I asked residents for the primary issues they would like our city government to focus on. The figures below represent the percentage of attendees who believed a particular issue to be a top five priority:

1.	89%	Crime	Reduce crime; hire more police; put more officers in neighborhoods
2.	63%	Economic Development	Bring more businesses to Dallas; be more business-friendly; improve Downtown
3.	49%	Code Enforcement	Be more responsive; enforce codes; follow up
4.	41%	Neighborhood Quality of Life	Improve and expand park and recreation facilities, trails, and greenspace; create compatible residential development; encourage trees and pedestrian streetscapes; support libraries and arts facilities
5.	37%	City Council, Get Along	Cooperate more; don’t talk too much at meetings; get on the same page; don’t have “fiefdom” mentality
6.	32%	Environment	Improve air quality; encourage environmental construction; promote recycling and reuse
7.	31%	Homeless	Get homeless off streets; reduce panhandling
8.	23%	Property Taxes	Valuations are too high; reduce taxes
9.	22%	Strategic Plan	Create a long-term plan/vision for city
10.	21%	Mass Transit	Make more convenient; encourage use; create connections to major hubs of activity (libraries, cultural facilities, airport, sports venues)

While some of these results are not surprising (crime and code enforcement, for example), two stand out. First, 37% of residents believed that a top priority is for the “City Council to Get Along.” Residents expressed a real frustration with the City Council for (in their words) spending too much time fighting and not enough time working together to improve our city. Although I have learned that such infighting is not the reality at City Council, it is, sadly, the perception, and the Council must figure out ways to address this.

The second topic of particular interest is residents’ desire for the Council to have a long-term vision for our city in the form of a “Strategic Plan.” I am hopeful that the City Manager’s Action Plan and Budgeting for Outcomes approach will provide a good first step toward developing a larger vision for our city that our residents will embrace. In another blog, I will address how our strategic planning session went today.

Both of these priorities are significant because they can be addressed, in part, by the same solution: more frequent meetings among the Mayor, Councilmembers, and the Manager to discuss long-term issues. Our regular Council meetings and committee meetings do not offer us the time or forum to address more general concerns. While an annual retreat is a great opportunity to discuss long-range plans, more frequent meetings could ensure we stay “on the same page,” reduce the perception of infighting, and give us time to develop and monitor a strategic plan for our City.

I’ve also got each listening session’s top five priorities that I will post this weekend.

There are a number of City issues that need to be addressed to support the creation of the Triangle, so I’ll be working with the OLC to get this project completed. It’s going to be a great entryway to Oak Lawn.

At the meeting this afternoon, I and several other District 14 candidates spoke to Northern Hills residents about our stances on various issues. After the candidates spoke, I stayed after to listen to residents’ concerns about crime, recycling, and street maintenance.

Northern Hills has a Crime Watch and an Expanded Neighborhood Patrol paid for by residents. Unfortunately, only half the residents participate and pay for the additional off-duty police patrols. If more residents do not join the Crime Watch soon, the ENP will end this month. Northern Hills’ exceptionally low crime rate is due in large part to the ENP, and I am hopeful that more residents will participate.

Tonight I went to the preview party at the restored Major Theater. We enjoyed good food, live music, and an auction to benefit J. L. Long Middle School.

Despite a few dark clouds, the weather held out. Folks enjoyed old-time banjo music, food from Whole Foods, and tasty gelato served by the Paciugos themselves.

The Dallas Police Department closed off the street in front of the house hosting the event, and kids of all ages enjoyed riding their bikes up and down the traffic-free street.

This neighborhood is a good example of a stable mix of different housing stock: apartments, single-family homes, and duplexes. The diverse mix of housing leads to a diverse mix of neighbors – one of the things I like best about district 14.

My neighborhood, the M Streets, has participated in the program for the last three years, and has planted over 100 shade trees on neighborhood parkways.

Often, we overlook the good our city does for its residents — and this program definitely qualifies as a good one. The city provides young, healthy trees for free to neighborhoods for use in public spaces like parkways. The neighborhood must commit to watering and taking care of the trees for two years. That’s a small price to pay for all the benefits that shade trees bring to our community: cooler temperatures in the summer, cleaner air due to natural recycling of CO2, and a natural habitat for birds and squirrels. Trees on parkways even contribute to slower traffic on neighborhood streets!

Visit the City of Dallas’ website for more information on the City of Dallas Reforestation Program.

http://www.ci.dallas.tx.us/planning/arborist/reforest.htm

The City of Dallas’ neighborhood liaison from the Code Enforcement Department came to the meeting, and answered questions about garage sales, commercial signage in residential yards, and bulk trash.

As I’ve attended neighborhood association and crime watch meetings throughout Dallas, I have been impressed to often see Chief Kunkle there as well. He is truly committed to improving our city, and getting to understand our problems on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood level.