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Last weekend I went to Budapest. A group of about ten of us took the train from Vienna. That was a bit of a comedy, actually. We were standing on the correct platform, at the correct time, a train pulled up that said "Budapest," we found the car with the correct number (we had reserved seats), we got on, and the train started rolling... the wrong way. Turned out the train had just arrived from Budapest, going to Munich. The train going to Budapest would arrive just a few minutes later, on the same platform. Does that seem like a bad idea to anybody else? So we missed our train, and got on the next one, an hour and a half or so later. Not the end of the world.
But then, while sitting at the platform at some little town in Hungary... nothing happened. What should have happened was that we should have pulled away from the station, traveling onward. But instead, nothing happened. For the next hour and a half or so. Turned out some computer somewhere (want to bet it was running Windows?) had crashed, and that computer was responsible for the routing of trains in Hungary, and so no train was running, anywhere in Hungary perhaps, for fear of a collision. And there we sat, until, presumably, the guy who knew how to reboot that computer had gotten in to the office and done his magic, and everything started working again.
So we finally rolled into Budapest quite a bit later than we had intended, and I pretty much just went to sleep. Woke up the next morning at 5:30 AM to the garbage trucks outside. Showered, mustered my forces, and was out the door by about 6:15 with Hayley, the other early riser of the group. Our first stop was Market Halle, a big market near our hostel, at the eastern edge of Szabadsag hid, one of the bridges over the river (the Danube, once again) that flows through the center of Budapest. I think the market must have once been a train station or some such:
A huge, long hall, with a very high roof, lots of ironwork, and so forth. A typical stall in the market:
There were stalls selling fruits and vegetables, bread, cheese, meats and sausages, wine and liquor, and so forth. I gather that upstairs stalls sold tourist trinkets, but they weren't open yet, since it was not yet 7 AM. I got some bread, cheese, and sausage for breakfast, and ate it on the hoof so we could keep moving along. Here's the outside of the market; these photos are actually from the following day, but never mind:
The roof is a multicolored patchwork of tiles; this is a style seen in Austria occasionally (notably on the roof of Stephansdom), but it seems much more popular in Budapest, and is more colorful as well. It's a lovely effect; it reminds me of colorful snakeskin.
Moving on, we loitered around the bridge, but didn't actually cross it; here are some views from it:
The church that sort of blends in with the cliff behind it is in fact carved out of the cliff, I think. Rather nifty, but up close (day two), depressingly unmaintained and dingy; graffiti, construction materials strewn about, broken windows, litter. Budapest is a work in progress. Everywhere you go it is under construction, being upgraded and overhauled and rebuilt. At present, it has the feel of a poorer cousin to Prague: you can feel the history and the beauty of the place, but it is covered by a layer of grime and Soviet-era repression that it has not entirely escaped. But at the pace that they seem to be rebuilding, that may soon be just a memory.
The monument in the last photo is in the citadel, south of the castle; we got there on day two, so more on that later. Moving on, we started a walking tour of the Belvaros neighborhood, in the vicinity of our hostel. Without going into details, here's some nice architecture we saw:
Well, just a bit of detail. The yellow church is a Serbian church from the 17th century, built by Serbs fleeing the Turks. Everywhere you go in Budapest there are reminders of what an annoyance the Turks have been to them through their history; invasions and conquests and looting and general mayhem. The Turks are not immensely popular in Budapest.
One remarkable building we stumbled upon was not mentioned in our guidebook, and just housed little shops and such, but was incredibly beautiful. Here are a few photos from inside it, starting with a view through its glass roof:
It's so weird to an American to discover these incredible old buildings in Europe that are just being used for tourist shops, or as apartments, or what have you. More walking tour:
Hayley likes fountains, so she is pictured here at two different ones. The first has that big wheel onit, and water only comes out when you spin the wheel. I think that blue facade might be the most over-the-top exterior we saw in Budapest, although it had good competition.
We were now at the next bridge north, Erzsebet hid:
That's some views from the bridge and the far shore, including (photo 2) the royal palace complex, where we were heading, (photo 3) the museums in the palace complex, and (photo 4) a view back across the Danube at Budapest's Parliament, a simply astounding building that we got closer to on day two.
