaign for City Council
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: American Family Radio, Dallas, Advisory Board (2006) Texas Home School Coalition,
Advisory Committee (2003–2005) Collin County Bond Committee, Transportation
Sub-Committee (2007) Collin County Bond Committee, Facilities Sub-Committee (2003)
Precinct Chairman of the Year (2009) - Collin County Republican Party County Chairman's
Award (2003) - Collin County Republican Party Senate District 8 Volunteer of the Year
(2002) – Republican Party of Texas Served on many civic committees, local and
state-wide.
Q: Education
A: Electrical Engineering
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Collin County Commissioner, Precinct 2
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $3,000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Richardson Citizens Alliance
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for Richardson City Council, because I believe that my personal and
professional background has prepared me to serve in this office. I have studied the
operation of city, county, and state government for many years and have served
Richardson on two Collin County Bond Committees. In 2003, I served on the Facilities
more debt service. That means doing more basic infrastructure work and less of the
extravagant, elitist projects, sometimes referred to as "amenities".
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth about Richardson that voters must confront is the negative
effect of deficit spending on our city's future. General Obligation Bonds and Certificates of
Obligation both represent deficit spending.
Kendal Hartley
Biographical Info:
Name: Kendal D. Hartley
Street Address: 2409 Little Creek Drive
City/Town: Richardson
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 1960
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (972) 437-9918
Home Phone Number: (972)235-0043
Mobile Phone Number: (469) 979-2277
Fax Number: (972) 437-9917
E-mail Address: Kendal@HartleyForRichardson.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.HartleyForRichardson.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in Richardson for the past 40 years, prior to age 11 I lived in the Lake
Highlands area.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 40 years in Richardson, 11 years prior in Lake Highlands area.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Residential Real Estate Appraiser
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Citizens Challenge interviewing rookie police officers, Richardson Citizens Police
Academy Alumni Association, Leadership Richardson Alumni Association, MetroTex
Association of Realtors, member Canyon Creek Homeowners Association
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Immediate past Chairman of Parks & Recreation Commission (2005-1010), Vice
Chairman (2003-2005) and on the commission since 2002, City Plan Commission
(1995-1999), Sign Control Board (1993-1995), Kendal served as a judge for the Richardson
Holiday Parades for several years, volunteering also at the Wildflower Festival and serving
at the Senior Citizens Thanksgiving Luncheon. Graduate of Leadership Richardson, Board
of Directors Member for Leadership Richardson Alumni Association in 2009, Board of
Directors for Network of Community Ministries
Q: Education
A: BA University of Texas at Austin, State certified residential real estate appraiser with
SRA designation and CRP (Certified Relocation Professional), Texas Real Estate Licensed
Broker
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: No elected offices.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $7800.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Metro Tex Association of Realtors, F. Chen, M. Bailey
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I served on the Sign Control Board (1993-94), City Plan Commission (1995–99), Parks
and Recreation Commission (2002-10) Vice Chairman 2003, Chairman 2005-2010. I am a
real estate appraiser with a small business in Richardson. I have lived in Richardson 40
years and want to keep Richardson vital and strong. My background as a residential real
estate appraiser, small business owner and 40 year resident of Richardson have prepared
to serve the City of Richardson. I plan to utilize my knowledge and experience of real
estate issues and property values to help ensure Richardson stays a city for residents to
live, play and work as well as encourage new business to keep Richardson strong and
increase our tax base.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I feel the three most pressing needs in the next two years will be economic
development, transportation and redevelopment of the Vision areas. Economic
development needs to look into recruitment of new businesses as well as international
investments. Transportation also ties into economic development. The Cotton Belt is an
east west connection to DFW as well as the door step to UT Dallas. It is vital to the 190/75
development. With the redevelopment of the Spring Valley area already in process, we
need to start working on the other Vision areas earmarked by the city. These areas would
be: Main Street, Central Expressway, Promenade and the industrial areas.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am a certified residential real estate appraiser and involved in the real estate business
as well as a small business owner in Richardson. My knowledge of the real estate business
and experience as a real estate appraiser will bring valuable knowledge to the council
regarding how,what and why neighborhoods need to do to revitalize and keep their
property values up. We need to attract families and young professionals to Richardson by
revitalizing existing commercial properties, retail and single family dwellings. Through my
background and experience I will work hard to do this for Richardson and it's residents.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting residential and/or commercial development to Richardson ranks as one of my
top priorities. Redevelopment and revitalization is very important to Richardson in order to
increase the property values and therefore increase the tax base to keep taxes rates for
residents low. Residential and/or commercial development is very important to Richardson
and I believe they are very proactive in this area. I would work hard to continue to be
very proactive in the area of revitalization to ensure Richardson would be able to continue
to attract business and homeowners to our city.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The City of Richardson is a very culturally diverse city. The city is actively involved with
many different interest groups and is working hard to get involvement from these groups.
I will continue to work going out into the neighborhoods, attending events and
homeowners association meetings to encourage more participation by all of our residents.
We need to make sure to include all of Richardson by advertising ways citizens can be
involved with the City in volunteer positions, volunteer and participate in Richardson
events. We can utilize the existing city publications and websites as well as HOAs,
Chamber and all other Richardson organizations to publicize opportunities to get involved.
This will give citizens a chance to get involved with Richardson and make Richardson what
they would like it to be.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I believe the City of Richardson and the police department are handling the issue of
illegal immigration well with the information and resources they currently have. Currently
they only address illegal immigration issues as needed if the police are on a routine call
and someone does not have the correct or required identification. ICE is contacted and
they determine the course of action if needed by the city at that time.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I would support a transit system for the area i.e. the Cotton Belt line that would give
the region an east/west system that would connect Richardson and surrounding cities to
DFW airport. I will work with surrounding cities to get support and try to involve private
investors to encourage completion of the transportation project.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The North Texas region is the fourth largest metroopolitan area int he country with
more than 6 million people. For the second stratight year, North Texas leads the nation in
population growth. I believe we need to continue to work with other cities in the region to
be aware of the upcoming issues of the region and work together to encourage
partnerships. The city already works with other cities on various issues and is involved in
regional transportation meetings. I believe the city management and council should
increase the focus on working with the City of Dallas related to the areas just south of
Richardson (Spring Valley being the prime example) to fight crime and increase the effort
on revitalization and redevelopment in these areas. Working with other cities could also be
advantageous in other areas like transportation and other areas of revitalization in
Richardson.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I have not been directly involved in the budget process, but would go into the budget
meetings with an open mind and would be willing to look at whatever needs to be
changed. I am sure we will have the opportunity to look at each department and see what
changes are deemed appropriate at the time. We may need to look at some of the items
we have outsourced to see if it is still cost effective to continue to outsource them. In
addition, we may need to look at outsourcing additional items to save money. In these
tight economic times we need to reduce spending where it is prudent. As a small business
owner I know that you must reevaluate your spending constantly to ensure you are
making the best use of your budget.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: The City Council has done a good job weathering the economic storm as measured by
the Moody's and Standard and Poor's bond rating of AAA and audits have shown. Cost
cutting measures and a support of a bond program to cover the aging infrastructure of
Richardson will probably be needed to update aging Richardson infrastructure. As stated in
the previous answer, we will need to review the budget to look at each department and
see what changes are deemed appropriate at the time. We may need to look at some of
the items we have outsourced to see if it is still cost effective to continue to outsource
them. In addition, we may need to look at outsourcing additional items to save money. In
these tight economic times we need to reduce spending where it is prudent. As a small
business owner I know that you must reevaluate your spending constantly to ensure you
are making the best use of your budget.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The City of Richardson is aging. We need to continue to support the bond programs and
revitilization programs to make sure that Richardson continues to be a place where people
want to live, work and play. This is also needed to attract new residents and businesses to
Richardson.
Dennis Stewart
Biographical Info:
Name: Dennis Stewart
Street Address: 5616 McKinley Lane
City/Town: Richardson
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 09/26/1948
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-649-1520
E-mail Address: dennis@vote4dennis.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.vote4dennis.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 25 years 4 months
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 13 years 6 months
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired - Police Lieutenant - City of Richardson Police Department
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Richardson Central Rotary Club - 17 years - Club President in 2003 & 2007 Recipient of
the Richardson Central Rotary Club's Paul Harris Award Recipient of the Richardson Rotary
Club's "Service Above Self" award in 2010 Richardson Citizen Fire Academy Alumni
Association - Association President in 2000 and 2005
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Richardson City Councilman - 2007 - 2009
Q: Education
A: Graduated H. Grady Spruce High School - Dallas Texas Graduated Dallas County
Community College - Police Science Attended Dallas Baptist University Graduated Law
Enforcement Management Institute of Texas - Leadership Command College Graduated
International Law Enforcement Administration - Command College
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Richardson City Council - 2005, 2007, 2009
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: In excess of $15,000.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Campaign funding is on-going and will be listed on the Campaign Finance Report to be
filed April 14, 2011
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Richardson is a wonderful city in which to live and own a business. I want to be a part of
ensuring that it has a great future for not only my family and my neighbor’s families, but
for generations to come. I am a retired Richardson Police Lieutenant that served the city
for 25 years. I served on the Richardson City Council as the representative in Place 7 from
May 2007 to May 2009. My wife and I owned and operated a successful Richardson
business for 12 1/2 years. I will use the talents that I developed as a police administrator
and as a successful business owner to provide common-sense solutions to issues that are
presented to the City Council. Additionally, I will pledge to be fiscally responsible when
making decisions that effect the taxpayers.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I will recommend that the Council appoint a City Charter Review Committee comprised
of citizens form across the city. The City's Charter has not had a comprehensive review
since 1989. The formation of this committee and the review process should be a minimal
cost. I will work with our City staff, DART and the Texas Department of Transportation to
explore ways by which Richardson can gain an access point (or points) to the HOV lane on
US 75, Central Expressway. The ability to have an entry / exit for the HOV lane in
Richardson is critical to attracting businesses and new residents to our city. The expense of
creating the entry / exit point would be shared by DART and TxDOT. I will work with the
Richardson Chamber of Commerce and the Richardson Economic Development
Corporation to attract new companies and businesses to our city. I will also work to retain
those businesses that already call Richardson home. I believe in the use of performance
based tax abatements and other incentives to attract and retain businesses.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am a 25 year resident of the City. I have twenty-seven years of public service to the
citizens of Richardson. I have a complete understand of the City's policies and procedures
as well as the budget process. I am involved in the community through my membership in
the Richardson Central Rotary Club and my volunteer efforts with the Richardson Citizen
Fire Academy Alumni Association. I have an extremely strong desire to serve the citizens
of Richardson and help our City to remain a strong community. I have the ability to
gather information, analyze the data and make thoughtful and informed decisions.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting new commercial developments and companies to Richardson rank very high
on my list of priorities. But we also need to focus on retaining the current businesses and
retail establishments. Richardson has very little property remaining for new residential
development. What we do have are some aging neighborhoods which need revitalization. I
support providing funds to assist neighborhoods with their revitalization efforts. The
Home Improvement Incentive Program which began accepting applications in 2008 during
the time I previously served on Council, has been a very successful program for the city. It
allows that if a homeowner registers their improvement project with the City and the
homeowner makes at least $20,000.00 in improvements to their property, they can be
eligible for a rebate check from the City. The rebate amount is ten times the difference
from their home's current appraised value to what the appraised amount will be after the
improvements. As of March, 2011, 245 homeowners have participated in the program. The
net value of the improvements to participating homes in Richardson is $26,300,000.00.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Richardson has really became a culturally diverse city during the past few years. The
number of people living in Richardson who weren't born in the U.S. has increased
dramatically since 2000. As an example, one of the elementary schools in Richardson has
27 different languages being spoken by it's students. That creates a challenge not only for
the school district but for the city itself in providing public safety personnel who can
communicate effectively with such a diverse population. In addition to being culturally
diverse, the overall population of Richardson is continuing to age. Almost 27% of the
homeowners in Richardson are granted the Senior Tax Exemption. That number is well
above the amount for other cities in the area.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Enforcing illegal immigration laws are the responsibility of the Federal government,
However, because those laws aren't being handled by the Federal government, the City of
Richardson is put in a position to be the first line of defense in combating the problem. The
Richardson Police Department has and will continue to notify the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency if they become aware that a person is in this country illegally.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I support regional transportation and have worked in the past to ensure that the Cotton
Belt line of DART becomes a reality. I believe that the Cotton Belt line will be built through
the use of a public / private partnership.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The water supply in North Texas must have additional cooperation from the cities to
ensure an adequate water supply for everyone. The North Texas Municipal Water District
serves Richardson as well as 13 other cities in North Texas. The NTMWD has a plan in place
to handle any drought conditions that may occur this summer but it is essential that every
citizen and every business develop water saving strategies.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I believe the City provides basic services in cost-effective manner.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Because of my service on the 2007 to 2009 City Council, I know first hand how the
economic downturn that began in 2008 has affected the City's revenue and expenditures.
I'm very proud of the steps the 2007 Council took to ensure that Richardson could and
would weather tough economic times. I believe the current Council has done an adequate
job of continuing the measures the 2007 Council put into place. Currently, the City
dedicates $0.01 of the effective tax rate to a fund to address the issue of maintaining our
streets and other public infrastructure needs. I will propose that the City increase that
amount to $0.015 of the effective tax rate to meet the future obligations of the
maintenance fund.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: I believe that the City of Richardson has become polarized over the past five years by
pitting east side residents against west side residents. When elected, I will diligently work
to reunite all of our neighborhoods and residents to work for the common good of
Richardson
Diana Clawson
Biographical Info:
Name: Diana Clawson
Street Address: 800 Westminster Dr.
City/Town: Richardson
State: TX
Date of Birth: 02/24/49
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-690-5898
Home Phone Number: 972-690-5898
E-mail Address: Clawson4Council@tx.rr.com
Campaign Web Site Address: DianaClawson.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: My husband and I have lived in the Duck Creek section of Richardson for 32 years.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 32 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Psychotherapist for Non-Profit Agency
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: President, Richardson Duck Creek Homeowners Association Dartmouth Elementary, PTA
Board, Youth Protection Volunteer, Duck Creek Citizens Watch Patrol Volunteer, Trinity
Fellowship Church
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Leadership Richardson Class X Graduate previous alumni Richardson Citizens Police
Academy Graduate, previous alumni Richardson Citizens Fire Academy Graduate, previous
alumni Richardson Duck Creek Homeowners Association, Board, 6.5 years Dartmouth
Elementary, PTA Board and volunteer Apollo Junior High, PTA Board Berkner High School,
PTA Board Telephonic Crisis Line Volunteer, 4 years Licensed Professionsl Counselor
Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
Q: Education
A: Master of Education, University of North Texas Bachelor of Science, University of North
Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Ran for Richardson City Council, Place 1, against 11 year incumbent, Tom Rohm, in
2001 and received almost 30% of vote.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $3000
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Richardson Protection Alliance
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have never been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings. My husband and
previously participated in a civil case to gain custody our two granddaughters.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Living in Richardson for 32 years, I have served as a neighborhood leader and am
presently serving my second year as President of Duck Creek Homeowners Association
languages. We are a city of diverse cultures and the Council needs to do more to increase
the diversity of city commissions and planning groups. We must make an effort to increase
the participation among all ethnic and social groups. Richardson must welcome people of
all backgrounds to lend their experiences and expertise to all manners of city business. We
need a variety of housing stock for young professionals, families and increasing number of
seniors who want to downsize but remain in Richardson. We need to strengthen our
educational partnerships with UTD, Richland College, RISD and PISD to prepare our future
workforce.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: We must enforce the laws currently in place. If someone commits a crime and is here
illegally, they should face the consequences, including the possibility of deportation. Our
Police department does a great job of reaching out to each of Richardson’s ethnic
communities and I think the connection between the Police and the community can be
utilized to keep people informed on how to be compliant with the law. If we foster the
relationships between the City and our ethnic communities, as well as enforce the laws
that are currently on the books, I believe illegal immigration can be addressed in a way
that is beneficial to the City and the residents. This is clearly a very complex, deeply-
imbedded, emotional, and expensive long-term problem, but I and many others feel that
it is not right for illegal immigrants to receive free medical treatment, food, and education
without paying taxes, and especially after violating our country’s laws and borders in the
first place. I am a citizen and do not receive, nor do I want any free services. I believe
that what made America great was hard work and self sufficiency while showing
compassion and charity towards the truly needy and not those simply seeking handouts.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Richardson is a transit city and we must partner with neighboring cities to establish
effective regional transportation. With the increased density of multifamily units in
Richardson, the increased use of DART rail lines can help reduce pollution and traffic. The
proposed Cotton Belt Rail project will give our international businesses direct access to
DFW airport and also give their employees an incentive to live in Richardson.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Participation in regional efforts to address traffic congestion, air quality, and water
resources are imperative. DFW is recognized globally in four leading industry sectors:
advanced services, technology, logistics and trade, and healthcare. With the projected
population and traffic increases area, municipalities and counties must work together and
cooperate to keep DFW economy growing. We have excellent educational institutions and
need to work at attracting new research grants and projects in the emerging technologies
and industries of the future. We have a strong corporate base to attract both domestic and
global business and investment and need to partner with corporate leaders and small
business owners as mentors for new business ventures. We need to work at attracting
corporate involvement with our schools to supply volunteers, equipment and supplies, and
provide internship opportunities.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: There are a number of indications that lead me to believe that Richardson could
improve upon the cost-effectiveness of services being provided to the taxpayers.
Richardson employees and services are the best in the area. However, I do have some
serious concerns about how our money is managed. in addition to considerable amounts of
overtime being paid out. One of the initiatives I would seek upon assuming office would be
a top down and across the board efficiency review of all departments and a review of all
service contracts to not only maximize City revenues but also seek additional cost savings
and/or process refinements. Certain services could be handled through outsourcing and/or
brought in-house and merged with existing programs, all of which would be subject to an
open and transparent review process by the citizens, full discussion in open session with
recommendations provided, and approval by a majority of the City Council prior to
implementation.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: It has been a very difficult economy over the past couple of years, as many companies
have waited to hire, make capital improvements to grow their business, increase
production, or expand services. Richardson must stop spending more than its takes in and
start paying down its debt. An independent external audit of the city’s financial transactions
and related records needs to be completed starting with all major departments and
operations to account for every major revenue category and expenditure item. All
programs and contractual agreements should be reviewed in detail to see if our residents
are getting their money’s worth and they should be subjected to a periodic competitive
bidding process. I am concerned that our property taxes increased with the 2010 Bond and
some of the items were not necessary—especially in these difficult financial/economic
times. I understand that the interest rate was near an all-time low, but Richardson
residents will not receive the high quality of services to which they are accustomed, if we
are unable to pay our debts or have to keep raising taxes to fund operating shortfalls,
declining property and/or sales taxes, or underperforming projects, developments, and
operating entities.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: We must face the truth that Richardson is losing money on the Sherrill Park Golf Course
and the Eisemann Center and the annual operating shortfalls being generated by the golf
course and Eisemann Center are requiring general fund bailouts from the taxpayer
property taxes to keep them in business. We need to have an independent consultant
review and external audit of all the City financial records and transactions to see where we
can be more effective in our spending. We need to allow competitive bidding by evaluating
Requests for Proposals that bring structure to procurement decisions and allow the risks
and benefits to be identified upfront. Given that both are public facilities owned by the
taxpayers, we have a legal right and are fully-entitled to an open and complete disclosure
of their finances. We should expect City officials and appointed representatives to take the
necessary and prudent steps to improve their operating efficiency and performance in
fulfillment of their fiduciary responsibilities to the citizens.
Alan North
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: - no response -
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Amir Omar
Biographical Info:
Name: Amir Omar
Street Address: 2100 Mistletoe Dr
City/Town: Richardson
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 10/06/1971
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-649-8335
Home Phone Number: 214-649-8335
Mobile Phone Number: 214-649-8335
E-mail Address: amir.omar@cor.gov
Campaign Web Site Address: www.amiromar.com
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/p/01AD1C41350339F8
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in the city of Richardson for 3.5 years.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: I am in an at large district.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I work for Verizon Wireless as a Major Account Manager.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Richardson City Council, Council Liaison to Environmental Commission, Council Retail
Committee, Co-Founder of Preservation Richardson, Chairman of the WildRide! WildRun!
Against Cancer, Chairman of the Spirit Run 5k benefiting RISD Excellence in Education
Foundation, North Texas Council of Governments Clean Air Steering Committee,
Richardson Rotary, Methodist Richardson Foundation Board, FBI Citizens Academy Alumni
Association, Richardson Citizens Fire and Police Academy Alumni Association, Leadership
Richardson Alumni Association, Richardson Chamber of Commerce,& Richardson Young
Professionals.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Leadership Richardson, FBI Citizens Academy, Richardson Citizens Fire Academy,
Richardson Citizens Police Academy, Richardson Young Professionals Executive Committee,
Richardson Chamber Ambassador, Friends of the Richardson Library, Friends of the
Eisemann Center.
Q: Education
A: I graduated with a Bachelors of Science Degree from Texas A&M University. My major
job in this category. Redevelopment on the other hand is far more difficult and inherently
includes many more challenges. To properly assess the identified redevelopment zones we
chose to do a formal study and take resident input. This process helps us maximize the
opportunities these areas represent. We began our first of multiple visioning studies
during this last term to start the ball rolling on redevelopment on W. Spring Valley. Citizen
input has been welcome and the final solution we will end up with will be stronger because
of it. There are 5 more study areas to go and I am confident the next one will begin within
the next few months.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: Our 29,705 homes in Richardson are a major asset whose value we must increase.
Today we have a larger number of retirement aged home owners than any other City in
the region. This demographic fact means we will begin to have a relatively large amount of
turnover of home ownership in the next decade as owners move to other less cumbersome
housing options. Every home that goes onto the market represents an opportunity. Many
of these homes will not have seen significant upgrade in the last 10-15 years and therefore
could end up in one of 3 main scenarios: 1. Purchased by an investor that often times rents
the property. 2. Purchased by a resident that can just afford to purchase the home and
may never be able to upgrade it. 3. Purchased by an individual or family that is upwardly
mobile and educated. Through a number of different efforts, we should push to end up in
the 3rd category as often as possible and minimize the number of times we end up with
the 1st category. Our City has not previously had a strategy to help maximize this
opportunity and I will advocate that we define, establish, and execute on such a strategy.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: Illegal immigration is a federal issue, but we do have a responsibility in Richardson. I
support our current policy of turning over any arrested & undocumented individuals to ICE.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I do support a Regional Transit System as well as other Regional efforts that make
North Texas an even better place to Live, Work, or Vacation. When the Region is stronger,
all Cities in the Region benefit. On an effort by effort basis we can determine what role our
City should play. I am proud of the leadership we have shown towards DART and embrace
the benefits we gain while strengthening the entire region.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I have a proven track record as an elected official that embraces regionalism. The
clearest example of creating regional cooperation is taking a program I created for
Richardson and sharing the idea with leaders across our region for consideration. On April
18th last year we launched the largest tree planting initiative in North Texas history named
Tree the Town. This effort sets a goal to plant 50,000 trees over the course of 10 years on
public and private property. This April 18th we will be launching Tree North Texas which
will be the largest tree planting initiative in the country with a goal of 3 Million Trees over
10 years. I am proud to say that we will have roughly 40 Cities joining this effort. I have
also served proudly on the NCTCOG Clean Air Steering Committee.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I think we do a fantastic job delivering City Services. This is a category that our
residents often rave about. There is always room for using technology as well as process
changes to improve efficiency. I think we have done a great job in the past in improving
efficiency and we need to continue keeping an eye on these changes. I also feel that
adopting a zero based budget or doing a deep departmental review on a staggered basis
would help us identify even more opportunities for improvement.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our current budget process has served us well for decades. Clean audits, AAA bond
ratings by both major rating agencies, and no increase in taxes due to operations in
roughly a decade say a lot considering the telecom downturn we had to weather. I believe
the times require a more aggressive process. I support a zero based budgeting process
which will allow us to justify why we do what we do and how we go about doing it. If we do
not have enough Council support for a zero based budget, I would support a staggered
sunset process for City departments once every 3 years.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The most critical issue that we must confront is the effect our demographic shift has had
and will have on our City. Today we have a larger number of retirement aged home
owners than any other City in the region. This demographic fact means we will begin to
have a relatively large amount of turnover of home ownership in the next decade as
owners move to other less cumbersome housing options.
Randy Mays
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: - no response -
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: - no response -
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: - no response -
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: - no response -
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
Doug Phillips
Biographical Info:
Name: Doug Phillips
Street Address: 7810 Killarney Ln
City/Town: Rowlett
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 7/1/1967
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-800-8905
Home Phone Number: 972-800-8905
Mobile Phone Number: 972-800-8905
Fax Number: 972-638-2755
E-mail Address: doug@dougphillips-rowlett.com
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.dougphillips-rowlett.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: I have lived in the Rowlett for nearly 10 years. I moved to the city in August of 2001.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: Not applicable
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am an Infrastructure Architect in Information Technology for a global fashion and
design company based in the Metroplex.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I currently sit on the Rowlett City Council. In addition, I am a member of the Rowlett
R.A.C.E.S. (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) and a member of the Texas Wing,
Civil Air Patrol. I am also involved with the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) at First
United Methodist Church in Garland as an advisor.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have been a member of the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service for about 6
years. I have been a member of the Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol (CAP) for about 19 years.
In that time I have been very active with search and rescue, and I have held several
leadership positions, including Group IV vice commander.
Q: Education
A: I possess a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Computer Systems from
New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I graduated in December of 1989.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I first sought public office in 2008, being elected to the Rowlett City Council, Place 1.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Currently my campaign is self financed.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I have not received any political contributions in this race.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have never been arrested, nor have I been involved in any criminal proceedings. In
2008 my wife and I were forced to file a Chapter 13 debt reorganization case as a result of
some very serious medical issues.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
Patrick Jackson
Biographical Info:
Name: Patrick Jackson
Street Address: 6317 San Marino Drive
City/Town: Rowlett
State: Texas, 75089
Date of Birth: July 23rd 1949
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-552-5613
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Recently Rowlett citizens had one of the highest property taxes in North Texas. That is
not the case now, thanks to the forward thinking of our current Council. Attracting
residential and/or commercial development to the City of Rowlett ranks very high on my
list with special effort in creating an enviroment were the city can have and maintain a
60% residential and 40% commercial property balance. I believe that with such a balance
the city will provide a tax base that can result in improving the quality of life. I believe that
a city must provide the highest level of public safety, public health, and most amenities
that can be afforded.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The percentage of minority and seniors moving to Rowlett has increased in recent
years. In 2010 the City instituted it first Diversity Day Celebration as part of its annual
downtown event series, recognising the importance of all of our citizens, and honor the
diversity of our community. As the population ages, I would like to see an increase in
senior community housing of different types, being designed for easy accessibility, and
with green technology. We need our Seniors to choose to retire here in Rowlett and not
move to other Cities or States. Let's make Rowlett a City that appeals to all age groups
and ethic backgrounds.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: The City and Police department are already doing a good job enforcing the illegal
immigration laws that are written by the Federal Government.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Yes,I do favor a seamless regional transit system. Rowlett will soon be benefiting from
the extra one cent sales tax that we have been paying to DART for some twenty-seven
years. As a Councilmember I will vote in favor for items that will help expand mass transit
in Rowlett. Our DART light rail line will help push our ecomonic development along and
with the Bush Tollway will be even a larger catalyst to draw developers to our city, along
it's service roads.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: Presently, Rowlett already partners with other cities, I will do all I can to continue to
promote regional cooperation. I am convinced that Rowlett can benefit by work and
partnering with our neighbors in marketing all of the North Texas region as a place people
should want to live and work. I will promote forming planning concortium, extending
purchasing agreement with the right cities for goods and materials. Finally, jointly
marketing all of the North Texas region.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: Yes, I do believe the City delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers, baring in mind that the tax base is very low and property values have dropped
during this economic downturn. Our City Manager and City Staff, because of critically
looking at departments, and making needed changes, have done a superb job of keeping
services at a high level for our citizens.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: Our Leadership in rowlett, have all worked together as a team to get us where we are
today. They have all done a great job of weathering the economic storm, especially
compared to our neighboring cities who are considering tax increases to get them out of a
deficit. The leadership of our city has balanced the budget three years in a row and there
have been no tax increases. I will favor more spending reductions where possible and a
zero growth budget for the next several years, until our economy improves and sales tax
collections increase.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth about the City of Rowlett is that the City Leaders have no
control over the cost of water and sewage services. The contracts for these services are
locked into multi-year agreements with automatic fee increases. Water and sewage
treatment rate increases are added by the City of Garland who treats our water for city
consumption. As the demand for water increases with more people moving to North Texas
and the City of Rowlett, the availability will only increase water rates more. This is a
problem that will affect our State in the near future even more than today.
Ron Miller
Biographical Info:
Name: Ron Miller
Street Address: 7315 Stonemeadow Circle
City/Town: Rowlett
State: TX
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-412-8444
Home Phone Number: 972-475-1149
Mobile Phone Number: 214-616-1767
Fax Number: 972-412-8444
E-mail Address: ronm145@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: ronmiller2010,com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: 36 years
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: 36 years
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Mortgagee Support Services
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, DART station art design committee, Steering
committee for comprehensive planning and zoning,Steering committee for Rowlett
Environmental Learning Center.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Parks and Recreation for 2.5 years.
Q: Education
A: Indiana University, 1958-1962, Business Administration
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $137.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Me, Me, Me
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My motive in running for office is pure. I want to do something for my town. My unique
resume qualifies me for Rowlett's unique needs. During my 45 year professional career, I
bring to the table experience of 25 years of development and construction lending. In
addition, my career includes real estate appraisal and general contracting. I have studied
cities all over the USA regarding demographics, growth patterns, feasibilities, and was
prepared to work out all my own construction loan problems if they appeared. I was good
at it. Rowlett is at the cusp of needing my type of experience. With Geo. Bush Tollway
completing later this year, and DART line completing next year, the stage is set for new
development. Furthermore, new lakeside development near the new I-30 bridge and east
of the Community Centre adds to the need of development experience. But, we're not
finished. New downtown development will be needed to accommodate the new DART
facilities and a new North Shore industrial park is in the offing. Rowlett is bursting with new
development opportunities. It is better to have someone experienced in real estate
development rather than, say, experience in a sheet metal shop, or wallpaper hanging.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: I would be sure that the Economic Development Committee had all the support they
needed in their quest for new industry and business development. I would attempt to start
immediately investgations into the possible site designs for the waterfront developments
and the industrial areas. I would want something to show interested investors. Third, I
would start cost estimating and plans for developing park land around the lake. We can't
develop everything, but we need to study and priortize waterside parks.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am a deal maker. Both of my opponents are educated and to the best of my
knowledge honorable men. One is a lawyer and one is an engineer. That's good company. I
believe one is a Civil Engineer and the other is a Title Insurance lawyer. I have no letters
after my name. I am a product of the business world. However, my background in real
estate development and finance is precisely what Rowlett needs. I am not a lawyer, nor an
engineer, nor an archtect, nor a concrete finisher, nor a sheetrocker, nor a surveyer. I am
a deal maker. If I need any of those very skilled trades or professions, I hire them.
Rowlett needs a deal maker.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: My entire platform consists of attracting residential and/or commercial development to
our city. I would only rank our city as fair in soliciting new business. However, to be fair,
Rowlett didn't have much to sell. We had no major highway thru the city. Lake front
remained basically undeveloped. We had no day time population. At 8:00 every morning,
everybody in Rowlett drove somewhere else. It is hard to attract business under those
conditions.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: There are not any significant demographic changes in the city. The city is still a fairly
young population with families in the 3.2 range. The .2 member belongs to the other party.
The ethnic mix seems to be much the same as ever. Everybody seems to get along just
fine. I find the demographics comfortable. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: I would expect them to follow the law. If there is a provision, which there isn't, to allow
illegals to enroll in a program whereby we know where they are and where they work, and
they have to report in periodically, then I am fine with that. However, if they have no
immediate future in this country and are in here illegally, they should be delivered to
appropriate officials for presumably deportation. I do not support any attempts to make
Rowlett a haven city.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: I favor it. One of the great benefits of routine travel in cities across Europe and Asia —
and in an increasing number of cities across the United States —is the opportunity to move
smoothly from one transit mode to another without the hassles of driving and parking a
car. On the flip side, one of the first things that citizens of many large cities often notice is
the lack of transit options for a city of its size. Rowlett is a part of the Dallas DART system.
While the emergence of light rail will give Rowlett a significant urban mass-transit system,
the feeder bus system is also needed. The two transit modes will need a steady flow of
passenger traffic to flourish — The downtown Rowlett area should be prepared to provide
re-development concepts that encourage and promote the idea of living in upscale
attached housing in Rowlett, but working anywhere along the DART served employment
centers. An integrated transit system involves different transit modes working together to
maximize service and support a city's varied transportation needs. There should be
coordination of transit routes, stops and schedules to complement, rather than duplicate
one another. Smart cards DART seems to be working toward the above end. I stand
ready to support those plans.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: The Dallas Ft. Worth metroplex is projected by some to grow to 8 million by 2025. Any
area city that participates in regional transit can benefit for years in the future. Rowlett will
still be able to maintain it's low density lifestyle, provided we seek and find new high tech
industry and develop areas to enhance the mass transit. The often "faceless crowd" that
normally accompanies urban sprawl should be substantially diminished so long as we keep
Rowlett relatively low density and a city of character. In this regard, I would support
efforts to participate in regional partnerships. However, I would guard against Rowlett
being "gobbled up" by larger nearby cities. We get a place at the table, too.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I think existing government has done a commendable job of financial stewardship.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: I think current leadership has done a creditable job in this economic storm. In fact,
many difficult decisions had to be made. It would not have been fun to make those
decisions. My main plank is to find revenue from economic development to lessen the
pressures of the always present cost/revenue squeeze. The current tax base is squeezed
about as far as it can. If services are cut much further, there will be a noticable "seediness"
that will begin to appear. This is not acceptable. We must increase revenue from new
development. The skills and disciplines required of good savvy project development. If
you need a developer, don't go get a tool and die maker.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: Pogo's most famous line is, "We have discovered the enemy and the enemy is us."
Rowlett is a great place to live. It's too bad the residents don't know that. Rowlett
residents need to confront their own lethargic attitude about their city. It really is a great
place to be. Money magazine was right.
Chris Kilgore
Biographical Info:
Name: Chris Kilgore
Street Address: 5809 Ambassador Lane
City/Town: Rowlett
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 13, 1948
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-367-2001
Home Phone Number: 972-412-8605
Fax Number: 972-367-2002
E-mail Address: chris.kilgore@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: chriskilgore-rowlett.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: Eight years.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: N/A
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Partner at Carstens & Cahoon. Primary area of practice is aviation litigation,
representing manufacturers, operators, pilots and maintainers.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: City Council, 2008 to Present.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Planning & Zoning Commission; North Central Texas Council of Governments Planning &
Zoning Certification; Board of Adjustment, Chairman; Traffic & Safety Committee. I began
attending council and P&Z meetings eight years ago. My initial interest concerned a project
near my house. I was struck during the process about how difficult it was for an ordinary
citizen to get information, by the near total absence of critical review or discussion of
issues, by the blatant disregard of citizen concerns about projects and overriding sense
that decisions were made elsewhere, influenced by others not on council. As is my nature,
I kept coming back to see if I could figure out what was really going on. I’ve not stopped.
