First and foremost, I believe Duncanville needs a major revival of its community spirit. I believe a significant amount of effort needs to go into engaging and uniting the residents of the city, making sure there is fair representation of people's needs and concerns, as well as rebuilding trust between city officials and our residents. Once this diverse community is activated and engaged, there is no limit to what Duncanville can be and what we can accomplish.
Meanwhile, our residents have a multitude of concerns and issues with which they are dealing, and our community faces numerous challenges; below you will find some of my thoughts on a few of these matters.
Meanwhile, our residents have a multitude of concerns and issues with which they are dealing, and our community faces numerous challenges; below you will find some of my thoughts on a few of these matters.
How well is Duncanville dealing with the pandemic, vaccination process, and freeze damage? Discuss additional resident support and/or changes to policies or ordinances, if any, that you would favor to help during recovery.
The main issue in Duncanville regarding present and any forthcoming crisis is dissemination of information. The City of Duncanville does provide updated information in the form of social media posts, a monthly newsletter, a weekly email, etc, however, many residents feel uninformed about provisions made by the city and denied necessary and accurate information during a crisis. Many fault the city, while others fault residents for not taking advantage of what's available and not opting in to receive info. We clearly need to improve in this regard; there needs to be more public input on how residents want to be informed, as well as an improved response by the city in making information available.
The main issue in Duncanville regarding present and any forthcoming crisis is dissemination of information. The City of Duncanville does provide updated information in the form of social media posts, a monthly newsletter, a weekly email, etc, however, many residents feel uninformed about provisions made by the city and denied necessary and accurate information during a crisis. Many fault the city, while others fault residents for not taking advantage of what's available and not opting in to receive info. We clearly need to improve in this regard; there needs to be more public input on how residents want to be informed, as well as an improved response by the city in making information available.
Given the need for affordable housing for all residents, do you support additional construction in your district? Would you support new construction with affordable rents and/or the use of housing vouchers? What other changes, if any, would you support?
No. No new housing construction in Duncanville, District 3. We already have the greatest number of apartments, condos, duplexes, etc., and most of those are not well maintained. Affordable housing in south Dallas has a reputation of being poorly maintained, creating poor living conditions for residents, and attracting criminal activity. We need to work on improving the housing we already have, improving quality of life for residents currently living in our apartments, duplexes, etc., reduce the crime in those developments, work with those property owners in sanitation and beautification.
No. No new housing construction in Duncanville, District 3. We already have the greatest number of apartments, condos, duplexes, etc., and most of those are not well maintained. Affordable housing in south Dallas has a reputation of being poorly maintained, creating poor living conditions for residents, and attracting criminal activity. We need to work on improving the housing we already have, improving quality of life for residents currently living in our apartments, duplexes, etc., reduce the crime in those developments, work with those property owners in sanitation and beautification.
Law enforcement is a critical function of local government. What is the greatest public safety concern in your district, and how would you recommend it be addressed?
District 3 is right on the border to the north and east with the city of Dallas. More crime takes place in Duncanville along those borders with Dallas than anywhere else in the city, including shootings, burglaries, drug possessions, assaults, and auto theft. In fact, our neighborhood is very near Cockrell Hill road, and it is not uncommon to hear police sirens and helicopters, gun shots, car chases. People should not have to be worried about being assaulted while they are out for a walk in the evening, or someone driving up and kidnapping their children, or someone kicking in their door at night, but these are the kinds of public safety concerns residents of District 3 have. The solution, again, starts with the engagement of our residents. The Duncanville Police Department has a citizens police academy where residents can go through the training of a police officer, as well as a program to partner with neighborhoods in starting neighborhood watches; these kinds of programs are already in place but need to be promoted, with a neighborhood watch being established in every neighborhood, and more opportunities need to be given for residents to get to know local law enforcement. We have had multiple occasions where the Duncanville Police Department came to our neighborhood, making arrests, searching for criminals at large, even helping locate missing persons; we have a great Police Department, and when there are requests from the Department for increased support or funding, I believe it is important to make sure they have everything they need to serve our community as well as protect our officers during dangerous, life-threatening situations.