Walking northward along the Danube, we passed a lovely church with a particularly splendid tiled roof:
Soon we got to the start of the Castle Hill walking tour in my guidebook (Lonely Planet again). We started at the Vienna Gate, the medieval gate into the palace complex. It was rebuilt in 1936 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of when they kicked the Turks out for the last time:
On the other side of the gate is the National Archives, with another great tiled roof:
We walked through small cobblestone streets:
Love that porcupine sign. We arrived at Fishermen's Bastion, a rather Disneyesque overlook point built in 1905:
It was overrun by tourists, and it was a hazy day so the view wasn't very clear:
(Well, that photo isn't actually from the bastion, but never mind). Nearby sat Matthias Church, which was great:
By the way, for those who like to expand their vocabulary with useless words, the pottery style of those roof tiles is called "maiolica," and is originally Italian.
Some equestrian statues:
The first is St. Stephen, the second, a Hussar field marshal in the wars against the Turks (see how that keeps coming up over and over?). If you click for a closeup of the good field marshal's horse, you may note that the horse's testicles are polished to a brilliant shine; students rub them for good luck before exams. Ah, tradition.
Now we were at the southern end of the palace complex, where there is a statue of the Turul. This is a mythological, eagle-like totem of the ancient Magyars; you can read more about it at the link, to Wikipedia, if you care to. There was also a fountain, and so we have another photo with Hayley:
We now descended the hill, but not by the funicular:
Just by the footpaths that wound down. We had a plan for the rest of the day: to meet the group at Szechenyi Baths, way on the other side of the city in City Park. So we took the metro (which was immensely cute, with tiny little cars that played a happy melody each time it arrived at a stop) over there, and had lunch at a restaurant called Bagolyvar. They had a musician playing a relative of the hammered dulcimer, an instrument I used to play, so that was fun. The food was good, and tasted even better because I was really rather exhausted by this point:
I had the chicken paprikash, which was a lot like it has been at restaurants in the U.S. I was expecting it to be different in Hungray: more paprika, or hotter paprika, or something different about the paprika somehow. But it seemed about the same. In general, they do seem to put paprika in just about everything, but they don't use hot paprika as much as I expected them to. Hayley had a sort of meat-wrapped-in-bacon-and-cheese dish that was yummy as well, but I was happy with my choice despite the lack of surprise; it was really quite tasty.
And then on to the baths; but perhaps that deserves an entry of its own!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Budapest: Day 1
Posted by Ben Haller at 2:31 PM
1 comment:
- AnonymousJuly 23, 2010 at 2:53 PM
I want the Paprika chicken! Nothing to eat at home... I have only beer and condiments in the fridge...ReplyDelete
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
R Neil Ferguson
Candidate for Lewisville City Council - Place 2. View race.
Voting for this election ended June 16, 2018. Voter data is deleted after every election, according to our voter data policy.
Age: 68
City/Town: Lewisville
Address: 1097 Holly Lane
Phone: Answer not available
Fax: Answer not available
Email: email@example.com
Website: ElectFerguson.com
Social media: Facebook
Occupation/main source of income:
Self-Employed Consultant and Private Mortgage Note and Real Estate Investor.
Education (include all degrees):
Bachelor's Degree; graduate level courses in Computer Science; post-graduate in computer technology; undergraduate Real Estate courses including Real Estate Law and Contracts; countless training classes in management, accounting, legal topics, non-profit organization, contract language and negotiation, EEOC, mapping/cartography, market research methodology, geographic information systems (GIS), graphic design, branding, conflict resolution, and many other topics.