Over the years, and before running for council, I became thoroughly familiar with the
operation of the City Council and P&Z and the issues before them. Other: Past Chairman,
Aviation Law Section, State Bar of Texas. Chief Justice of my law school honor court,
University of Houston. Multiple published cases and articles, author of 1999 aviation law
supplement to Texas Torts; Law & Practice. Adjunct Faculty, Aviation Law, Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University's Ft. Worth center. Served with the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast
Guard. Vietnam veteran. Recalled to active duty with the Coast Guard for Desert
Shield/Desert Storm. Served a total of 29 years, active duty (12) and reserve (17).
Retired from the USCG with the rank of Commander. Senior Army Aviator. Coast Guard
Aviator. Military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple
Heart, Air Medal w/ "V" (Valor), 36 other Air Medals (Army), Coast Guard Air Medal, Coast
Guard Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Achievement
Medal and Commandant's Letter of Commendation. Licensed FAA Airline Transport Pilot,
Flight Instructor and Ground Instructor.
Q: Education
A: An "Army brat," I began elementary school in Germany, junior high school in Alabama
and high school in Korea. I graduated from Gettysburg Area High School, Gettysburg, PA in
1966. I obtained my BA, in Political Science, from the University of the State of New York
in 1983, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Houston in 1986. I have also attended
numerous other professional training courses including the Army flight school, the Armor
Officer Basic Course, the Navy Disaster Response Course, the National Search and Rescue
Course and the NTCOG Planning & Zoning Certification Course.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Rowlett City Council, Place 5, 2008 to present.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None at this time, I have not actively sought contributions but I anticipate a contribution
from the MetroTex Association of Realtors, who, I am pleased to report, have given me
their endorsement again this election.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: N/A.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Never arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings. In the mid-80's, I was named
in my capacity as Trustee only, in suits and/or requests for restraining orders in relation to
foreclosure actions on behalf of a client savings and loan. In 1991 I was named as one of
several defendants arising from the handling of an action on behalf of a condominium
association, but immediately dismissed from the suit when plaintiff realized that I was not
involved in the disputed actions because, among other things, I was on active duty for
Desert Shield / Desert Storm at the time.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My strongest qualification is three years of proven performance on council. My approach
to problem solving is systematic and analytical, much like my day job. I do not represent
any interest group, nor do I, as a political independent, represent a particular political
ideology. I believe that all sides of an issue or challenge must be considered, as well as the
context within which the question exists, along with the short term and long term
consequences. In the end, decisions must be in the best long term interests of all 56,000
citizens of Rowlett. I frequently do my own research, often seeking opposing viewpoints. I
also listen – that’s how you learn. The best process is a collaborative one. I believe that
the diverse views on this council, when discussed and debated, lead to the best decisions.
“We” are always stronger than “me.” I not only promote collaborative internal debate
within the council, I practice it. I am more fiscally conservative than most of my fellow
council members and I have some philosophical differences with others. My point of view is
sometimes the minority view, and that’s OK. We make the best collective decision we can,
and move on. My long term view is balanced and pragmatic. I did not make wild political
promises three years ago, and I’m not making them now. I recognize the realities and the
uncertainties we must deal with so I work to create realistic expectations. My goal for
Rowlett is to achieve long term sustainability. An often misused term, sustainability is a
complex concept, requiring a balancing of many factors. This is important, because with
the arrival of the PGBT and DART light rail, Rowlett has one chance, and only one chance,
to get it right. This will be a long process, extending well beyond my time on council, but
we’re laying the foundation now. How solid that foundation is will ultimately determine our
ability to achieve true sustainability. Rowlett is a “ring city,” one of multiple cities creating
a large metropolitan area around a much larger city. Ring cities, for the most part, go
through predictable cycles of boom and bust. This is exactly what we want to avoid. It is
neither necessary nor desirable for us to “reinvent the wheel.” William Hudnut, in his 2003
study of ring cites in Halfway to Everywhere, identifies characteristics common to
successful cities – characteristics that, if we employ them, will allow us to avoid the roller
coaster that most cities seem doomed to ride. There is a consistent theme in successful
ring cities: underlying every successful economic development plan is livability – quality of
place. This is the path we must take. I refer to it as SMART GROWTH. I think the more
common boom and bust cycles occur because those cities are focused on short term goals.
That, in part, is because politicians are focused on what will win this (or the next) election.
What will be best for a city 20 or 30 years from now is usually not sexy, and often not
popular. Which leads us to an inconvenient truth. If we are going to achieve long term
sustainability, we are going to have to be able to say “no.” The PGBT and DART light rail
will (eventually) create opportunities to be sure, but not all economic development is good
economic development for the long term. My experience over the past three years has
validated my academic and analytical approach to problem solving and the quest for
sustainability. It is the process that is important. Politicians come and go, but if the process
is sound and followed, the organization continues to grow and to prosper for the long
term.
Q: What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you
push for them and pay for them?
A: The most important and immediate need in Rowlett is an updated Comprehensive Plan,
including the zoning changes that will flow from it; a plan that anticipates the development
of the city after PGBT and DART, as well as ultimate build-out. This is one of the
foundations for achieving sustainability. This is the vision of the city. We must have that
plan in place before we begin dealing with economic development after PGBT and DART.
Without a plan reflecting the vision of the city, decisions will necessarily be made on an ad
hoc basis, decisions which may or may not be in our long term best interests. Only by
following a thorough and well constructed plan (updated regularly) will we be able to
ultimately achieve long term sustainability. This was at the top of my list three years ago.
We’ve finally started part of the process, and I’m pleased to say that it will be an exciting
one. We are seeking a truly unique plan, one based on sustainability and not like the plans
most cities have implemented. Most importantly though, it will be citizen-centered. There
are many interest groups, and some politicians, who have a vision of their own for
Rowlett; and that vision may or may not be one shared by the rest of us. I believe that the
vision needs to be formulated in partnership with the citizens of Rowlett, not left up to
consultants, developers and politicians. After all, the city belongs to its citizens. In the
selection process for a consulting partner, we have required that the plan be developed just
that way, in partnership with the citizens - and that process is about to begin. The second
item is an ongoing issue, the budget. This is another area that requires constant vigilance.
We have a balanced budget each year because the City Charter requires it. For the past
three years we’ve faced declining revenues while costs have gone up – yet we’ve improved
services, increased the reserves and achieved a small surplus last year – all without raising
taxes or borrowing. A surplus is projected for FY2011 as well. Strong budgets, with no
reduction in service or tax increases are forecast for FY's 2012 and 2013, assuming a
continued decline in revenue at the current rate. Much of the credit for this must go to the
City Manager and her staff. I am committed to a zero growth budget. That pretty much
eliminates new programs or projects for the short term. During the current economic
climate, austerity is the watchword. Easy to say, but hard to do though. It requires
constant work because the budget is a moving target, subject to many things over which
we have no control. However, in my opinion, we’ve done a good job over the past three
years. The challenges will continue. There are future expenses beyond maintenance in our
quest for sustainability. Hard choices may have to be made, but you can be sure we’ll deal
with them based on all of the facts and within the context of our long range goals. Another
exciting program we are embarking on is a citizen survey like none other to aid us in our
budgeting process. It is, I believe, a unique process, unlike any other in the region. My
Community, My Money, My Choice educates citizens on what they are paying in taxes to
the city, how those dollars are used and what they're getting for their money. It then seeks
input on individual priorities and concerns, information which will aid us in formulating
future budgets responsive to the needs and wishes of the “owners.” Not only are we
seeking citizen involvement in the process, we are going to extraordinary lengths to reach
as many of those citizens as we can. Citizen involvement and communications are a
priority of virtually everyone who runs for office. But achieving it is difficult at best. I am
pleased to say that we have, in the two instances above, begun a meaningful move in that
direction.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The most notable difference is experience. To my knowledge, my opponent, Chad
McEntee, has no experience in municipal government, or any kind of government. It
appears that he as not served on a board or commission of any sort and has not
participated in local government at all. I understand that at the time he filed, he was not a
registered voter. Those facts alone are not disqualifying; however, it is my observation that
going directly to the decision making level without prior involvement in municipal
government could be challenging. There is a good reason that the customary path to city
council is via one or more of the boards and commissions in the city. The city has a good
deal more moving parts than many folks realize until they are there. The council considers
a multitude of different subject matters on a regular basis, requiring a broad base of
knowledge about issues as diverse as budgeting, financing, state and federal regulation,
contracting, zoning, building codes, public safety, administration, human resources and
information technology, just to name a few. Being able to make informed decisions
requires some familiarity with the myriad of things going on in the city, most of which is far
from sight of the ordinary citizen. Even council members who've spent years serving on
boards and commissions dealing with the same issues at a different level report that it still
takes a couple of years to grasp the scope of these matters at the council level. This is
particularly true in a city like Rowlett, which is not built out. With the arrival of the PGBT
and DART light rail, these challenges are going to be significantly heightened in Rowlett. It
is hard to speculate further about differences. Mr. McEntee attended only 30 minutes of an
all day orientation for candidates. At a panel interview recently, in the course of an hour, I
did not hear him express one single idea, one single program, or one single suggestion
about anything that needs to be done in the city. Conversely, he did not identify one single
substantive issue facing the council that needed to be dealt with or that had not been dealt
with properly. I'm sure there's a reason he's running, it's just that at this writing, I don't
know what that reason is or what his platform is based on. So, I can't identify a specific
difference beyond experience, experience on counsel, general leadership experience,
management experience and academic experience. I do know, based on two brief
encounters, that Mr. McEntee appears to be a nice guy. He is quiet, pleasant, and
respectful. His family dates back to the founding of Rowlett, so he has knowledge of the
history of Rowlett and it's rapid growth over the past two decades. They were, and
remain, significant landholders in Rowlett, including much of the acreage along the
extension of the soon to be completed PGB Turnpike, so he surely has a strong interest in
the development of that area. As a result, he may also face some conflict of interest issues
if he is on council. That's all I know at this point.
Q: Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or
commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you
evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
A: Attracting quality commercial development is second only to putting into place a sound
comprehensive plan so we can pursue that development in the right way, in the best long
term interests of the city. We have a strong residential community, but we need to
diversify the tax base so that homeowners do not have to continue to carry nearly the full
financial burden for the city. Economic development in the past has been challenging
because Rowlett was essentially land-locked. With the arrival of the PGBT and DART light
rail, that is about to change. Those will be our primary economic engines, of course. We
have prime development opportunities along the lakefront and about 1,000 contiguous
acres for development either side of the soon to be completed turnpike. Our Economic
Development Director and his assistant have been very active in getting the word out.
Community events hosting developers and attendance at trade fairs have brought many to
the city to see exactly what we have to offer. In this economic environment, that is about
as good as it gets. When development in the region begins again, we will be in the game.
That said, this is also our biggest challenge. Voters have been promised tax relief through
economic development for many years now. Their expectations are high. However, as I
noted above, quality economic development consistent with our new comprehensive plan
(coming soon) and the goal of long term sustainability means that this may not all occur
nearly as quickly as some would like it to. The long range goal requires the ability to say
"no." Managing expectations, following the plan and effectively communicating the benefits
of doing it right will all be challenges.
Q: What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should
know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes? What, if anything, would
you do differently?
A: The demographics of Rowlett have more or less remained constant. Although Rowlett
is a relatively young city, I believe that the "baby boomers" are not well accommodated, in
Rowlett or in much of the Metroplex. Aging, along with economic and other changes, are
suggesting a change in the size and type of houses we build, with more emphasis on
smaller, more energy efficient homes, yet with upscale amenities. I would encourage
future residential development to consider that, although in the end the day, the market
will govern that issue.
Q: What should the city or the police department do to address the issue of illegal
immigration?
A: This is a federal enforcement issue. I don't believe direct action is appropriate at the
city level, although communications and cooperation need to be maintained to insure that
illegal immigrants who are felons and come into contact with local police do not escape
appropriate punishment under our laws, or subsequent deportation.
Q: Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional transit system, and if you favor it, what
steps would you take to make it happen?
A: Definitely favor. We've been a member of DART since the beginning. In late 2012 our
light rail station will open. The days of individual transportation by automobile are
numbered. Acceptance of public transportation in our car oriented society have been slow,
but as with so many things will come out of necessity, if nothing else. It is important that
we continue to develop our regional systems for that day.
Q: Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater
regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
A: I have long encouraged greater efforts toward partnerships with our neighboring
communities. We live in an age of diminishing resources, whether it is energy, material or
revenue. Regional cooperation will allow us to better leverage the resources we do have.
I've noted that there is resistance to this, but we've recently taken the step of joint
meetings with our neighboring councils. It's only a first step, but an important one.
Q: Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to
taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
A: I think we're a lot closer to achieving a very cost-effective delivery of services. There is
a lot of institutional inertia in this regard, but changes in the economy have helped us
achieve a much higher level of service for a lot less cost. There are still some things we
can do, but we've done an excellent job of making the city more efficient. Again, an
excellent City Manager has been instrumental in the process. The most important aspect of
this effort is getting your staff equally engaged and committed to the process. With quality
staff, when confronted with shrinking resources, it's amazing what they can do. I would
have liked the process to have been a little quicker, but little happens quickly in this
business. I think we're doing an excellent job in this regard and it will only get better.
Q: How has the current leadership done in weathering the economic storm? What ideas do
you have on how to balance the budget with less revenue coming in and the ever-present
need to maintain roads, sewers and other basic infrastructure?
A: We have been ahead of the curve on that. One important thing that was done several
years ago was to dedicate a certain amount each year to what we call the Cash CIP,
money dedicated to bringing marginal roads up to a good status, instead of just waiting for
much more costly replacement. This extends the life of these streets and alleys for many
years. Neighborhood infrastructure had been neglected for a very long time, so we've had
a lot to do, but we've done a bit each year and it's beginning to show. We have expanded
that program based on some experimentation that suggests we can achieve similar results
with even worse roads. We've also begun to address some languishing utility maintenance
was well. That is mostly a matter of being faithful to the Cash CIP program. One of the
things we've done, a pet issue of mine, was to end the very expensive Festival of
Freedom. Instead, we've instituted a number of smaller, low cost, Main Street events that
are more of a community gathering with modest entertainment, much of that
home-grown. As Mayor Pro Tem Gottel is fond of saying, "bring your family, not your
wallet." We've required that the Wet Zone, another expensive program, pay for itself, or
nearly so. By determining what it's true market is and adjusting accordingly, it has done
so, making a profit for the first time in many years. To be sure, there is still much to be
done, more than we have money to do right now. And there aren't many easy choices left
when it comes to reducing spending. However, by instituting efficiencies and simply not
doing those things we would like to do, in favor of those less glamorous things we need to
do, we have returned the reserves to their full level, increased some reserves and
achieved a small surplus in the budget - all with no tax increases or borrowing. The
budget, with the current level of services, is projected to hold through 2014, even if
revenues continue to decline. The crystal ball is not so clear after that. In preparation, just
in case, we've begun the previously mentioned program to involve citizens in order to fully
understand what they value the most, to aid us if hard choices are necessary.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: The arrival of the turnpike and light rail will not be the panacea many are expecting, at
least not anytime soon. In part because of promises by politicians, and in part because of
general optimism, many expect the benefits of those economic development generators to
result in the transfer of the tax burden from the "rooftops" to the commercial development
that is sure to follow. There is an assumption that commercial development will
immediately follow. It may, or it may not. There remains a lot of empty land alongside
those portions of the turnpike that have been in place for years. Then there's the economy.
Rowlett does have some advantages, such as the lake and light rail, but there's no
assurance that QUALITY development will follow right away. I'm sure that eventually it
will, but how long that might be remains anyone's guess. I emphasize quality because, if
Rowlett wants to build a sustainable community, good for the long haul, it must hold out
for the right development. That might not be the first development, further delaying the
process. Then, when development does come, even if quickly, there is the matter of
incentives. There is competition for quality development, and attracting such development
usually requires a variety of incentives. For many cities, particularly those cash poor, as we
all are these days, those incentives will be, at least in part, in the form of tax breaks, often
for a period of many years. So, development that occurs today, might not return a
significant benefit for many years. I think that realistically, the payout is 10 to 15 years
down the road, assuming a reasonable recovery in the economy. It could be quicker, but to
wish it so won't make it so. I anticipate a level of frustration over that time period as these
long awaited benefits are slow to materialize. Promises were made, expectations were
formed. I think both were unrealistic. We have no one to blame for that but ourselves, but
nevertheless, that is the truth we may have to deal with.
Chad McEntee
Biographical Info:
Name: Chad McEntee
Street Address: 7121 Liberty Grove Rd
City/Town: Rowlett
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 07-31-75
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-965-6933
Home Phone Number: 972-475-3409
Mobile Phone Number: 972-965-6933
E-mail Address: chadmcentee@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.chadmcentee.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency in the city
A: With the exception of about 3 years while I owned a business in Comanche Texas, I
have resided in Rowlett my entire life.
Q: Length of residency in the district, if applicable
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I would classify my occupation as a Farmer/Rancher. That is what has been passed
down from generation to generation within our family. We farm and ranch our land here in
Rowlett as well as some property in East Texas. Prior to my father's passing when I took
on this role, I was an Underground Utility Foreman as well as a City Inspector.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: My current civic involvement includes activities with the Garland and Wylie FFA
chapters. As a licensed auctioneer, I have been honored to have been involved with
several benefit auctions in Rowlett as well as surrounding communities.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: I am a proud graduate of Garland High School. After that, I attended and graduated
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
A: - no response -
Dan Blosser
Biographical Info:
Name: Dan Blosser
Street Address: 315 N. Greenville Ave., Apt 334
City/Town: Allen
State: TX
Date of Birth: May 3, 1947
Mobile Phone Number: 202-306-0427
E-mail Address: danblosser@yahoo.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I moved back to north Texas two (2) years ago and moved to Allen in Nov 2009. I had
previously lived in the DFW area from 1989 to 2001. Prior to moving to north Texas two
years ago I lived and worked in Washington, D.C. for the previous five (5) years,and in
other cities around the country during my long public work career.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: I have two (2) daughters, both of whom attended and graduated from the Carrollton-
Farmers Branch ISD. My younger daughter was a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist and is
now a student at UNT in Denton and has an internship with Frito-Lay in Plano. My other
daughter has attended college at the prestigous Fashion Institute of Technology in New
York City.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I have been involved mainly in city government during my 35 year civic career. As a
Fleet Manager I have run city departments as large as 245 associate with 4,000 units of
motor equipment with 600 drivers to dispatch daily. I have also been a Risk Manager for
several cities and was responsible for all insurance programs including health/dental,
workers' compensation, safety, loss prevention, claim handling, wellness, municipal
property inventory control, employee training, and employee newsletters. I was the city
administrator for a small WV city directly after my college years.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am currently a member of Allen First United Methodis Church, and a volunteer
participant with Habitat for Humanity. I am a member of the Friends of the Library in Allen
and a volunteer there.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have chaired United Fund municipal campaigns, been president and a board member
of churches I attended, a frequest blood donor, and a reader for the blind.
Q: Education
A: BA Degree in Public Administration from West Virginia University, 1969 MPA Degree in
Public Admin/City Government from West Va. University 1973 US Navy air controller
during the Viet Nam Era.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: No elective offices held, but lots of municipal staff positions held.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I am self-funding my campaign and will not use unsightly yard signs.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The primary emphasis must be on teaching and learning; with sports, arts. amd
ancillary clubs being important too, but not as important as the learning/teaching
environment.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Learning is like a long winding thread, and once broken, whether in the early years or
in the middle or high school years, it takes great emphasis to retie the tread and begin to
make learning progress again. The teacher/student relationship is where the student's lack
of interest must be first identified and addressed. District teaching and counseling
resources must be brought to bear on these wavering students at the earliest possible
moment, and the parents must be made a part of the solution for the student's emotional
and academic welfare.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: The textbook/computer debate is a false trail as both are needed in our society. I am a
great fan of rote learning on intellectual matters (as was Abe Lincoln who spent only one
[1] year in a classroon). Computers are great for research and learning some technical
skills such as typing. New skills such as LEAN quality control skills would be very practical
for students in high school to learn, as would personal finance and personal legal
management skills.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: The teacher/student relationship, if excellent, will help draw in the parents to the
learning process. Good timely communications with parents and follow through on parental
concerns will also build a trusting relationship over time.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: End the tenure emphasis and increase the pay of teachers based on performance
reviews.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Again, I would emphasis the criticality of teachers to the process. Certainly teacher pay
should be directly linked to student performance measurements. Principals and
administrators should lose their jobs if they fail to meet these student learning goals.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: We have spent our tax payers' fortunes on school facilities that do not by themselves
enhance student learning. The whole learning process depends on teacher performance
and accountability and not on facilities, admininistrative staffing, and extra curricular
activities.
Mark Jones
Biographical Info:
Name: Mark A. Jones
Street Address: 1413 McKenzie Dr.
City/Town: Allen
State: TX
Date of Birth: 02/17/69
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-359-7566
Home Phone Number: 972-359-7566
Mobile Phone Number: 214-912-6322
E-mail Address: Mark2001Jones@aol.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.Jones4Board.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 1. The State is requiring forty-five days of testing for every high-school student
beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. This equates to twenty five percent of the school
year spent on tests. While I do not discount the need for testing, learning occurs when
teachers are allowed to teach. 2. The State mandates that we purchase text books.
School districts could save money by being allowed to move towards a digital
environment. We have already begun moving in the direction with the introduction of
Smartboards and other digital media. 3. In 2003 and again in 2006 when the State
reduced our target-revenue, our district addressed many non-teacher areas for saving
additional revenue. We are currently putting out to bid a majority of our non-teaching
contracts to capitalize on additional savings.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: 1. Foreign Language is an area that I would like to see expanded. As the world becomes
ever smaller, I think that it is imperative for students to learn a foreign language. Not only
are they learning another language, they are learning a different culture. 2. I would focus
on developing a department within our Career and Technology Center for non-college
bound students that would prefer to enter into skilled trades. Studies have shown that
HVAC, plumbing and electrical jobs will be in short supply within the next five to ten years.
3. We have been able to carve out professional days in our calendar for teachers to
collaborate and develop best practices. Unfortunately, this may be an area that we have to
reduce due to state budget cuts.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: Our district excels in this area. We are extremely proud of our new Career and
Technology Center. This Center will provide exceptional career development activities for
our students in career pathways such as engineering, computer science, health science,
business, and broadcast journalism. The Center will provide students with numerous dual
credit opportunities with Collin College. I would like to see our district develop more
options for career development in areas like plumbing, HVAC and mechanical repair. I also
hope to see our district selected for an ROTC program.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Trained community liasons would add additional cost to the district. I would like to see
our district partner with our community. Parents and students could learn together thus
building a better learning environment.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Customer service is imperative to developing a successful high school and middle
school. High quality teachers are integral to any successful school. We are evaluating ways
where we can use the best instructional practices throughout the district. To accomplish
this, technology will play a key roll. I foresee an ever increasing use of the internet and
short teaching videos that can be reviewed by the student and parent outside of the
classroom.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: We are fortunate that we do not have that problem in Allen. Our district currently has a
97 percent graduation rate. This is not to say that we do not have room for improvement.
To capture the remaining three percent, we must become innovative in engaging those
students.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: We are effectively utilizing technology in the classroom. We will be installing Smart
boards in all classrooms over the next several years. This encourages more student
involvement and it is a new way to stimulate learning. Our elementary age students will
still need to rely on textbooks. Middle school and high school students are already living in
a digital world; therefore, I see more emphasis being placed on laptops.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: We have to be flexible to meet the needs of our parents. I would like to see more
strategies to get feedback from our student and parents on their experience within the
district.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Teachers and principals join a district for a variety of reasons other than pay and
benefits. They desire an environment where their students can learn and achieve higher
levels of learning. At the end of the day, a teacher wants to see that they had an affect on
the student that day. We can develop effective teachers by demonstrating that we are
commmitted to our students, team work and professional learning.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I support a system to link student performance with teacher pay. However, this must
me done in a manner that enhances teacher collaboration and a team environment.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The current financial crisis imposed upon us by the State is not going to go away very
soon. Allen already receives less money per student than our surrounding districts. We are
not asking for more money as much as we are asking that when the legislature reduces
funding, that they do so in manner that is both reasonable and equitable.
James Goode
Biographical Info:
Name: James Goode
Street Address: 3437 Longmeade Drive
City/Town: Farmers Branch
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 05 February 1945
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-620-8530
Home Phone Number: 972-243-4591
Mobile Phone Number: 214-212-2780
Fax Number: 972-620-8531
E-mail Address: goode4cfbisd@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.jamesgoode.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 32 years in the district
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: All four children attended C-FB ISD for 13 years each, from kindergarten through
graduation from R.L. Turner High School.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: President and Engineering Manager for Applied Data Sciences, Farmers Branch, Texas
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce Executive Board and Education Committee
Chairman Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation - President City of
Farmers Branch TIF Reinvestment Zone Number 1 & Number 2 - Chairman Carrollton-
Farmers Branch ISD Educational Foundation North Texas Area Association of School Boards
Texas Association of School Boards - Board of Directors North Central Texas Council of
Governments Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Representative
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Town North YMCA Board of Management R.L. Turner HS, Vivian Field MS, McLaughlin
Elementary School - PTA Executive Boards Texans Can Academy Advisory Board,
Carrollton Farmers Branch Campus C-FB ISD Association for the Gifted and Talented -
Executive Board C-FB ISD Education Foundation Establishment Committee C-FB ISD
Advisory Bond Committee 1998 City of Farmers Branch Education Advisory Committee
Texas PTA Life Member Texas Association of School Boards Master Trustee Career and
Technology Association of Texas State Award Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas Community
Builder Award Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce, Committee of the Year/Education
Advocacy Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce, Distinguished Leadership/Chairman,
Education Committee The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Life Member Town
North YMCA Volunteer of the Year
Q: Education
A: MS in Management & Administrative Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas BS in
Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington Registered Professional
Engineer - Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Elected four times previously to this position
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Have not requested donations
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: No outside donations received. Funded by myself.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for the school board because of my desire to help all students realize their
opportunities if they are academically prepared. I have served on the school board for 12
years and have seen the need to serve and encourage students; some who might be older,
speak a different language at home, and struggle with different customs and traditions. I
have come to see the need to include the entire family in the educational journey. I grew
up in an environment that did not demand or expect higher education. This blue collar
environment understanding of education minimizes the academic potential of many
students. I learned the value of friends who encourage you to continue your academic
studies and inspire you to reach for the next higher level. In other words, I learned that
the people you associate with determine your beliefs and set your goals; therefore, I want
to influence others to set their goals for higher academic success. I encouraged my four
children to do their best inside and outside of the classroom. I was there to help and direct
them.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I do not know my opponent's background. So I can only tell you about myself.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: I have been on my local board for 12 years. Prior to that time, I attended board
meetings about once a month over a two year period. During that time the most important
lesson I learned is that you are one of seven members. You are only effective if the other
six board members believe you are earnest in your desire to serve the students, staff and
community and if you can persuade a plurality of them of the wisdom of your position. If I
don’t have the respect of my fellow board members, I just become an annoyance and
distraction while they strive to serve the district. A good board member must be willing to
use one’s free time to participate in various school district activities and become an active
participant in community and civic organizations. A board member’s time commitments
goes well beyond the scheduled board meetings.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: We have many campuses in our district that have been successful with high
achievement in reading and math. They range from the areas of low socioeconomic to the
more affluent areas. The common thread is caring teachers who bring a high level of
meaningful instruction into the classroom. Probably the most important question is, “When
do parents start teaching their children at home?” If students are in pre-K and full time
kindergarten, they will be ahead of the other students. Smaller class settings with
individualized instruction always help bring improved results. Parents who reinforce at
home what the students have learned in the classroom by encouragement or using their
own personal background in reading and math bring additional improved results.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: First we must believe in the equal value of all students. Once we realize that students
who are limited English learners may be highly gifted, and if we inspire them, they will
succeed in their quest for a high level of academic learning. We have 53 different
languages spoken in our district. Our first objective is to have all students learn in a
common language. We have different programs to help students make that transition. The
most important factor outside of the classroom is to involve the parents. We must
understand that the culture in most foreign countries is that parents are not involved in the
educational process. Therefore, we must learn how to help parents understand their role in
working with, encouraging and demanding success from their children. We are
experimenting to find workable methods.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: The first areas to cut must not impact student achievement. Therefore, those areas to
cut might be 1) maintenance and operation, 2) non-instructional administration, and 3)
extra-curricular programs.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: If money were available it would be 1) early childhood education (e.g., pre-K and full
day kindergarten), 2) concentration such as double blocking classes in subject areas where
students are below the minimum expected level, and 3) early intervention programs or
classes.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: To curb the dropout rate we have programs that have proven results; such as our
Advancement-Via-Individual-Determination (AVID). Our Mary Grimes Learning Center is a
program that focuses on individualized instruction with an accelerated and flexible
schedule. Because these are small classes it allows for teachers to more closely work with
their students to ensure their chances of academic success. Our expanding Career &
Technical Education (CTE) programs, integrated into our high school curriculum, help
students experience the practical application of conceptual ideas. We have a vision for
adults from the professional industries to help provide a personal learning relationship with
students. Until budget constraints are no longer an issue, this will continue to be just a
vision.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: The district has sufficient electronic communications resources for the English and
Hispanic population. The challenge is to address the other 51 languages spoken in the
district. There are about 30 volunteers who are available to converse or translate material
into the more common languages. The greatest need is to have volunteers available at the
campus level who can be the first person to have contact with the non-English speaking
adults. Another need is to have cultural ambassadors available as volunteers. The final
need is to provide updates about district activities and accomplishments that are available
in a format for the non-technology accomplished people.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: With multiple middle schools and high schools, their success is based upon the unique
classes and programs at their location. There are support programs which support the
demographic diversity and socioeconomic status of the students. The areas we need
improvement in are parent participation and business community involvement.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: The challenge is providing the resources to help students make the transition from
middle school to high school. These challenges range from academic preparedness to social
acceptance. A mentoring program lead by upper level high school students to work with
the students while still in middle school would help minimize part of this transitional stress.
There needs to be better collaboration between the high school and middle school teachers
so the students are not overwhelmed with the academic divide.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology is used in our classrooms to serve a multitude of applications. We use it in
the more traditional applications such as white boards, video and audio. We use technology
for online testing. Specialized software for reading and math has been a great asset. This
software allows for individualized and personalized teaching. Newer areas of technology we
use include the virtual classroom, accelerated classes for advanced middle school learners
and higher level courses offered by universities. Thus, the classroom is more than brick
and mortar and more than the local public school system. The future is not laptops or
textbooks; rather the future is tablet devices like the Apple iPad. These type of devices will
become a true “Personal Learning Device” and will make textbooks obsolete. Learning is
then personalized and available 24/7. There will be a need for textbooks for a while;
however, when state funding becomes available for digital devices, there will be an
explosion in student usage. This should lead to better retention and decrease dropouts
because it becomes “Personal.”
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I don’t have the perfect answer. Parent involvement is driven by cultural and
socioeconomic issues. We are working to lower the language barrier by trying to recruit
more volunteers who speak the languages that are spoken in our district. The cultural
issues require a paradigm shift. Adults must change the ideas learned as students in their
native countries to the accepted norms in Texas. There are many single family parents and
parents who work multiple jobs, which limits the amount of time they have available to
assist their children.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Recruiting has not been a major issue in our district. We have provided excellent
teacher development classes and programs to assist them in becoming highly qualified
teachers. In the same way we nurture our principals. Our challenge is how to retain them
as they become enticed to go to neighboring school districts because of the skills they
acquired in C-FB ISD. One challenge has been a shortage of relatively new affordable
housing for teachers new to our area.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: We have been successful using a model where incentive pay is shared by the entire
campus. We allow the entire campus staff to decide what model works best for them.
There should also be consequences for a campus which repeatedly fails to improve. First
investigate before placing blame on individual staff members. Teachers do not get to
decide what students will be in their class. If they are new students who are behind grade
level, then a teacher needs additional time just to get students up to their expected level.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Because of our location along Interstate 35E and LBJ Freeway there is a constant
movement in part of our student population. This also impacts our demographic and
socioeconomic mix and affects our drop-out rate. Not necessarily because they dropped
out of school; rather they moved without notifying the school district where they were
moving. However, we are proud that we can make a difference if they stay with us.
Randy Schackmann
Biographical Info:
Name: Randy Schackmann
Street Address: 3309 Highland Meadow Dr
City/Town: Farmers Branch
State: TX
Date of Birth: 9-26-1953
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-538-3898
Home Phone Number: 214-242-0388
Mobile Phone Number: 214-538-3898
E-mail Address: randy.schackmann@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.RandyforSchoolBoard.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 4 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: I have a son at RL TURNER HIGH SCHOOL (C-FB ISD) and a son at VIVIAN FIELD
MIDDLE SCHOOL (C-FB-ISD). I also have three grown children, two of whom are teachers.
They all attended John Burroughs High School in Burbank, CA.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
During my opponent’s 12 years on the board, C-FB ISD's administrative personnel has
more than doubled. They are the fastest growing part of our staff. C-FBISD employs 200+
people who earn over $90,000 per year. The number of C-FB administrators is higher than
state averages and so is our overall teachers to nonteaching staff ratio. I BELIEVE we have
too many high-priced administrators and leadership personnel and we must save money
with cuts in this area. At the April board meeting's budget discussion, my opponent
supported a "business as usual" approach that only includes retirement or staff attrition
reductions. I BELIEVE we must aggressively work on our budget starting with (1)
examination of all programs to identify areas of reduction or savings, (2) creation of a
district-wide initiative to identify and stop spending redundancies and waste, and (3) by
reducing the single largest part of our budget: personnel costs, and this must be done by
finding ways to reduce costs while protecting classroom learning. My opponent constantly
says that “high achievement” is our district’s #1 priority. Yet, on his watch, during the last
five reporting years, the number of high school juniors in the district who pass the SAT
college admissions test at the collegiate level has declined 25%, and last year, 50% more
district schools dropped a level in AYP rating than increased. I BELIEVE exemplary must be
our goal and we must do more than just talk about achievement. We must focus priority
attention and resources on classrooms and on-site school staff that work daily with
students. It is time to stop spending and building that doesn’t support teachers and direct
(daily) student learning. I BELIEVE that our schools are “owned” by the community and
that board members should represent our values and ideas. My opponent has repeatedly
demonstrated that he (“the board”) and administration “know what is best” and they will
pursue their agenda first and foremost. There is a clear, profound and distinct difference
between my opponent and me.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: I have attended a number of board meetings and watched many more via our district
online archives or the local district television broadcasts. My experience gives me a unique
understanding of the things a board can do as leaders and what areas of leadership is not
their purview. Three things a board member can be more effective are: (1) Board
members need to ask more questions and get more "whys" into public view so the
community can know and understand rationales and methods clearly. (2) Board members
need to bridge the gap between the "edu-speak" mentality of the administration and
district and the "every-day speak" of the community -- and they must always insure that
the citizenry at-large feels welcomed and involved and important stakeholders. (3) Boards
must work cooperatively and harmoniously with district administration but while doing this
they must not include losing sight of the fact that they (the board) are stewards of the
community's money and schools.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: C-FBISD schools employ many programs and direct teaching methods to intervene for
students who are at-risk throughout the district. In ways, the effort to get all students up
to or above grade level has been one of our strongest pursuits. One example is Vivian Field
Middle School where teachers use data to find students at risk. Curriculum decisions and
class placements are brought before teachers and administrators directly involved in
students' education. Individualized instruction is planned for each student and beyond
actual math and reading classes, before school tutorials and after-school and even some
Saturday programming in reading and writing academies are combined with multiple
curricular, co-curricular and some non-curricular enrichments programs. All of this is
blended to maximize student achievement. What can be learned from this? The combined
strategies approach works. Both TAKS scores and Vivian Field's AYP level have increased
using these methodologies.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: There is never ONE great answer that solves all issues bridging this gap, but a wide
assortment of strategies and skills that make learning accessible for every student.
