Four women are vying for the District 9 Dallas City Council seat in the upcoming May 4 election. The Advocate sent candidates Erin Moore, Paula Blackmon, Tamara Brown and Sarah Lamb questionnaires to help you get to know them and their policies.
The first in this series of interviews will feature Erin Moore, a 27-year resident of the district. As a neighbor, she helped clean White Rock Lake, advocated for affordable housing, looked for solutions to homelessness and fought for underrepresented populations, according to her website. Visit erinfordallas.com for more information.
Interviews with the remaining candidates will be posted throughout the week.
1. Where do you live?
Old Lake Highlands
2. Bulky trash pickup: yay or nay?
YAY! I think anything we can do to make it easier for residents to dispose of waste, the better.
3. Pet peeve code compliance violation?
Residences that have broken sprinklers or sprinklers on during rain storms.
4. Go-to neighborhood restaurant?
Alfonso’s
5. Most underrated city board or commission?
The Landmark Commission. I think Dallas needs to do a better job of preserving our historic buildings. Our history is often erased in the name of development and progress. The thoughtful, experienced group of residents on this commission are tasked with weighing those two competing forces.
6. Opinion of your predecessor?
Council member (Mark) Clayton led with compassion and an open heart. He brought the City Council office closer to the people and had a renewed focus on the “east side” of the lake that had been ignored or exploited for some time. I am grateful for his service.
7. What does it mean to “dredge” White Rock Lake? Does it need to be dredged?
It means to clear out the silt from the bottom and sides of the lake. Yes, it needs to be done. White Rock Lake has been described as a “liquid landfill,” and the bottom is getting closer to the top. This impacts more than just sailing and other recreational activities. It impacts flood control, shoreline erosion, bacterial growth and animal habitats.
8. What is the council member’s role in 3G going forward?
When elected, I would continue to monitor the project and work with TxDOT to lessen the construction impacts on surrounding businesses and communicate updates to the residents.
9. Why are our streets so hard to drive on? How can they be fixed?
The fastest, cheapest way to repair a road is asphalt, but it is not as durable as concrete. The City has relied on asphalt with a projected 7-10 year lifespan. But with the incredible fluctuations in weather and increased traffic because of population growth, the asphalt does not last that long. We need to invest in permanent road repair with concrete. I would also get our streets on a “continuous improvement” schedule and repairs paid for from the general fund. We should not have to wait for bond programs to repair streets. Lastly, I would encourage more communication and cooperation between Public Works and other City of Dallas utility departments to coordinate projects and not cut up newly repaved roads.
10. Have you ever called 311? What happened?
Yes. 311 has been very responsive to several reported issues. I’ve called for potholes, streetlight outages and dead animal pickup.
11. Biggest waste of city tax dollars?
Vanity projects. Dallas is addicted to matching funds and private donations. When elected, I will refocus tax dollars on basic services like police, fire and infrastructure.
12. Best place the city could spend money but isn’t?
The City should heavily invest in the new Comprehensive Housing Policy and the Office of Homeless Solutions four-part plan. Housing is a basic necessity.
