City Council Candidate Questionnaire 2019

District 9
(Instructions: Please answer all questions. All responses are due March 29, 2019. Please return
with a campaign photo if you have one. We reserve the right to edit responses for brevity,
clarity, or libel, but will endeavor to avoid any heavy-handed edits. Return responses to
Bethany@candysdirt.com).

1.Tell us about your own district. What are the best things about it? What are the
struggles?
District 9 is home to the gems of Dallas – White Rock Lake & Park and the Arboretum – and is
one of the most diverse districts in our city. The district extends from Lakewood north to
Merriman Park west of the lake to Old Lake Highlands (where I live), Lochwood, Eastwood,
Casa View, Casa Linda, Reinhardt, Linwood Park, Big & Little Forest Hills, and parts of Country
Club Estates east of the lake. We are home to family-focused neighborhoods & schools, small
businesses, and long-established communities with mature trees and creeks.
While D9 is home to many wealthier homeowners and middle-class neighborhoods, we also
struggle with areas of great poverty and elevated levels of crimes to persons and property. The
Casa View Complete Streets project has been at a standstill for years, and gentrification has
been disruptive to neighborhoods and homeowners throughout the district.

2. Pick one of those struggles you just mentioned. How would you address it? Please be
specific.
The Casa View Complete Streets project was scheduled to be completed a year ago. The
issues with the project are uncharted utilities, weather (always), but mostly, a sub-standard
contractor who gave a project-winning low bid. The contractor has come back with change order
after change order and the “low bid” is now more expensive that the higher bids would have
been. We must reform the purchasing process and criteria for selecting vendors and awarding
contracts. If we move to a “best bid” method and award contracts based on scored criteria
instead of price alone, we will get a better result with projects being on time and on budget. The
contractor should have been responsible for the planning phases of this project and scoped out
the unmapped utilities and the necessary road improvements. The retail side of this has kept
their part of the bargain, it’s time the City did the same.

3. Should the city council be more invested in building a Dallas for residents, or one for
visitors? Why?
The ebb and flow between these competing dynamics has always been cyclical in Dallas –
expand shiny things for visitors, followed by a need for pause to stabilize for residents,
sometimes (though rarely) doing both at the same time and doing both well. In this moment, I
believe that the city council must invest in building a Dallas for residents because our
neighborhoods, our infrastructure, and those who most need stabilization in their lives ​need​ us
to focus. Poverty in our city – especially among Dallas children – is at an all-time high, and the
number of people experiencing homelessness and those struggling with mental illness need real
solutions. Our streets and bridges (and now a shiny new bridge) are not functional or literally
crumbling, and housing is at crisis levels across our city. We must return to the basics while we
can still salvage and repair broken streets and broken lives. The time for shiny things will again
roll around, and we will again be able to focus on amazing new draws to our city but only after
we have strengthened who we are as a city.

4. Why do you think residents are distrustful of their city officials?

I believe that our city leaders – whether managers, directors, or elected officials – must eagerly
and willingly present ourselves for scrutiny and criticism by the people of Dallas in everything
that we do and say. Yes, some officials have been exposed as corrupt and self-serving, and this
has driven much of the distrust residents hold for Dallas City Hall, but we can all be better
servant leaders who can rebuild lost trust by being transparent and by communicating directly
with residents in an ongoing way. I pledge to make my work transparent and meet with D9
residents in regular open forums throughout each year and to return every phone call and email
my office receives. Trust is earned and must be earned again and again – when elected, I plan
to earn it and to keep earning it.

5. What do you see as being the biggest strengths of your opponents?

They can tell you.

6. And if elected, would you reach out to your opponents to avail yourself of those
strengths if the occasion arose?
I believe a good idea is a good idea, no matter where it comes from. Everyone running for public
office must have a vision for what is best and care about the residents. I am willing to confer
with the candidates and learn about their visions for East Dallas and District 9.

7. If not elected, what will you do to help both your district (if you are running for
council), and/or the city as a whole? Please be specific.
I have been involved in my community for 25+ years as a volunteer and have no plans to stop. I
currently work for the overlaying County Commissioners District 1 and will continue to work on
projects that help the neighborhoods.

8. How would you define a “progressive” candidate? What are the policy hallmarks of
such a candidate?
For me, a “progressive” candidate is one who sees and celebrates every human being in our
city, and that means recognizing and honoring the dignity and equality of every Dallas resident
in our policymaking – a living wage for a hard day’s work, fair affordable housing,
nondiscrimination in all things, equity in benefits and opportunities, fulfilling the basics of our
human needs, empowering people to achieve success and to make decisions in their own lives,
and doing the right thing with empathy and care and without harm to any resident.

9. How would you describe a “conservative” candidate? What are the policy hallmarks of
such a candidate?
For me, a “conservative” candidate is one who infrequently sees cause for change – in existing
processes and privileges, in the existing power structures, or in existing economic and social
“traditions” from which the candidate has generally benefited. A “conservative” candidate tends
to view taxpayer-funded expenditures as unnecessary and/or burdensome rather than as
investments in people or property, and generally views policies that result in incremental or
meaningful change with suspicion and at times contempt.