Implementing STELLAR strategies in classrooms has been effective in closing the
achievement gap for many CFBISD students and I would push to expand this very effective
and cost-efficient program. The purpose of STELLAR is to “build the capacity of mainstream
teachers of English Language Learners (ELL) to positively impacting all ELL populations in
classrooms.” Our district if fortunate to have Dr. Elsa Anderson, CFBISD STELLAR
coordinator and her work is something we should promote. By using combined STELLAR
and best practices combined with the training and skill our teachers have regarding cultural
differences, all students, Latino, Anglo and others, see improvement in test scores and
academic performance.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: In the past 6 years the number of students and general staffing in C-FBISD has
remained flat. During that same time period Central Administration has more than
doubled. The first area I would cut is this area of high-salary staff since over $30 million
dollars is spent annually on various administrative and leadership jobs/departments. The
second area to cut is the curriculum and instruction department. This department has 48
staff positions, most earning significantly more than teachers. They spend nearly $5 million
yearly in this area and can be cut. The third area combines two budget categories.
Excluding maintenance, transportation and health, C-FB is presently spends $13.5 annually
on contracted services and supplies. This is an area that must be reduced.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: I am always interested in and concerned for the safety and quality of schools for all of
our students. If we were “flush with cash” I would be very supportive of programs to
augment anti-bullying resources and training. A second area I would support is the use of
individualized technology especially in our high schools. We are past the point where
“laptops” are the answer. We have some, but we could use more personal hand-held
devices (such as iPad) and immediate response interactive technology in classrooms. A
third area of interest would be increasing fine arts in elementary and middle schools.
Numerous studies show the value of engaging young student in fine arts (art, band, choir,
etc.) as they become more engaged in school and typically earn higher grades.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: I am not ready to add more programs to our schools. We have more programs now
than we can pay for. It makes much more sense to attack these issues by honing and
refining the programs we have. We can and should make them more effective. A good
example is in the college readiness area. Over the last 5 reporting years, the number of
high school students in the district who attain the level of college accepted on the SAT has
dropped 25%. This is at the same time high school level TAKS scores have gone up. There
should be more emphasis course mastery and college prep (and less emphasis TAKS prep)
in all classes. When students score better on the SAT or ACT, they be more likely to stay in
high school and finish their diploma. Can we look at the declining SAT score data and not
wonder what is lowering the opportunities our students have for success? Why does
C-FBISD say it has real achievement when students from all of our high schools are having
a more difficult time being prepared for college? What use is it to stay in school, when
students will not be prepared to go further?
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: CFBISD does a good job communicating with parents. My boys are involved in multiple
school and extra-curricular activities. We get phone calls and emails from both schools
almost every night. The ParentConnect and grade portal programs keep us updated on
missing work or low grades. Teachers have been responsive to our emails and phone calls.
The on-site administrations at both campuses our boys attend support our sons’ academic
and developmental lives. The district has qualified translators and actively supports
non-English speaking parents and families. We have liaisons and resources in place (i.e.
Community in Schools) that assist in insuring that everyone, including and especially
non-English speakers are well supported and served. I will encourage and support current
programming, but especially in these precarious financial times would not be supportive of
added staff of program costs.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Successful schools, at every level, needs five things: quality teachers, safe and effective
facilities, sound curriculum with good resources, supportive leadership that both
encourages and “stays out of the way” when appropriate, and community support. My
younger son’s C-FBISD middle school is very successful. His teachers are dedicated and
they work with us to meet his needs. It is important that class sizes remain lower than the
predicted 35+ that could happen if next year’s budget has a $30,000,000+ short fall. How
could a hard-working teacher give students much help the support if faced with such large
classes? My older son’s high school METSA (Engineering Academy) program is amazing.
Their growth in four years is phenomenal. If METSA loses its edge on the forefront of
technology because of reduced financial support, many students who love science and
math will lose their chance to get ahead in a global marketplace. That would be
unforgivable and detrimental for our students’ futures. Bottom line, C-FBISD is not
lacking for many resources. Our schools are performing well and our students have ample,
supported opportunity for great academic and life skills training. The challenge for us is
how to effectively start reducing the budget in a way that maintains, without decimating
our school’s successes, and our current school board thinks waiting and doing nothing is
going to suffice. I believe in proactive budgeting and leadership that will help C-FBISD
maintain its edge.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Improving middle school education starts in elementary school and gains momentum.
Learning to be a fluent reader is the MOST important skill our students must master.
Reading is not a “one and done” skill; readers need support, encouragement and
challenges as their reading level changes and develops over time. Middle school education
is not just about teaching students what they need to know to survive; the entire school,
from Band, Choir, Art, Karate and Life Skills, to the most basic core classes, work together
to make a complete package for each student. The district must protect classrooms--
teachers make a difference!
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology is being used very effectively in most C-FBISD classrooms. Several of our
high schools are beginning to use individualized handheld communication devices (such as
iPad) as integrated parts of the curriculum. They support brainstorming and daily
classroom collaboration as well as instant web access research. Some of our schools are
incorporating Smart Carts (multi-media technologies) and Promethean Board interactive
white boards to maximize student involvement and internalization of daily learning goals.
Technology is important as will continue to play a growing role in education as we train and
equip student for college and daily life in the 21st century. The great challenge for
technology is ensuring that dollars devoted to this part of the schools’ budget are spent
carefully and that teachers and equipment are prepared properly and utilized fully for
maximum results. Laptops or textbooks is almost an outdated question. Between things
such as iPads, KindleTM wireless reader devices and more, laptops are fast becoming a
thing of the past. The question hinges on what is the most effective way to insure the best
curriculum and learning is available at the most effective cost. Answering this, determines
laptops or textbooks.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Parents are students’ primary resource for education. Before a student sees the inside
of a classroom, parents teach them. Including parents in decisions relative to their
student’s academic future is a truth we must not ignore. Honest communication with
parents must start from the highest level in the district and permeate every level of
decision making. Any time we lose the opportunity to talk to parents, we short circuit the
hope with which they have entrusted us. We can talk about PTA, parent groups and the
like, but for C-FBISD, we must open up the district to start building more parental
involvement. Instead of holding documents, notes, financial details and other public
records secret forcing community members to make Freedom of Information requests, we
must be transparent about decisions that have impact in classrooms and about the budget.
We need to get finances out in the open with things like online checkbook. We need to
utilize technology and tools such as online surveys to get regular, quick feedback. And
most of all, we have to engage parents. Changing these patterns to open
communications, we will encourage parent involvement in every level of our schools and
will allow us to more effectively use traditional methods like PTA and other parent contacts
and support to the fullest extent.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: C-FBISD has earned a solid reputation. This is the cornerstone of recruiting and
retention process. Good personnel will not be attracted nor will they stay if quality is not
present. As a board member, I will work to maintain the district in a way that keeps this
basic fact accurate. A second foundational part of both recruiting and retention is
professional growth. We have, and must continue to provide ways for teachers and
principals to build and improve. People are attracted to opportunities wherein they know
that their abilities and career are encouraged and supported. Retaining staff should also
involve competitive compensation; equally fair, encouraging working conditions; good
facilities; adequate resources; the right blend of supportive leadership without overbearing
or stifling control and effective communication with opportunities for input. As a board
member, my highest priorities will be helping to set the right tone of our district, ensuing
that are staff is always valued and that maximize resources and support that helps
teachers and principals.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
Nancy Cline
Biographical Info:
Name: Nancy Cline
Street Address: 3036 Silverado Drive
City/Town: Carrollton
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 07/13/1962
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (972) 450-2878
Home Phone Number: (972)492-5181
Mobile Phone Number: (972) 898-4668
E-mail Address: nancy@votenancy.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.facebook.com/votenancy
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: Our family moved to CFBISD in August 1998. We have lived in this home since that
time.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: We have two children in C-FB schools. Our 13 yr old is an 8th grader at Blalack. Our 16
yr old is a junior at Creekview. Our oldest son, a Creekview High School honor graduate,
is a sophomore aerospace engineering major at Texas A&M University who also marches in
the Aggie Band and has accepted an air force contract.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Employed as the Director of Public Works for the Town of Addison.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: CFBISD Board of Trustees, Place 2 - 2005 - present Girl Scout Troop 462 - Co-Leader
Creekview High School Band Booster Club Board - Treasurer Member - Aldersgate UMC
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: CFBISD Board of Trustees, Place 2 - 2005 - present Leadership Metrocrest - Metrocrest
Chamber of Commerce - Class XIII Texas Section American Society of Civil Engineers -
Past-President Texas A&M Civil Engineering Advisory Council - 2006 - present Kent PTA -
4 years on the Board PTA Life Member Award - Blalack Middle School PTA
Q: Education
A: Bachelors and Masters in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Elected in 2005, currently serving in my 6th year on the Carrollton-Farmers Branch
I.S.D. Board of Trustees, Place 2.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: None
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have not had any personal criminal proceedings or civil suits. But as part of my work,
sometimes the city is the subject of a civil lawsuit. Also, as a school board member, there
have been several civil suits filed against the board.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I want to see our school district continue to succeed at its goal for high achievement for
all kids. I ran for school board in 2005 because my volunteer and professional background
had prepared me for the position and as a product of public schools, I wanted to dedicate
my time to working to provide a high quality education for all of the children in our district.
Since that time, I have learned about the challenges presented to our district through state
and federal testing requirements, state funding issues, and a student population with
increasingly larger numbers of transient and /or economically disadvantaged students and
ESL students. Since being elected in 2005, I have had the opportunity to serve on the audit
and finance committee in addition to chairing the committee to develop Board Operating
Procedures. I am an experienced board member with over 170 continuing education
credits. Before running for office, I served as the chair of the Elementary Education
sub-committee of the 2003 Bond Election Committee. I have also volunteered for
numerous positions in the Kent PTA, Blalack PTA and Creekview Band Booster Club. As a
Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas since 1990, I have successfully organized and seen
many engineering projects to completion. I believe in being involved and using my skills in
my community. I believe the experience and training as a trustee counts, particularly in
these times.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have served as a school board trustee for over 5 years. I have attended required
school board training hours and participated in Board and Superintendent Team training
five times. I understand the budgeting practices of the district through both serving on the
audit and finance committee and through participating in the budget work session and
meetings over the last five years. That experience coupled with the executive position with
a municipality would take a lot of time for a newcomer to learn and we don’t have a lot of
time for learning on the job.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: I attended board meetings periodically before running for election in 2005 and have
attended the board meetings since election as a trustee. A board member can be effective
by preparing for each meeting by reviewing the agenda packet and submitting questions
for further clarification to the staff. It is also important for a board member to attend and
actively participate in the board discussion. There are also numerous training opportunities
through local and state based organizations and state-mandated Team of Eight training
each year. The board is a team of eight with varied perspectives and developing an
understanding and giving feedback regarding board agenda items is critical. An effective
board member is one that is prepared, has reviewed their board materials, stays abreast
of current legislation and happenings in the district, shows up for board meetings and other
school functions, and actively engages.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: Carrollton-Farmers Branch TAKS Reading scores for all students are at 91% passing
which demonstrates that most children are reading on grade level or higher. The math
TAKS scores are slightly lower at 86%, but continue to improve. The district is committed
to providing quality professional development and curriculum support so that all campuses
have high achievement. The district continues to study and apply proven research
techniques to the classroom to improve the success for all students and ultimately bring
student’s scores higher.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: We have experienced an achievement gap from the more socio-economically
disadvantaged population and not necessarily just Latino students. Our approach to closing
the achievement gap is to use proven curriculum and instructional strategies in our
classrooms. These strategies have proven successful in decreasing the achievement gap.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: It is difficult to determine three areas as it will likely be a combination of many smaller
areas. Staff is evaluating all programs to determine the impact each has on student
achievement, particularly with the money spent on each. The Board determines the
financial resources available and directs the staff to maximize those resources for the
greatest return on student achievement.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: 1.) Early childhood education because that is where the research shows it is most
needed and has the greatest impact on learning. 2.) expanded programs at the high school
level (academies, IB, career and technology programs) to give high school children a boost
towards being college ready or work force ready without remediation. 3.) instructional
programs that utilize proven research techniques that recognize the struggles and learning
differences of middle school age children and the importance of academic success prior to
high school.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: It is important to show students that what they are learning is something that they can
use outside of the school and in the future. Mentoring and internship programs with local
business partners have proven to decrease the dropout rate. Programs that bring the
business people into the schools are vital to student engagement. The district would like
more direct partnerships with businesses and local service organizations such as Rotary to
emphasis the importance of completing a rigorous high school program. The district is
constantly improving its Career and Technical Education program to ensure students who
wish to enter the workforce immediately after high school are successful. In addition, we
are emphasizing success in middle school and focusing on the transition of students to the
9th grade, and providing safety nets to ensure academic success prior to high school. It is
also important for the district to continue its focus on providing the appropriate academic
programs for all students from the highly gifted to those who are identified with learning
disabilities. The district constantly searches for technology programs that individualize
learning to meet individual student needs.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: It is important for the district to communicate with all parents and community
members. Although resources are scarce, allocating the necessary funds to communicate
via the Internet, written materials, and parent liaisons are vital to maintaining and building
district stakeholder support. The district website is constantly updated and most
information is available in both English and Spanish. We have 51 languages spoken as a
first language in our district. I would encourage the district to continue with the
development of School Wires, which is a web page system designed for individual schools,
and specifically for teachers to communicate with parents about their classrooms.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: A successful high school and middle school often share a combination of a motivated
teaching staff working together with the students to teach them so that they demonstrate
high achievement at all levels. If you consider the teachers that had the most impact on
your past, it is typically the ones that develop a relationship with the student and through
the connection, the student believes the adult cares and they are more likely to be
successful. Ensuring smaller class sizes in middle schools fosters these positive
relationships. Unfortunately with funding being cut by the state, this will be difficult to
accomplish. The main resource lacking in the schools in our district is adequate funding to
offer the programs that best prepare a student for college. Our district was ranked No. 11
overall of the 200 largest school districts in Texas by the Education Research Group (ERG)
report recently released. This is a composite score that reflects a measure of academic
achievement (adjusted using regressions curves for student population) and financial
responsibility of the district. We have done well but are striving to continue to improve
student achievement while continuing to evaluate spending in all areas. Threatened budget
cuts driven by the state could threaten funding of programs that improve student
achievement.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: It is important to screen and refer middle school students for testing for learning
disabilities that may have been obscured or missed earlier. As the curriculum becomes
more difficult, struggling students become frustrated and that could lead to greater
numbers of dropouts. The efforts required to maintain acceptable grades and the
frustration mount. Students, who do not earn enough credits to progress a grade level
each year, should be evaluated to ensure that learning difficulties are not the cause.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology is being used very effectively in the classrooms of C-FB ISD. Years ago, the
district placed technology carts in classrooms so that direct access to technology programs
are at the fingertips of our teachers. (what do you call the equipment that replace
overheads and allows interaction with the kids?). Additionally, other interactive technology
has been installed such as White boards to present teaching concepts. C-FB ISD was an
early implementer of apple learning tools such as the ipod, iTouch and now iPad
technology. There are not currently enough options to make laptops a viable alternative to
textbooks just yet. But in the future it is likely that mobile devices such as smart phones,
ipads or other portable electronic devices may be determined to be more desirable than
laptops for dispersal and sharing of information. The district will continue to find innovative
ways for students to use their personal learning devices to increase their learning.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I think the PTA is our greatest tool for parent involvement. It varies depending on the
age of the child but my favorite activities for the PTA to host at the elementary school level
were the back-to-school swim party at the city pool each year followed by the first day of
school donuts and coffee for parents after student drop-off and the many student
performances that the parents can attend. Each PTA board often has a position for the
principal of each school and the entire board can discuss needs and approaches for
achieving the desired amount of parent involvement. At the middle school level and high
school level, needs of the staff are different. We often receive requests for parents to help
with eye screening, Hall monitoring on TAKS day, etc. School campuses with the older
students don’t have as much of a need in the classroom but have a great need for support
of the staff and teachers. I have been very impressed with other events sponsored by
organizations other than PTA that attract parent involvement such as Kacie’s Run (5K run
for Special Olympics). The amount of student involvement at Kacie’s Run was incredible
and there were even volunteers along the route cheering people on. These volunteers
came from a cross section of many of the schools in the district. The high level of student
involvement in the race attracted the participation of many parents.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Since at this time we obviously cannot pay more money to our staff, we seek to provide
continuous professional development opportunities and training that make our staff
successful. With the reduction in funding, it is imperative that parents, community and
business leaders find ways to support teachers and the schools if our goal of achievement
for all students is to be obtained.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Compensation for high student performance should be considered for all educators
involved in the learning process. Pay incentives that reward the successes of the school
learning team have proven more successful than those that only look at individual
teachers. It truly takes the efforts of all staff members to increase student achievement.
Schools that are not successful in increasing student achievement need the appropriate
interventions by the experts and specialists in student learning. It is crucial that the district
maintain a highly knowledgeable curriculum staff to assist schools where students are
struggling. If the failure is a lack of effort then appropriate personnel action should be
taken.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Texas wants all schools to be accountable for high student achievement, but is
struggling to allocate enough resources for its public schools. Texas is ranked around 44th
out of 50 in terms of spending for public education in the United States. The state is not
only reducing funding but putting it on the local level for tax approval votes. In 2006, the
state approved a new funding process that froze the state’s allotment per student at the
2006 level. Increases in per pupil funding have only been given by state mandated teacher
raises. Any additional operating costs must be absorbed by the district by reducing other
areas. The property tax cut in 2006-2008 from $1.50 per $1000 to $1.04 per $1000 placed
much more of the burden for funding of K-12 public schools on the state and in these
difficult times, cuts will be more drastic.
David Yarbrough
Biographical Info:
Name: David Yarbrough
Street Address: 3202 Cutler place
City/Town: Carrollton
State: TX
Date of Birth: 09/30/1973
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-587-5307
Home Phone Number: 972-939-4999
Mobile Phone Number: 214-587-5307
Fax Number: Same as home number
E-mail Address: david@electdavidyarbrough.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.electdavidyarbrough.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I have lived in the CFBISD for 31 years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: I have two boys who both attend Davis Elementary. Andrew, who is 9, is in the 3rd
grade. Nathan, who is 6, is in the 1st grade.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am the account manager for ASP Global Services. I work with companies all over the
world who want to enhance their inventory and warehouse visibility. Our main product is
called SphereWMS. A world class warehouse management system designed for today's
growing companies.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member of First Baptist Church Carrollton for 26 years. Kids worship leader and driver
for Bus Outreach Ministry at First Baptist Carrollton Sunday School Teacher
(kids/adults)FBCC Head coach for PSO Sports little league Head coach for Kids Community
Basketball at First Baptist Carrollton Head coach for Men's softball league Carrollton
Friendship House Volunteer Vice President, A.W. Perry Homestead Museum Society
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Referee for City of Carrollton and CFBISD basketball
Q: Education
A: I attended K-12 in CFBISD. After high school I attended 2 years at Brookhaven College.
I also attend various CE courses related to leadership and work specific as needed.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: We don't need to add any programs until we can determine what our financial stamina
is. We should use existing programs and tweak them to what works. We must also seek
advice from colleges in the area and around the country to help us prepare our students
for the transition from High School to College. I believe that each child should be enrolled
in an extra-circular activity to give them a well-rounded education and add a dimension to
help keep them in school.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: We need parent involvement and the communication with parents is key to the success
of our students’ continued education. We must work with our local communities to enlist
their help as we try to reach these parents. We need to communicate this in a way that all
parents can really know and understand what is happening in our district. Perhaps we can
hold more open houses so parents can actually see what their children are working on in
class, thus become more engaged in the process. Our cities are fighting the same battle.
Why not work with each other to find out what is working. This will save us time and
money and help create and exemplary district for our children.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Safe secure facilities, energetic learning environment, and an exemplary teaching
staff. I am not sure what resources are lacking. This would be a great question for the
teachers and parents of each school. This data would be key to putting the correct
resources in place to create an Exemplary district.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: As a district we must spend our time getting to know our students and how they learn.
An exemplary district will take the data received from the teachers and counselors and use
this to help tweak programs designed to help in student achievement. Middle school has
many challenges to students as they begin their teenage years. We need to pay close
attention to how students acclimate to their environment. Not only are we dealing with
education, but there are life changing events playing out as these students become
teenagers.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: I am impressed with the use of technology in our district. I do think that the way
students learn today is different than when I was in the district during the 80's and 90's. I
enjoy seeing our kindergartners learning by using Ipad's. Whether we like it or not the
way students learn today is changing. I believe the emphasis should be put on what
teachers think is the best way to reach the students. They know the students best and
have been trained to teach.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: It is not a matter of how, we must get parents involved in the education of our
students. My vision for the CFBISD is to have more events that target parents and
students together. I have so many teachers that I know who are constantly saying they
need the parents’ help to reach the students. This type of communication needs to
originate from the top level in the district. I constantly hear a lot of excuses about the
diversity of our district. This is not an excuse or a curse. We have to be creative on ways to
reach parents and inform them of the importance they play in the lives of their childrens
education. An exemplary district takes effort by all parties involved. We can get there.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Great teachers and principals are attracted to great school districts. My vision for an
exemplary CFBISD will attract those types of people. This is why we must control our
spending so we can pay great teachers who want to be in our district. A district that listens
to teachers and principals will create the type of work atmosphere that will attract
effective leadership in our classrooms and schools
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: YES!!! Just like other jobs, teachers should be rewarded based on the job they do. As a
district, we need to give our teachers everything they need to be successful. I want a
model district, with consummate teachers that teach exemplary students. This is the type
of district that attracts businesses and new residents to the area. We are talking about our
kids and the future leaders of our communities. If a school is failing, we need to know why.
We need to look at the successful schools and duplicate what is working. We can't make up
excuses about why we can't have 100% exemplary schools. You get out what you put in.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: There is a massive storm coming. We have all read about it. We hear it on the news
every night. We must act now. If you have a district that has the same representatives
re-elected you will get the same results. This board has done a good job of getting us
where we are today, but good isn’t enough. We need to do a great job of managing our tax
money. The days of spending every dime available are over. Schools have become too
complacent in spending our tax money however they see fit. Why do we have to make
budget cuts in our own homes, but the schools just keep on spending? I can tell you why.
The school districts can keep going back to the money tree which is your tax money. Until
now they had to ask you for it. Here is the scary part. There is legislation on the horizon
that would allow the board to increase your tax rate without your vote. I will take a stand
against that. I want to make the necessary cuts in the unnecessary spending that will put
us back in control of our tax dollars. Take a stand and elect David Yarbrough to your school
board. Together we can take this district from good to great!!!!
James A. Charles
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: - no response -
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: - no response -
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: - no response -
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: - no response -
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: - no response -
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: - no response -
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: - no response -
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: - no response -
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: - no response -
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: - no response -
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: - no response -
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: - no response -
Wendy Hodges-Kent
Biographical Info:
Name: Wendy Hodges-Kent
Street Address: 1340 Boyd Street
City/Town: Cedar Hill
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 12
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-236-1860
Fax Number: 972-291-7360
E-mail Address: whodgeskent@msn.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: My family and I have lived in the High Point neighborhood of Cedar Hill for 10 years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My child is a 2007 graduate of Cedar Hill ISD
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Currently, I am the Executive Director of the Best Southwest Partnership, which is a
non-profit organization representing 11 municipalities (Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville,
Lancaster, Ferris, Glenn Heights, Hutchins, Ovilla, Midlothian, Red Oak and Wilmer) and 4
chambers of commerce (Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville and Lancaster) with a mission to
encourage economic progress within Southwest Dallas and Northern Ellis Counties. Our
goals are to advocate legislative positions, encourage other partnerships among civic,
business and educational entities and promote well being.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Volunteer coordinator, American Veterans Traveling Tribute Mentor, Big Brothers Big
Sisters Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 1st & 2nd grade
Bible Teacher former Volunteer - United Way of Metropolitan Dallas grant advisory team
former member - National Campaign to End Childhood Hunger former member -
Women's Council former executive member - Texas Impact
Biographical Info:
Name: James Charles Hein, JR.
City/Town: Cedar Hill
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 1/12/67
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 9722919192
Home Phone Number: 9722919192
E-mail Address: heinjr@aol.com
Campaign Web Site Address:
http://electjamescharlesheinjrforcedarhillschoolboard.com/
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 11 Years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Cedar Hill
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Graduate Student
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I have been working in a volunteer program called, WATCH D.O.G.S, Dads of good
students. This program encourages male role models in our schools.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Chuck Yeager Aerospace Education A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Master Educator
Award Certificate of Appreciation in Recognition of 5 years Loyal Service to Arlington ISD
Q: Education
A: Currently applying for admissions at the University of North Texas Curriculum and
Instruction Doctoral Program Graduate Student with a 4.0 G.P.A M.Ed., Educational
Leadership, University of North Texas, 2011 B.S., Liberal Arts and Science, University of
Central Oklahoma 1996
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: none
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: n/a
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: n/a
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: no
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I want to promote a friendly learning and working environment that encourages
positive feedback from the community, staff, and students • I want to ensure that our
schools are safe and I want to work hard to help in the efforts to eliminate bullying • I
want to encourage parental involvement and encourage our parents to participate in school
sponsored events • I want to recruit corporate sponsors to help in our efforts to subsidize
our budget deficits • I want to work side by side with our money managers in our district
to ensure that not a dime is wasted • I want to plan for the future of our kids for a society
that awaits their involvement • If elected I want to work hard to help resolve our budget
deficits so the CHISD will have to ability to bring back any school program that was cut
during this crisis, so that we can open any school that was closed, and so that we will have
the ability to hire every single hard working employee that has lost their job during this
dark time in our budget history • I just wanted to take a minute to speak to all the
students in Cedar Hill Schools. I am asking everyone to work hard and pay close attention
to what your teachers are telling you in school. I am asking that you follow all rules and do
your homework every night. If you can do those few things for me then if I am elected to
school board I will propose a policy to get rid of the uniforms so that you can wear regular
clothes to school
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Our key differences are our educational backgrounds with mine in education and
educational leadership and my opponents in business and accounting. Regardless of who is
the voters best choice for school board, we got to be willing to change how we do business
in Cedar Hill ISD. The fact is that we had a budget short fall long before the state wide
budget crisis had developed and we need strong leadership to ensure that we are making
the right decisions that has the most positive impact on our kids.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Board members can be effective by thinking outside the box. Today we are faced with
one of the greatest challenges that this school district has seen in decades. The question is
how to keep the ship afloat when we hit the iceberg. But this iceberg came out of nowhere
with the state’s budget shortfall and a broken educational funding system. What made
matters worse is the Cedar Hill ISD hit the iceberg a long time ago with budgets issues.
Going back to thinking outside the box, a board member has to be willing to propose and
vote on creative ideas so that we can one day get out of this jam and function again as a
world premier school district.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: The Ninth Grade Center and Bray Elementary are good examples of how schools in our
district are performing well with dedicated teachers like fourth grade teacher Elizabeth
Podany and ninth grade teacher Chris Rose. These enthusiastic educators along with many
other are setting high expectations while at the same time caring about their students.
When you couple that trait with good instructional leadership from their principals, Dr.
Daniel Johnson and Mr. Robert Johansen, and you have a good strong parent/community
support, we then go from meeting the bar to setting the bar.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: We can successfully meet the needs of all our students and make gains in closing the
achievement gap by utilizing a pedagogy that allows us to be dedicated to high
expectations and high student achievement. We must make use of bilingual approaches for
limited English proficient students while at the same time incorporating the students’ home
culture to generate meaning and understanding in what they are being taught.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: I would first involve the Community Advisory Committee to see if we needed to cut
three areas in the district’s spending. The areas that I would proposed to the committee
are areas that included wasteful spending, over priced materials, and poor subcontracting.
I would support a strong general fund balance and more efficient spending practices. I
would also support an Advisory Committee that included not only parents, but community
leaders and educators as well.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: If the district had the money, these are the three things I would like to see it use for: •I
would like to see it invested in a strong general emergency fund that we could access only
in case of a budget crisis •I would like to see funds invested in programs the decreases the
drop out rate •I would like to hire back every employee that fell victim to this budget crisis
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: To decrease the dropout rate would require us to prevent the cutting of school programs
that I am in support of. So that it is clear I do not support cutting school programs. It is
true that a good athletic program decreases the dropout rate but so does a good fine arts
program, band, choir, ROTC, after school clubs, and many others. We should be making
plans to add not take away programs. Anyone proposing these types of cuts is not true to
the Cedar Hill ISD Vision that states, “Cedar Hill ISD will be a premier district providing
our community with a world-class education system.”
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Again, by promoting a friendly learning and working environment that encourages
positive feedback from the community, staff, and students will improve the district’s
communication with parents. What we have to do is be committed to serving the parents
and treat them with the same respect that they would receive at any other place of
business. We need to tell them that their ideas and feedback are important and we are
going to strive at encouraging their involvement and participation. It is time now for our
district to step up to the plate and change how we do business in CHISD. Regarding our
non-English speaking brothers and sisters we must hire, train, and retain competent staff
to provide appropriate instruction to these students and so that we can communicate
effetely with their parents. We need to always support bilingual or dual-language programs
and English-as-a-second language (ESL) programs.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The ingredients for making a successful high school and middle school are: having
administrators that see themselves as instructional leaders, having devoted teachers and
staff, and having a firm community support base. The resource that we are lacking is
funding and smart spending habits. We need to be prepared for the future and plan
accordingly while at the same time ensuring our committed team of educators that there is
room on the lifeboat for everyone, the students, the parents, the teachers, the staff, the
administrators, and the schools.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: The district can improve middle school education with a guaranteed and viable
curriculum. It is true that when students fall behind they are endanger of dropping out. We
need to take a proactive approach to prevent this from happening. Every time a child
drops out of school a future of what could have been is lost. This should be a top priority
and we should think outside the box and consider several approaches to prevent this from
happening. There are many practical solutions like ensuring a safe environment so that
kids won’t have to worry about bullying. We should fund areas of interested to them like
sports, band, choir, fine arts, and afterschool clubs. We should offer more AP classes and
allow students to advance to their maximum ability while challenging them to explore and
discover. If elected I will support programs like these and many more that decreases the
dropout rate so that we will have a better future for our children.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology is being effectively used in the classrooms but we could always improve. We
should invest in more technology so that our kids will be prepared for a global economy.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I believe that parent support is the key to success in any school district. I fully support
parental involvement and I would like to encourage all parents to be involved in their
child’s education. In the mists of our budget crisis, CHISD has launched a Community
Advisory Committee to offer suggestions to our school leaders. I support this theory but I
would like to see the district invite any parent to join. The district should be openly
accountable to the community and report every dime to an open forum. By doing this the
district will earn the community’s trust in the event of having to consider a tax rate
increase. I also support programs that encourage the involvement of parents in our schools
to volunteer as mentors. Parents bring a lot to the table and we should use their services
every step of the way.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: The district should go to job fairs, offer workshops, and support an effective mentoring
program. But everything points back to the budget. We cannot recruit or retain effective
staff if they believe they are going to be fired or let go to balance a budget.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: This is an interesting topic when you consider that our superintendent receives a bonus
check that is over 40,000 dollars if our district is Recognized and he receives over 80,000
dollars if we are Exemplary. Our teachers in Cedar Hill receives zero but that is the one
thing that some people may not understand. You see a true teacher is not in this profession
for the money, they are in it to make the world a better place. They are often ridiculed and
sometimes they are the center of a political platform. But most of them would return to
work and teach our kids even if we did not pay them a dime. They would do this because
they care about our kids and they believe that an education will provide them with a bright
future. I believe some of our leaders, political and educational, should take a long hard
look in the mirror and ask themselves if they truly care about the future of our kids.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The most uncomfortable truth is Cedar Hill ISD has had budget issues over the past few
years prior to the state wide budget short fall. In 2009-2010 our district faced a serious
deficit partly due to not accounting for the increase in operational cost. Our current CHISD
leaders have been asking us to contact our representatives to ask for more money to
offset this deficit. They are proposing a tax rate increase while cutting staff, programs, and
schools. The people of Cedar Hill will not approve a tax rate increase until the school
district has earned our trust and prove to us that our hard earned tax dollars will not be
wasted and go directly to the education of our children.
