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Below are questions for the Branch Herald’s Voters Guide for the May 3 election for Farmers Branch City Council’s contested races.
1. Length of residency in the City of Farmers Branch: 6 years
2. Why do you want to be a Farmers Branch City Councilmember? Motivated by my desire to make a difference in my neighbor’s lives and improve their quality of life, my city involvement sharply increased which led to an interest in running for office. I was successful in my run for City Council D1 in 2022. I’ve worked hard to deliver results for our city, with my District at the forefront of my decision-making, but I am not done. There are still many more important initiatives that I am focused on implementing for my District.
3. How many Farmers Branch City Council meetings have you attended or watched online in the last year? As a sitting City Council Member, I have attended all of them, including special-called meetings and workshops.
4. Outside of regularly scheduled meetings and work sessions, how many hours per month do you think a Farmers Branch Councilmember should commit to the job? 40 hours during light months (November and December) up to 100 hours during heavy months (June, July, August, and September).
5. Have you served on any City of Farmers Branch boards or commissions? If so, which ones? Yes; Historical Preservation and Restoration Board (received Mayor’s Award of Excellence in Leadership).
6. What other civic responsibilities have you undertaken?
7. How has current Farmers Branch City Council leadership influenced your decision to run for city council? N/A
8. Name one specific new project or initiative you would like to see begun during your term. What actions are needed to implement it? Other than the items that I have already requested and have been added to the city’s list of future agenda items, I would like to spearhead the creation of a City Leadership Academy – program designed to inform residents about the different city departments, and how they interact with each other and City Council to service our residents. This deeper understanding of our city’s operations will foster a more unified approach when addressing resident concerns. This also has the potential to better prepare residents to serve on boards and commissions or City Council.
This initiative would initially require the support of our City Council. Thereafter, it would require staff to develop a schedule, solicit applications for participation, and create presentations that showcase their department.
9. What makes you the most qualified candidate in your race – and why? My education, experience, relationships, and successful track record make me the most qualified candidate.
Education: Top graduate from the country’s elite program in Personal Financial Planning. My strong worth ethic and high standards helped me with this prestigious achievement.
Experience: As a Certified Financial Planner™ Practitioner, I’ve worked with families to help manage their personal finances, and I’ve similarly worked on City Council to help manage our budget, which has led to two historical budget cuts (2023-2025 fiscal years) focused on being more efficient and eliminating waste. Serving on City Council for 3 years has allowed me to understand the maneuvering necessary to advance important initiatives and achieve positive outcomes for my constituency; something that you can only learn from direct experience in city leadership roles.
Relationships: I’ve maintained strong relationships with community leaders and constituents in my District to maintain a pulse on my resident’s needs. I’ve worked to build relationships with local, state, and national representatives that I can rely on when our city needs an advocate to address issues that fall outside of our Council’s authority. Examples include support with the Trinity River Authority construction site issue, Shale Mountain, and, most recently, funding for Mercer and Squire Park.
Successful track record: During my time on City Council, I’ve worked tooth and nail to serve my District. I’ve successfully fought and gained significant momentum in passing initiatives that enhance the quality of life in my District. Examples include the Minor Home Repair Program, Squire Park initial funding, re-imagined attainable housing solutions, cleaner and safer neighborhoods, Multicultural Event (Gateway to the Globe), enhanced services for Mercer Crossing residents, interactive project dashboard, and more.
10. What do you think about the demo/rebuild program and the city’s renaissance programs? The demo/rebuild program effectively incentivizes families to demolish old housing stock and construct new homes in its place. Regarding the renaissance program, we are responsibly pivoting by taking a community-first approach that puts resident input at the forefront of future development discussions.
11. What can you, as a Council Member, do to improve the availability of affordable housing in Farmers Branch? We need to continue to allow residents to lead the discussion on affordable housing, since they are the ones that ideally should occupy and will live near these homes. Depending on the area, continued partnership with Builders of Hope is instrumental in assuring any new housing initiatives don’t consequently displace residents in our city.
12. How successful are the city’s current programs to address its aging infrastructure? What would you change? Please elaborate. Our annual budget allocation includes funds to address our aging infrastructure, so we have responsibly addressed the aging infrastructure in small bites over time. Recently, we have approved an audit that will help the Council prioritize street repairs, one that I am a strong advocate for is Bee Street. Additionally, as more information becomes available regarding our responsibilities per the Lead Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) and potential federal funding, we will have to quickly decide how to address our aging pipes that transport our water.
13. What is the single biggest challenge facing our city today? Responsible growth. As the urbanization of Dallas expands into our city, we will continue to experience demands for growth and it is incumbent upon our Council to determine how we will manage the growth. It is important to preserve what makes Farmers Branch special – a small, close-knit community with top notch city services – while also capitalizing on growth opportunities.
14. What are Farmers Branch’s most valuable amenities or benefits that you will work to maintain or expand? Our city’s tagline is “City in a Park” and with that comes the responsibility of ensuring that our parks are among the best in the metroplex. Recently, during the Strategic Retreat, we discussed whether we still want to be known as the “City in a Park,” and we unanimously reaffirmed that tagline. Therefore, I would like to ensure that Mercer and Squire Park, located in or on the border of District 1, are built/rebuilt in a manner consistent with our reputation of being the “City in a Park.”
