ACHIEVEMENTS
Most of the focus has been directed towards cleaning up the community and improving the quality of life in District Four. I have concentrated on those issues which you have deemed most important. Those issues include:
Blight: Pushed for the Neighborhood Code Program to be implemented in BonTon/Turner Courts, Cedar Oaks, Cedar Crest Village, and Fordham Rd areas. This effort included Dallas Police, Code Compliance, Animal Services, the Dallas City Attorney’s Office, and Environmental Health Services.
The illegal truck parking lot on Rockport near Glen Oaks and the Big T bazaar has been ordered closed, and the owners are appealing in court.
Corinth Street Bridge Lighting: Working with councilwoman Pauline Medrano, we were able to repair and light the Corinth Street Bridge. For the first time in years, residents will be able to safely travel the bridge at nighttime.
Code compliance: The code department has been restructured so code officers can spend more time in neighborhoods.
Crime: Numerous drug houses have been closed and demolished. With the opening of DPD’s South Central Division, more officers are now available in a smaller area and response times have been reduced.
DART Police will be relocating its headquarters to the Monroe Shops at the DART Illinois station. This will allow an increased police presence on our rail lines.
I pushed to block vacant cul-de-sacs in Joppa and Oak Cliff, which were being used for prostitution and drug deals.
A new safety plan was implemented at Big T Bazaar, which involved the owners purchasing a police tower to monitor the parking lots.
Dangerous Animals: Many of you know that I have spearheaded a concentration on stray dogs, and have traveled with Animal Control on predawn stray dog sweeps. Last December the City started its Southern Dallas Loose Dog Initiative, which focused on picking up stray dogs and educating residents.
Motels: I have led the effort to close multiple crime-ridden motels, which are crime magnets and have held Dallas communities hostage for decades and hindered development opportunities in those areas. Two motels located in District Four will have city hearings in the next few months.
Focus on Transit-Oriented Development: The Council approved the creation of a Transit Oriented Development TIF District. It provides important development incentives within the Lancaster-Kiest Corridor, and is a cornerstone of my Lancaster Road Initiative.
A major mixed-use development is coming to District Four. It will include senior living, retail, and high-quality townhome units. The first phase is expected to be completed in early 2010.
In addition, the new Save-A-Lot supermarket is now open! It is be located at the corner of Lancaster and Elmore in the Crest Shopping Center. This supermarket space includes the old Crest Theater, which stood in disrepair for years. The mall is also being completely renovated and paved.
A mixed-use development has been approved in Pleasant Grove, across from the future DART Lake June Station. It will consist of retail and for-sale townhomes.
Youth: Thousands of Dallas teens have traveled to City Hall for seminars and workshops on various topics at my monthly Community Teen Summits. Multiple teen summits have also taken place outside of City Hall, including one which involved taking 200 kids to Houston and Galveston to visit the NASA Space Center, Moody Gardens, and Texas Southern University.
Copper Theft: The metal theft ordinance has been strengthened, which has made it much more difficult for thieves to get cash for stolen copper and other metals.
By working in concert with our Mayor, we have been able to approve projects and ordinances that are crucial to the improvement of this city. They include:
The Trinity River Project: I led the effort in southern Dallas to continue to move the Trinity River Project forward. As you know, this project will reduce traffic congestion, flood protection for area businesses, improve air quality, economic development, and generate park and recreation amenities.
The Convenience Store Crime Ordinance: The ordinance requires stores to be more visible from the outside and allows police to enforce loitering laws outside of stores. From 2004-2007, there were an average of 6,300 police calls from convenience stores; this ordinance will prevent crime at these venues and free up officers to work with citizens and reduce blight. In our district, I have been proactive with many store owners and they have voluntarily removed unnecessary signs from the windows of their stores.
Uninsured Drivers: Drivers that are stopped or involved in an accident must provide proof of insurance or be listed in the state’s database of insured drivers or risk being towed. Too often, our residents have been left with the financial burden when hit by an uninsured driver.
Multi-Family Crime Initiative: Owners of crime-plagued apartment complexes will be required to have increased security, lighting and monitoring or risk lawsuits and closure of the property.
Safe Route to School Programs: At John Hood Middle School in Piedmont and John Ireland Elementary School in Pleasant Grove, this program will include design and construction of new sidewalks, ramps, traffic signs, and crosswalk markings.
Quiet Zones: The process is moving forward to have train quiet zones at railroad crossings at Jim Miller, Urban, and Buckner Boulevard.
Single Cigar Sales to Youth: In the near future, convenience stores will no longer be allowed to sell single cigars which are often used as drug paraphernalia.
In no time in recent memory have north and southern Dallas worked together in this fashion. I need your help to keep that momentum going. To support my campaign, please mail your contribution to the address above.
I appreciate your support, and look forward to continuing to serve you in the near future. Let’s continue to work together and transform District Four a block at a time!