Dan Hernandez
Biographical Info:
Name: Dan Hernandez
Street Address: 512 Grand Teton
City/Town: Cedar Hill
State: TX
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-291-7247
Home Phone Number: 972-291-7247
E-mail Address: hernd@chisd.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: Twenty (20) years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Cedar Hill High School graduates.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Office of Inspector General/Texas Health & Human Services Commission
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Board Trustee, Cedar Hill Independent School District
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Cedar Hill ISD: District Advisory Committee, Campus Advisory Committees,
Superintendent Selection Committee; Boy Scouts of America (BSA): Chairman, School
Night for Scouting BSA, Troop 541: Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop Committee Member
Q: Education
A: Master of Business Administration – Management Bachelor of Business Administration –
Accounting Certified Fraud Examiner
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Cedar Hill ISD: Board President and Vice President
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $0, I generally run a self-funded campaign. Campaign contributions are not solicited;
however, voluntary campaign contributions are gladly accepted.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: None to date.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am completing my third term (9 years total) and desire to be an ongoing contributing
member to the continuity for educational excellence and our vision for being “A premiere
district providing our community with a World Class educational system.” I have
consistently demonstrated the ability to make sound and fiscally responsible decisions on
matters of hiring (Superintendent), board policy, and district budgeting – those matters to
which Board Trustees are entrusted. I have also consistently demonstrated leadership in
providing the appropriate level of oversight on District matters – the other distinct
responsibility of Board Trustees. I was elected to my first term based on a campaign
platform or vision of “Educational Excellence” and believe that my service to date reflects
an unwavering (and continuing) commitment to this vision. The professional objective
statement on my resume reflects the following phrase “…my expertise in business can be
leveraged to deliver efficiencies; enhance fiscal accountability and transparency; and
promote responsible expansion of an organization.” This same philosophy applies to my
civic responsibility to the district’s students, staff and parents, and the community
at-large.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: While the differences may be few or many, I believe I am the best choice for this
position because of my demonstrated commitment to being an advocate for the children of
our district, as well as, being an effective steward of our resources on behalf of the citizens
possible, should offer assistance in those areas where they don’t. So, when a district
recognizes that an internal issue is contributing to the drop-out rate, then the district has a
responsibility to correct the issue and implement an intervention and/or remediation plan
to assist those students subject to drop-out. The programs to be added by a district to
decrease drop-out rates can be varied; however, they should be those programs that best
address the root causes leading students to drop-out.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: The use of electronic and social media is becoming the norm for most organizations,
and CHISD has adopted these practices for district communication as well. Our
communication plan currently includes monthly briefings issued by the Superintendent,
quarterly newsletters that go out district-wide; and on-going press releases by our media
team. In the past, the board has held town hall forums throughout the district and school
year. For Cedar Hill, the largest non-English speaking group is Spanish-speaking. In the
spirit of inclusiveness, CHISD does offer relevant district information in Spanish and
encourages campuses to make their information available in Spanish as necessary to
ensure that communication is seamless. I myself have participated in forums to share the
District’s information with the Spanish speaking community. One of CHISD’s biggest
challenges is parental engagement. We currently have a Community Advisory Committee
that is considering strategies and action plans for increasing parental engagement,
amongst other issues. The Board will be considering these recommendations and action
plans in the near future as we work to improve parental engagement and communication
across the board.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school are the same
as those that make for a successful district. These ingredients include an effective
curriculum, premised on proper scope and sequence and focused on the essential
knowledge and skills. Another ingredient is highly qualified teachers who consistently
model desired behaviors and are relentless in their desire to make a difference in the lives
of the children of the District. These highly qualified teachers are innovative in their
delivery of instruction and fully engage the students, nurturing the students’
communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills – all of which are essential in the
21st century. Another key ingredient is that of the learning environment. Our facilities, our
campuses, our classrooms must all be safe, orderly environments that are conducive to
and promote learning with all the available proper mix of resources (whether technical,
physical or human). I believe the District is on track in ensuring the right mix of
ingredients is in place across the district, as evidenced by our three Exemplary campuses,
seven Recognized campuses, and three Academically Acceptable campuses. Furthermore,
the District has been extremely fiscally responsible in its allocation of resources such that
CHISD was recently lauded by the State Comptroller for its 5-star performance in the
correlation between operating efficiencies and student performance. However, the current
State of Texas revenue crisis, that is likely to result in draconian cuts in public education
funding, has the potential to affect CHISD by as much as an $8 million reduction,
undoubtedly depressing the success achieved to date by the students, staff, campuses and
district as a whole. So…what resources are lacking? At the time of this writing, it would
appear that the most substantial resource lacking is the apparent full and equitable funding
of public education by the State of Texas.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: I believe the consistent application of the key ingredients, as described in the previous
section, is critical at any level of education, be it elementary, middle or high school. If
these key ingredients are lacking, then a district should identify the weaknesses and
opportunities then look for ways to strengthen and capitalize on those. On the matter of
middle school students falling behind at this stage...well, I’m no expert, but my gut tells
me that parental involvement is critical. Having put two kids through school, I would argue
that parent involvement is crucial. Our children need us to be engaged. Yes they also need
room to express themselves and to begin shouldering responsibility; however, I think all
too often, parents are too willing to cut their children loose at this stage. As such, parental
involvement declines and so too does student performance.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Yes and no. I believe there are classrooms where technology is being used effectively –
and there are classrooms where there is not enough technology integration or the
Leslie M. Newson
Biographical Info:
Name: Leslie M. Newson
Street Address: 458 Tranquility Lane
City/Town: Cedar Hill
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 25, 1969
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 469-272-7920
E-mail Address: lnew08@yahoo.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: July 2002 to Present (8 years and 3 months)
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Plummer Elementary Joe Wilson Intermediate Permenter Middle School Ninth Grade
Center Cedar Hill School
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Contractor, Healthcare Economics and Reimbursement
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Cedar Hill School District Community Groups: Parents Teaching Parents (PTP) District
Advisory Council (DAC) Community Advisory Council (CAC) Swim Team Mom & Booster
METRO Church Groups: Board of Directors Care Ministry Community Action Ministry:
CHISD, Cedar Hill Food Pantry & Genesis
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: Northwood University: Associates: Management (2008) Bachelors: Business
Administration (2009) Grand Canyon University: Masters (Duel Degree) Business
Administration & Healthcare Informatic/Economics
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: NA
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for Cedar Hill Independent School District Trustee because it is time for
some new ideas and energy. I am not an School Teacher or Administrator. However, it is
great to have someone from a totally different field to tackle issues and come up with
solutions that have not been considered in the past. As a parent and volunteer in my
children schools, I have come to know a lot of the teachers, counselors, principals,
librarians and support staff. When we are forced to layoff teachers, assistant principals,
librarians, and counselors it has a profound impact of our kids presently and in the future.
I have listed a few good ideas parents of Cedar Hill School consider when they go to the
polls to vote. They are: 1. Get Parents More Engaged and committed to becoming a part
of a team with school administrators and teachers. 2. Find a way to keep some of the
programs and staff from being cut with little or no cost to the district or parents. 3.
Tighten up on the school discipline policies. 4. Introducing a mentor and counseling
programs for students that are frequently assigned to In School Suspension(ISS), Out
School Suspension (OSS) or Dallas Alternative Education Program (DAEP)to help students,
parents and CHISD staff to determine the root cause for the students behavior. This will
allow the parents and mentor to work on the issues plaguing the student. The main goal is
to resolve the students behavior issues before they become apart of the criminal system.
5. Requiring student address verification at least every grading quarter instead of once a
year. Cedar Hill is plagued with students who no longer live in the district and moved
within weeks of the start of the school year. Quarterly address verification will help the
school district identify students who are no longer residents (taxpayers) of Cedar Hill. This
will force all parents to provide the school district with updated contact and emergency
information. The address verification can be easily done by using a CHISD Community
Partner to help with address verification. 6. School admission should only be allowed to
students who live with their parents within Cedar Hill city limits, or Court or CPS assigned
guardianship, or Military JAG approved guardianship. Currently, you can register a child
only with a power of attorney document. This rule should be eliminated because it allows
people to abuse the system by registering children in the district and tax payers pick up
the cost.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The Cedar Hill Independent School District trustees have taken on a hard task this year
and that is filling in the holes from a budget deficit. They have keep the school district
finances tight and eliminate a lot excess fat. However, it is time for some new ideas to help
the superintendent take the school system to a whole new era. I chose to run against
Trustee Michael Quildon because he ran for a seat on the Cedar Hill City Council. His desire
is to serve all citizens of Cedar Hill in a higher capacity and I strong feel if he seeks the
seat again he will win. We all have a calling and purpose for a life. Besides stating what
the Trustee Board has done for the district as a whole. What has Michael Quildon done
personally for the school system, teachers, administrators, school support staff, and
students of Cedar Hill for the last three years?
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: I have been attending school board meeting since September 2010. During this time
period, I have been hearing the board ideas on how to deal with the school deficit it is
facing from the state funds. In addition, I have heard certain board members mainly
Trustees Valerie Banks, Mike Marshall and Sonya Grass talk about how to deal with the
deficit shortfalls and possibly eliminating school programs and staff recommendations
made by the superintendent.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: All of Cedar Hill schools have been doing a great job of getting the students up to par
with state testing requirements in reading, math, science and social studies. I just don't
understand how all schools achieve states ranking, however the district fails. Moreover,
what is the state's formula for funding schools? How do they determine how much funding
does a school district receive?
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: School districts are not only challenged of closing an achievement gap between Latino,
Black and Whites. We must find a way to stop all three groups from dropping out of school.
We have to find a way to stop teenage pregnancy amongst all three groups. We must find
a way to encourage all three groups to go to college after high school in order to achieve
their goals in life. In order to get Black, White and Latino students embrace their future,
we must engage parents, community, businesses and churches to get involved to help
these kids obtain the skills needed to succeed.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: - no response -
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Parents, Community, Church and Business Engagement Program.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: For Career Day, everyone wants to hear from the parents who is a lawyer, doctor or
professional that went to college and making big money. How about inviting the cafeteria
worker or janitor, store clerk who did not go to college or dropped out of high school? This
would be more of a real case scenario to show students this is what happens when you
complete high school and go to college. And on the other hand this is what happens when
you drop out of high school.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Mandatory and funded Parents, Community, Church and Business Engagement
Program.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: - no response -
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: - no response -
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: - no response -
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Restructuring Volunteer Programs: Parent Volunteer Website Perks for Volunteering Tax
Credit for Parents & Professional Volunteers and Mentors Time Gas and oil or mileage Cost
for your time
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Professional’s Volunteer Website for: Teachers, Counselors, Assistant Principals and
Librarians Perks for Volunteering Tax Credit for Parents & Professional Volunteers and
Mentors Time Gas and oil or mileage Cost for your time Only using Substitute Teachers
with a Teacher’s Certification Linking Substitute Teachers & Professional Volunteer
Database
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Yes, student performance should be included to the a teacher's performance evaluation.
However, this should not be the only criteria. Student performance should not just be on
the TAKS or STARR either, but to the overall subject. Teachers should not be teaching only
subjects on the TAKS or STARR.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Truth only eludes those who do not want to know what is really going on around them.
Michael Quildon
Biographical Info:
Name: Michael Quildon
Street Address: 1516 Bosher Dr
City/Town: Cedar Hill
State: TX
Date of Birth: August 14, 1972
Mobile Phone Number: 214-924-5019
E-mail Address: michael.quildon@chisd.net
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 8 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Daughter, Victorea, is a 2010 graduate of Cedar Hill HS. She is currently enrolled at
Navarro College. Son, Andre, attends the Talented and Gifted magnet at Alex Spence MS.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Software Engineer at Sprint
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member of the High Pointe Public Improvement District Lion's Club Rotary Club Cedar
Hill Chamber of Commerce's Government Affaris Committee
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: BS Mathematics, Morehouse College
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Current CHISD Board Member, Place 5
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: No contribution money has been raised as the date of this questionnaire.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for re-election. For the past 3 years, Cedar Hill ISD has cut spending by
$3.5 million while increasing our test scores, state ranking and graduating the largest class
in Cedar Hill High School history.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Due to the state budget crisis, school districts across the state will be forced to cut
millions of dollars. The ramifications of such cuts will be huge. Many citizens do not know
how school districts receive and spend their dollars. Over the past 3 years, CHISD has cut
spending by millions and we are preparing for millions more for the 2011-2012 school year.
I have been very involved in the process. And I am well aware of the hows and whys these
decisions were made, and what those impacts will be.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: CHISD has a very effective school board. We pride ourselves on conducting research
and asking the necessary questions before, during and after board meetings.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: We have seen positive growth in all of our school over the past few years. This is a
reflection on the culture of partnership and mentoring that we foster. Our schools realize
we are in this together. Our principals share best practices. Our teachers team teach and
mentor each other. Our Instructional Coordinators work across grades and campuses to
improve instruction. Due to these and many more examples of teamwork, CHISD has
seen growth across all grade levels.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: Our goal is to create a culture of high expectations for all students, regardless of racial
or socio-economic differences. The first step is ensuring that our staff and teachers have
the same high standards for all students. Secondly, our admistration emphasizes
differentiated instruction. Our teachers are trained to understand and document the
strengths and weaknesses of each student. With that knowledge, our highly trained
teachers craft lesson plans and ask the questions that targets students at different levels.
If we can spend the time to learn our students strengths and weaknesses on an individual
level, we will see improvement from all students. I believe this approach will prove more
effective than the typical, high level comparisons of racial groups, which tend to be
misleading.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: Due to the state's budget crisis, CHISD will have to cut millions of dollars. Due to the
size of the state's deficit and our already lean budget, we will make cuts in more than
three areas. The first priority was to make cuts that did not impact the classroom. We
restructured an energy contract to save $400k. We cancelled the purchase of new
computers and we cut travel costs for training courses. Cuts will also be made in Fine Arts,
Athletics, Maintenance, and Stipends.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: 1) Revamping our Career and Technology program is extremely important. We need
more courses for students who wish to enter the workforce immediately after high school.
2) We should expand Pre-K and Kindergarten classes so our children start off on the right
foot. 3) Expanding the school day and/or school year is a must. American students spend
fewer days in school than children in other countries. A lot can be achieved by expanding
the school day by one hour or extending the school years by 3-4 weeks. But if we take this
approach, it will be important that we instruct those students with the same academic
standards used throughout the year. Too often, these programs become summer camp or
daycare.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: We need to expand course offerings in Career and Technology. Beyond adding courses
there, I do no believe we need to add more programs. We need to get better at the ones
we currently offer. We have to figure out better ways to engage students in the courses
and programs we now offer.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: This is a gripe that I hear frequently from parents and I do not know the best answer.
We send information home with students, we send notices by mail, email, facebook,
twitter, text. Yet, many parents still state they are unaware of what's going on in the
school district. A few months ago, there was idea of partnering with the city's government
to start a cable access channel. I think that is a great idea and one more outlet for us to
get the word out. The board can utilize multiple methods to inform people. We need more
parents to use multiple methods to find out what is going on.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: - no response -
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: - no response -
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: For the current school year, we have developed a handful of 21st century classrooms.
Those rooms have the latest technology. Our district's plan is to use those programs as a
model to learn and master best techniques. Often, we dump a new gadget in front of a
teacher, with no training. We are moving away from that model. We need to make sure
that before new tech is purchased, we also provide the training on the equipment, and
training on how to best use the equipment to engage students and move curriculum
forward. Technology changes so quickly, that I'm not sure if laptops, eReaders or tablets
are the best choice for the future. But, I am sure that textbooks are relics of the past. We
have to move towards the electronic format, but how? There will be huge upfront costs, as
well as ongoing costs for maintenance and upgrades that have to be factored into the
conversation. Recently, CHISD challenged our team to recycle old PCs. Earlier this school
year, our students reconditioned old machines that typically would have been thrown away.
These machines were given to low-income families in the community. That was a perfect
example of using technology, in an effective manner, that also provided great benefit to
the community.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: We need to move away from showing up at the school play as an example of parent
involvement. If more parents would spend 30 minutes a day reading to their child or
making sure they do their homework, I would happily trade that in for high attendance at
the school play and carnival. We have a new program that is geared towards parents
teaching parents. How can they become more engaged and more successful? I think this is
thhe correct approach. Our district initiated the program, but the parents are the ones who
make it work and it is their job to get others engaged. The school board and
superintendent can not always be the driving force.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: - no response -
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Teacher base pay should not be linked to performance. I am open to the idea of bonus
or incentive pay. But, I have yet to hear or think of a plan that does not over-emphasize
standardized test scores. Most parents and many educators believe the testing culture is
the source of today's struggling students. I agree and tying incentive pay and school
rankings to test scores only re-inforces the problem. But, I do not have the solution. More
emphasis should be placed on teacher evaluations, but our prinicipals are
time-constrained, and they do not always have the time to evaluate teachers as often as
they should. Plus, most school districts do not have the funds to higher the additional staff
to conduct evaluations. When the perfect system comes along, I will be the first to jump
onboard.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Close to 80% of our budget goes towards the salaries of staff: teachers, principals,
cafeteria workers, etc. The remaining 20% pays for electricity, transportation, supplies,
maintenance costs, athletics, fine arts and all of the other programs taken for granted. I
think the average taxpayer does not realize how little wiggle room exists in our budget,
nor do they realize how much are bills are AFTER we pay our teachers' salaries. At some
point, in the very near future, if we assume the state can not raise funding, many districts
will have to wrestle with tough choices. Can we afford to continue to provide some of these
non academic activities, like athletics and fine art? I believe most parents want these
programs to continue, but are those parents willing to pay for them?
Curt Krohn
Biographical Info:
Name: Curt Krohn
Street Address: 204 Charles Street
City/Town: DeSoto
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 12/30/60
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-394-0118
Home Phone Number: 214-394-0118
Mobile Phone Number: 214-394-0118
Fax Number: 972-230-0726
E-mail Address: ckrohn@faithbible.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 17 years...since 1994
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Both sons graduated in the top of their classes from DeSoto ISD. The oldest son
graduated from Baylor. The youngest son currently attends A&M University
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Minister
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I currently serve as a member of the DeSoto Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
& am a member of the Chamber's Executive Committee. I am also active with the DeSoto
Ministerial Alliance. I serve on the DeSoto Education Foundation. I am also a member of
the DeSoto Rotary Club.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I was honored by West Jr. High (DISD) as 'Volunteer of the Year.' I served as PTA
President for 4 years, two years at Amber Terrace Intermediate and two years at West Jr.
High. I served as a Trustee of DeSoto ISD for 6 years previously. I also have the title
'Master Trustee,' the highest award given by Texas Association of School Boards to Texas
Trustees.
Q: Education
A: Bachelors Degree from Ball State University (Psychology) Masters Degree from Grace
Theological Seminary
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Trustee, DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees (6 years)
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: NO
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My number one priority is student success. While Trustees have responsibilities broader
than what strictly what happens in the classroom, I believe every decision must be made
with student success in mind. I was part of the School Board that saw DeSoto ISD move
from a district that was 'Academically Unacceptable' to 'Recognized.' I am very proud of
that accomplishment and am seeking a place on the Board of Trustees in order to help this
district receive the honor of being recognized as 'Exemplary.' Additionally, I worked with
students as a Pastor of Student Ministries for 25 years. I have experience and training
directly related to the education and maturing of children/students.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Experience. Experience. Experience.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes. As a former Trustee, I have attended many meetings and workshops. The greatest
lesson learned while on the Board previously is that Trustees must be active listeners and
do their homework in order to be prepared when they sit down at the Board table. One of
my strengths is that I am a consensus builder. I am able to work with Board members of
diverse opinions and find common ground in order to arrive at a decision that benefits
students.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: DeSoto ISD has a very diligent and hardworking staff. This same staff led our students
to perform at the 'Recognized' level on the TAKS test and there is no reason to believe we
should not be able to reach 'Exemplary' status. Pull-outs, personal attention and
personalized instruction have paid off in student success. While I served on the Board
previously, DeSoto ISD kept 'the main thing the main thing' - and that main thing was
student achievement.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: In my thinking, the foundation of math and language study in grade school is
paramount to seeing students be able to be successful later. Deep frustration becomes
very real in the lives of the students who are allowed to advance to the next grade if they
have not mastered the concepts presented them in their current grade.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: 1. Any student activity that does not directly impact the student's performance in the
classroom should be evaluated before other/additional cuts are made to academic
programming. 2. The district has made strides in reducing the amount paid to JJAEP over
the years but I would like to see the current amount reduced even further. 3. As the
budget is reviewed and after the Board gets legal counsel, I believe every area should be
evaluated without any areas being off limits. The Board must be responsible with the funds
that have been entrusted to them.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: 1. It is public knowledge (because of previous comments from the Board table) that I
would like to see foreign language options increase. Language study and acquisition is
foundational to a good education. 2. Because of budget cuts from Austin, class sizes are
increasing. I would like to be able to hire additional teachers to see class sizes remain
manageable. 3. I would like to invest further in DeSoto ISD's academy concept which
allows students to graduate from high school having had specialized instruction in a
discipline of their choosing.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: Pull-out programs that directly address the student's weakness have been
demonstrated effective. Mentoring programs are helpful and DeSoto ISD has some
currently in place. Once again, I believe that grade school is foundational and
tremendously important in the life of every student. I believe the seeds of failure are often
planted in the life of a student in grade school but do not germinate until high school.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: While parents cannot be forced to become informed about school issues or their
student's performance, every school must be proactive in reaching out to parents. DeSoto
ISD has a Director of Community Relations and is regularly awarded for its communication
and community relations pieces.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Each student is gifted differently and schools must recognize this uniqueness. Most
schools have become factories which have adopted a 'one size fits all' model. Students
must be engaged in their areas of interest and allowed to blossom as individuals. Students,
in order to success academically, must be secure. This security is both physical (they must
feel they are free from harm) and emotional/social (everyone is familiar with the focus
today on the significance of bullying).
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Middle school is a time of tremendous change and growth. I believe it is imperative that
students have a mentor able to help them navigate the rough waters of adolescence. I
believe that our educators can serve as a type of mentor/model for these students.
Virtually every success story told by leaders in our culture will refer back to someone who
made a difference in their life...many times these events occurred in middle school.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology changes so rapidly that it is difficult for the classroom to be on the 'cutting
edge.' However, currently Information Stations are used in classrooms allowing teachers
to access the internet to further challenge/inform their classrooms. I do believe that the
future requires schools to seriously investigate discarding textbooks and adopting
computers as the means to convey information. In the future, the struggle will be how to
fund the students' equipment needs since most text books currently come with a digital
version.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I have been a champion of parents' involvement in the classroom for over 15 years in
the DeSoto ISD. I believe student success improves greatly when parents are involved in
the process. PTA's and Open Houses, public forums and Booster Clubs are all designed to
find parents supporting their child's education. However, these events are often ill
attended. Schools must always have an open door to parents and eagerly welcome their
presence.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Teachers' pay must be competitive. While most gifted educators are not 'in it for the
money,' this is not a reason to fail to provide educators with a competitive salary. Many
teachers in the past several years have been hired away from education because of the
greater opportunities outside the classroom. This is especially true of teachers in the math
and science areas. Additionally, providing new teachers/principals an experienced mentor
in a collaborative context would be a great asset to an inexperienced teacher/principal.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: There are too many variables to answer a question such as this with a simple 'Yes' or
'No'. A student's success is based upon what is occurring in his/her home and whether or
not the home is supportive, the entire climate of the school, what has confronted them on
a particular day, their innate abilities and so much more. I do not believe that teacher pay
should be connected to student performance. However, teachers' ability in the classroom
should be monitored and evaluated appropriately and directly by someone capable of this
type evaluation. Then that information should be used to determine whether he/she will be
invited to return to the campus the following year. If an entire school is under-performing,
there should be consequences. Again, a simple answer would simply be inappropriate. The
principals abilities must be evaluated, the health of the culture of the school must be
looked at, the curriculum of the entire district must be questioned, etc. The current
consequence to an under-performing school is determined by state law and has been
removed from the hands of local school boards.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: While 'local control' is a familiar and cherished concept to most Texans, much of what
occurs in local classrooms is controlled by legislation from either Austin or Washington.
Biographical Info:
Name: Cecil W. Lofton
Street Address: 203 S. hampton Road
City/Town: Desoto
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 10-10-1959
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-223-8246
Mobile Phone Number: 214-586-1102
Fax Number: 972-223-8247
E-mail Address: ceciljr@swbell.net
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 5 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Desoto Independent School District
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Owner/CEO LOFTON ELECTRONICS,INC. & VICE PRESIDENT TBEY & ASSOCIATES
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: CHAIRMAN GREATER SOTHWEST BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DIRECTOR BLACK
CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: FORMER CHAIRMAN OF BLACK CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION AND WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR BUSINESS GROWTH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPEMENT FOR MINORITY BUSINESSES IN
THE METROPLEX. STRATEGIC LEADER IN BRINGING COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESS
OWNERS TOGETHER AND DEVELOPED PARTNERSHIPS.
Q: Education
A: University of Texas McCombs shool of Business UTA engineering applied associates ATI
technology engineering Panasonic,Pioneer,Vicon,Pelco, RCA,NAP, technical training
certificate
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: N/A
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: 0
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FUND RAISER ON 4-16-2011
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: NO
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I AM CONCERNED REGARDING OUR YOUTH AND I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN
DESOTO BECAUSE I AM WELL ROOTED IN THIS COMMUNITY.I BRING 25 YEARS OF
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT,LEADERSHIP, EXPERIENCE AND RELATIONSHIPS WHICH I
WILL BRING TO DESOTO TO BENEFIT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE
COMMUNITY.SERVED AS CHAIRMAN,MENTOR,COMMITTEE MEMBER AND DIRECTOR FOR
SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: EXPERIENCE AND LEADERSHIP , AS A DESOTO,TX BUSINESS OWNER I UNDERSTAND
BUDGETS AND RULES AND HOW TO BRING RELATIONSHIPS TO THE TABLE. OUR
CHILDREN NEEDS OUR GUIDANCE AND FOR US TO ASSIST THEM IN THEIR EDUCATION
AND LIFE SKILLS TO BETTER PREPARE THEM FOR THE WORKFORCE.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: SEVERAL,I LEARNED IN ORDER TO BE EFFECT IS TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES AND
GIVE PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND THE COMMUNITY A VOICE AT THE TABLE.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: I THINK ALL THE SCHOOLS WITHIN THIS DISTRICT HAS STRIVED FOR EXCELLENCE
AND HAS SHOWN GREAT IMPROVEMENT
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: I THINK THAT AFRICAN AMERICANS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN CLOSING THAT GAP AS
Ruben Angeles
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: - no response -
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Aubrey C. Hooper
Biographical Info:
Name: Aubrey C. Hooper
Street Address: 801 S. Polk Street #1423
City/Town: DeSoto
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 11/07/1982
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-402-0130
Mobile Phone Number: 214-402-0130
E-mail Address: aubrey@aubreychooper.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.aubreychooper.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 7 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: No children
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Social Studies/History Teacher, Dallas County Juvenile Department
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: 2nd Vice President, Texas NAACP; Chairman, Martin Kennedy Foundation, Inc.; Member,
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – Alpha Sigma Lambda Chapter; Member, Oak Gardens
Church of Christ; Member, Dallas County Do the Write Thing Committee; Member, Aaron
Day, Sr. Achievement Scholarship Selection Committee
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Acting President, Dallas NAACP; 1st Vice President, Dallas NAACP; Member, NAACP
National Board of Directors; Mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters; Chairman, NAACP National
Youth Work Committee
Q: Education
A: B.A., Morehouse College, Political Science; M.A., University of Texas at Arlington, Urban
Affairs
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: N/A
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $3,500
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Christopher G. Hollins, a college friend and current Yale Law/Harvard Business School
Student; Bob and Linda Lydia, mentors and NAACP national officers; Anthony Locke, a
college friend and current University of West Los Angeles Law Student
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Having been involved in public service since my teenage years, I have long worked for
positive change in Dallas County. Through my work with local community organizations, I
have worked on a wide range of issues from education to criminal justice and everything in
between. Through consultation with my family and friends, I feel that it is time to seek
elected office. Because education and youth leadership development are issues that I am
passionate about, the DeSoto ISD School Board is the perfect place to bring my talents and
fresh ideas. Voters should consider me the most qualified candidate because I am an
experienced classroom teacher and veteran juvenile justice professional who has a proven
track record of affecting change in the Best Southwest community. I have spent my entire
career working with students in Dallas County, and I have tirelessly invested in our youth
through my involvement with the NAACP, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Alpha Phi Alpha
principals?
A: 1.Streamline and update recruiting to include value proposition and retention incentives
2.Update professional development with reform initiatives and best practices a.Develop
professional learning communities b.Establish teacher portfolios to engage teachers in their
own development c.Reschedule professional development for when it can be most effective
(e.g. over the summer) 3.Implement targeted retention plan with key components
directed at high turnover risk groups (e.g. new teachers) a.New teacher induction and
mentoring program to reduce turnover b.Develop career plans tied to long-term career
paths to establish a culture of longevity
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Accountability is always important. Our students’ success should always be measurable
to make sure that we are adequately serving them. The link between teacher pay and
student performance can be a complicated issue, but in general, pay should be linked to
performance. A school that is failing should not be penalized, because often students are
the ones that are negatively affected in terms of decreases in funding and resources. If
there is clear evidence that students have not been given high quality instruction and
academic support, teacher pay should be negatively impacted. In addition, school leaders
should be disciplined if their schools are failing.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: In today’s harsh economic times, we are faced with the reality that some cuts have to
be made. We must make sure that as we attempt to be fiscally responsible, we never cut
corners that will compromise our students’ education or their futures. There are some very
difficult decisions ahead of us, and those decisions must be made with our students as our
top priority.
Tawanna Lofton
Biographical Info:
Name: Tawanna Lofton
Street Address: 203 South Hampton Road
City/Town: DeSoto
State: TX
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-223-8239
Home Phone Number: 214-674-5788
Mobile Phone Number: 214-674-5788
Fax Number: 972-223-8247
E-mail Address: tlofton@tbeyaassoc.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I have lived in the Desoto district for five years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My sons have attened DeSoto Freshman, DeSoto High School and Curtistene S.
McCowan Middle School.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Business Owner/CEO/President of TBey & Associates HR Consulting & Staffing Inc.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am an active member of the Community Missionary Baptist Church in DeSoto, Texas.
I am also an active member of DeSoto Chamber of Commerce (Business Development
Committee and Head Over Wheels Committee),DeSoto Wings Mentoring program, Greater
South West Black Chamber of Commerce, (Chair of Minority Business Enterprise), Member
of DFW Minority Business Council, Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the
Black Contractors Association.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Toys for Tots, HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere), Susan G. Komen for the Cure,
A: An uncomfortable truth about our public schools that voters and taxpayers must
confront is that there is never enough funding and resources for our kids today. Our kids
are faced with challenges that we just didn't experience 10, 15, 20+ years ago. The
bottom line is that the school cannot be the parent; kids need love, discipline and training
at home to help develop the skills to compensate for what the district cannot provide
monetary.
John Lovelady
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Education
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The candidate advised The Dallas Morning News that he is not actively campaigning for
this position. He attempted to withdraw formally from the race, but the deadline to do so
had passed.
Anne McCausland
Biographical Info:
Name: Anne McCausland
Street Address: 2209 Crowbridge Dr.
City/Town: Frisco
State: Texas
Date of Birth: December 8, 1964
Home Phone Number: 972-335-9976
Mobile Phone Number: 972-998-2962
E-mail Address: ajmccausland@tx.rr.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.AnneMcCausland.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 19 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Son – 9th grade at Frisco Wakeland HS Daughter – 6th grade at Cobb MS
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Community/School volunteer (husband works to support our family)
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: *FISD Council of PTAs •President: 2009- present *Texas PTA Area 15 •Board member:
2009- present *Cobb Middle School PTA •Parliamentarian: 2010- present *Frisco Education
Foundation •Ex Officio Board: 2009-present *Young Men’s Service League •Member : 2011
– present
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: *FISD Council of PTAs •Program Chairman: 2008-2009 *Texas PTA Lifetime Membership
Award: 2007 *Fisher Elementary •PTA President: 2005–2007 •PTA Council Delegate:
2007-2009 •PTA Book Fair Chairman: 2003-2005 •Room Parent: 2003-2009 •Substitute
Nurse *Griffin Middle School PTA 1st V.P. of Membership 2007-2008 •PTA 3rd V.P. of
Programming 2008-2009 •PTA Parliamentarian 2009-2010 •Griffin Gator Football Mom
Manager 2009 •PTA Gator Fest Assistant *FISD Screen Team 2003-2005 Book Fair
Decorator, Silent Auction Organizer, Carnival Coordinator, Field Trip Chaperone, Guided
Reading Assistant, Library Shelving Volunteer, Guided Reading Room Organizer,
Luncheon/Teacher Birthday Appreciation Chef, Bulletin Board Decorator, Copy Maker,
Thursday Folder Stuffer, Camp Jolt Survivor, Lunchroom Parent Assistant, Seller and
Distributor of Spirit Wear and Spirit Items, Red Ribbon Week Volunteer, Barktober Fest
Collector and Counter, Laminator, SongFest volunteer, Reflections Helper.
Q: Education
A: •Baylor University: BBA in Entrepreneurship/Marketing, 1987 •Collin College: Associate
Degree of Nursing, R.N., 2001
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I was just starting to receive some donations when my opponent withdrew from the
race. Once that announcement became public, donations have essentially stopped coming
in. I have received about $1,200 in donations so far.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Most of the contributions came in prior to the other candidate's withdrawl from the race,
at which point contributions stopped coming in. Since I didn’t raise too much money prior
to the announcement of my running unopposed, and in light of the fact that most donors
gave a similar modest amount, I’d prefer to not name any contributors names. All who
contributed were successful in helping defray the cost of the short campaign I ran while I
had an opponent.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for FISD School Board to maintain, and hopefully improve upon, the
excellence of education that children receive from FISD. I am a 19 year resident of Frisco,
and have been an active volunteer in our schools for 10 years. Long before starting my
campaign, I decided it would be important to regularly attend School Board meetings to
learn more about the issues facing our great district, and better understand the decisions
made by our Board. I have attended almost every FISD monthly School Board meeting for
the past 3 years. I believe this to be a strong testament of my commitment to be an
informed and educated leader for our district as we move forward.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have proven, continuous, and lengthy track record of commitment to our district. I
have been a dedicated FISD volunteer for 10 years and a PTA officer for 8 years. Again, I
have also attended almost every school board meeting for the last three years.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes. An effective board needs to listen to parents, students, teachers, community, and
the administration team. A member also needs to educate themselves on the issues of
their district and take advantage of board training opportunities.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: All of our schools do an excellent job through our teachers and programs such as
Accelerated Reading Integration and Accelerated Math Integration to bring any student
who is behind up to grade level. Rather than herald individual schools accomplishments, I
embrace the current FISD philosophy that we are a “school system” rather than a system
of varying schools
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: The wise use of time, technology, and well-trained teachers has greatly closed the gap
in the last five years, but there is still work to be done. The district will need to continue to
draw on additional resources, such as out of classroom tutoring, to further close the gap.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: Having not served yet, I feel that it is best to take a wait-and-see approach and learn
more details about the district’s financial standing before I anticipate specific areas that
should be trimmed. However, I am willing to say that I will strive to look at cutting costs
only in areas that do not directly affect classroom teaching.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Based on discussions and presentations I have seen at school board meetings, I would
recommend: •Closing the achievement gap between Anglo and Low Socioeconomic Status
(SES). •More focus on children with Special Needs. •Solidify the future by spending wisely
and build the fund balance.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: FISD‘s dropout rate is less than 1% and approximately 90% of the graduating seniors
plan to continue their education following high school. We need to continue to encourage
student enrollment in AP and Dual Credit classes to prepare students for the rigors of a
college curriculum
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: FISD already has a community liaison that facilitates many special classes such as teen
drug abuse, anti-bullying and communication with teens, to name a few. I have witnessed
the district expanding its outreach to families whose primary language is Spanish, by
offering a Spanish option on the phone, and in many forms of written communication in
Spanish. With the large variance of ethnicity we have in FISD it would be impossible to
cover all languages. Further, with the impending state funding crisis, I do not see how we
could afford to hire liaisons for language barriers at this time.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: FISD’s belief in smaller enrollments at the middle and high school level is a key
ingredient for success in the classroom. Smaller class sizes allow more opportunity for
student’s involvement in academic, athletic, and fine arts programs. It also gives students
and teachers a chance to garner a more individualized relationship inside and outside of
the classroom.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: FISD has academically strong middle schools. The district should continue their work to
identify any “at-risk” students to monitor and assist them in all areas of school, not just
academics. In recent years FISD has doubled its efforts to build a strong bridge between
elementary and middle school as well as middle to high school. Statistics show that
students who attended an FISD MS from 6-8 grades do well in their FISD high school.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Having attended FISD schools, both my children (now middle and high school age) are
able to proficiently use Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher)
for all school assignments. Our district should continue to teach and emphasis technology.
As for online textbooks vs. hardback textbooks, I believe that there is still a faction of
students who prefer hardback textbooks, so FISD should continue to offer textbooks to
students who desire them. We need to continue to look for new ways to use technology to
enhance the learning process, without allowing it to become an obstacle or distraction for
students.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Parents should be made to feel wanted and welcome in our schools. As my track record
shows, I am a strong proponent of being very active in my children’s schools. I will
continue to work with our parent groups and district parent support team to offer more
programs, such as Watch D.O.G.S., to get our parents more interested and involved…
especially the dads!
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: I feel the easiest way to recruit good teachers/principals into our schools is by having a
widely-known reputation as a top-flight school district. Quality working conditions, training
and support personnel helps retain the top teaching talent in our classrooms. The district
needs to continue to offer a competitive compensation package in addition to meaningful
staff development programs to ensure teachers want to continue to work in our
classrooms.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I feel that teacher pay and student performance should not be linked. I also believe in
positive reinforcements for our schools rather than consequences. If a school or district is
excelling in all areas and levels, certain state mandates should be relaxed. If a school is
failing, more personal and financial resources should be made available
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is that the vast majority of voters and taxpayers are not taking
enough of an active interest in the education of their children. School districts are facing
devastating budget shortfalls but only a few parents are contacting their state legislators to
voice concern in regards to cuts in education funding. At this rate, only after the damage is
done and the cutbacks occur in their schools, will most parents sit up and take notice.