10. What do you think are the three biggest controversies the current city council has
faced, and how would you have addressed those controversies if you were on the
council?
Confederate Statues/Monuments​ – I would have voted to remove such Confederate honorifics
from our city’s parks and other public places of honor. It is beyond time to move beyond our
past in order to ensure that young people today and future residents can grow up and live in a
city where prominent defenders of human slavery are not openly venerated with places of
unqualified honor.
Paid Sick Leave​ – I fully support policies of paid sick leave benefits for employees, and I would
have voted for this measure.
VisitDallas​ – Given the recent eyepopping audit of this multi-million-dollar taxpayer-funded
organization, I would vote to cancel this contract today and to immediately issue a new RFP.
11. Does Dallas need a youth curfew? Why or why not?
No. Dallas does not need a youth curfew. All of the data and studies done on this topic across
the country demonstrate that youth curfews do not work to solve problems and most often
discriminate against our most vulnerable young people – youths of color and youths
experiencing homelessness, of which nearly half self-identify as LGBTQ. No matter how
well-intentioned, Dallas’ youth curfew has been disproportionately applied along racial and
geographic lines: the majority of citations have been issued in District 6 (West Dallas) to youths
of color, and of all youth curfew citations citywide 70% were issued to Latinx youth and 18% to
black youth. It is time to end this antiquated ineffective discriminatory policy.

12. Homelessness in Dallas has tripled under the current administration — what can be
done to curb and end homelessness in Dallas?
We must stop trying to address the issues of people experiencing homelessness with outdated
and ineffective methods. A full embrace of the housing first model using mixed income housing
with wrap-around services would be more effective than the current shelter and criminal justice
solutions. Each City Council District should have services for those experiencing homelessness
to stop the concentration of population downtown and/or to serve those that cannot travel to
downtown.

13. How would you address the police shortage and pay issues?
The City needs to fairly compensate our officers. We have just now raised pay to the median
average. For the 9​th​ largest city in the nation, our pay should be on par with other major cities.
Money alone won’t solve the problem. We must also create a more welcoming environment and
encourage officers to become a part of the communities in which they serve. We can achieve
this by incentivizing officers to live in Dallas through property tax relief, educational opportunities
and use of police vehicles for travel to and from duty. In the long-run, we need to address the
underlying causes of a need for police response and stabilize neighborhoods and address the
poverty gap.

14. If you agree we need to raise the starting salary of DPD to remain competitive with
neighboring communities, where would that funding come from?
The City of Dallas has invested in some enterprises that do not have a good return on
investment. We can investigate the sale of DFW Airport, re-evaluate the cost of some
public/private partnerships and see if the agreements are still valuable, etc. I would also push
for an audit of every city department and contract to see if they are performing up to standards
and need the current level of funding. Lastly, there are pocket of unused bond funding that can
be repurposed for first responder pay.

15. How would you suggest we discourage young trained officers from leaving our force
once Dallas taxpayers have paid to train them?
We should create an environment that they would want to work in. But I would also investigate a
change in Texas statute to require a payback clause either by the hiring agency or by the
trainee if they chose to leave after a set period of time.

16. What will you do to reduce gun violence in Dallas?

I would like to see more enforcement of existing law and confiscation or willing surrender of
handguns. The police response is also critical to a no tolerance policy on gun violence. See
above.

17. In the last 12 months, two former city officials (one who was a council member at the
time) have pleaded guilty to various corruption charges. How does Dallas move forward
from this, and how do you reassure wary constituents?
The City of Dallas’ purchasing process and reporting requirements need to change. We need to
institute a no contact period once an RFP is issued and keep records of all visits by vendors.
Restoring trust is answered in question 4.

18. Much of the recent corruption centered on real estate developments and alleged
pay-offs to developers. Developers met directly with Council members alone. Do you find
this alarming? And why or why not?
Yes! (see previous answer) No developers should meet with any Councilmembers during an
active bidding process.

19. Do we need a code of ethics at Dallas City Hall? If so, what would the components
be? ​Yes, there is a current code of ethics, but it has very little teeth.​ ​The City Secretary’s office
should be more involved in campaign finance report accuracy and compliance.

20. Do you feel that Dallas City Code 51A-4.501(i), which allows the city to demolish
structures 3,000 square feet or smaller even if they are in a historic district, is applied
fairly and evenly across the city? Why or why not?
No, it’s not applied fairly or evenly. It disproportionately affects lower income neighborhoods and
is used as a blunt tool to acquire desired properties.

21. Should Dallas open the duties of promoting the city to an RFP, instead of renewing
the VisitDallas contract in 2020? Why or why not?
Absolutely. It should be evident by now that the no-bid contract for Visit Dallas has been abused
and exploited. I would encourage VisitDallas to apply for the RFP but with determined
performance metrics in place and proven success in putting “heads in beds.”
22. Should Dallas expedite process of securing of permits by homebuilders? Why or why
not, and if yes, how?
I’m not sure. I would have to study the consequences of doing this.

23. What, if any, conflicts of interest do you foresee in your sphere that would prevent
you from taking part in discussion or voting on an agenda item brought before the
council?
None

24. What is your vision for White Rock Lake and the public park surrounding it?
The lake should be dredged and the water quality remediated. As for the park, I would like to
see more arts and cultural experiences around the park. The Bath House Cultural Center should
be used as a hub for free and revolving open-air art installations, musical performances, artist
demonstrations, etc. We could encourage student biological field trips and learning expeditions.

25. What are your plans for Casa View and surrounding areas that are near White Rock
Lake but residents feel are oftentimes overlooked?
I want to follow the lead of Casa Linda and place a new emphasis on the historic shopping
centers like Casa View and Oates Plaza. These can become the new centers of community and
provide needed access to groceries, restaurants, music venues, and other shops within walking
distance of the neighborhoods.

26. Should Flag Pole Hill be privatized? Why or why not?

No. There are enough opportunities for private development in Dallas without using public open
spaces.