The Hollywood – Santa Monica Neighborhood Association had a great turn-out at tonight’s candidate forum. Jeremy Gregg was our moderator for the evening, and I and the other candidates responded to questions about code enforcement, public safety, and conservation districts.

The conservation district questions were a good opportunity for me to talk about my involvement in District 14 on a neighborhood level.

When I was first starting the M Streets Conservation District effort, I wanted to know what pitfalls to avoid that other conservation districts had faced in their creation and implementation.

I sought advice from Judith Timmerman, a neighborhood leader in Hollywood – Santa Monica. (Hollywood – Santa Monica was Dallas’ sixth conservation district, achieving protected status in 1993.) Judith graciously took me on a tour of her neighborhood and explained to me the conservation district designation process, and what worked in their CD ordinance and what didn’t.

Once the M Streets Conservation District was established, I wanted to pass on Judith’s favor to other neighborhoods seeking CD status. In the last two and a half years, I’ve helped a dozen Dallas neighborhoods in seeking protected status, offering support, advice, and speaking out on their behalf. Neighbors helping neighbors is the true essence of District 14.

I’d like to thank Judith for her help in establishing the M Streets Conservation District, and the HSMNA officers for putting on a great forum!