Dody Brigadier
Biographical Info:
Name: Dody Brigadier
Street Address: 5633 Lake Shore Drive
City/Town: Frisco
State: TX
Date of Birth: 11/19/1971
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972.768.5711
Mobile Phone Number: 972.768.5711
Fax Number: 972.377.8873
E-mail Address: Dody@Dody4FISD.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.Dody4FISD.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: Eight years. Jim and I moved to Frisco in 2003 with our children, Matt and Victoria.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My children have been in the FISD since 2003. They both went to Spears Elementary.
Matt is now a freshman at Frisco High School and Victoria is a seventh grader at Pioneer
Heritage Middle School.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: My husband and I own a small business, Brigadier LLC, of which I am CEO. Also, my
husband is VP of Sales at Sungard Higher Education.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: It is wonderful to be involved in a community that I love. I am the current PTO
President of Pioneer Heritage Middle School and the delegate for PHMS to the PTA council.
I am involved as a Sunday School Teacher at my church. I am the VP of Frisco Aquatics
Booster Club as well as the Team Spirit Mom for my son's high school swim team. In
January, I became the Precinct Chair for precinct #140. My daughter and I are involved in
the National Charity League the North Dallas Chapter where this year I am serving as the
liaison to the Frisco Miracle League.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I have been the Spears Elementary PTA president where I was awarded the Lifetime
Achievement Award. I also served in the Spears PTA as VP of fund raising, fund raising
chair, parliamentarian, carnival/silent auction volunteer, Skittles the Clown, room mom,
Parent at Lunch (PAL), 5th grade class camp volunteer for both of my children's 5th grade
class, PTA council delegate. At Pioneer Heritage Middle School I have been PHMS Band
Booster Board volunteer co-coordinator, Band Booster Member and volunteer, Book Fair
volunteer, and a library volunteer. I have also assisted with Teacher Appreciation Day,
Health Fair screening, cafeteria monitoring, and with the Red Ribbon Week committee.
My church service includes: Meals Team Leader (responsible for meals for church families
in need, one week each month), potluck organizer, and Valentine’s Day banquets
volunteer. I Directed the “These 3 Trees” Christmas play for grades 3-Adult, and helped the
Children’s Church Drama Team. I also volunteered as a Fall Festival worker for many years
in different states. For two years, we opened our home for Master’s Commission students
(students lived in our home for 9 months at a time during their training and internships). I
am a Bible Study hostess/leader for an in-home ladies study group, and a Bible Study
Group participant. I also traveled with New Life Ministries in 39 different states and 4
different countries, performing 3 different shows. Other volunteer opportunities that I
have participated in include Frisco Soccer League Team Mom for many years; Select
Soccer Team volunteer, fundraiser chair, social chair, Girl Scout Cookie Mom, Treasurer and
volunteer, Gary Burns participant, and Relay for Life participant.
Q: Education
A: Bachelors of Science, Communication with Business Minor, Florida State University,
1994, Magna Cum Laude
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: I am the Precinct Chair for precinct #140.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I am not accepting any monies from PAC's or special interests. I think that we need to
make sure our first concern is the children in the district and not special interest groups.
My contributors are citizens that share my love for family and vision for the children.
students up for success. There is also some technology that enables us to more efficiently
track when a student is "slipping" and is in a high risk group. The teachers and counselors
can step in and intervene much faster and in a more productive way if they have this
information and utilize it to the best of their capabilities.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: It is my understanding that we have a community liaisons already in the district and I
think this should continue. Communication is an area I feel we always need to improve.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Teachers, teachers, teachers! The buildings are nice, the class choices are a key
ingredient and we must have a safe environment to learn, but the bottom line is the
teachers. A teacher can instill a love for learning into an apathetic student. Who knows
what each and every one of our students can accomplish with the right teacher leading the
way?
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: I truly do not see this as a problem in our district. If we continue to track the success of
all our students, and keep them on track, we will be able to instill a love for learning at an
early age and continue that through out the high school career.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: I am thrilled with the research that the technology department at the FISD has done
this year. Recent surveys from teachers, parents, student, staff and administrators have
given us a plethora of research data to enable us to move forward in a technology age. As
we cautiously move forward, I would love to see us implement more technology such as
e-textbooks and calendars on students' personal devices.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I think the PTA and PTO groups at every school is a wonderful way to get the parents
involved. I also believe that with the use of technology we can communicate in a "real
time" setting with the parents so that they can be as active as they choose.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: If we continue to strive for excellence in our school district and pay the teachers a
competitive salary we will be able to recruit and retain good teachers and principals.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I don't believe that pay necessarily correlates to a teacher's success. As far as
consequences go, I think the right word here needs to be "support." If a school is
struggling, we as a board must make sure that they are given the proper tools to succeed.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: In a year of budget shortfalls, every dollar must be accounted for at every level. Any
time something is cut, someone is not going to be happy. As a district we must strive to
maintain our excellence while being fiscally responsible.
Debbie Gillespie
Biographical Info:
Name: Debbie Gillespie
Street Address: 6236 Chamberlyne Dr.
City/Town: Frisco
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 4-27-1968
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-335-7894
members who have helped me understand our district goals and how to always find the
answers to my many questions. I also have a great relationship with many City of Frisco
employees and residents and I want to continue to grow the relationship between our city
and schools. I am truly committed to being an advocate for every student, parent and staff
within FISD. I have a servant heart and want what is best for our students while supporting
every parent and staff member. Education and safety are priority!
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes, I have attended many School Board and City Council meetings throughout my
years in Frisco ISD and Frisco. A School Board Trustee must be connected to be an
effective leader. You must listen with an open mind without any personal or political
agendas. You are making the decisions for every student, parent and staff member along
with every FISD taxpayer. School Board members will not always have the answers so it is
imperitive that there be a strong working relationship with the staff and know where to
find the answers.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: All of the schools in FISD have programs in place to keep children at grade level in
reading and math. The curriculum department works with each campus to ensure that the
curriculum is being taught equally across the district. Each campus has AMI, ARI, Dyslexia,
GT and/or Technology Integration specialists. Our teachers are continually trained to detect
learning differences as well as learning styles. Bright Elementary is a perfect example of
success with these tpye programs.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: The focus in Frisco ISD is closing all gaps between ethnic and socio economic groups.
We have ESL, free and reduced lunch and services programs, communications are all
bilingual, buses for tutoring and mentor programs. FISD works closely with several social
service organizations to make sure students have what they need in school as far as
clothing and school supplies. I would like even more focus on training to recogonize
individuals that might have even more special needs socially and economically. Each
student should feel welcome at school and learn to believe in themselves so they feel
empowered to take ownership of their future.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: I am still familiarizing myself with every aspect of our current budget and the possible
cuts that will have to be made given state funding shortfalls. FISD has done a phenominal
job keeping costs low with continued expectations of excellence very high. The current
School Board and FISD Administration are carefully looking at the budget and reviewing
contracts for services. I would not support any cuts that would have a direct effect on our
intructional standard of excellence.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: With our current budget uncertainty, I would focus more on saving money than
spending.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: The Frisco ISD dropout rate is .1% in grades 7-12. 90% of FISD graduates go on to
higher education. We have campaigns such as "Committ not to Quit", continual positive
reinforcement and mentor programs. More programs are being looked at that would track
a childs attendance and/or grade progress and would then alert teachers and
administration if there is a sudden decline in attendance or grades. Having programs in
school where a student can learn a trade, especially if they are not able to afford college.
The CTE center offeres classes and help on how to apply to college and what you need to
get in to college.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Frisco ISD prints everything bilingual along with phone messages having the choice of
bilingual as well. Communication is tricky, some parents want communication overload and
some will say there is too much. The important thing is to have announcements and
information available via website or email that way it is available at anytime.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: High standards of respect for each other and staff. Rules and Regulations that are
enforced across the district. Those expectaions of good behavior should trickle down to the
feeder schools. Also interaction between parents and staff about what is going on in the
school. Have ongoing Coffee with the Counselors, Counselor led sessions about class
schedules and expectations for graduation. Administrator meeting about what our children
are up against academically and socially.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Set high expectation for high school requirements and don't expect anything less.
Ongoing study skills and teen leadership. Not every child is built to be a leader, however
every child needs self confidence and reassurance that they matter and are important.
Build their confidence while they are young adolescence and in a smaller environment,
before sending them on to high school. Set them up for success!
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology is being used very effectively. Projectors in every classroom with computer
labs equiped with PC's and Mac computers. Teacher are able to stream educational videos
right into the classroom. I think labtops would be great, but would also cause some new
challenges. Learning and training for teachers along with the cost of maintaining the
equipment.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Parent involvement is a must in the success of our children. The involvement drops off
after elementary school due to parents going back to work and the need for help declines
as children get older. The involvelment centers more around the specific sports and
activities. Most high schools do not have parent organizations such as PTA or PTO, they
focus on Booster Clubs which are very important in the success of the individual programs.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: In the past, FISD has had job fairs and student teaching programs that allowed us the
choice of hiring the best. Student teaching programs allow future teachers to familiarize
themselves with district curriculum and policy which greatly minimizes the learning curve
as a new teacher. We have mentorship programs which involves current teachers
mentoring new FISD teachers. Staff developement is ongoing on every campus, district
wide. 401(a) matching, health care and continual support from administration.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: When a teacher is hired, there is an expectation that a student will be successful
academically and become a productive student/citizen. Every child learns different and
there are more variables involved than just a test score. Teachers are reviewed on campus
and they do not stay if they are not effective.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The truth about our schools and community is that we have had very positive growth
for a long time due to great planning and relationships between the city and schools. We
are still experiencing this growth and FISD may be faced with the lack of funding from the
state to support that growth. Budget constraints will be an uncomfortable truth in the
coming months especially related to growth, however I trust that FISD will make the best
choices that will have the very least effect on instructional value for all of our students.
Tim Johnson
Biographical Info:
Name: Timothy J. Johnson (Tim)
Street Address: 505 Cartgate
City/Town: Grand Prairie
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 11/12/1966
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-754-5696
Home Phone Number: 972-262-0204
Mobile Phone Number: 972-754-5696
E-mail Address: TJSMJ@aol.Com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: Resident of Grand Prairie for 40 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: The Oakridge College Preparatory School
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Private Business Owner, College Teacher
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Serve as Board Trustee of Grand Prairie ISD, YMCA Board Member, Big Brother/ Big
Sisters, Texas Special Olympics.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: South Grand Prairie High School, Mountain View Junior College AAS, North Texas State
University BS, University of North Texas MS.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Grand Prairie ISD Board Trustee
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $0.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: None
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am running for school board because I believe that every child deserves a quality
education. I am a successful private business owner who understands how to budget and
plan for the future. By working as a college level administrator at a local community
college, I have dealt with and taught Texas policy and procedure concerning public
education. As a teacher, I know the challenges our public school teachers are faced with on
a daily basis. My 20 years of higher education in teaching and administration has prepared
me for this office.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have a background in Education. I feel that every school in Grand Prairie ISD deserves
equality in resources, staff support, and funding. I have no personal agenda other than
helping every child in my hometown of Grand Praire get a quality education. I also have
experience as a School Board Trustee for the past four years. This is an example of how
the GPISD schools have progressed over the past few years due to several factors
including decisions made by our GPISD Board of Trustees. Campuses 2007 2008 2009
2010 Exemplary 0 2 6 17 Recognized 8 10 18 15 Acceptable 22 23 10 5
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: I have served as Board Trustee, Vice President and President of Grand Prairie ISD for
the past four years. I have a 100% attendance rate for monthly school board meetings.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: 17 of the schools in GPISD have an Exemplary rating. The programs are working and all
schools within GPISD are showing added gains in state testing standards.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: I am so proud of the gains that GPISD has made in closing the gaps. According to the
Dallas Morning News article by Laurie Fox on 10/9/2010, Grand Prairie schools are closing
the achievement gap.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: 1. Mandatory District-wide Convocation at start of school year for all staff 2.
Administration 3. Hospitality cuts at GPISD functions.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: 1. Teachers 2. Nurses 3. Librarians
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: I feel that GPISD needs to utilize resources and expand participation in college
readiness programming through: 1. Administration/ Teacher/Student focus on
college-bound programs at an earlier age. 2. Improve student preparation for college
readiness assessments/entrance exams. 3. Increased minority student participation in
Pre-AP/Advanced Placement/Dual Credit programs.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: I feel we have made great progress over the past four years. However, there is room
for improvement. I would start by making the GPISD Web site accessible in English or
Spanish. I would recommend that all printable materials be available in English and
Spanish. I also would like to see a hot line staffed by volunteers to answer any question or
concerns that non English speaking parents may have.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Good adminstrators, teachers and staff will keep the students engaged and help make
learning fun. We need more parents that are involved in their child's education.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: I feel if a middle school student had more curriculum options this may keep them
engaged in the learning process which in return would keep them in school.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: GPISD is adequately using technology at every campus on a daily basis. The future
emphasis should be on both textbooks and laptop use depending on each school district's
budget. Other school districts have tried using laptops instead of textbooks; however, they
have found that textbooks cost less and have less maintenance cost associated with them.
I feel that textbooks make us better stewards of taxpayer dollars.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I feel that GPISD is making every effort to make the connection. There are many
opportunities for parents to get involved within GPISD in PTA, Booster Clubs, and
classroom assistants. I am very proud of all the parental support we currently have within
GPISD.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: The prinicipals and teachers have to have adequate support and resources to do the job
requested of them. We develop our teachers by the Teacher Mentoring Program as well as
continuing education courses. We can develop future leaders with the Current Leadership
Academy within GPISD.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: NO! If a school is failing there needs to be a change in leadership. I believe that we
need an accountability system in place in order to benefit every child in the district;
however, I do not feel that teacher pay should factor into this equation.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The State of Texas must fund edcation. If not funded adequately, we will have to cut
programs that will affect the future of GPISD students. The greatest gift you can give a
child is a well rounded and quality education.
Steve Pryor
Biographical Info:
Name: Steve Pryor
Street Address: 4540 Friars Lane,
City/Town: Grand Prairie,
State: TX
votes are unanimous, and I think a Board Member can be most effective when they vote
as a representative of their constituents, the students, teachers, parents and taxpayers.
Being an effective representative means voting the way you think is best, not just going
along to get along.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: At the elementary level, Colin Powell Elementary has done an excellent job of getting
kids up to grade level. They’ve done it by communicating to the parents about the
importance of their kid’s education, and a push to have those parents set high expectations
for their children. Those high expectations, coupled with a staff of teachers that really want
to see every student succeed has led Powell to the high level they’re currently at.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: Luckily, Grand Prairie isn’t facing this challenge. GPISD is a Latino majority district, and
while the percentage of Latino students has increased in GPISD in the last few years, so
have the number of recognized and exemplary schools. We need to continue to insist that
every child strive for excellence, whether they are Latino, Anglo, African-American or
Other.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: While I would prefer not to cut spending unless absolutely necessary, the 3 areas that
most concern me are these: #1 General Administration. According to budget documents
from the district, budgeted GA costs have increased by more than a million dollars from
2009-2010 to 2010-2011. I don’t want to cut that money if it’s really needed, but want to
be sure that all that money is really contributing to the districts core function, educating
the students of GPISD. #2 Plant maintenance and operations. Another million dollar
increase from ’09-`10 to ’10-’11, according to the district’s information; And as that line
item is close to 20 million dollars, it’s one of the largest expenditures after salaries. As the
challenger I don’t have the breakdown of how and where all that money is spent, but I
want to be sure the district is spending its money effectively in EVERY area. #3 Career
programs and extra curricular and co-curricular activities. Again, I’d prefer not to cut
spending unless necessary, but if next year’s budget forces deeper cuts, I’d like to see a
cost/benefit analysis on all such programs that compares the cost of each program to the
number of students involved in each program.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: #1 Dropout prevention. The graduation rate in GPISD has dropped from around 80% in
the 2003-2006 years, to the mid to low 70’s in the past few years. I believe students are
more successful later in life if they have a high school diploma, and I want to make sure
that we’re doing everything we can to keep those kids in school, so that we can give them
a better chance at future success. #2 Dual credit and college prep courses and SAT/ACT
test prep/tutoring. Dual credit courses allow a student to gain college credit while
attending GPISD, saving them time and money when they go on to college. And since I
believe that we need to prepare kids for education beyond the high school level, if the
district had the money, I’d like to see it spent preparing kids for college, or helping them
score better on college entrance exams. Better scores mean better chances at
scholarships, which is a benefit in this challenging economy. #3 Getting every elementary
student at and ABOVE grade level in reading. Reading is the building block that the rest of
a child’s education is built on, and improving comprehension and reading speed will pay
dividends throughout a child’s school career and far into their future.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: GPISD already has a number of programs geared toward decreasing the dropout rate.
What the district doesn’t offer is enough programs aimed at the middle of the bell-curve of
students. We have GT programs and AP classes for the advanced students, and we have
remedial classes and dropout prevention programs for the struggling student, we need
programs designed for the rest of the students who still may be college bound.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Much of the districts communication is already available in Spanish, but I’m for almost
anything that helps communicate the importance of a good education to parents. Trained
community liaisons, bi-lingual websites, I’m open to discussing any idea that gets parents
involved, and helps keep kids in school.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: I think the essential ingredients include good discipline, an interested and involved
student population, and a mix of classes that help keep those kids interested in staying in
school. Currently, I believe GPISD has effectively deployed its resources to all parts of the
district to offer a number of programs and classes to cater to different students’ interest.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: GPISD needs to continue to stress the importance of education, and work on identifying
at-risk students who may be ready to dropout at any level. By providing teachers that are
interested in every student's progress, and by offering a range of classes that kids want to
take, hopefully we'll be able to minimize the number of dropouts at every level.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: The level of technology used in the classroom really depends on the school. I’d like to
see ELMOs, digital projectors, and interactive white boards in more classrooms and in
more of our schools. As the budget allows, we should look at any technology that helps our
teachers teach our students. As we become a more technologically oriented society, our
teaching methods need to keep up with the times. As more kids grow up with computers,
replacing textbooks with laptops may be an effective way to maximize their learning.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I believe that every parent wants the best for their children, and the district needs to
communicate to the parents the value of the education that their children receive.
Hopefully, if the parents value the education, they’ll be more involved, but the district
needs to be flexible in getting those parents involved. Volunteering during school hours is a
wonderful idea, but with single working parents, or in a family where both parents work,
getting involved during the workday isn’t an option. If elected, I’d brainstorm ideas for
getting parents involved on their schedule, not just on the school’s schedule.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: I believe GPISD has positioned itself as a place where effective teachers and principals
WANT to get hired, and want to stay once hired. I think that if we offer competitive pay,
have a Superintendent that supports the teachers, and an administration that runs “lean
and mean” so we can give the teachers the materials, supplies and support staff they need
in the classrooms, we’ll be able to recruit, retain and develop the effective teachers we
need.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Yes, teacher pay and student performance should be linked, but standardized testing
shouldn’t be the only measure of who is or isn’t an effective teacher. The overall goal of a
school district needs to be providing each and every student a well-rounded education.
Focusing on the short term (passing tests in a particular year) undermine the long-term
goals. Standardized tests can tell us a lot about the students taking the tests, but only so
much about the teachers teaching those students. We need to give the Superintendent and
the Administration the flexibility to decide who are the most effective teachers, and let
them award those teachers accordingly, but not just reward teachers based on a certain
year’s test scores. If a school is succeeding, it would be great to be able to offer positive
consequences (pay raises, awards, recognition, etc) and schools need to suffer
consequences if they are failing. Removal of the principal, large changes in the faculty,
allowing students to transfer to other schools in the district, all options need to be
considered if a school is chronically underperforming.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth is that the structural deficit and the focus on standardized
testing is forcing education to change from what it was, to what it has become. The
structural deficit in funding is causing schools to cut back parts of the educational
experience, parts that many of us grew up with, and have come to expect as part of
“School”. Things like art, music and PE classes, and extra curricular activities that students
love, all things that help keep students involved and interested in gaining an education. By
cutting out the “flavor”, we run the risk of creating a bland education of just the tested
basics, and losing students to schools that do offer more. And if scores on standardized
tests become the benchmark by which we measure a school district’s success, we set
incentives for teaching to the test and not on a well-rounded education.
Description:
Sam Dalton
Biographical Info:
Name: Sam Dalton
Street Address: Overhill Drive
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: January 28, 1963
E-mail Address: spdalton@aol.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 20 years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: I have two children at Highland Park High School, one child at Highland Park Middle
School, and one child at Armstrong Elementary School.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Investment Manager.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member of HPISD Finance Committee, Board Member – Highland Park Presbyterian
Day School, Member of Salesmanship Club of Dallas (Reading Buddy at J.E. Jonsson
School), Executive Committee Member – Highland Park Community League, Chairman of
2011 Park Cities Dads Club Teachers Cup Golf Tournament (5 years on tournament
committee).
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Served on 2010 HPISD Demographic Study Committee, Served on 2008 HPISD
Strategic Planning Team – Resources, Co-Moderator of 5th-6th Grade and later 7th-8th
Grade Youth Programs at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Served on Youth Committee
and Officer Nominating Committee at HPPC, Activities Committee Chairman and Merit
Badge Counselor for Boy Scout Troop 82, President of Dallas Alumni Chapter – Washington
and Lee University.
Q: Education
A: Washington and Lee University – B.A. in Public Policy - 1985 (Phi Beta Kappa),
University of Texas School of Law – J.D. – 1988.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Campaign Finance Report will be filed on April 14, 2011.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Campaign Finance Report will be filed on April 14, 2011.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: With four kids attending schools in the district, I have a vested interest in the school
district. I have a proven record of service to the HPISD, to my community and to its
children. I practiced commercial litigation in two major Texas law firms for nearly 15
years, 6 as a partner. As part of my law practice, I dealt with complex issues and made
difficult decisions on a regular basis. I continue to do this as part of my current job.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I believe my record of service and professional background make me the best choice
Amy S. Titus
Biographical Info:
Name: Amy Susan Titus
Street Address: 3615 Dartmouth Ave
City/Town: Dallas
State: TX
Date of Birth: 10/25/1960
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: Teachers, teachers and teachers! The finest facilities in the world are useless without
quality engaging teachers. We need to do everything that we can to attract the finest
teachers available.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: I believe that our students are well prepared for college.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: I believe that our district does an excellent job of communicating with parents.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: A successful school is one where the students feel connected. Typically, it is in the extra
curricular activities where they develop this connection. While there is always room for
improvement, the schools in our district are doing a good job. I would like to see an
expansion of the number of students who can be accommodated in the various activities
offered.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Our middle school is doing a good job. The electives give the students a sense of
belonging to a group and help make a large school feel manageable. The team
organization also helps to keep kids from feeling lost and overwhelmed by the size of the
school.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: It is just a matter of time before textbooks are replaced with laptops or other forms of
electronic books. This generation of students are technology natives and seem to learn
well when technology is integrated into teaching. Technology is being used effectively in
the classroom, but we need to be careful that distractions to not creep in.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: The parents in HPISD are very involved. I would try to find a way to expand the use of
volunteers to allow for parents who work full time to be better able to volunteer within the
constraints of their schedules.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: We need to do everything that we can to increase respect for the teaching profession.
We also need to increase the autonomy of the teacher in the classroom.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: No, the best should be expected of all teachers. There is no excuse for schools to fail
and it should not be tolerated by parents or taxpayers. We need to set the bar high and do
all that we can to assist the teachers and the schools in meeting those expectations.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: In HPISD, we are accustomed to excellent schools but funding issues (Robin Hood) have
been quite a challenge for our district. As other districts catch up, we have to keep looking
ahead to the future and continue to provide the best education possible for all of our
children.
Steven Jones
Biographical Info:
Name: Steven Jones
visionary leadership of principal Robyn Bowling and a teaching staff dedicated to doing
everything it takes to ensure every child succeeds. The school motto is "Failure is not an
option."
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: Stop focusing on bilingual education. We are holding the Spanish speaking students back
by not offering them an English immersion option. If a 4 year old preK student was taught
exclusively in English for the entire school year, by the time he or she was ready to enter
kindergarten they would be speaking English. Non English speakers might master the
curriculum in Spanish through bilingual education, but what good does the knowledge do
the student if he or she is not able to use it in the United States of America? Brandenburg
and Farine elementary schools have an English/Spanish dual immersion program that
seems to be working. Let's see what we can learn from the successes of this program.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: 1. Administrative positions at the IISD administrative office 2. Bilingual stipends - I do
not think bilingual teachers should make $4,000 more per year than other teachers. This
would save the district 1.7 million dollars annually. 3. Administrative travel, catering and
other non classroom expenses
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: The educational crisis we face today is not due to a lack of funds. The district is not
efficient with the taxpayers' money. More attention, time and focus must be paid to math,
science and reading.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: Adding programs is not the answer to decreasing the dropout rate. I would put an end
to social promotion in elementary school. It is a huge disservice to the students to promote
them when they have not mastered the basics during the first few years of their education.
When these students reach middle school, they are so far behind that many of them feel
overwhelmed and drop out. Every IISD graduate should be prepared for college. Although
college is not for all students, all students should be expected to meet the same high
academic standards. Keep the standards high and do not assume that low income and
minority students cannot achieve greatness. John Haley Elementary School proves they
can.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: The district needs to improve its communication with everyone. It has been next to
impossible for me to get straight answers from the IISD administration building.
Communication with the parents should be handled at the school level. Each school should
continue to reach out to all parents, keeping them updated on their child's progress -
successes as well as failures. There is no money for trained community liaisons or any
other additional personnel.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The two primary ingredients of a successful school are the same for elementary, middle
and high schools. The first is a principal that is a visionary leader. The second is a teaching
staff committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure the success of every student.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: As stated above, I would end social promotion so all students have the tools they need
to succeed in middle school. Middle school performance will improve with strong discipline
and high academic expectations. If the students are held to a high standard, both in
behavior and academics, they will rise to the expectations. In today's society, many adults
are quick to make excuses for the failures of children. If we encourage them to set high
goals and stop giving them excuses to hide behind, the children will soar.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: The IISD is a leader in classroom technology. Every high school student in the IISD is
issued a laptop to use for the academic year. But what happens when the power goes out?
Can the students write, spell, add and subtract? The basics of education must be taught -
technology does not replace basic knowledge and skills.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Encourage the parents to take pride of ownership in their child's education. Each
campus should form its own parent organization with specific functions. From Saturday
campus clean up sessions to interior painting, I think the parents would enjoy feeling
needed and happily give of their time to help maintain their child's school.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Give principals and teachers control over their campuses. Let the teachers teach
without micromanagement. Every teacher brings a unique set of teaching skills into the
classroom. The district should not try to make every teacher fit a mold. Outstanding
teachers and principals would love to teach and work in such a district.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Outstanding teachers should be rewarded financially for their success. If a school is
succeeding, the principal should be rewarded financially. If a school is failing, the principal
should be removed.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The Spanish speaking children are being held back by bilingual education. Christine
Rossell, Ph.D. concludes her 2009 article for the Texas Public Policy Foundation ("Does
Bilingual Education Work? The Case of Texas") with the following observation: "The data
analyzed in this study suggest that bilingual education is the least effective program for
English Language Learner (ELL) students if one’s goal is achievement in English. ELL
students in bilingual education are tested in English on the TAKS at significantly lower rates
than those students not in bilingual education. This indicates that bilingual education is less
effective than all-English programs in teaching ELL students English and subject matter that
they will have to know in English. The fact that Texas law allows such a discrepancy does
not excuse it."
Nancy L. Jones
Biographical Info:
Name: Nancy L. Jones
Street Address: 1821 Piedmont Street
City/Town: Irving
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 03-18-59
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214 914 5436
Home Phone Number: 972 259 2641
Mobile Phone Number: 214 914 5436
E-mail Address: jones2254@hotmail.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I have lived in Irving since 1982.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Both of my sons attended and graduated from Irving ISD schools - Barton, Crockett,
DeZavala and Irving High.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I have worked in post secondary education for 16 years. I am the Director of Student
Services for Concorde Career Institute.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am the Vice President of the Irving ISD Board of Trustees. I was elected to this
position in 2008. I served as Secretary of the Board, prior to this year. I am a long term
member of Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: I am a Life Member of Texas PTA. I served on the IISD Council of PTA - Volunteer Chair
(2 years). I am a 2001 graduate of Leadership Irving - served as Vice President.
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Long Beach State University; Master of
support to the majority subgroup population of our students by offering effective services,
but we should also guarantee equity of education for all students. Educational experts
support that Latino students need to master their native language to achieve successful
transition to English (thus the state mandate for Bilingual education). Irving has a history
of successful immersion and the statistics to show that the achievement gap is closing
between Latino and Anglo students. We must continue to connect with the parents of our
Latino students so they will support the idea that their student will be successful when they
transition to the English classroom or take the English version of the state assessment. A
great example is at John Haley, where all of the 3rd grade students took the English
version of the Math TAKS.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: I look at programs effectiveness – this is why I have asked for updates on program
success for the products we have used so we can know what works and what doesn’t.
Reviewing the return on our investment is crucial. We must also look at things that can be
done without affecting the classroom teacher as much – i.e. changing the bell schedule
saves the district over $1 million. I think we have to look at additional stipends that are
not classified as salary (i.e. added days).
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Teachers – no cuts of classroom teachers due to budget reasons. I have also been a
proponent of keeping RN’s on each campus instead of switching to partial staffing by LVN’s.
I also feel that we need a full staff of counselors to address the many social and economic
needs of our student population.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: We should continue to focus on increasing the participation by all subgroup populations
in Advanced Placement and Pre-AP courses; as exposure to higher-level thinking skills in
advanced courses leads to better academic performance. We need a curriculum evaluation
as we move to a more rigorous state assessment, one that focuses on college readiness.
Long term, I would like to look at the feasibility of an International Baccalaureate program
for our district.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Ensure website and print effectiveness, in English and Spanish. This keeps us in
compliance with some of our grant/federal funding requirements. We are about to launch
an aggressive marketing campaign to engage our community. Our House is Your House
(Nuestra Casa Es Su Casa) - is a full force marking campaign geared to inspire families to
get involved in their children’s education. Our TeleParent automated message system could
be used more by individual teachers and campuses, not just for district messages. We
have a successful program available at Irving.net which offers ESL lessons for non-English
speaking parents. In the next term, I would like us to institute town hall type meetings for
parents and families at community locations. Our schools and administration building
belong to the community and we should welcome guests at any time.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: You must have the administration and the teachers embrace and share the goal of
working together and educating every student, every day. Parental involvement becomes
more crucial at the middle and high school levels and successful schools recognize this.
Many of our students are the first in their families to graduate and we must convey to their
families that we are a district ‘Where Children come First” and that means our students
must graduate. We have to be careful about cutting too many campus administrators and
counselors, due to budget cuts, because of the impact that it will have on the classroom
teacher – they’ll have to pick up the slack, which can have an impact on instruction.
Students must be engaged in the classroom and inspired to learn. Our students need
mentors who have walked in their shoes. Areas in which we are lacking include a decrease
in parental involvement at the secondary level, especially in the academic arena. This
extends to classroom discipline: we need parents to support the discipline policy of the
district and encourage their student to come to class prepared to learn.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Having the AVID program at the campuses is a plus. This program offers college
readiness preparation for middle school children. We need to look for early intervention
tutoring opportunities (before or after school) that have a direct focus. Pulling students
from all of their electives to double-block them in their struggling subjects, can have a
negative effect. We must connect with our business community early on - perhaps
extending the Future Leaders of Irving to the Middle School level, so schools and
businesses can jointly promote graduation and post secondary education.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: The Board/District goal is that every teacher must use instructional technology on a
daily basis. Some teachers are more successful than others. A positive example is in the
Forensic Science class where the students successfully use technology for research, case
studies and presentations. Laptops and/or tablet computers are the way of the future and
physical textbooks are needed for classroom sets. Irving has always been highly touted for
our use of technology. Lesson plans are submitted via TechFusion and teachers can share
best practices via Project Share with teachers in Texas and across the country.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Many of our students live in non-traditional homes. We have to engage with parents and
family members. I have always tried to be visible in the community and connect parents
and families to opportunities within their home school or at the district level. We also need
to connect Administrators/Teachers to parents and families who are willing to help. I
support the use of parent centers at all of the campuses. Our new marketing campaign will
be beneficial in reaching out to parents.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: We should continue to stay competitive in terms of pay and work environment benefits
and offer a career path for teachers who want to become administrators, and for
administrators who want to advance.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Teacher pay must be competitive to attract highly qualified teachers, but if can be
difficult to link pay strictly with performance. A teacher's evaluation should include review
of the student achievement of their students. I support the use of the state D.A.T.E grant
and hope it can be funded. Under NCLB, there are consequences for non-performing
schools and performance/corrective plans that are put into place. A review of
administration, curriculum and student achievement should take place and all stakeholders
be provided the information.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Running a school district requires sticking to a budget, just like running a family – and
when the income shrinks, cuts have to be made. Also, the demographic make-up of our
city is different from years past. However, IISD is highly touted across the state as experts
in what we do – as evidenced by the 5-star rating given to IISD by the State Comptroller
(doing more with less and still increasing in student achievement).
A.D. Jenkins
Biographical Info:
Name: A.D. Jenkins
Street Address: 107 Lida Court
City/Town: Grand Prairie
State: Texas
Date of Birth: July 29, 1968
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-789-9037
Home Phone Number: Same
Mobile Phone Number: Same
E-mail Address: ad@bigdogsyouth.org
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 24 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Irving Independent School Disrict A.S. Johnson Elementary J.O. Davis Elementary
Stipes Elementary Lamar Middle School Nimitz High School
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: IBM
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: IISD Trustee, Place 2
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: Bachelor of Science in Computer Information System DeVry University in Irving, TX
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Sought IISD Trustee Place 7 in 2007 Currently IISD Trustee Place 2 since 2008
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: n/a
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Endorsed by MetroTex Association of Realtors
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I chose to run for re-election because our district needs school board trustees who
understand and are responsive to the concerns of the school system, financial challenges
and state testing assessments. I pledge to continue to put the needs of the students first,
and to work toward improving the performance of all students while maximizing the use of
tax dollars. We are facing difficult obstacles which call for difficult decisions that ultimately
will benefit our children. I’m willing to listen and provide valuable input before making
informed decisions. The experience I have gained from the current term is invaluable and
a great asset to the IISD Board.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have received training on local, state and national levels that has been instrumental in
serving the district during my current term. I have served on the District Improvement
Committee, Campus Improvement Committee for Stipes Elementary and IISD 2007
Citizen Assessment Bond Task Force Committee. Currently, I serve on the Executive Board
for YMCA in Irving, National Alumni Board for DeVry University and Founder/President of
B.I.G. D.O.G.S. Youth Organization. My body of work when it comes to serving youth
speaks volumes in my community. Our district needs school board trustees who
understand and are responsive to the concerns of IISD, financial challenges and state
testing assessments. I have the required skills to help elevate our district from “Good to
Great”.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes, I have attended all but 2 school board meetings in the last 3 years. Also, I have
attended every Special Called Meeting within the past 3 years. As the incumbent for IISD
Place 2, I have learned that listening to all input, suggestions and feedback is key to
gaining trust and respect. There is no board member that knows everything, however, an
effective board member can listen carefully, provide feedback or follow-up after thorough
research. Another way is to be active, visible and supportive for district events,
celebrations and special occasions.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: All schools in IISD are focusing on improving student performance in math and reading.