District 3 is right on the border to the north and east with the city of Dallas. More crime takes place in Duncanville along those borders with Dallas than anywhere else in the city, including shootings, burglaries, drug possessions, assaults, and auto theft. In fact, our neighborhood is very near Cockrell Hill road, and it is not uncommon to hear police sirens and helicopters, gun shots, car chases. People should not have to be worried about being assaulted while they are out for a walk in the evening, or someone driving up and kidnapping their children, or someone kicking in their door at night, but these are the kinds of public safety concerns residents of District 3 have. The solution, again, starts with the engagement of our residents. The Duncanville Police Department has a citizens police academy where residents can go through the training of a police officer, as well as a program to partner with neighborhoods in starting neighborhood watches; these kinds of programs are already in place but need to be promoted, with a neighborhood watch being established in every neighborhood, and more opportunities need to be given for residents to get to know local law enforcement. We have had multiple occasions where the Duncanville Police Department came to our neighborhood, making arrests, searching for criminals at large, even helping locate missing persons; we have a great Police Department, and when there are requests from the Department for increased support or funding, I believe it is important to make sure they have everything they need to serve our community as well as protect our officers during dangerous, life-threatening situations.
Greenspaces and neighborhood friendships are two factors almost always cited in studies that measure a community’s desirability. What should your Duncanville/District 3 do to make neighborhoods more attractive and connected?
I strongly believe that the parks are essential in bringing people together and improving the city; our family has made many friends and met a lot of good people just by spending time out at the parks. Duncanville has an embarrassing amount of litter along streets, in alleys, in natural areas and in/along creeks, and it is getting worse and worse. I have organized one of a few volunteer cleanups, but it is an overwhelming situation, and the city has to get more involved in the cleanup effort; the city's cleanup is more or less limited to parks and around the City Hall/Library/Senior Center area, but this effort must be expanded to city easements and natural areas. Duncanville has many beautiful parks, but, in addition to the trash that accumulates there, there are natural areas of the parks that can be better developed to attract more usage; e.g., Harrington Park and Lakeside both have natural areas that, right now, are very ambiguous in what they are meant to be, and the result is, they are not really used; I am currently working with a few residents to develop a quality dog park in one of these natural areas. The parks also need more trail development in general, or more attractive features. I have already mentioned the necessity of progressing the development of city-wide trails. The city of Duncanville also owns several properties that could be made into parks or even nature preserves; for 20 years the city has owned a 40+ acre property that could easily be made into a nature preserve, and no one seems to want to discuss it. I would also be in favor of the city purchasing smaller, unused properties that could be made into small playgrounds/parks for children; e.g., there is a small vacant property that used to be a swim/tennis club that now looks terrible...it would be great to see that turned into something fun and attractive for the community.
I strongly believe that the parks are essential in bringing people together and improving the city; our family has made many friends and met a lot of good people just by spending time out at the parks. Duncanville has an embarrassing amount of litter along streets, in alleys, in natural areas and in/along creeks, and it is getting worse and worse. I have organized one of a few volunteer cleanups, but it is an overwhelming situation, and the city has to get more involved in the cleanup effort; the city's cleanup is more or less limited to parks and around the City Hall/Library/Senior Center area, but this effort must be expanded to city easements and natural areas. Duncanville has many beautiful parks, but, in addition to the trash that accumulates there, there are natural areas of the parks that can be better developed to attract more usage; e.g., Harrington Park and Lakeside both have natural areas that, right now, are very ambiguous in what they are meant to be, and the result is, they are not really used; I am currently working with a few residents to develop a quality dog park in one of these natural areas. The parks also need more trail development in general, or more attractive features. I have already mentioned the necessity of progressing the development of city-wide trails. The city of Duncanville also owns several properties that could be made into parks or even nature preserves; for 20 years the city has owned a 40+ acre property that could easily be made into a nature preserve, and no one seems to want to discuss it. I would also be in favor of the city purchasing smaller, unused properties that could be made into small playgrounds/parks for children; e.g., there is a small vacant property that used to be a swim/tennis club that now looks terrible...it would be great to see that turned into something fun and attractive for the community.
What measures should the government take in promoting racial reconciliation and social justice?
Government officials, elected leaders, all must be very careful to encourage racial reconciliation and social justice in the language they use. Words (or lack thereof) have power, and those who know they have a voice that reaches broad segments of the population have a responsibility for thoughtfully using that voice to bring people together, not to divide. But it is more than just about the language of our elected officials. Elected officials and government leaders need to recognize the racial tension and distrust that divide people, and be active - volunteering, serving, bridging racial divides through activism - in their communities, showing by example how to work for each other instead of against each other. Again, governing bodies should also reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, which means people in the community need to be proactive in getting involved with their government and more people in the community need to serve on boards/commissions, even run for local office. Government promotion of racial reconciliation should not be limited to just publicly recognizing some day or month as dedicated to a particular race or culture; some cities make a special proclamation for hispanic heritage month or black history month, or put up special banners in the city, or even have a single day event, so much of which are just empty gestures...there needs to be year-round activities that promote diversity, reconciliation and justice. I am currently working with the Director of the Recreation Center in Duncanville to put on multiple annual events such as a multicultural fair, music festival, etc.; these kinds of events and activities, large and small, need to be taking place year round to remind our residents to embrace our diversity.
