Issues
Ethics and an open and transparent Dallas City Hall
Parks and green space
Public safety and the increase in police officers
Economic development, jobs and increasing the tax base
Coalitions and leadership
Neighborhood quality of life, stability and preservation
Taking care of Dallas senior citizens
Working for the citizens of District 3 has been an important and productive commitment for me. I have a deep understanding of the City’s priorities and strategic plans and I want to put my energy and knowledge to work for you as the Mayor of Dallas. Below are a few issues that I would like to share with you and my plans to address them.
Ethics and an open and transparent Dallas City Hall
More than ever, we must earn your trust and ethics must be reinforced at Dallas City Hall. I plan to initiate a formal review of the City’s Ethics Advisory Commission. Since the creation of the commission in 2000, there has not been a review of the commission’s effectiveness, policies and procedures. I will continually evaluate methods to make Dallas City Hall more open and transparent. I think all Councilmembers’ financial reports should be available on the City’s website. I will hold town hall meetings throughout the City (not just at budget time) and advocate for live streaming video of City Council meetings on the City’s website.
Parks and green space
I will provide the leadership to fully fund and implement the Park and Recreation Department’s Long Range Plan - The Renaissance Plan. This long-range plan is inclusive of other master plans such as The Trail Network Master Plan, Downtown Parks Master Plan, the Fair Park Comprehensive Development Plan, the Aquatics Master Plan and other master plans for regional and community parks, green space and programming. Hours of public hearings, studies, taxpayer money and private funding were used to create these plans and they must be implemented. Following the plans allows helps us effectively allocate funding, plan for the future and upgrade current parks.
My vision for the Trinity River Corridor is to fully implement the Balanced Vision Plan adopted unanimously by the City Council. I will work with the Trinity Commons Foundation and the Trinity Trust to raise private funds that are required to fulfill the Plan. I have served as Chairmen of the Council’s Trinity River Committee and feel that flood control, road alignment, lakes, the Great Trinity Forest and economic development are inextricably bound. Our priority needs to be to move forward with the project as a whole.
Public safety and the increase in police officers
Dallas needs more police officers. As Mayor, I plan to continue and increase initiatives adopted by the Council and City Manager this year that have for the first time in 20 years increased the number of sworn officers. I will ensure that recruitment incentives must be measured and studied so that the Dallas Police Department is successful in recruiting and attracting top candidates. We must continue to monitor what other cities and law enforcement agencies are offering new recruits and develop a plan to respond and remain competitive. As Mayor, I will encourage City Hall to think outside the box on ways to recruit and retain our officers.
I also believe that large concentrations of aging apartment complexes have a negative impact on overall crime in Dallas. These areas are our hot spots of crime. Apartment dwellers and the homeowners adjacent to the apartments deserve better. Decreasing crime in these areas will have a positive effect on call times, workload, and efficiency throughout the department and the City. I will ask the Chief of Police to develop procedures and priorities to address crime in these areas. The police department will need to analyze the crime data in those areas, identify trends as soon as they happen and quickly develop solutions. In addition, I will request that City staff find support for initiatives in these areas by identifying and seeking out possible partnerships including nonprofit organizations, faith based organizations, school districts, foundations and area corporations.
As Mayor, I will create a Mayor’s Task Force on Crime to begin with a full review of the findings and implementation progress of the Dallas Police Department Management and Efficiency Study completed in 2004. Taxpayer money funded the study and I will ask the Task Force to examine and report if findings by the City’s hired consultants have been implemented and if they are working.
Economic development, jobs and increasing the tax base
I want to bring more jobs and business to Dallas and we must do that in order to keep our City moving in the right direction. Funding for public safety, neighborhood improvements and high quality City services depend on broadening our tax base. As Mayor, I will encourage the judicious use of economic development tools including Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIFs), tax incentives, bond funds for transit-oriented development and infrastructure for commercial and retail developments. I will charge our City staff with identifying tools that will keep Dallas competitive in attracting new businesses and jobs. I will have a “hands on” approach and will work along side our economic development staff in securing new business for Dallas.
As a small business owner myself, I understand what it takes to run a business and will work to make Dallas truly business friendly. As District 3 Councilmember, I have worked on initiatives such as Pinnacle Park and Fort Worth Avenue to bring jobs to the District. I will use that experience to bring jobs to Dallas.
Coalitions and leadership
My leadership style will continue to be as one who works to build consensus between Councilmembers from all parts of the City. I have a proven record of creating coalitions on the City Council to address major issues such as bond packages and the City budget. My approach is to listen to each Councilmember and create a fiscally responsible package that provides the services our citizens expect. I will keep the council focused on our City’s top five priorities including public safety, economic development, housing, transportation, and quality of life.
Neighborhood quality of life, stability and preservation
Residential neighborhoods are the lifeblood of Dallas. As Mayor, I will ensure the City provides the tools necessary for neighborhood self-determination. Furthermore, I will work hard to implement elements of the Comprehensive Plan that include updating Dallas’ Historic Preservation Plan, policies to ensure new development is compatible with neighborhoods and bond funding aligned with neighborhood infrastructure needs.
I am the only candidate for Mayor with successful experience facilitating and passing conservation and historic districts.
Taking care of Dallas senior citizens
We must take care of our seniors and I will initiate a senior property tax relief program. The senior citizen property tax exemption has not changed since 1986. I believe this is wrong. The exemption must be adjusted based on the increase in property values. I will place on the City Council agenda an item raising this exemption by $6000 a year for the next six years. I will include raising the exemption yearly based on the inflation rate. The result of this increase will be that a senior owning a home valued at $125,000 will pay no property taxes.
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