Each school shares best practices and ways to instruct better so students can learn and
retain knowledge. The district is constantly searching for ways to effectively reach every
student because all learn at a different rate. Of course, if one school has a model that’s
working well, other school will duplicate that effort to achieve the same results.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: I’m a firm believer that parental influence within the school system helps shape
students’ educational experience. Inviting Latino parents to become engaged and involved
is very important. We must help Latino parents understand how valuable they are and
define what parental involvement really is. The teachers are on the front line; therefore,
encouraging all teachers to initiate a working relationship with Latino students is a great
concept.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: As a board trustee, we have spent so much time looking into what we can cut and/or do
without. A good approach is looking at every program within our district to evaluate its
effectiveness. If not effective then it must be cut. There are positions that we can cut
without sacrificing the needs of our students. IISD is currently facing a financial shortfall so
this is a legitimate issue that we are dealing with.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Being that we are facing a reduction in teachers in classrooms, the main area is hiring
more teachers. IISD is committed to leading-edge technology, hence spending more funds
in training to encourage the better use of software, hardware and equipment. Lastly,
investing in service learning projects to give students real life experiences in the workforce
is a good suggestion.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: If the district had the funds, I would like to see a dropout prevention program that
focuses on developing individualized graduation and post high school plans. The most
influential age group is middle school students so we must start there. Another suggestion
is to actively engage students in after-school projects that are educationally-based but fun
and entertaining. Service learning projects are a great start.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Our district is in the process of kicking off a campaign which states “Our House Is Your
House” which means “Nuestra Casa Es Su Casa”. Its intent is to engage parents and
communities to get involved and stay involved in the educational process of their
child(ren). The district website is undergoing a major change and will be more parent and
community friendly…also in Spanish language. The HIPPY program needs more exposure
because it’s a wonderful way to engage parents before children enter kindergarten.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: A comfortable secure learning environment is the best ingredient for all students. When
students are comfortable and feel secure, they can focus on learning and participating at
school. Parental Involvement and Engagement is a must for success in middle and high
school. Parents involvement is a major piece that missing. When parents are involved,
students’ achievement goes up.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: This is the age when students begin to drastically change in reference to growth,
interests and influences. Intervention programs are extremely important for this age
group. Effective after-school programs can give students encouragement to stay in school.
Each school must determine what parents do best and encourage them to invest their and
time and skills at school to promote education.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: My answer is Yes and No because some schools do a better job at developing school
tasks and projects that require the use of technology. Our district is forward-thinking when
it comes to technology and new concepts; however, it’s a district goal to ensure that
effective use of technology is a standard. During my first term as IISD Trustee, I would say
the future emphasis should be on laptops, however, times has changed and now the
trending thing is tablets, iPads, etc. A few years from now, a new product will replace
tablets, therefore, we must stay informed and be great stewards of our funds.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: As I stated earlier, each school must engage parents and make them feel welcome.
Many parents are not involved because they don’t know what they can do to help and
support their school. A suggestion is to have parents complete a survey concerning things
they can do to get involved in school. The idea is making each parent aware of their
importance and presence. The key is not only recruiting involvement but retaining
engagement through personal phones, emails and Tele Parent communication.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: IISD has one of the best methods for recruiting the best teachers at the annual job fair
for potential teachers and principals. IISD’s pay is one of the best in this area. Teacher
development and training is a priority as well.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I feel teachers’ performance should be clearly stated on their evaluation. Linking their
pay with student performance can be a huge disadvantage to many teachers because
some subjects are more difficult than others. Also, some students are more difficult to
teach than others. We live in an environment whereas success in rewarded and failure is
not. Successful teaching methods should be the model which must be duplicated within the
district and teaching methods with challenges should be monitored, nurtured and
developed.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Our demographics have continued to change which prompts a shift in thinking. We are a
very diverse district and embracing this reality is a key to moving forward at a faster rate.
We must be proactive in our input, feedback and decisions because even though some
things has significantly changed, our motto has not…”Where Children Comes First…”.
Dinesh Mali
Biographical Info:
Name: Dinesh Mali
Street Address: 3707 Contry Club Rd, N
City/Town: Irving
State: TX
Date of Birth: Jan 09, 1946
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-206-8609/469-585-2888
Home Phone Number: 214-206-8609
Mobile Phone Number: 469-585-2888
E-mail Address: dineshmali@aol.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 8 yr and 6 months
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My children attended ABC school district in Cerritos, CA
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Professiona Engineer -Mechanical. VP; Engineering with Caltex BMH Systems/Shanta
Engineering
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am volunteering my time with Indian/Asian community. I am volunteer serving as
devotee for D/FW HiIndu temple. Serving D/FW Hindu temple in several committes. I
founded the Shanti Cultural Events promoting domestic cultural activities for the benefit of
the community. I am memeber of the DFW senior samaj a volunteer organization to
promote Indian/Asian Seniors for their well being. This organiztion promote cultural
acitivites for SR. Citizens of Indian/Asian origin. I participate in engineering related
organization, attend trade shows related to engineering ptofession.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Same as above.
Q: Education
A: I came from India in 1966 to get higher education and then settle down in USA. I have
BSME 1969 from Uni. Of Missouri, I have MSME 1975 from Washington University St. Louis,
MO
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: This is first time running for Irving ISD school board place #2
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I did not have any contribution. Will sped minimum amount from my savings for this
campaign.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: None
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: Divorce proceedings twice in CA
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I am volunteering my time for Indian/Asian community since 2002. Now I like to
channel this time to serve Irving community. I am professional Engineer-Mechanical. I
founded Engineering company in 1980. I dealt with large corporation for enginnering
related projects. Prepared cost estimates and schedules. In difficult time like this I think
my background will help Irivng ISD. Irving ISD has many facilities that can be looked after
for operating efficiently and also look for GO GREEN projects. My background will be asset
to Irving ISD. I am a team player and work with organization. As analytical as engineer I
have an ability to look into problems and find viable alterantes. Current economical
situation is challenging and new IISD will emege. It will be challenge to maintain education
level with skelaton staff and teacher.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am new commer. This will be fresh start. On 4-4-11 meeting IISD pass layoffs issues
and same time pass construction projects per 2007 bond requirements. This will be big PR
issue for IISD. At one hand we letting people go and other hand we are spending money to
up grade facilities. How can you explain to the teachers and administration staff that we
have no money?? I have done voluneering work and this will be more rewarding for me to
use my time for IISD.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes. I will spend more time on campuses and understand the need and then see how
can we provide better tools to our educators and campus facilities. Be a part of the campus
and know them better.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: Mac Arthur High is leading the way in the district. I am studying these issue and can
provide more detail after completing the work later,
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: Some how we need to get latino focus and make them do more share of the home
work. Explain them the success come with good education and skill.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: This questuin is being taken care by superintendent at IISD. I would look into raising
revenue from other sorces by renting campus facilities, letting community use our facilities
after hours for functions etc.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: As new commer I still have to do my home work. I certainly get Etechnology to all
campus. Provide basic skills in emerging technology for gratuating seniors to succeed in
modern life.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: GO Green and etechnology is the way of future.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: USA does not have English as official national language. Thus it will force us to speak to
latino in spanish and chines in chines etc. We ahve to create the go between group.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The superintendant and school principals are the educators.They have to come up with
proposal for new ingredients for success and we have to provide the resources to
implement it.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: The superintendant and school principals are the educators.They have to come up with
proposal for new ingredients for success and we have to provide the resources to
implement it
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: IISD will be try to go towards the laptops more and less on text books. However some
students may not have resources or access to laptops off the campus. They need to visit
nearest library and catch up with calss.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: PTA and other activities are on going all the time. In Asiam contries where I brought up
parents were involved in helping home work. Also guiding them to make sure they are
doing well in class. Any extra help needed do providse through extra tutoring. Most of the
parent do here.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: At this time when we do not have funds to keep what we have and looking for new
teachers and to retain them is not possible.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Like any other profession, one must be competative. Relying on union to keep your
teaching position is not the way. Your product is the students' achievement and that
measure must be hpheld. Students excells under good teacher and work hard. THe good
teacher becomes a mentor and students want to follow that footsteps. Good teacher work
hard themselves and challenges student to work hard and keep aim high.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Public schools do not have outside competition. If there is inter ISD competition or
choice for student to move better school then student will go to better school even if they
have to drive few miles away. Asian countries have competion among themselves and they
work hard to keep good student to attend their school. If we have freefall situation all the
distric will work hard for great success. We have market driven forces in all the field but
not in education. I am sure market driven philosophy will make every one excell. Look
other part of the world teaching method is different. Most Asian countries stress on
memorization and repeatation theory.
Sheri Brisco
Biographical Info:
Name: Sheri Brisco
Street Address: 2464 Verona rd.
City/Town: Lancaster
State: Texas
Date of Birth: May 8, 1972
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-922-6136
Home Phone Number: 972-218-6156
Mobile Phone Number: 214-649-9202
E-mail Address: slbrisco1@gmail.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 9 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Pleasant Run Elementary School
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Banking
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member of the Order of the Eastern Stars Cheer Director with Lancaster North Panthers
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Working with The Feast of Sharing Participating in several support walks
Q: Education
A: Graduated from South Oak Cliff High School Attended Cedar Valley College Graduated
from University of North Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $200
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Myself Emma Berry Marion Hamilton
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I feel obligated to my neighbors. I feel that it is my duty to be the voice for concerned
parents, teachers and children in our community. I am a mother with two children.
Children that look to me for guidance, understanding and reason. I feel that it is my
purpose to provide those things to my children and to others. I feel that I am a qualified
candidate simply because I care. I have acquired several leadership roles in both my
personal and professional life. I have held a Presidential role of a non-charitable
organization, as well as managed over 50 associates. I am a borne leader.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have a vested interest in Lacaster ISD. My children are student within the district. I
have obtained a bachelors degree in Business Adminstration and my current postition at
the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas is Budget Specialist. I would like to be apart of the
board to make a difference.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: I have attended a few board meetings. I think that board members could be more
effective by voicing the needs of their district,becoming more accessible to the public and
listening to the community. I think that some board members could ask more questions
and educating themselves about topics of discussion before the meeting.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: I feel that Pleasant Run Elementary has excelled in it's endeavors of reaching success in
reading and math. Pleasant Run provides Saturday School for children that need a little
more attention in english and math. Pleasant Run also provide daily feedback on children's
behavior and homework status. Pleasant Run should be the model for all of the elementary
schools in the district.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: I believe that perhaps we should become more proactive with teaching Latino people at
all ages. Perhaps we should develop programs for adults and elders on the importance of
an education. If we teach our community of the importance of an education, we would
have more of influences on our children. Enhancing the knowledge of preschoolers would
be helpful. We as a community should not have to wait on the public school system to
begin the learning process of our youth.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: If I had to cut three parts of the school district's spending I would begin with athletics,
then perhaps not replacing unfilled positions and then with lowering monthly expenses such
as water, electricity and gas.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Eduacational tool(ie. laptops)for students and teachers, hiring effective, well seasoned
teachers, and allowing students and teacher to attend knowledge enhancing seminars,
classes and courses.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: College Preparatory Courses, Automobile Industry courses, Coed programs with
neighboring colleges. Dual credit courses. I would provide courses on peer pressures, and
allow mentorship programs into the high school, middle school and elementary.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: I would first analyze the needs of my audience and adjust for the means of
communcation accordingly. I would send out communication in english and spanish. I
would have a spanish speaking translator at all meetings and events. I would provide for
the deaf and the blind.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: School pride, honor and respect for others, an educated community and the ability to
think outside the box are just a few ingredients in creating a successful high school and
middle school. Drive is this only resource that is lacking in my district. I believe that we
have to build the self esteem of our community. We have to believe that we are the best at
everything we do. A good education is the key into becoming a successful and productive
adult.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: I think we should work on preping our children in elementary school. Pehaps in the last
semester of the 5th grade year, we should begin introducing our children to middle school
regimens. In the transistioning summer, we should have prepartory courses for children
attending middle school. We as a district could have skilled peer coaches available to speak
with children candidly about pressures that arise throughout the school year. I think that
we should also have prepartory courses for parents as well.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: I feel that technology is being used effectivly in the classrooms. I think that there is a
need for both laptops and textbooks. Textbooks are more readily available, no need for
electricity and enhances responsiblity to the owner. We live in a technological world. We
have to entertain ourselves by enhancing our knowlegde by becoming more computer
savy. Both concepts are necessary.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Including parents in there childs endeavors. I would like for the teachers to have more
one on one sessions with the parents of the district. Creating more lines of communcation
would be great. Email address, cell phone usage and home visit. I want to create a
responsible environment.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: I think the distict should do more to provide teachers and principals with necessary tool.
(ie. classes and seminars) We as a district should give praise as well as constuctive
criticism. We should do more to recognize our teachers, principals and staff in a positive
light.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Not necessarily. Teachers would then focus on topics to help the students perform well
on test. There is much more to life than taking test. We have to nuture our environment
with the exceptions. We have to work harder in providing for a well rounded education for
our children. I think each school should be evaluated and changes should be made
accordingly. Consequences is not my word of choice, but enhancements and recognition is.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The uncomfortable truth about our public schools is that we have the perception of not
performing at an acceptable level. The district as a whole has to work harder in changing
that perception. I believe that we have the resource, we just have to utilize it more. We as
a community should feel obligated to do more for our children.
Irene Mejia
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: - no response -
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: - no response -
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: - no response -
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: - no response -
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: - no response -
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: - no response -
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: - no response -
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: - no response -
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: - no response -
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: - no response -
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: - no response -
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: - no response -
Ty G. Jones
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: - no response -
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: - no response -
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: - no response -
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: - no response -
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: - no response -
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: - no response -
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: - no response -
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: - no response -
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: - no response -
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: - no response -
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: - no response -
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: - no response -
Joe Kana
Biographical Info:
Name: Joe M. Kana
Street Address: 944 Birchwood Dr
City/Town: Lancaster
State: Tx
Date of Birth: November 13, 1944
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214 707 7477
Home Phone Number: 972 227 7972
Mobile Phone Number: 214 707 7477
E-mail Address: joekana1515@yahoo.com
Campaign Web Site Address: 944 Birchwood Dr Lancaster,Tx 75146
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 22 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: I have three grown children who all attended school in California.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Retired from U.S. Air force and Lancaster Independent School District
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I have served on the Lancaster Independent School District Board of Trustees for the
last three years and have served as Board President for one year.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Serving as secretary of the Lancaster Lion’s club. Serving as a director in VFW Post
3366. Member of the Region C water Planning District.
Q: Education
A: Masters of Science in Management, Frostburg, University, Frostburg, MD Bachelor’s of
Business Administration, St. Edwards University, Austin, Texas
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None at this time
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: We have a very extensive program to improve our communication with parents. We are
constantly working to improve our website so parents, teachers and staff can communicate
better with each other. We have our parent academy which meets several times a year to
get feedback from our parents in what direction they want our district to go and to keep
our lines of communication open.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: High School and Middle School are the biggest challenge in the public school system
overall. Students are in a ever changing world and the expectations of the world are
sometimes overwhelming to our children. Ideas and images are focusing on our children
and expecting them to grow up faster and e more technologically savvy than ever before.
We must meet these needs with better technology, better trained teachers, and an ever
growing awareness of what they are faced with on a daily basis. Expecting students to
learn in a 19th century school while they live in a 21st century world will continue to let our
children fall through the cracks.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Middle school students are faced with problems that no other age level faces. Hormones
and emotional stresses make our children at this age very vulnerable. We need to
constantly be looking for areas of opportunity to improve their lives and their school
environment. Smaller classes and better equipped teachers are the first place to begin
changing our schools. Of course with the state budget and the district budget constantly in
peril, this continues to be our biggest challenge.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: We in the public school have a great dilemma. We need to increase our technology
opportunities with fewer dollars. Textbooks are one of these challenges. Eventually schools
will need to move from the printed textbook to digital textbooks but right now the money
just is not there. We will be working in this direction but it will be slow and difficult to
achieve.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: We have a parent academy which works to improve parental communication. Our
district and campus improve committees have parents on them and then our webpage is
moving to become more parental friendly.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: We should train our administrators better to know what to look for with objective
criteria. We must ensure that we look beyond the interview process to ensuring we obtain
teachers who are committed and caring as well as knowledge complete.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: If the school system were like a business with the same product coming in-then yes we
could be ensured that we produced the same product going out, but this is not the case in
schools. We get students with all levels of competencies coming in so it is difficult to ensure
that all students achieve at the same level. All students deserve competent teachers and
those teachers should be compensated for hard work but linking teacher pay to student
performance leaves out too many variables that should be considered. Student
performance should not be the only criteria for teacher pay incentives. If a school
continually fails then of course a district must take action to close or reconstitute a school
but this should be done after much deliberation.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Academic success continues to improve in LISD as is evident by the number of student
transfers that the district has recently experienced. Without successful schools, the
community is always affected.
Ellen B. Clark
Biographical Info:
Name: Ellen Clark
Street Address: 954 Nokomis Rd
City/Town: Lancaster
State: Texas
Date of Birth: January 28, 1941
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-227-1705
Home Phone Number: 972-227-2694
Mobile Phone Number: 972-227-1705
Fax Number: 972-227-6468
E-mail Address: townsq1@airmail.net
Campaign Web Site Address: none
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: Over 30 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My children graduated from Lancaster High School
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Realtor activities and rental property
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: President of the LHS Centre St Alumni, Co chairman of Lancaster Education Foundation
Golf Ttournament June 10th
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Chamber of Commerce 4 terms on the board, Treasurer 2 years, President 2 years,
Lancaster Historical Society president 6 years compiled and edited "History of Lancaster",
Active in PTA receiving a Life Membership, Girl Scout leader 8 years, 6 years on the
Lancaster Education Foundation, 4 years as Treaurer, 2 years as President, Friends of the
Fire Department, Chairman of Main Street Program, MLS representstive for southwest 4
years, completed historical research for Texas Medallion for Rocky Crest campus to arrive
2012
Q: Education
A: Associate degree Navarro College, Midwestern University, El Centro, Resl Estate
educstion to receive GRI, CRS, E-PRO and ABR.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: 2009-present Lancaster School Board Pl 7 1997 ran for city council
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: Self funded at this point.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Ellen Clark, endorsement Metrotex Board of Realtors
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No criminal. As property manager numerous eviction proceedings. Some family conflicts
settled out of court
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I can see the potential of the students and staff of the Lancaster schools. I want to help
create the changes needed to make this happen. A board hires a superintendent,makes
policies and adopts a budget. In order to understand these actions I have taken over 70
hours of board training receiving the designation of Certified Board Member in 2011 from
the Texas Association of School Boards. In this financial crisis I feel that my training will
help make better decisions. For many years I have attended events on every campus and
supported the school system in various ways. I am well aware of what is happening on the
casmpus. Over the years I have meet many teachers, parents and students. My
experience as a Realtor teaches me to disclose, look at all the facts, have an open mind
and negotiate holding to principles to a successful end. All of this holds for the board. My
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: The program at Lancaster Middle School has made great progress. There is always
ways to improve but the staff has made a real change in the lifes of our Middle School
students. Being sure that individuals are not over looked would be my concern.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology changes faster then you can buy it and install it. All of our campuses are not
up to date especially older campuses. Laptops or other electronic devices can enhance the
quality of education. We need more Promethean Boards, computers and the ability to
connect all of the technology. Training of staff is constantly required as things change.
Some of our students are so savvy they could teach the stsff.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Engaged children bring engaged parents. This has always been a problem and it is so
sad when students have no one to see and congratulate them on their success. Personal
contact by stsff sometimes helps for those parents timid about coming to school. Difficult
work hours and two jobs create problems too. This is always going to be a problem.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: All of our schools have the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) to train and retain
teachers. Rolling Hills campus was selected as one of the top TAP schools in the nation this
year. Master teachers train other teachers and mentor them to become better teachers.
Having opportunties for training and personal development keeps great teachers.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Yes. Master teachers and others in the TAP program receive extra. This is paid through
a grant received last year and the cuts in the budget will not involve this program. If a
school is low performing there needs to be an assesment to find the weakness. If it is not
corrected then the school needs to be reorganized. Teachers who continuely fail with no
effort to change needs to leave also.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The budget cuts are due to cut in state funds and it will change how education is done in
Texas. The good is that is makes everybody cut waste, duplication of services, and quality
of personal. The negative is that citizens may have to contribute financially above your
school tax bill to keep some programs on the level you want. These changes will change
the future of our children and each individual.
Mannix O. Smith
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: - no response -
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
Amber Fulton
Biographical Info:
Name: Amber Fulton
whose sole stated purpose is harmful to Lewisville ISD. I was not recruited to run by
another board member. Oh, and I'm not mad about anything.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes, I have attended many board meetings. What I learned early on is that it is OK to
be on the losing end of a vote if the vote is made on principle and not on personal feelings.
Board members who use board service to further their personal agendas are ultimately not
able to accomplish anything due to the alienation that results after repeated inability to put
personal feelings aside. In order to be effective, one must not lose sight of his/her
individuality but still remember it takes more than one individual to effect change in a
collective body.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: Since we are a Recognized district, and all of our schools except one are rated
Recognized or Exemplary, I would venture to say all of our schools are making dramatic
progress. Instead of being complacent however, the campuses are utilizing professional
learning communities to share ideas and strategies within their campus as well as across
campuses.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: We piloted a program at Central Elementary a few years ago beginning with a
Kindergarten class. It is a dual-language program. The students are taught one day in
English and the next day in Spanish; and in a contiguous manner. (The material builds on
the previous lesson and is not just repeat of the previous day's concepts.) The program
was so successful, outpacing our other campuses' bilingual programs, that we have
implemented the program at other schools. I believe early intervention will go a long way
toward preparing students for their future successes. We have created and support a
culture based on the belief that every child is capable of accomplishing great things.
Whatever their challenge we will continue to foster a fertile learning environment.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: Above all, we have to protect the quality of education. That is what we, the school
board are charged with providing--education for the students. While our administrative
cost ratio remains well below the state average, we still need to examine our
organizational structure to make sure we are operating as efficiently as possible.
Extracurricular activities are a documented tool used to engage students, but I think we
can streamline some of our activities during this funding crisis and still maintain quality and
variety in our programs. The third thing is more of a cost-savings measure versus a cut:
continuing to find new and better ways to utilize technology for energy management,
classroom materials, communication methods and other applications.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Technology, staff development (including the substitutes to cover the classroom), and
creative arts.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: We are always on the lookout for innovative ways to keep students engaged and
involved in their learning. I'm a big fan of Early College High School programs,
project-based learning environments, and high-tech learning environments. Each has
different strengths and attributes but all have been successful in other parts of Texas. If we
view students as our customers, and offer a competitve and challenging academic
environment, we will keep our students involved.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Over the years we have recognized this growing concern and takens steps to address it.
I serve on the Board Communication Committee and we will be rolling out a new website
later this school year that will enhance our communication abilities with parents. We have
ventured onto Facebook, Twitter and other means of electronic communication for our
parents who prefer to receive information in this manner. As for reaching those who don't
speak English, we hire staff who are sensitive to this challenge. Those fine individuals
(principals, assistant principals, teachers, counselors, etc.) combine their efforts to create
an environment that is inviting and welcoming to all parents and family members.
Sometimes it is a simple as providing translation equipment at a PTA meeting or
translating important information being sent home. We also take steps to address the
language challenge at a systemic level. Our Adult and Community Education department
offers English as a Second Language classes (low or no-cost). This empowers parents to
take a more active role in their child's education and removes what could otherwise be an
intimidating barrier.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The principal sets the tone for the campus. He/she is charged with hiring appropriate
staff and has a large say in how the funds appropriated to each campus are utilized. Find a
high school or middle school that is high-performing, with a positive staff climate, and
most likely you will find a strong principal at the helm. Not surprisingly, the opposite is
true. To continue to offer a premier education for our secondary students we must continue
to recruit, support, and retain principals dedicated to the cause of education. We need to
give them guidelines and necessary materials but in an environment that allows them
flexibility to do what they do best.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Our curriculum department has done an outstanding job of aligning our curriculum
across the district. There used to be vast disparity amongst our middle schools and we are
working hard to remove that. We are also creating more "vertical teaming" whereby the
staff of the middle schools are in contact and cooperate with the staff at the high schools to
create learning processes that build sequentially. By removing rote, repetitive material
and by utilizing efforts that invite students to be active consumers in learning we can make
better use of the middle school years.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: We have a long-standing belief in the power of technology and are always on the
lookout for new and better ways to utilize technology in the classroom. White boards are
being replaced with SMART boards. TVs are replaced with high-tech projectors. Teachers
are rewarded for completing technology training with laptops and other electronics for use
in engaging students. I don't know that laptops or other electronic materials will fully
replace textbooks, but there are certainly many opportunities to utilize electronic access to
materials. An appropriate blend can be derived by having teachers and staff who are
tech-savvy (or at least not hesitant to utilize technology).
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: We have several strong organizations working hand in hand with Lewisville ISD to invite
and encourage active parent participation. We are proud to be a 100% PTA district, and
many fine volunteers give of themselves to involve parents at their campuses. Our LISD
Education Foundation is also actively involving not only parents, but community
menmbers, in creating scholarship opportunities for our students and grants for teachers in
the classroom. We need to continue to ensure that our schools are welcoming, inviting,
and fostering parent participation in our students' educational experiences.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: I think we have a pretty strong track record in this area already. Many of our teachers
have been here for 10, 20, 30, and some close to 40 years. We want to continue to offer
competitve salary and benefits packages. I support our teachers and principals receiving
timely and relevant staff development as well as giving them support personnel that frees
them up to do what they do best! We can also partner with our local city governments,
businesses, and organizations to make sure Lewisville ISD is a place where teachers and
principals want to be, and want to raise their own families in.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I'm not a big proponent of linking teacher pay to student performance. There are many
outside influences that affect a student's ability to learn and especially if we were to
measure student performance on one-time standardized test I see too many pitfalls. I do
believe there should be consequences for schools who are doing a disservice to their
students, but "succeeding and failing" are very subjective terms. We have a Federal
accountability system (No Child Left Behind) and a State accountability system--and those
two entities cannot agree on what is an "adequate" education. Until an equitable system is
established for defining "success and failure" I don't see how we can simply close a school
or remove the staff.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Education is an investment, not an expense. We owe it to our students--our future
leaders--not to skimp on their educational opportunities. If we don't like the school finance
system, we need to work to change it. More of our citizens have begun to take an active
role in our school district, and I applaud their willingness to get involved. We MUST find a
way to fund public education in a reliable and predictable manner, and one that does not
leave teachers, students, and families bogged down in uncertainty instead of channeling
their energy toward a better future.
Mike McDaniel
Biographical Info:
Name: Mike McDaniel
Street Address: 4 Remington Dr E
City/Town: Highland Village
State: TX
Date of Birth: 8/5/52
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: (972) 317-2630
Fax Number: (972) 317-8806
E-mail Address: MLTJCM@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: McDanielforLISD.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 19 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My three children have all attended Lewisville Schools. My oldest daughter graduated
from Marcus in 2008. I have another daughter who is a Junior at Marcus and my son is a
6th grader at Briarhill Middle School.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Self Employed
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: President - LHS Circle of Friends Grand Ball Booster Club President - Board of Directors
Denton County Child Protective Services
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - Awarded (along with wife Linda) 2009 national volunteers of the year for the self
storage industry as presented by Inside Self Storage Magazine; - Have been awarded an
Honorary Life Membership by the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers; - Wife Linda
was named 2003 Volunteer of the Year for the Lewisville ISD, nominated for the Texas PTA
volunteer of the year and named Community Volunteer of the year in 2004.
Q: Education
A: B.S. in Education - Texas A&M University Masters of Education - University of North
Texas Mid Management Certification - Sam Houston State University
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: LISD Board of Trustees 1998 - 2004
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: -0-
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: N/A
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have spent my entire career serving children. I have been a public school teacher,
coach, counselor and administrator. I have served on the LISD Board of Trustees. I have
spent countless hours volunteering not only at my children’s schools (McAuliffe Elementary
and Marcus High), but at Lewisville and Flower Mound High Schools as well with their Circle
of Friends Grand Balls (Proms for special needs children). I am running for office because I
believe that some of the current board have lost their focus. Their job is to represent the
community not play the role of mouthpiece for the administration.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: My educational experience. My desire for community involvement. - I believe the board
should make decisions publicly. I believe that those affected by decisions of the board
should have a say in the process.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: As a former member of the board, I have attended many board meetings. The number
one thing a board member can do to be effective is get to know and listen to the parents,
teachers and staff of our schools. These are the people that are totally invested in their
children's education and know and understand specific needs. These are the people who
know what is working in their schools and what is not. Communication with parents,
teachers and staff is key to maintaining quality in our schools.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: We have great schools. We have great teachers and administrators. Our district has
placed strong emphasis on reading and math. I don't believe one or a handful of schools
can be singled out as superior.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: The achievement gap in our schools is usually caused by cultural and socio-economic
factors. To combat this gap early learning is key. We have to get these children into
prekindergarten and early childhood programs. We have to reach out to the families and
build trust and partnerships in making their children successful.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: 1. First we cut administrative costs - Includes Board stays at Four Seasons and going to
conventions weeks before they are up for re-election (In 2009 – Out of 7 board members
these 2 encumbents spent 41% of monies for board related expenditures. 2. Then we cut
non-essential programs and positions (Any program or staff that does not affect our
children directly) The last cuts will be on the campus level - But we will involve Campus
leadership (Principals, BLT, PTA) They know there schools and they know what programs
are the most effective and are best serving their children. 3. Teachers will be the last cut
Then we start looking for non-tax revenue Colleges, Universities and Private Schools have
been raising private money for years thru Endowments Fund Raisers Donations Grants The
model for this type of fundraising has been set by Colleges, University and Private Schools.
We need to follow their lead and find additional sources of capital
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Technology Early Childhood Learning Vocational Education
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: At this point, adding programs is not a part of the plan. Trying to determine which
programs are the most effective and keep these programs in place is paramount. With the
current budget,cuts are to be deep. We must ensure that the programs that are making
our students successful be maintained.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Trained community liaisons would be very beneficial. But the truth is there is no money
available for new programs or personnel. LISD has worked hard to reached out to the
non-english speaking communities.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Sense of community and pride. Good teachers. Adequate resources. Parental and
community involvement. Strong extra and intra- curricular activities (Sports, fine arts,
clubs and other school activities). Administrative support.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: The primary reason that students fall behind at this level is social pressures. At this
point in life they are becoming aware of the opposite sex. They are becoming more social,
they become more opinionated and are feeling the freedoms and responsibilities of
growing more mature. Some want to take charge of their lives and make decisions that
are not in their long term interest. We must provide them with guidance and reasons to
make good decisions. Again, Good teachers, adequate resources, parental and community
involvement are essential. Strong extra and intra- curricular activities (Sports, fine arts,
clubs and other school activities) need to be maintained and administrative support is
essential.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: LISD has a good technology department and works hard to keep the schools updated.
The problem is that technology changes so fast, it would be financially impossible to stay
on the cutting edge. We need both textbooks and laptops. Children have different learning
styles. Some learn better by reading from a book while others are more comfortable with
their laptops. It is the job of the school to adapt to the different learning styles and make
all students successful.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: LISD needs community involvement in decision making. When decisions are made
concerning such events as rezoning, splitting campuses, and building new facilities, each
community should be allowed involvement and participation. Committees comprised of
LISD staff and representatives of the affected community could take the data, determine
best options and present their findings to the board. The present procedure provides staff
input to the board, the board chooses a plan of action and a public hearing is set up
(usually poorly publicized and vague as to repercussions to the affected area). Under the
present procedure, with the exception of a quick public hearing, there is little if any
participation from anyone other than the board and administration. This district belongs to
the people of LISD and they should be involved in every major decision that involves their
children
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: We have good teachers. We have good principals. In this economic climate, it is
imperative that we continue training and giving these professionals the tools, to continue
making this district stronger. The more successful we are as a district, the easier it is to
recruit and maintain high level effective staff.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: No. At present, their is no accurate way to objectively rate teachers on an annual basis
by student performance.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: We have board members who have turned their back on the people who voted them
into their position. - After an election was held, and the community saying overwhelmingly
that they did not want a tax increase, they have decided to lobby the state to allow the
board to raise taxes without voter approval. - They instruct the district administrators to
cut 10.6 million from the budget. The process is to be done behind closed doors, without
public comment and no input from the community, teachers or principals. - Some of the
present board has allowed the previous superintendent to hire personal friends into high
paying jobs when better applicants were told not to apply. - After informing the community
of 2011/2012 budget shortfalls of between 30 and 70 million dollars, they decide to open
two 9th-10th grade campuses in the Lewisville area. This will cost the taxpayers a
minimum of 3 million dollars in campus redundancies. (Administration, teachers, staff,
busing, utilities, etc.) Our present board is out of touch with the community and is making
decisions without community input and involvement.
Reginald Johnson
Biographical Info:
Name: Reginald Johnson
Street Address: 1351 Honeysuckle Ln
City/Town: Lewisville
State: TX
Date of Birth: 02/07/1966
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972 798 7595
Home Phone Number: 9728962317
Mobile Phone Number: same
Fax Number: na
E-mail Address: reginald.johnson@votereginaldjohnson.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.votereginaldjohnson.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 21 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Lewisville HS Huffines MS
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Regional Dir. of Development at UNT
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: VP. Community Partners of Denton County Volunteer Coach at Lewisville Football
Association Volunteer Coach Flowermound YMCA Grateful Dad Program Lewisville HS PTA
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Na
Q: Education
A: BA Psychology University of Texas at Arlington
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: NA
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have been active in the community for over 20 years. The School Board is my next
step in service. I worked in the mental health field doing counseling for over 10 years. To
resolve the current issues in the LISD will require a lot of listening and that is one of the
things I do well. The LISD community has made it very clear that they want to be heard
and they want someone who will not only work to ensure the best education for their
children but make the best use of their tax dollar.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I am committed to making sure the community has input on issues that directly effect
them and their children.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes. The school board is supposed to be a bridge between the community and the
school district. The board must listen to the community and keep them informed about
what in going on in the district.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: Most of the schools in the LISD are excellent. Communication between parents and
teachers is the key.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: The school district has to not only work with the children but the entire family. Tutoring
opportunities have to be provided. There also needs to be meetings with the parents to
make sure they understand what is expected of their child.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: The answer is not as simple as cuttining three specific areas. The district is going to
have to closely examine it's entire operation from top to bottom. Speak with principles and
allow them to prioritize programs within their schools make decissions based on valid
information.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Focus is often put on problem areas. I would like to see more money spent on advanced
placement and duel credit classes.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: The are many programs such as AVID and others that work to prepare students for
college. That said we have to be realistic, college is not for everyone. We have to provide
the tools that will allow student to find their "thing". I would like to see every child to
enters the ninth grade begin working on a realistic post graduate plan. Whether that be
military service, technical shool, college, or entering the work force.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: In order for district to be successful they are going to have to improve communicaitons.
It is not enough to just put a note in a childs folder. There may have to be more meetings
in the evenings so working parents can participate. We could also find people to work with
families who are not as involed. Often time it is just as simple as making people feel more
comfortable.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Again good communication and clear expectations. Most people operate well when the
have a clear understanding of what is going on and what is expected of them.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: In middle school the teachers and parents should partner to identify any problem area a
child may have. Together the should develop a plan that will ensure the childs success.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Our young people are very tech savy. LISD does a good job of incorporating technology
into the curriculum. If the cost permits I would like to see schoold move away from
textbooks. Though computers children can have the latest most updated information.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: The school have to reach out to the parents and make the feel welcome in the school
setting. Often time a direct request for involvement will have to come from a teacher or
administrator. More communication is key.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Given the current budget crisis that will be a challenge. Educators just as anyone else
want to feel valued. There could be a incentive plan put in place for the top performing
teachers. Reward those who do a good job.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Yes, teachers who do a good job should be rewarded possibly in the form a bonuses.