Government officials, elected leaders, all must be very careful to encourage racial reconciliation and social justice in the language they use. Words (or lack thereof) have power, and those who know they have a voice that reaches broad segments of the population have a responsibility for thoughtfully using that voice to bring people together, not to divide. But it is more than just about the language of our elected officials. Elected officials and government leaders need to recognize the racial tension and distrust that divide people, and be active - volunteering, serving, bridging racial divides through activism - in their communities, showing by example how to work for each other instead of against each other. Again, governing bodies should also reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, which means people in the community need to be proactive in getting involved with their government and more people in the community need to serve on boards/commissions, even run for local office. Government promotion of racial reconciliation should not be limited to just publicly recognizing some day or month as dedicated to a particular race or culture; some cities make a special proclamation for hispanic heritage month or black history month, or put up special banners in the city, or even have a single day event, so much of which are just empty gestures...there needs to be year-round activities that promote diversity, reconciliation and justice. I am currently working with the Director of the Recreation Center in Duncanville to put on multiple annual events such as a multicultural fair, music festival, etc.; these kinds of events and activities, large and small, need to be taking place year round to remind our residents to embrace our diversity.
The combination of low interest rates and dramatic economic development has some city leaders promoting more government debt. Would you support aggressive efforts to expand now?
I believe there needs to be more education on the costs/benefits of economic expansion. My area of expertise is not economics and development (we have had plenty of elected officials with that sort of background, and I'm not sure if we need more considering where its gotten us). But I do know what I don't know, and many people, elected officials and residents alike, myself included, need more education on how funding and debt works. Voters in Duncanville approved an over $22M bond for parks and other improvements back in 2018, but most of US had no idea what a bond is or how they work. When taxes increase, most residents don't know why, even when their own action (or inaction) led to the tax increase; all they see is an increase in taxes, and no one likes to see that. Debt is a major problem, the elephant in the room, and the elephant is just getting bigger. There are cases where aggressive economic expansion in the present really causes dramatic economic decline in the long run. For reasons such as these, I believe in taking time to think matters through, giving careful evaluation to any economic proposal, and looking for the natural steps to be taken toward economic progress.
I believe there needs to be more education on the costs/benefits of economic expansion. My area of expertise is not economics and development (we have had plenty of elected officials with that sort of background, and I'm not sure if we need more considering where its gotten us). But I do know what I don't know, and many people, elected officials and residents alike, myself included, need more education on how funding and debt works. Voters in Duncanville approved an over $22M bond for parks and other improvements back in 2018, but most of US had no idea what a bond is or how they work. When taxes increase, most residents don't know why, even when their own action (or inaction) led to the tax increase; all they see is an increase in taxes, and no one likes to see that. Debt is a major problem, the elephant in the room, and the elephant is just getting bigger. There are cases where aggressive economic expansion in the present really causes dramatic economic decline in the long run. For reasons such as these, I believe in taking time to think matters through, giving careful evaluation to any economic proposal, and looking for the natural steps to be taken toward economic progress.
What is Duncanville's greatest challenge and opportunity in the next several years?
Our challenge is restoring trust between City staff/officials and its residents. In talking to residents about various problems and challenges, the underlying concern is that residents don't believe the city and its officials are acting in their best interests; how can we progress if the city and its residents are opposed to one another? Recent crisis such as the pandemic and the freeze created a great opportunity for reviving the community spirit of Duncanville. Many people took personal responsibility for helping neighbors in times of need, and its that kind of togetherness and community engagement that can truly make this a place we are proud to call home.
Our challenge is restoring trust between City staff/officials and its residents. In talking to residents about various problems and challenges, the underlying concern is that residents don't believe the city and its officials are acting in their best interests; how can we progress if the city and its residents are opposed to one another? Recent crisis such as the pandemic and the freeze created a great opportunity for reviving the community spirit of Duncanville. Many people took personal responsibility for helping neighbors in times of need, and its that kind of togetherness and community engagement that can truly make this a place we are proud to call home.