Teachers who are not perfoming should be given a chance to improve. If there is no
improvement maybe teachign is not the best profession for them. But every school district
would have to put their own incentive plan in place.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Funding for public schools is being cut. We are going to have decide as a community
how important public education is to us and if it is how will we support it.
Carol A. Kyer
Biographical Info:
Name: Carol Kyer
Street Address: 2616 Crepe Myrtle Dr
City/Town: Flower Mound
State: TX
Date of Birth: 04/13/1964
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-539-5481
Home Phone Number: 972-539-5481
Mobile Phone Number: 469-576-0871
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I have live in the same house with my family since December of 1992.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: All of my children have attended Lewisville ISD schools. Garden Ridge Elementary,
Forest Vista Elementary, Forestwood Middle School, and Flower Mound High School. My
oldest daughter, Elizabeth, is in her 3rd year of a 6 year program for Pharm-D at
Northeastern University in Boston, my son Billy is a Freshman at Oklahoma State
University, and my youngest daughter Brittany is a Sophomore at Flower Mound High
School.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am currently a stay at home mother; I have worked as a manager for a real estate
office, I have run my own home daycare, and as a fundraiser for a local non-profit. My
husband Mark works for a large financial services company in the IT field.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Lewisville ISD School Board 1999-present; Communities in Schools of North Texas
Advisory Council Chairman,2007-present, North Texas Area School Board Association,
member 2009-present; Lewisville Education Foundation, Ex-officio member 2009-present
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Lewisville ISD PTA involvement from 1993 through 2008; Texas PTA Lifetime
Membership Award, National PTA Lifetime Achievement Award; TASA Texas School Board
of the Year 2006, member; Communities in School of North Texas, board member
2002-2007;Southern Denton County Neighbor to Neighbor, member 2007-2009; Cross
Timbers Girl Scout Council, troop leader, 1996-2007; St Philips Catholic Church, volunteer.
Q: Education
A: Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, graduate of Class of 1982 Framingham State
College, Framingham, MA 1982-84 University of Lowell, Lowell, Ma 1984-85, no degree
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees, Place 7, 1999-present
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: So far, $700.00.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Neighbors and friends have given between $50 and $100. Nothing bigger than that.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: I have never been arrested; the only civil suits would be the ones involving being
named in a suit regarding my role as a school board member.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I have been on the LISD School Board for 12 years. I have a passion for the students,
teachers, staff and families of our district. I want LISD to be one of the best school districts
in the state, if not the nation. I believe that I am the most qualified candidate due to the
training that I have received over the past 12 years. I have been involved with the LISD
school system through PTA and the school board since 1993, so I have the institutional
knowledge of what has worked and what hasn't.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: As I have stated before, I have 12 years of school board experience, approximately
over 300 hours of TEA approved training. Everything from public policy, parliamentarian
procedure, legal matters, federal issues, school law, district planning and accountability,
ethics for school board trustees, and many more. I have experience dealing with board
members, team building, and making the tough decisions that come with being a school
board member. I have experience with bond elections, and have been on the board to hire
two exceptional Superintendents. You cannot substitute the vast amount of knowledge that
being on a school board for 12 years with anything else; it is a unique experience, because
you deal with two very important things: people's children and their taxes. It is a job that
you have to have a very thick skin to do; people tend to be passionate about both!
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes, I have attended many, and have missed few. The best way to be an effective board
member is to keep an open mind, but to stick with your principles.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: All of our schools are doing a great job in getting the students up to grade level. All of
our schools have data coaches, who break down the data received from the state tests.
This helps the teachers pinpoint areas of improvement for our students. One great
example is Delay Middle School, whose teachers work tirelessly after school and on
Saturdays to help their students pass TAKS and continue to improve.Our site based
learning and goal setting helps our principals and staff customize the teaching to their
particular clientele. It has made our individual site TAKS test results and school wide
results continue to improve every year.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: Every student that is enrolled in a Texas public school deserves a free and appropriate
education. Smaller learning communities have been successful on all levels; especially with
closing the achievement gap. When a student is in a smaller high school, for instance, the
relationships developed between staff and student becomes a valuable quotient in making
the student successful and help them to be more likely to graduate from high school. The
AVID program has helped with closing the achievement gap, also, and we have that on a
number of our campuses with a higher Hispanic population. Communities in Schools of
North Texas is active on some of our campuses; they help to keep the families involved in
their student's education and stay and graduate from high school.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: It is hard to pick out 3 specific areas that cutting spending would prove to be most
visible to the public. Every district should make sure that their facilities are being as cost
efficient as possible, whether it is changing the cleaning schedules or with grounds upkeep.
The major part of a school district's spending is personnel, approx 85 percent. It is
imperative that all staff is evaluated to make sure that it is as streamlined as possible. An
overall evaluation of past budgets, to see where money was budgeted, but not used, needs
to be done so that funds are not being held out that have not historically been spent.
Sometimes this can prove to be a fairly large amount that can be used during the school
year.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: The three areas I would like to spend more money in is career preparation, dual
language courses, and more online learning.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: We need to prepare our students for their future, not ours! To keep students in school,
they need to be engaged. To decrease the dropout rate, we need to make sure that every
student is successful and ready to move out into the community to be responsible adults.
We need more career preparation, for students who need or would prefer to go out into
the working world right after graduation. We need to offer more technical education, so
that our student graduate with both a high school diploma and a certificate in another field.
We offer many classes at our two career and tech centers, but we need to make them
available for all of the students who want them. For the students who want to continue
onto college, we need to offer as many AP courses and dual credit courses as possible for
our students. This will prepare them for their future college career, and hopefully save
them some money in tuition later on.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: We continue to look for ways to improve communications with all of our parents. All of
our communications are in Spanish. One of the best examples of communicating with
parents that don't speak English is at Central Elementary in Lewisville. They have a
parent/community room where parents can come in and use the computers and get help
with just about any problem that they could have. We have trained community liaisons
through a program called Communities in Schools of North Texas. They have trained social
workers who can help with any problem, and they bring parental involvement into the
schools. We are currently upgrading our district website, so it will be more user friendly;
more of a "portal" than a web site. As technology becomes more advanced, we need to
keep up with how our students communicate with each other to make sure the parents
know what is going on in their students academic lives. We need to have as much financial
information about our school district available online so that the level of trust can be
improved with our stake holders.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: At the secondary level, what makes or breaks a student's education is involvement. We
need to make sure that a student is involved is some kind of extra-curricular. Whether it is
football, Latin Club, Chess club, band or orchestra, s student needs a sense of belonging,
to make them want to come to school. Our students need to feel challenged, so that they
don't feel the need to "power down" to come to school. The ingredients are caring
personnel, involved parents, and the community to support the schools to make them
successful. The resources that are lacking in ALL schools across Texas are the counselors
who can be helping the students plan their future, but also talk about their present. Right
now all of our counselors are over worked by having too many students. For every 2
counselors we have now,we really need to add at least one more. Unfortunately, with the
current state of school finances, that isn't going to happen any time soon.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Students and parents need to be aware of what is coming down the line for the
secondary education they are about to experience starting in the sixth grade. If they can
start taking some of their high school graduation requirements in 7th and 8th grades, this
would help a lot with keeping the students engaged and the current 4 by 4 requirements.
Smaller learning communities will help figure out where a student needs more help, thus
giving a heads up for when the students get to the high school; what issues they may have
so that they can be addressed.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology will always be an issue for public schools. The teachers need to be not only
where their students are in technical knowledge, but they really should surpass them. We
currently are trying to update all of our campuses with the latest technology. White
boards, laptops, etc, are being integrated in our classrooms. We need to step past our
prejudices with technology and embrace the new ideas that come out constantly. The
future emphasis should be on both textbooks, laptops, and other electronic devices. Our
students use their mobile devices from everything from Facebook to writing term papers.
We need to make it so that the phones our students have are used positively, not
negatively, in the classroom. This is another example of our students having to "power
down" to come to school.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: Parent involvement in schools has always been an interesting subject. All of our
campuses have PTAs on site. We have a large parent population that is always there, on
the higher income campuses as well as the lower income campuses. As a student advances
to middle and high school, they are less likely to want to have mom or dad on campus. It
is important that the parents feel apart of their student's education; this can be
accomplished through a lot of communication. Web sites for schools and individual
activities, grade book access, and easy contact with teachers is vital to keeping parents in
the loop.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Our current state of finances will make it difficult to recruit, retain and develop teachers
and principals. We are looking at not giving raises to any of our personnel in the next two
years. How do you recruit people when you can't promise them job security? To be able to
do these three things; it is important to provide training, mentoring, and a chance at
making a reasonable salary, with a chance to advance further in their field.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I don't believe that teacher pay and student performance should be linked. It would
make it impossible for the school districts to staff the lower performing schools. Right now
there are consequences if a school is succeeding or failing. Lower rated schools face being
closed or taken over by the state if their is no improvement (AYP). The ratings on the
schools are used by just about every entity to gauge the community that the school is in.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Voters and taxpayers must confront the ugly truth that the public schools can make or
break a community and money is needed to make them successful. When people are
looking for a new home, one of the first things they check out is the school system.
Businesses will not relocate or open facilities in an area without a good school district. We
will not be able to attract high tech industry if we cannot provide the personnel to work for
them. For years our school districts have been giving higher goals and less money, and
they have done the job asked, even surpassed it. Texas residents need to realize that our
future is in the hands of our students, so don't we want them to be the best educated
population possible?
Amy Dankel
Biographical Info:
Name: Amy Dankel
Street Address: 1504 Windsor Drive
City/Town: McKinney
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 07/02/1963
Home Phone Number: 9725401262
E-mail Address: amydankel@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: AmyDankelForMISDschoolBoard.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 13 years 10 months
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My children both attended Glen Oaks Elementary, Eddins Elementary, and Scott Johnson
Middle School. My son graduated from McKinney North in 2008 and currently attends the
University of Colorado. My daughter graduated from McKinney Boyd in 2010 and currently
attends Clemson University.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I was a public school educator for 22 years, the last 10 of which were in McKinney ISD.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I am on the board of Smiles Charity. Currently this charity is raising funds to donate to
Operation Finally Home to build homes for severely wounded American Veterans. I serve
on my church’s care team visiting members and their families who are in the hospital
every Tuesday. I also am a member of my church’s prayer team.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: When my children were in high school (North and Boyd) I held the following offices on
their soccer booster clubs: President, Vice-president and Scholarship Chairperson. I was
also a member of my church's prayer and care teams.
Q: Education
A: I earned a Master of Education majoring in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia
Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Millsaps College.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: none
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $125
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: family and friends
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I feel a deep responsibility to give back to a school system and community that has
given so much to me and to my family. Both my education and teaching experience qualify
me for this position. Additionally my children having attended McKinney schools gives me
Dick Stevens
Biographical Info:
Name: DICK STEVENS
Street Address: 8415 SPECTRUM DRIVE
City/Town: MCKINNEY
State: TX
Date of Birth: 1-22-1952
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-562-0115
Home Phone Number: 972-569-8856
Mobile Phone Number: 214-223-4300
E-mail Address: STEVENS.DICK@GMAIL.COM DICK.STEVENS@EDWARDJONES.COM
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 8 years
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Scott Johnson Middle School McKinney North High School
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Financial Advisor of Edward Jones Investments, McKinney, TX-10 years
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: *Current Vice President of the MISD Board of Trustees *MISD District Representative to
the North Texas Council of Governments *MISD District Delegate to the Texas Association
of School Boards (TASB) *MISD District Representative for the TASB Region 10 & State
Legislative Action Committees *Texas Association of School Board Leadership Class TASB
2010-2011 *TASB Representative-Federal Relations Network (National School Board
Association) *McKinney Chamber of Commerce McKinney Rotary
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments: *City of McKinney Planning & Zoning
Commission *City of McKinney-Main Street Organization & Membership Committee
*Leadership McKinney *McKinney Chamber of Commerce-McKinney 2020 Committee
*McKinney Rotary Chair-McKinney Student of the Month *McKinney Family YMCA Board of
Management *Metro Dallas YMCA Winstead Award *MISD Five Year Strategic Planning
Committee *MISD Long Range Facilities Planning Committee *MISD School Naming
Committee *MISD High School Rezoning Committee *MISD Bond Election Committee
*TASB State Legislative Advocacy Boot Camp Attendee, Austin, TX *McKinney Family
YMCA Board of Management *Stonebridge United Methodist Church Finance & Stewardship
Committees
Q: Education
A: University of North Texas, BBA Marketing College of Financial Planning: ACCREDITED
ASSET MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST (SM) OR AAMS® PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION
PROGRAM
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I have no contributors other than myself.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: no
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: While I am proud of my efforts and accomplishments achieved in my first term on the
McKinney ISD Board, I believe that there is still many more challenges and goals that need
to be met. During my last three years of Board leadership and District service, I have
Academy this past year, I have had an invaluable opportunity to visit and research these
types of programs at other public school districts and charter schools across the state.
While all districts could do more to develop more of these types of programs, I have not
yet found another district that has a more effective combination of these programs than
MISD. That said, my greatest fear for our District today is that we will be forced to cut
some of these important programs because of the state's funding shortfall. Our
Superintendent is studying every means possible to avoid cutting these valuable programs.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: First, please be clear that the District is making every effort to avoid cutting any
expenditure, teaching personnel or classroom programs that would make a difference in
the quality of education for our children. Unfortunately, the District has found itself
between a rock and a hard place with possible state funding cuts to MISD expected to
exceed $15 million per year to our budget. This is after several prior years of belt
tightening. Fifteen million dollars is an enormous amount of money to cut in one year.
Every expense has to be studied and justified toward the effect on our kid’s quality of
education. Since last fall, the district has been implementing zero based budgeting for next
year’s budget. Administrators, staff and teachers have to justify every expense. Even the
number of paper clips needed for the next school year. The Superintendent is currently
working diligently to find innovative ways to avoid cutting valuable educational classroom
programs and/or classroom personnel. One of the suggestions on the table is to close our
LINK campus, our alternative educational high school facility. We would then move the
LINK students back to our three main high school campuses. This might possibly save
$500,000 per year. There is some opinion that the educational opportunities for the LINK
students might actually improve under this scenario. I do not have enough facts one way
or the other to approve that recommendation. While this may or may not be the most
favorable option for LINK, that scenario does save a lot of money that might allow us to
save other equally important educational programs. Bottom line, at this point, Board
Members must reserve their personal opinions on which "parts" to cut until the
administration has been given sufficient time to develop the best overall funding plans. The
District and the District’s legal team have developed a very equitable process for the
administration to follow in deciding which “parts” to recommend cutting and saving. Even
then, no final decisions regarding "cuts" can be made until the State decides on the final
funding numbers.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: It should be well known that I would have preferred to have built a fourth high school in
the next few years instead of adding 9th grade centers at McKinney North and McKinney
High as our bond committee has recently recommended to the Board. That was not an
easy decision for the committee but one absolutely necessary and that I must support.
There was no way the bond committee could reasonably project a sufficient increase in the
district’s tax base to justify the construction costs and annual operation expenses of a
fourth high school to accommodate the emerging elementary and middle school "student
bubble" that will be soon be reaching our high school campuses. The district's high schools
are projected to add 1,376 students by 2016 even without any new housing construction.
Another area that I would have like to have had sufficient funds to invest would have been
the construction a new natatorium complex in partnership with the City. One swimming
pool located at McKinney High shared by three competitive high school swimming
programs and the city’s club teams is totally unacceptable. Unfortunately, it is impossible
for MISD to assist the City in funding the construction of a new championship natatorium at
this time. The “area of cutting“ that I have been most disappointed is our having to
postpone many of the key “action plans” within the District’s “Five Year Strategic Plan” that
was created in 2009. I have pouted, cried and whined about this funding situation without
successs. Unfortunately, I have found no way to grow money on trees to keep the Five
Year Strategic Plan on its original time line. Even Neil Sperry has been unable to assist me
in this regard. My hope and prayers are that the District will be able to keep as many of
the Strategic Plan’s action plans on the front burner as financially possible until the current
budget situation improves. We must not allow the Strategic Plan get lost on the back shelf.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: The district has done an excellent job over the years to improve the dropout rate
situation. While our dropout rates can be improved even further, our rates are very low
compared to most other districts in the state. We need to continue to focus dropout
prevention at the the both the high school and middle school levels. AVID available in the
middle schools has been very helpful. Community in Schools at the lower grade school
level helps to create a good foundation for our dropout programs. Unfortunately, some of
our programs that help in lowering the dropout rates and keep our kids in school until
graduation could be on the chopping block. This is not a situation that I want to see but
there may be no way to cut $15 to $30 million dollars from our annual budget without
losing some great programs. I hope and pray that we are not forced to consider these
types of cuts in the District.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Since Dr. Kennedy arrived, the District has made a major commitment to improve
communication not only with the parents in the District but the with the community as a
whole. The District’s online website has not only been greatly enhanced and improved but
has won national recognition. We now have multiple social media sites also available for
communications with students and parents. The phone call out system is unbelievable. It
has greatly improved the promptness of communication. In fact, a running joke around the
District has been how beat down the parents were with the enormous number of phone
calls received from Cody Cunningham during all of the snow days. Community in Schools
has been an excellent program for our non English speaking parents. That program has
been an elementary school level program that has provided "liaisons" on campus that have
been trained to reach out to effectively communicate with our non English speaking
parents. I am hopeful that this is not one the programs that might be cut under our funding
shortfalls. We also have some tutoring programs available to non English speaking parents
that indirectly improve the communication process with non English speaking parents.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Excellent and caring teachers and staff are required for successful high schools and
middle schools. Active and involved parents are another important key for success.
Curriculum that is Global and challenges our students to learn is essential. Partnerships
with civic organizations like Rotary and Kiwanis have been very beneficial for our schools
for years. The district's continued commitment not only to our sport programs but to our
nationally recognized fine art programs sets us apart from most districts in the state.
Modern and up to date facilities at every school are very important for the learning
experience of our students. Unfortunately, because of the fast growth of the District in the
past and the large amount of new school construction required to keep up with that
growth, we have let many of our older school facilities go without needed major repairs
and technology upgrades . Many of our schools also need much delayed additions,
renovations and upgrades for safety, security and technology. For example, the 25 year
old McKinney high is in great need of new roofing, more efficient air conditioning and
additional updated science and technology labs. Some of our schools have orchestra
practice rooms and music equipment storage in portable buildings. We have schools that
have portable buildings used just for restroom use. That is a horrible situation. We have
some schools that need important security upgrades to adequately protect our students,
teachers and staff. Most of these problems could be resolved if our 2011 bond election is
successfully approved by the voters in May.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: NO COMMENT. I do not agree with this as regards MISD
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: installation of smart boards in the District has been very beneficial to the student's
learning ability. We could use more computers for students to share in the classroom but
the cost continues to be a major determent. Ideally every high school student would be
provided a laptop to use not only in the classroom but to use at home. Because of the
recent funding problems, we have been forced to extend the life cycle of our existing
classroom technology. That is not a good situation for our students or the teachers. We
need to find ways to fund the expanded use of technology in the classroom if we hope to
keep up with the public educational systems of our global competitors. We currently have
programs at the high school level that encouraged the use of personal smart phones and
laptops in classroom instruction. These programs have been very encouraging and cost
efficient. The state needs to authorize and fully fund the conversion from traditional
textbooks to non paper books or "kindle type books" and laptops. The cost in the long run
would be less than the continued use of traditional paper textbooks.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I think for the most part, parents of McKinney ISD students are more involved than
most school districts around the state and the nation. Involvement by our non English
speaking parents needs to continue to be emphasized and improved.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: We are doing an excellent job of recruiting, retaining, coaching, mentoring, training and
developing teachers and principals. I have heard from other school districts across the
state that our District does an exemplary job in recruiting highly qualified teachers to the
District. The Board is constantly exploring ways to improve the recruiting of additional
certified math, science and technology teachers. I am very fearful that the state might
pass down very severe funding cuts which might require the District to cut important and
valuable teacher development and training.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I am not a big proponent of merit pay. That said, I will continue to keep an open mind
for effective but fair means to link teacher pay and student performance.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The State has not adequately funded public schools for many years. When the state
required local school districts to lower the rate of local property taxes that public schools
could raise several years ago, promises were made that the State would make up those
funding losses to the public schools. That has not happened. Based on the rate of inflation,
the State will likely fund $1,200 per student less in 2012 than in 2007. The federal
government continues to pass federal legislative and the US Department of Education
continues to regulate and introduce federally mandated programs for public schools with
unfulfilled promises to fund. Often, these are services that the Federal Government and
State Government should be providing the public. Not the public school system. These cost
of providing these services by MISD lower the amount of money available to pay for the
cost of classroom education for our children.
Steve Day
Biographical Info:
Name: Steve Day
Street Address: 7632 Hove Ct.
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: 11-22-1956
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-527-5207
Home Phone Number: 972-527-5207
Mobile Phone Number: 214-641-9519
Fax Number: 888-722-2892
E-mail Address: stevedayplano@gmail.com
Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.facebook.com
/profile.php?id=100002281412251
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I have lived in Plano School District for over 15 years and in the Dallas area for 27
years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My children have always attended PISD schools. My children have attended Hedgcoxe
Elementary, Hendrick Middle, Clark HS, and Plano East SHS. My oldest daughter is a senior
and my youngest is a sophomore.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am currently in career transition. Until recently I served as the Purchasing Director at
MedicalEdge Healthcare.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have not met either of my opponents, nor do I have sufficient information. So I don’t
care to comment about them. I would ask the voters of PISD to check out the voter’s
guides available, like the Dallas Morning News prior to making any final decisions. I am
certainly available to speak to groups of folks on why I’m running and what I’m about.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: I have been attending board meetings since last fall. I was impressed by the
professionalism of the staff. I am learning more about the staff and the board through
individual interview appointments. I believe our board members care deeply for our kids
and their responsibilities in this process. I was also involved on parent input nights for the
Vision Academy and also for the PISD screening of the film ‘Road to Nowhere.’
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: 94% of the schools in PISD are now rated either Exemplary (35) or Recognized (24).
The other 4 schools were Academically Acceptable. This leaves more room for
improvement. The School District was rated Recognized for SY ’09-’10. On Academic
Indicators, the district received 19 exemplary and 25 recognized ratings. Having said that,
I do believe that every child in the schools needs to learn to read and do arithmetic. I
cannot comment on up to ‘grade level by school’ but would be fine with fielding comments,
inquiries or criticisms.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: I do not have sufficient information to make an informed response or comment and I
don’t wish to be careless. I would seek orientation and education as I start my role on the
Board. I certainly believe that each and every one of us is deserving of a quality education.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: PISD is looking at a budget reduction from 460 to 399 million dollars. This $60,000,000
over two years represents a 13% reduction. The administration was assigned some
preliminary targets and goals and came back with a suggested plan for Year 1. This was
presented at the public working session conducted on the evening of 29 March. The
reductions achieved were $26,630,635 in Year 1. On my initial review, I liked the plan that
was presented. Dr. Otto’s administration was able to identify cuts that minimized teacher
reductions. The meat of the core programs, both curriculum and programs, managed to
escape gross or pro-rata reductions so far. This plan is provided on the PISD website by
PowerPoint. My hat goes off to Richard Matkin, Jim Hirsch, and the rest of the staff. I
believe the taxpayers of the city will be pleased that the prospects of a tax rate hike
diminished due to the foresight and surgical precision of the staff planning to date.
Unfortunately, depending on the final budget from Austin, these cuts may not be enough.
We will have to continue along the same vein as constructed with the 26 million cut. It will
be painful. But I don't believe that the taxpayers are willing to have their taxes increase. I
am a proponent of not raising them. Much of what is raised in property tax is confiscated
anyways in the 'Robin Hood' state education funding process.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: I am going to want to spend time visiting campuses and speaking with principals and
teachers and students to ascertain programmatic needs and wants. For me personally, I
value the leadership and citizenship skills in ROTC. As an ROTC product in my formative
years I was interested in the program at PISD. I am awaiting a call back now from an
instructor. This may be an area eligible for additional Department of Defense funds or
partnering. And here is another area of interest. Our society and our world are becoming
highly technological. I would like to see more math, science, and computer classes and
programs. Those areas typically lead to what is often the sweet spot of our economy.
Certainly those skills can be well utilized professionally or in other vocations.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: I believe that meaningful vocational-technical training and/or internships could be an
avenue of interest. This is an area to explore and develop for parental involvement and
other charitable and civic organizations which could prove useful.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: I would like to see what would be available in the community at large to further
develop the language skills for the parents in our district.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Highly motivated teachers, students, their parents, and the principals are a great start.
Desire is a key ingredient. A key ingredient is developing the necessary environment which
is conducive to learning and respect for adults and peers.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: I am not aware of a middle school problem in the district. If I found one I would speak
with the parents, students, principals and teachers for further information.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: I believe that PISD has a significant investment in high-tech tools. They are useful and a
key ingredient in fully participating in an ever increasing high-tech world that we live in.
We must prepare our children accordingly. Exposure to the key software tools is very
important. My experience has been that software tools are utilized where they provide a
heightened level of efficiency. In many cases I’ve experienced there was a marked desire
for old-style paper books for traditional reading. This has the added benefit of the ability to
highlight and re-review later.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: This is an involved issue and not one size fits all. Many parents do not have the sufficient
family budget to engage as much as we might wish. We need to find ways for them to
want to do it; motivation. We also need to look for imaginative ways to defray expenses
for them. We would certainly look for local community support and charitable groups to
help out where possible. I clearly remember working with parents that had lost children
and children that had lost parents at one church in Plano. I think a lot of good work was
accomplished in that program; much of the cost defrayed by volunteer labor.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: PISD has long had a reputation for good schools in large measure due to the teachers.
PISD must seek to attract the best candidates through competitive and attractive salaries,
benefits, and performance bonus, just like Texas Instruments and many other fine
companies. Paying some extra should attract the best and pay dividends over the long run.
If allowed by the legislature, PISD should use standard corporate practices to identify
those unable to maintain required performance levels. Objective measurements,
standards, and evaluations should be allowed to drive needed attrition while handling
employees with dignity.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: The question of evaluating teachers, and schools, in light of their effectiveness is a
given. The question is how best to measure that. I believe that market forces help drive
positive outcomes in most situations. Which methodology is superior? I have seen and
heard a lot of significant disagreement with standardized testing. On the other hand if it
isn’t ever being inspected, it's likely it won’t be done properly. There is no silver bullet
solution for this. I do think that how well the students learn is directly correlated to
effective teaching. I believe the opposite is true also.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: We will have to learn to live within our means. We have to evaluate trade-offs and
make choices that conform to realistic budgets. That is not going to be easy and it will take
a great deal of attention and management.
Michael Friedman
Biographical Info:
Name: Mike Friedman
Street Address: 5104 Briargrove Lane
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: August 2, 1949
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-979-6146
Home Phone Number: 972-380-5577
Mobile Phone Number: 214-668-5816
E-mail Address: tfriedman4@yahoo.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.mikefriedmanPISD.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I am a native Dallasite and have lived in the Plano ISD for 30 years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: I have two daughters that attended PISD schools from kindergarten to high school
graduation. One graduated from Plano Senior High and the other from Plano West. My son
is currently a student at Frankford Middle School.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am a commercial real estate broker.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Board of Directors for both Harvard University's Real Estate Council and University of
North Texas Alumni Association, Chairman of the Board for Legacy Senior Communities,
Board of Directors for Cancer for Life. Received the Stemmons Service Award from the
North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors and was the 2010 National Honoree for
the Hebrew Free Loan Association.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Eagle Scout, President of college fraternity, long-time volunteer clown for terminally ill
children, Boards of Juvenile Diabetes of Dallas, Jewish Family Service and Dallas Hebrew
Free Loan Association. Past President of Dallas Bicentennial Lions Club. Taught a finance
class at Shanghai University. Served as local alumni interviewer for Harvard University
admissions.
Q: Education
A: I attended Hillcrest High School, earned my bachelors degree from the University of
North Texas and my masters degree from Harvard University.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None.
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: $320.00
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: Cara & Barry Mendelsohn Cheryl & Randy Colen Norma & George Wolfson
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: Plano ISD provided a wonderful education to my two daughters and continues to
challenge and educate my son at Frankford Middle School. Today, Plano ISD faces huge
challenges both financially and with parent communication and seems to be at a crossroads
in leadership and direction. I wish to give my time, effort, education and extensive
volunteer leadership experience to helping Plano ISD live up to the high standards our
students deserve and our community expects. My professional experience with large dollar
transactions and extensive volunteer experience serving on boards with multi-million
dollar budgets prepares me for the challenge of serving the community in this manner.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I believe there are two very big differences between me and the other candidates. One
is my extensive volunteer and board leadership experience. Working with people who have
differing backgrounds, priorities, and communication styles can be a challenge and if it is
done successfully, can have big rewards for the organization. I have learned how to listen,
navigate, develop goals and priorities, make tough decisions to help move boards to reach
goals, and interact positively with the professional staff to accomplish great things.
Second, I am a local business man with deep roots in the community who understands
budgets and financials, which is the most critical issue facing Plano ISD today and in the
future.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes, I have attended some school board meetings, work sessions and made personal
connections with current board members. I have been impressed by the extensive reports
the board has received from staff and committees. I would like to see more discussion on
big issues amongst the board as well as more input from the community. I suggest before
any major board decision, that we give the community face time in front of the board to
ask tough questions and make them a part of the process.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: This is a tough question because there are many schools that have made great gains in
their testing scores in both reading and math. The measurement of a school's success
should be on the growth of each child, not on passing a test or getting them only to their
grade level. If a student already reads above grade level, we need to continue to challenge
him or her to continue to grow, just as we do the student who is below grade level. I think
the most interesting item to learn from our schools that help students grow the most is
that successful strategies at one school may not translate to success at another school. We
have very diverse campuses and giving the principals and teachers the freedom and time
to meet their students needs and the tools to do it is the key to student success.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: The district based improvement committee (DBIC) is charged with reviewing campus
improvement plans written by principals and approved by site based improvement
committees (SBIC) each year. In those plans, they outline how they will reach all different
populations to help close the achievement gap. Most include items like after school
tutoring, Saturday tutoring and make-ups, transportation, etc... which I support. I would
like to encourage each school to continue to develop unique and meaningful strategies to
reach out to their students. AVID is a wonderful program to engage students and
encourage them to strive for successes they never dreamed were possible and I support
this program. There are achievement gaps in Plano ISD between Anglo/Asian students and
Hispanic/African American students. The PISD staff works hard to make the connections
with students and engage them in academics, but more must be done to ensure all
students receive the excellent education we promise and they deserve. Additionally, I think
we need to ask our Latino and African American students, parents and community how we
can better serve their educational needs and help them meet their goals.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: Cutting the budget is never easy. The last thing on my list will be classroom teachers,
which I view as our most precious resource to help our students succeed. The first three:
1) Efficiencies in PISD - I will ask for an efficiency audit and seek implementation of
recommendations including a review of administration, facilities, transportation and
utilities. I will encourage the school staff, parents and public to make suggestions as well.
We all have a stake in reducing costs, increasing efficiency and cutting waste. As a parent,
I know we can cut some large printing projects and go paperless to save money and make
us more efficient. 2) Set a minimum class size for high school electives. It is wonderful
that PISD offers as many or more elective courses than many colleges and if students
selected all of them for their schedule that would be great. Unfortunately, that doesn't
happen and we offer high school classes with less students than an elementary classroom,
sometimes with just ten students. 3) Central administration staff development. I would
reduce the central administration staff development and allow principals the freedom to
bring in topic experts that fit the needs of their staff and challenges of their student
populations.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: If there was excess money to spend in three areas, I would first make sure our
students had access to state of the art technology and the depth of instruction to use it
effectively. These skills will be critical to the future of all our students from special
education to gifted, whether they are repairing cars, performing surgery, leading a
company or manufacturing an item. Second, I would enhance the budgets in math and
science to make sure we were providing the best curriculum and instruction possible to all
of our students. Third, I would expose more students to the life skills that make a person
successful like organizational and time management skills, personal financial literacy,
business etiquette and career planning.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: Decreasing the dropout rate is necessary to the health of our community and
paramount to the student at risk. Thankfully, the drop out rate in Plano is relatively low,
although our goal should always be 100% graduation. Our efforts in ending dropouts must
start early, from setting expections with the student and parents to making sure resources
are in place to help struggling students get back on track. I would add a district initiative to
recruit corporate partnerships and faith groups to mentor students in our schools.
Mentoring is a proven way to keep students in school and help them see the value of their
education. Additionally, I would add certification programs for students who wish to go
directly from high school to the workforce so they graduate with a plan and means for an
independent and productive life. Plano has a large number of students who go on college
and are scoring way above state averages on SAT and ACT scores. I'm proud to say I have
not heard of a need for remedial college entry coursework of students coming from PISD.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Communication with parents and the community is an area that is ready for
improvement. The basics to reach parents are in place. Websites, Enews, Parent Portal,
phone trees and newsletters provide the channel of information from the district to the
parent, but not much feedback happens. I believe we need a much more transparent
process when big decisions are being made by the board to encourage community
participation, input and buy-in. I will respectfully welcome input, suggestions and help
from the whole community. Our community is made up of over 100+ languages spoken in
student's homes. There are many cultural and language issues that can push parents away
from participation with the schools. Many of our schools who have a significant bilingual
Spanish population already have staff community liasons to help guide parents through
school processes, answer questions, encourage their participation and share information
about needed social services. The scope of these positions may need to be better defined,
but they serve an important role in student attendance, health, safety and educational
success. I would like to see small groups of parents be invited to informal input meetings
with the board to share what they think is working and any ideas they have for better
meeting the educational needs of their children.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Small classrooms, excellent teachers, challenging curriculum, high standards,
opportunities for all students to participate in extra-curricular programs, campus
leadership and involved parents make a successful school. Middle school can be a tough
time for many students socially and the culture of bullying has grown as social media
allows for new and more permanent ways to torment kids and instantaneously share
immature words and deeds with the world. Programs like Rachel's Challenge that work to
change school culture are important as middle and high schools regularly deal with
bullying, threats of guns on campus, fighting, drugs and suicide attempts.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: In middle school, you often hear students say, this is easier than elementary school. We
should look at the rigor of the curriculum to make sure we are continuing to challenge our
students who are ready to learn more. Encouraging extra-curricular activities for students
helps them discover their life passions, talents and interests they may not know they had,
develops their social skills and motivates them to academic success. Students who fall
behind, often in math, or because of weak reading skills need to have the support
available to succeed. Our special programs center provides credit recovery programs and
support for helping students get back on track to graduate on time, flexible hours and
course progression, programs for teen parents, along with traditional summer school credit
options. We need to use personalized education plans for students who are at risk of
dropping out, so we can help channel their creativity, intelligence and work ethic into
academic and extra-curricular achievement that provides them with options for their future
instead of dropping out of school.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: PISD is way ahead of many districts in this area. In some classrooms, the technology is
available but is underultilzed because the teacher either does not have a comfort with it or
has not found a way to integrate it into the lesson. The availability of the Parent Portal and
MyPISD is a wonderful tool for sharing grades, assignments and student academic growth
charts. I would like to see more teachers and principals fully adopt and integrate this tool
into their classroom management. Additionally, PISD has many wonderful master
teachers. I would like to see PISD record them teaching lessons and have these master
teachers available to the students to go back over a lesson digitally with a master teacher
on a content area they may have been confused about with their instructor. The future is
laptops or other personal digital devices over textbooks because the information can be
instantly updated. Some textbooks used by our students today are ten years old.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I would start with an attitude that truly welcomes parent involvement. I would work to
find ways for it to be easy to volunteer, encourage staff to ask parents to be involved and
promote programs like WatchDogs that bring men into the schools as role models and
volunteers. I would encourage local employers to have family-friendly policies that allow
parents to take off a day to volunteer in the schools or as chaperones for field trips.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Plano ISD is lucky because teachers come flocking to us. We have more than 15
applicants for every job available, and prinicpals report having lots of great choices on
candidates. Plano ISD has been regularly commended for being a "Best Place to Work" and
we should continue to tout our successes. Retaining teachers and principals is a little bit
more tricky, since other districts like to recruit our well trained staff and the average
turnover of teachers across the nation is high. By providing teachers and principals an
environment where they have a dedicated classroom, freedom from as much
administrative paperwork as possible, creativity, skills and professionalism to connect with
their students and use their talents to teach or lead will provide the job satisfaction that
drives people to enter the rewarding education profession.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Teacher pay should not be linked with their student testing outcomes, but should be
incentivized for the team to succeed together in growing students knowledge and ability.
If a school is failing, there must be consequences that determine why, what resources,
programs or training is needed and if leadership or teaching changes need to be made.
For the schools who are showing success, we should provide them with positive accolades
and make sure we understand how they did it and if it is appropriate to duplicate.
Principals should receive a 360-performance review to gain insight into their strengths and
areas they could improve. Assistant superintendents, teachers and parents should
participate to help prinicipals constantly improve and provide better accountability.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The fiscal situation has been a game changer in public education. There is no unlimited
checkbook to do all that we may want to do, so we must focus on what we need to do. We
need leadership to seek community input and support for our goals and values and then
make the tough decisions. There is no way to please everyone and the needs of the
students must come first.
Paul P. Kaminsky
Biographical Info:
Name: Paul P. Kaminsky
Street Address: 1413 Harrington Drive
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: January 8, 1956
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-424-7875
Home Phone Number: Same
E-mail Address: tiger1956@verizon.net
Campaign Web Site Address: mrkaminsky.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: I have lived in Plano for four years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: I have two daughters; Alex attended PESH and is now at UT Austin. Katie is currently at
Clark HS.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: This question has two answers. First, I would like to see a technical trade academy
which would prepare many of our students for the trades which would decrease the
number of dropouts. As it stands now, PISD is college oriented leaving many students with
few options upon graduation. Second, I would like to see an increase in the number of AP
courses. AP courses translate into a cost saving for parents sending their children to
college.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: As it stands now, PISD does a good job in communicating with parents about their
students. PISD has a problem in communicating PISD policy to parents. This problem can
be solved by creating a more transparent organization by broadcasting working sessions
and posting policy justifications on line. I have been frustrated many times by unexplained
policies and have often wondered why some policies exist. In one particular case, I
questioned a policy and was told to call the governor……I did. Parents who do not speak
English present a challenge. English is the common denominator which built this great
country. In addition to trained community liaisons, I would support designated schools
teaching English at night to parents/guardians. The job of the liaison would be to get
parents involved in their children's lives, help parents understand the importance of
education, and encourage them to learn English.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The most successful ingredients in any school are parents who are involved in their
children’s lives. Good parenting is reinforced by good teachers and now, some of our best
teachers are leaving. The one resource we are lacking is the money to get our teachers
back in school.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Middle schools are probably the most challenging schools. The middle school years are
transitional period for students as they physically change from children to adults. The key
lies in a sound elementary education where the basics of education are taught and required
prior to advancement. I would also like to study the possibility of incorporating a gender
specific math/science classes in middle schools. Many school districts around the country
have implemented gender specific classes with great success. Gender specific programs
are federally approved and worth exploring.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology is being used very effectively in PISD classrooms. Most classrooms have
computer audio and video systems which support lesson plans. A teacher can immediately
choose from numerous internet programs on almost every subject. Also, students have
their own login passwords and they can access numerous sites for school work and
projects. I think the future emphasis should on laptops because textbooks are expensive to
replace and are limited in the amount of data they can hold. A laptop is a key to the world
of knowledge, both good and bad.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: This is a hard question. You would think if the schools offered more parent related
activities, more parents would be involved. It has been my experience as a parent that
you see the same parents at most activities. The real question is how you get more
parents involved in their children’s lives at home. I strongly believe education begins at
home and supportive homes produce great students. Parents must be committed to their
children’s education. This is the perfect question a school board should ask the PTA.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: As of today, this may well be a “mission impossible” as teachers are losing their jobs
and more budget cuts are around the corner. How do you recruit, retain, and develop
effective teachers in an era of uncertainty? The answer lies within the ranks of our
teachers. We have the best teachers in Texas right here in Plano. If elected, I would
support creating a teacher’s council for developing such a program and include the process
of weeding out those teachers who are not effective. My guidance would be to build a track
program where every teacher has the opportunity to progress to a senior administrator
position. Again, leadership must come from within PISD.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: No, because there are too many variables when it comes to teacher's pay and student
performance. Class dynamics hinge of a variety of issues including subject, class size,
personalities, and so on. I do not want teachers “grading” for pay or “teaching the test”. I
want students to get the grades they deserve even if that grade is failing. If anything, I
would be open to a teacher’s bonus program only if funds are available. I would envision
this program being tailored after US Government bonus programs, which I administered to
my civilians during my military career. Again, before a school is held accountable for failing
or succeeding, what is the standard? I do not want schools afraid to report poor grades.
PISD must demand accurate and fair figures from schools for better understanding
problems and finding solutions. A failing school may require additional funds, more
teachers, or the removal of ineffective administrators and teachers.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Here is the truth. More teachers will lose their jobs. Classroom sizes will increase. Public
education in Plano is in jeopardy.
Bart Ridley
Biographical Info:
Name: Bart Ridley
Street Address: 1212 Gardengrove Ct.
City/Town: Plano
State: Texas
Date of Birth: November 8, 1968
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-707-0097
Home Phone Number: 972-423-8564
Mobile Phone Number: 214-707-0097
Fax Number: 214-259-8788
E-mail Address: bart@bartridley.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.bartridley.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 1979-1987 and 1999-present
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Daughter currently attends Shepard Elementary
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: Attorney
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Plano ISD Education Foundation, Board Member 2003-present; Member, Shepard
Elementary PTA; Member, Plano ISD Alumni Association; Member, Pitman Creek Estates
Homeowners' Association; Member, Plano Chamber of Commerce
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Leadership Plano, Class 18; Plano ISD Educator Internship Program, 2001; Plano
International Preschool Board Member, 2001-2009, Member of 2008 Plano ISD Technology
and Facilities Bond Task Force
Q: Education
A: Plano Senior High School, 1987; B.B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1991; J.D.,
Baylor University School of Law, 1994
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: Previous candidate for Plano ISD Board of Trustees, Place 1
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: Based upon my experiences in serving on the Board of Plano International Preschool,
and being exposed to the programs offered by Plano ISD's Student and Family Services
Department, I believe that one of the keys to closing the achievement gap between these
groups of students is language skills. Many Latino students in our district come from
households where English is not the primary spoken language, and the parents of these
students may have limited education and proficiency in their native language. Improving
English language skills of Latino parents and students will almost certainly help to close the
achievement gap because one cannot be expected to achieve in our system unless they
possess the necessary skills to understand what is being asked of them. One recent
district initiative which has received recognition on a national level is the implentation of a
Mobile Learning Center which represents an effort to close the achievement gap by
delivering the services of the district to directly to the parents that may have limited
education or resources to actively support their children's education.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: I would prefer not to have to approve any more cuts spending, but instead have the
State of Texas meet its constitutional obligation to fund the education of our children,
especially when it readily collects our property taxes under the current school finance
system. The role of a Board Trustee is not to identify the specific areas where cuts are to
be made, but to identify parameters as to where the cuts should and should not be made
and then receive recommendations from district administrators. As such, I believe the
better question would be, what areas of school district spending would you seek to protect
from further cuts? When future cuts are necessary, as it appears they will be, I will insist
that classroom teachers, and essential support positions within our schools such as nurses,
counselors, and special education teachers, be the last areas subject to budget reductions.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Safety of our Students and Teachers; Programs designed to serve the needs of those
types of learners that are not currently being met; and programs that have historically set
our district apart from others, such as the Fifth Grade Adventure Camp.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: I support an Education First Philosophy, meaning that as parents and educators, we
must set the expectation that our students will be prepared for the rigors of college or
advanced career training. The district program AVID (Advancement Via Individual
Determination), which in a few short years, has increased opportunities for students in the
academic middle to develop opportunities for higher education that might not otherwise
exist is a prime example of the types of programs I would ask educators and
administrators to support and develop.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: To improve the district's communication with parents as a whole, I would set goals to
better educate our parents as to all the currently available sources of information from the
district. The platforms already available from the district for parents to stay informed
include, PISD.edu, myPISD.net, eNews, Facebook, Twitter, televised Board meetings, and
on-line access to videotaped Board meetings. I would also advocate the development of
additional methods of Board communication as technology evolves such as streaming web
video, podcasts and YouTube. With regard to non-English speaking parents, the challenge
of effective communication is somewhat differnt. Our district is diverse in that there are
many languages spoken at home other than English. Based upon my experiences in
serving on the Board of Plano International Preschool, and learning about what the district
is already doing to serve large groups of students from non-English speaking backgrounds,
it would make sense for the district to recruit educators with the ability to speak the
languages of the families we serve as they become proficient in English.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Great Teachers. Interested students (Did I mention Great Teachers?). Supportive
parents (Did I mention Great Teachers?). While my children are not yet at the middle and
high school levels, the schools in my area of the district are Wilson Middle School, Vines
High School and Plano Senior High School. From my personal observations and listening to
parents that have students enrolled at these schools, I believe that the teachers in these
schools are doing a great job. The challenge we face going forward is being able to keep
these teachers employed because of budget reductions.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: It is my understanding from district officials, that Plano ISD's dropout rate is very low.
Nevertheless, without continuing efforts to make school interesting and beneficial to
students at risk, we can anticipate that the dropout rate may increase. Programs such as
AVID enlighten students in the academic middle that opportunity exists for all that pursue
it. I would like to see the AVID program expanded and supported at the middle school
level. I would also advocate developing other programs designed to make attending
school more interesting for at risk students. Programs based in real world applications of
science, math and technology would likely keep certain students engaged in the learning
process during their middle school education.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: From my personal observations, I believe that technology is being used effectively in
the classroom at all grade levels. I continue to be impressed with the work of Associate
Superintendent for Academic and Technology Services, Jim Hirsch, and his staff for their
efforts to keep Plano ISD on the forefront of innovation in the classroom. I anticipate that
the pilot program at Robinson Middle School wherein each student of a certain grade level
is assigned a netbook will be someday be expanded district wide. I also believe that future
technological advances will dictate that our students are equipped with laptops or some
other form of mobile media to facilitate learning. However, I also believe that it is
incumbent upon our district to also teach our students the fundamental skills of how to
gather information and resolve problems without the use of technology. Just because most
people now use a calculator to quickly answer equations does not mean that we no longer
have to teach our students how to answer these same equations without the benefit of an
electronic device.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: This is one of the most challenging issues facing our district. Certain schools have
essentially unlimited support from parents through active PTAs and parents that are
themselves high achievers. On the other hand, there are several district schools that have
little or no PTA membership, and parents that are either not willing or not able to become
involved in school functions. For these schools, I subscribe to the following belief. Make
school interesting for students, and parents will follow with their support. All parents want
a better life and more opportunity for their children then they had for themselves. I
believe that parents are more likely to become involved in schools where their children
look forward to going each day, and which they believe will offer their children the
opportunity for a better life.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: The best teachers are those that truly love to teach. As with any company, the best way
to recruit and retain good employees is to provide them with a positive working
environment and competitive benefits. Our teachers should know that if elected, I would
support measures that encourage the best and brightest teachers to choose our district and
stay in our district. In my opinion, the best way to develop more effective teachers is not
to only judge them by their students’ performance on standardized tests, but instead,
instill measures where our teachers focus their efforts on actual student progress.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: While I like the idea of rewarding teachers for student performance, I believe that any
bonus compensation for teachers should be based on actual student progress as opposed to
student mastery of a standardized test. Increased compensation will motivate some
teachers, but the best teachers are those that truly love their job. As such, I would
advocate the creation of a system that rewards teachers for excellence in student
academic progress and also rewards those teachers that help shape a well rounded student
in areas such as Fine Arts and Public Service. The district currently uses the Measures of
Academic Progress (MAP) testing program to measure individual student achievement
growth. I would be willing to consider a teacher bonus program that is based on this type
of data and reward our teachers for a job well done. I would also encourage our
administrators to create a system that rewards teachers for student growth in areas not
easily measured by testing data. If the students of a particular teacher are not showing
academic progress, a change should be made. If a particular school is not collectively
showing academic progress, a change in leadership should be made.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: Unfortunately, because of the sheer size of our district, I believe that various
perceptions and realities have developed about certain schools within our district. During
the attendance boundary meetings of 2009, I heard a number of speakers imply that they
did not want their child going to "That" school. I believe these types of comments were
grounded in both perception and reality. The reality being that there are schools within the
district that are not performing up to the expectations of our community. The perception
being that there is nothing the district can do to correct the situation. As a Trustee, I would
work to return the district to an environment where it does not matter which school your
child attends, only that he or she attends a Plano ISD school. Such a goal likely means
focusing additional available dollars on schools that require attention. The district has
developed a comprehensive plan to revitalize its facilities as they age. I believe that the
district's success is intertwined with the success of our community as a whole. As a Trustee
and a taxpayer, I will work to forge relationships with neighborhoods, businesses and city
leaders to collaborate on efforts for the mutual benefit of the students of the district and
the community as a whole. As a community we have always recognized that one of our
best investments is an investment in our schools.
David S. Stolle
Biographical Info:
Name: David S. Stolle
Street Address: 18812 Fortson
City/Town: Dallas
State: Texas
Date of Birth: October 31, 1970
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-953-6105
Home Phone Number: 214-473-8898
Mobile Phone Number: 214-642-4518
Fax Number: 214-661-6804
E-mail Address: dstolle@jw.com
Campaign Web Site Address: davidstolle.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: My family has lived in the Plano ISD attendance boundary for nearly 9 years. We
moved into the district specifically for the schools
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: My oldest son matriculated through Jackson Elementary, Frankford Middle School and is
currently at Shepton High School. My two younger children are at Jackson Elementary.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I am a partner in the Dallas office of the law firm Jackson Walker L.L.P., with a finance
practice.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: I have volunteered for many years on the fields and diamonds of Plano as a youth
coach. Weekly practices and games gave me the opportunity to help develop boys into
young men who know not just how to play a sport, but also about responsibility,
determination, friendship, and the value of teamwork. My oldest son and his teammates
are now on the high school teams, and I continue to coach my youngest son’s teams. My
wife and I are active booster club parents at Shepton High School, where my wife Cristy is
the current Booster Club President.
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: The bulk of my volunteer time and effort has centered around my young family. In
addition to the commitment I make several times a week to youth sports, I have been a
WatchDog and PTA member in multiple schools. Additionally, I served as chairmen of the
Jackson Walker L.L.P. United Way campaign, setting a record for the number of associates
contributing and the amount of money contributed.
Q: Education
A: I have earned three degrees: (1) BA-English from Texas A&M University (1994), (2)
MA-English from the University of Texas at Tyler (1998), and (3) JD from St. Mary’s
on the front burner. The best way to close any achievement gap may be to engage Latino
parents in the education process and coordinate with community services and programs to
provide skills which encourage such engagement.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: In these trying financial times, all districts are faced with this question. With the
2010-11 budget so dated because of an anticipated funding shortfall and with the 2011-12
budget still being finalized for approval, it is difficult to determine specific spending cuts.
With this in mind, however, the district must seek cuts from non-instructional costs as
much as possible. We must protect our teachers and the integrity of our classrooms, and
look to cut here only as a last resort. One way to achieve non-instructional cost savings
would be to eliminate dated methods of communication. For example, my children still
bring home hard copies of calendars and district policies, when, in this electronic age, such
information can easily be disseminated on-line or via electronic communication. A second
method of achieving non-instructional costs savings would be to suspend services which,
while valuable, may be suspended until the district can adopt a budget that does not
require teacher layoffs. For example, the district unveiled in 2010 a mobile computer lab
used to provide family services and adult education services for parents in their
neighborhood. While the mobile lab is a valuable asset to the district and was acquired
with federal funds, use of the bus and the costs associated therewith, such as salary for a
driver, security, and an instructor and transportation and maintenance costs for the vehicle
are borne by the district. This is a cost we cannot afford if we lose even one teacher for it.
A third method of achieving non-instructional costs savings would be to continue searching
for duplication in administration staff and services and responsibilities currently shared by
two or more staff members which may be consolidated into one position.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: If the district had the funds, my first order of business would be to rehire the 223
teachers laid off on March 29, but I don’t believe that is the spirit of the question.
Nevertheless, assuming a perfect world where the state’s funding shortfall did not force the
district to make any cuts, there are areas which could benefit from growth. The first area I
would spend more is in the development of a number of small, focused academies
designed around specific disciplines to serve specific student populations with an interest in
the subject. A second area in which I would spend funds, if available, is in the expansion
and development of our career and technical classes and programs for our non-college
bound students. This goal could actually be combined with the first by creating academies
focused on specific career and technical programs with similar core-course focus, helping
more students prepare for trade school entry or certifications for those going directly to
the work force. A third area in which I would spend additional funds, if available, would be
in enhancing the district’s community outreach programs. The best way to promote
student achievement is to engage parents in the process. An engaged parent can keep
successful students focused and enthused and struggling students encouraged and working
hard. I would like the district to bring more parents back into the education process.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: I would like the district to continue developing its career and technical classes and
programs to encourage those who may not be interested in college as the next step of
their educational career. This has the possibility of providing two benefits. First, by
providing technical training, a student can graduate high school with a marketable skill and
enter the workforce prepared to earn a living. Second, keeping students in school and
engaged in the learning process has the additional benefit of providing the skills, the
educational background, and the diploma which can keep open the possibility for college,
should that student later decide to attend. Providing this training to students allows them
to see possibilities of a stable and successful life if they graduate from high school, even if
college isn’t in their immediate plans.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: One area in which PISD in general, and the school board in particular, could definitely
improve is in its communication with the community. The taxpaying community, and
particularly the parents of affected students, need to know what is happening within the
district and what the school board is doing. This needs to be communicated to the parents
clearly, openly and frequently. A community educated about its district is more likely to
become engaged with its district, and an engaged community makes for a strong district.
As to those parents who don’t speak English, they must have a means to communicate
with their children’s teachers and principal. While the district is in a position of laying off
teachers, I cannot advocate adding additional community liaisons, but I do support the
program in places where it is most needed.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: Just like the ingredients for a great recipe, the right mixture is what makes success.
Strong curriculum, capable and trained staff, frequent and clear communication, teamwork
and an administration that is open and responsive are all needed. The key to a successful
high school or middle school are the parents of each student enrolled. Just as a district is
strengthened by parent involvement, a student is strengthened by parent involvement.
The support and assistance an engaged parent provides can keep a student focused on
education and teach the student how to adapt to and overcome obstacles. Unfortunately,
not all kids come from a home with a stable family situation and sometimes, school is their
only home. That is where a staff with the life mission of helping students become
successful beyond academics can make the difference between positive and heartbreaking
results.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Middle school can be a difficult time for many students. It is a time of tremendous
change, and it is during this time that our schools and our parents should be most vigilant.
From the district’s perspective, PISD should review its middle school curriculum to make
sure we are meeting the needs of our students, while also protecting against students
falling behind. In PISD, the parent/teacher conference, which during the elementary school
years provides such valuable personal feedback, fades in middle school. As students have
academic, social or attendance challenges, I think we should re-engage that conference
with the teachers, parent and student to track their success, point out places of weakness
and make a plan to help the student succeed. With a team approach, I think we can keep
students from falling desperately behind and stem the drop out rate.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: PISD and its administrative staff have done a very good job of using technology to
distribute information to its parents via the internet. As I have stated, the more
information parents have, the more involved the parents will be. I would like to see the
district use this same technology to distribute information to its students, including using
district websites to distribute work assignments and information which would traditionally
be distributed as a hard copy. As to a future emphasis on laptops or textbooks, in this time
of fiscal strain, the district should utilize the most cost-efficient method possible.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: The best way to get parents involved in schools is to maintain constant and open
communication. When parents feel comfortable talking to teachers, principals, and
administrators they feel comfortable asking questions and engaging in the educational
experience. This may require schools to partner with its PTAs to schedule more frequent
events intended to bring parents and families to the schools more often. Additionally, as a
district, everyone involved needs to renew its commitment to frequent and open
communication in PISD.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: PISD has the advantage of annually receiving more employment applications than it has
open positions and a strong national reputation for educational excellence. This allows the
district to hire the best and brightest candidates and begin each year with as strong a staff
as possible. Making sure principals provide the professional training, direction, support and
leadership in their schools helps motivate, encourage and retain high quality staff. As to
teacher retention/evaluation, principals along with input from grade-level team leaders
and student growth measures, should be the measure of a teacher’s ability to reach his or
her students.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: I believe in providing incentives to teachers who continue to achieve at a high rate. If
this incentive includes providing teachers with a bonus or with a salary increase, I would
support this. The key, however, to any performance-based pay system will be to develop a
method of tracking student achievement and student success without relying solely on
standardized test scores. For example, if a teacher begins the year with a class of students
reading below grade level, but by year’s end has the class at or above grade level, this
teacher and the students have succeeded tremendously, but this result may not be
evidenced by the class’ standardized test scoring.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: PISD is a district in transition. For the past 40+ years, PISD has been a district
exploding with growth. As the district matures, it faces an interesting dilemma. While its
borders are landlocked, large undeveloped (single family residential) tracts remain in
some parts of the district boundaries. Additionally, land exists along the Dallas North
Tollway and the Bush Turnpike that can be developed into multi-family residential projects.
The possibility for growth continues to exist. At the same time, the district has a number of
maturing neighborhoods, where student population is dwindling. The issue is anticipating
and planning for these changing numbers without overcrowding our schools. This must be
done by constantly monitoring student population and efficiently using district facilities.
Stephanie Adams
Biographical Info:
Name: Stephanie Adams
Street Address: P.O. Box 1204
City/Town: Rockwall
State: Texas
Date of Birth: January 10th
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-762-3757
Home Phone Number: 214-717-8797
Mobile Phone Number: 214-717-8797
E-mail Address: stephanie@ivote4stephanie.com
Campaign Web Site Address: www.ivote4stephanie.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: Have you ever heard the saying, "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I
could?" When we originally relocated,my husband and I often shared the same sentiment
about our community to our family and friends across the state. We are so excited to be a
part of this great city! A native of Texas, my family and I have lived in the Rockwall
community for five years.
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: We have three children, a 5th grader and twins in the first grade. All attend Celia Hays
Elementary.
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: I have a real estate background. Currently, I am a local Realtor with Ebby Halliday
Realtors. In 2010, I received the Ebby Halliday Platinum Award and also was named Ebby
Halliday Rockwall/ Top 10. My husband is an Executive Sales Representative with Johnson
& Johnson's Pricara Division.
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Member, Celia Hays PTA Executive Board; Member, Rockwall Women's League;
Volunteer, Children's Ministry/Lakepointe Church; 2010 Rockwall ISD Strategic
Thinking/Planning Team Member
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Over the past several years, I have been busy volunteering on various projects to
improve Rockwall ISD. In 2010, I served on the Strategic Thinking/Planning Team, a 42
member panel of school administrators, teachers, students, and community leaders whose
purpose was developing a future plan and vision for our district in the coming years. In
addition, I have served the past 4 years on our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Executive
Board, serving as President last year. I am a former member of Rockwall Preschool
Association, a non profit organization that serves children in need.
Q: Education
A: I graduated from Texas A&M University. I am also a licensed Texas Realtor, originally
obtaining my license in the mid 1990's.
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: None
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: I am still in the process of raising money for my campaign.
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: I have received financial and grassroots support from the Rockwall ISD community, and
Metrotex Association of Realtors.
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: No.
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: I decided to run after serving Rockwall ISD on the 2010 Strategic Thinking/Planning
Team and as the former PTA President and current member of an Executive PTA Board.
Rockwall ISD is facing tough budget decisions, now and in the coming years and I believe
my background as a local Realtor gives me a strong knowledge of property values, taxes
and how Rockwall ISD’s budget will be affected by projected home sales in our
community.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: I have a unique perspective on issues currently facing our District. Similiar to School
Board, my background as a former District Manager, provided me with the experience of
working with individuals of varying personalities and also at multi levels. As a Realtor, I
understand property taxes and property values and how it affects our budget. Additionally,
I have three kids who will be attending Rockwall ISD for many years to come. If elected,
this will keep me accountable to decisions I make on the board since those decisions will
have a direct affect on my family. I am focused on these four key areas. Classrooms – As
the district faces inevitable budget cuts, it is vital that we keep a strong teacher workforce.
I will fight against any increase in the teacher to student ratio and allow the teachers to
focus on the individual needs of each child; Budget – Just as you and I do at home, the
District needs to plan accordingly and be prepared to meet any challenges the future
brings. We are facing tough times and we need serious leaders with experience and
knowledge with budgets. As a former District Manager, I am experienced in balancing and
maintaining multi-million dollar budgets; Curriculum: I will fight to continue the strong
curriculum standards at Rockwall ISD and work to ensure every student is given the tools
to succeed after graduation; Transparency – I pledge to uphold the values of our
community and provide you with open and honest leadership. I will make strong
conservative decisions as a member of the School Board.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: Yes,I have attended school board meetings. Being an effective board member requires
the ability to listen and compile ideas from parents and community members across the
district to provide the best solution for Rockwall ISD.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: I firmly believe every school in our community works hard providing each child with the
best education possible. If elected, I want to maintain our current curriculum standards
and continue to improve them, providing all children with a well-rounded education and
the opportunities to succeed in the future.
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: I believe that Latino students deserve the right to the same quality education that is
provided to every student. Each and every Latino student should be taught core subjects in
English. This will help give Latino students the same well rounded education and bright
future as every other group of students.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: Until budgets have been finalized in Austin, I do not believe it fair to teachers,
administration, or students to discuss budgets cuts. School district employees have been
entrusted with the responsibility of educating future generations. Creating worry among
employees and departments within the district will distract from the goal of teaching
students.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: If the school district had more money, it would be great to see more money spent in
classroom resources,including technology. Additionally, in the past ten years our
community has experienced an enormous amount of growth. With growth, comes the need
for more buildings and more teachers.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: Some of these are already being utilized to some degree within our district. After school
mentoring and tutoring are a great way to reach out to kids who may be at risk of
dropping out of school. Additionally, apprenticeship programs offer kids the opportunity to
explore areas of interest and help prepare them for the future.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: I believe we need to provide a welcoming environment for diverse ethnic groups. It is
important to place students with Spanish speaking parents in classrooms with teachers
who are bilingual. In addition, the district should provide a liaison to communicate between
parents and teachers.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: I believe the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school
include good leadership and parent and teacher involvement.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: One key to improving middle school education is by having smaller classroom sizes.
Creating a fun and positive nurturing environment during a critical growth phase of their
life, and helping guide them on the right path as they enter high school. As the district
faces inevitable budget cuts, it is vital that we keep a strong teacher workforce.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: No. As a District,it is important to recognize technology is rapidly changing and we have
to adapt to those changes and meet and educate children, where they are. I believe the
future will be technology based and less emphasis will be placed on textbooks.
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: I believe knowledge is POWER. As a District, it is important to educate our parents with
the needs of our District. There is value in programs such as Parent Academy, Watchdog,
as well as, mentoring and tutoring programs. An involved parent can be the difference
between a successful student and a drop-out. Therefore, by investing in parents who have
a bigger part of their child’s education the district can produce a higher graduation rate.
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: Continue to offer competitive pay and additional trainings while employed with the
district.
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: Every student has different learning abilities and styles. In addition, with an increase of
ESL students in the district it is unfair to punish teachers based on standards set by the
state. However, I do believe that teachers should be rewarded for success in the classroom
and exceeding goals for testing scores.
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: The school district is facing several hard budget decisions in which the administration,
parents, students and teachers will disagree on the best solutions. By working together
and combining ideas, I believe,if elected, I can effectively work with each of these groups
to reach the best possible outcome.
Stan Lowrance
Biographical Info:
Name: Stan Lowrance, DDS, FAGD
Street Address: 2313 Ridge Road #104
City/Town: Rockwall
State: Tx
Date of Birth: October 5, 1954
Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-771-9036
Home Phone Number: 972-771-2706
Mobile Phone Number: 214-869-7181
Fax Number: 972-771-0355
E-mail Address: Lowrancedental@aol.com
Campaign Web Site Address: Lowrancedental.com
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: 29 yrs, 10 months
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: Rockwall ISD
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: General Dentistry
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: Rockwall Noon Rotary, Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce Lake Pointe Church
A.T.A.C. Dental Missions
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: Rotarian of the Year, 1988 Pres. of Rockwall Rotary, 1995 Rotary Dist. 5810 Rotarian of
the Year, 2001 Rotary Dist 5810 Club Service Award, 1994 Rockwall Area "Man of the
Year", 2000 Originator of "Hot Rocks" Bicycle Ride, 1987 Three terms on Rockwall
Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors-Present
Q: Education
A: Claude High School, high school diploma, 1973 West Texas State University, Canyon Tx,
B.S. Biology 1977 Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, Tx, 1981 Midwest Implant Institute,
Columbus, OH, 1991 Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry, 1991
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: none
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: None at this time
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: n/a
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: no
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: My Dad was a school teacher, coach and superintendent until his death in 1986. My
older sister is a teacher, she married a teacher, two of their children are teachers and
married teachers, my youngest sister is a teacher and one of my college age daughters is
studying to be a teacher. Teachers are dear to my heart. I have been involved in this
community for nearly thirty years. My self-employed business has been here thirty years.
I was involved in the schools before I had children go through RISD schools, and I will
continue to be involved.
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: Experience is the key difference. There is a learning curve in any organization, but
especially a government office. In my sixth year I am a much better trustee now than I
was my first year. I have a working relationship with other elected officials locally and on
the state level.
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: This is my sixth year on the board. Having my Dad as a superintendent and teachers as
family and friends has given me great insight from their perceptive. I am a self-employed
businessman. I started my dental practice from scratch and have a sound understanding of
budgets and finances.
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: The district works very hard so that all the campuses are at the highest levels. Teachers
and administrators work together and share successes and failures. RISD is ranked
"Recognized" by the Texas Education Agency. The 2010 AAccountability Rating release by
the TEA rated 12 RISD campuses as "Exemplary" and 5 campuses "Recognized".
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: Language barriers are the first area of concern, not only for the children, but also for
the adults. Technology can also help. We have a program where computers that are no
longer in service at the school, are outsourced to families that do not have a computer at
home. Classes are offered, and families are taught how to use the computers.
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: This is always a difficult area. You always feel that if that position or area wasn't
needed, it wouldn't be there. So when there are cuts to be made, those have to start in
the areas that least affect the classroom. Those areas being central office, support, and
extracurricular activities.
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: Technology, especially in hand-held devices. Project based learning, the next decade of
teaching. Diversity learning, the world is our classroom.
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: Truancy is a problem that all districts must address. When I came on the board there
was no one person assigned to kids missing school. At that time approximately 2 1/2
percent of absentees were truancy cases. We now have a person working with the parents
and children of these cases. Truancy is usually a symptom of a bigger problem. We are
showing the kids and parents that we care and why they should be motivated to stay
involved. We offer alternatives and programs to fit the need. Truancy Intervention
Program, T.I.P., has seen great progress and this program does not cost the district any
funds.
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: Having anything sent home or on the internet must be offered bilingually. In parent-
teacher meetings, there is a translator present if needed. Making sure all parents know we
care and make them feel comfortable in seeking the communication.
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: The challenge today is motivating this generation to learn. The days of a teacher at the
front of the room putting out facts and figures and then the students regurgitating them
back on paper, is in the past. Students today have grown up in a world of technology and
we as educators must adapt. Project based learning is one area that is exciting for our
future learners. We must also instill into our students the happiness one gets through
serving others. Program like SSO, Students Serving Others, and Rachel's Challenge are
just two of the great service programs. As we all know, a motivated learner has no limits.
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: Fact: as students progress in their education, it gets more difficult. If a student starts
having problems, we need early detection and intervention. Many times truancy is the
result of a student getting behind. We need the student and parents to know that we care.
Helping those involved to be motivated to learn is the key. RISD is proud that last year we
had a 0% dropout rate in the middle school.
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: Technology is changing at such a fast pace. I believe that the schools will always be
challenged to do better. There is always that problem with funds. Worldwide the use of
technology producted information is used more than the printed text. At this time there is
still the need for printed material, but I'm not sure if that will always be true.
Randy Oakes
Biographical Info:
Questions:
Q: Length of residency within the district
A: - no response -
Q: Where did (or do) your children attend school?
A: - no response -
Q: Occupation/main source of income
A: - no response -
Q: Current civic involvement/highlights
A: - no response -
Q: Previous civic involvement/accomplishments
A: - no response -
Q: Education
A: - no response -
Q: Previous public offices sought/held:
A: - no response -
Q: How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
A: - no response -
Q: Who are your top three contributors?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits?
Please explain:
A: - no response -
Q: Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most
qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you
to serve in this office?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the
best choice?
A: - no response -
Q: Have you attended any school board meetings? If so, what have you learned from
them about how a board member can be effective?
A: - no response -
Q: What schools in your community have done the best in getting every child up to grade
level in reading and math? What can the district learn from them?
A: - no response -
Q: Many Texas districts are confronted with the challenge of closing an achievement gap
between Latino students and Anglo students. What ideas do you have for closing this gap?
A: - no response -
Q: If you had to cut three parts of the school district's spending, where would you cut?
A: - no response -
Q: If the school district had the money, in what three areas would you like to see it spend
more?
A: - no response -
Q: What educational programs would you would like to see added to the district to
decrease the dropout rate and increase the number of students prepared for college?
A: - no response -
Q: What would you do to improve the district’s communication with parents, including
those who don’t speak English? Would you advocate for trained community liaisons, for
example?
A: - no response -
Q: What are the ingredients that make for a successful high school and middle school?
What resources are lacking in the schools in your part of the district?
A: - no response -
Q: How should the district improve middle school education? Many experts think that
students fall so far behind then that they are ready to dropout by high school.
A: - no response -
Q: Is technology being used effectively in classrooms? Give us examples. Also, should the
future emphasis be on laptops or textbooks?
A: - no response -
Q: How would you get more parents involved in schools?
A: - no response -
Q: What should the district do to recruit, retain and develop effective teachers and
principals?
A: - no response -
Q: Should teacher pay and student performance be linked? If so, how? And should there be
consequences for a school if it is succeeding or failing? If so, what should those
consequences be?
A: - no response -
Q: What is an uncomfortable truth about your public schools that voters and taxpayers
must confront?
A: - no response -