Highlights of current civic involvement/accomplishment:
• Current City Council Member: Place 2 (Incumbent)
• Current Chair: Crime Control and Prevention District Board - Place No. 3
• Current Chair: Fire Control, Prevention and Emergency Medical Services District Board - Place No. 3
• Current Member: Lewisville Local Government Corporation - Place No. 1
• Current Member: Lewisville Parks and Library Development Board - Place No. 4
• Board of Directors and City Council Representative: Lewisville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Co-Chair: Lewisville Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Gala (2018)
• Current Chair: Lewisville Area Chamber of Commerce Large Business Retention Committee
• Regular Attendee and City Representative: Greater Lewisville Association of REALTORS® - Governmental Affairs Committee
• Regular Attendee and City Council Representative: Main & Mill Association Monthly Meeting
• Current Vice-Chair, Immediate Past Chair, and Long-Time Member: Greater Lewisville Arts Alliance Board of Directors
• Current Board of Directors, Past Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary : Lewisville Lake Symphony Board of Directors
Highlights of past civic involvement/accomplishment:
• President and Grassroots Community Organizer: Lewisville Neighbors for Responsible Urban Drilling
• Chair, Past Grant Reviewer: Lewisville HOT Fund Grant Review Committee
• Organizer & Ambassador: Daniel Pearl World Music Days Event in Lewisville
• Past Chair: MCL Grand Theater's 88 Keys Fundraising Committee
• Graduate: Citizen's Police Academy
• Graduate: Citizen's Fire Academy
• Member: Medical City of Lewisville Grand Theater Design Advisory Committee
• Lewisville City Council Member: Bi-Annual Washington D.C. "Fly-In" to Meet w/U.S. Senate, HR and Federal Departments (2014, 2016)
• Annual Attendee: Texas Municipal League Conference (2012-Present)
• Voting Delegate: Texas Municipal League Conference (2015, 2017)
• Annual Attendee: National League of Cities Congress of Cities (2013-Present)
• Panel Speaker: National League of Cities Congress of Cities (2016)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Quarterly DFW Area Landfill Meetings (2013-Present)
• Annual Attendee: North Texas Commission Water Summit (2013-2014)
• Annual Attendee: Brown & Hofmeister "Hot Topics for Texas Cities" Conference on Municipal Law (2012-Present)
• Annual Attendee: Annual Area State of the Cities Event (2013-Present)
• City of Lewisville Presenter: Annual Area State of the Cities Event (2016)
• Presenter, Lifetime Achievement Award, Love for Kids (2017)
• Multiple Testimony Representing the City of Lewisville: Texas State House Committee on Environmental Regulations Helping Achieve New Legislation Asserting The City of Lewisville's Regulatory Authority Over the Camelot Landfill Expansion (2013-2015)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: VietTV Anniversary Celebration (2104)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Barton Springs Watershed and Aquifer Tour and Lectures (2014)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sustainability Tour and Lectures (2014)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Lewisville Police Department's Annual Awards Ceremony (2012-Present)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Lewisville Fire Department's Annual Awards Dinner (2013-Present)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Lewisville Staff Awards Ceremony (2012-Present)
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Lewisville Police & Fire Annual Battle of the Badge Tournament (2013-Present)
• Lewisville City Council Representative and Opening Ceremonies Speaker: Lewisville Fire Department's Annual "Keeping Tradition Alive" (KTA) City Hall Event (2013-2017)
• Festival Initiator: "Chalk This Way" Annual Arts Festival (2013-Present)
• Master of Ceremonies: Multiple MCL Grand Concert Events For Many Years Including Texas Tunes series and Lewisville Lake Symphony Concerts
• Lewisville City Council Representative: Multiple Area Business Groundbreaking Events (2013-Present)
Previous public offices sought or held:
• Mayor Pro Tem
• Deputy Mayor Pro Tem
• Commissioner: City of Lewisville Planning and Zoning Commission
• Member: City of Lewisville Transportation Board
• Member: City of Lewisville Capital Improvements Advisory Committee
• Member: City of Lewisville Brownfields Advisory Committee
• Stakeholder Group Citizen Member: Lewisville Oil & Gas Ordinance Committee
How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
Current campaign funds are all left over from previous elections, rolled forward through more than six previous years. The balance at the time of this questionnaire was less than $2500 factoring in unpaid annual website renewal. Otherwise, I have not spent any money as yet on my campaign this year, but I do anticipate there will be both expenses and new donation(s) shortly.
Who are your top three contributors?
All funds currently in my campaign account are blended from three previous elections, ranging from three to six years ago, with money being used along the way on different campaigns. It is not really possible to say which dollars or what percent thereof today came from which prior donor at this point. However, my largest donations historically has been the the results of the 1600-member Greater Lewisville Association of REALTORS® consistently choosing me as their candidate for endorsement across all of my council place elections. That has included a donation via the Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee in Austin, Texas.
I received confirmation this month that I will be receiving the GLAR/Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee endorsement for this 2018 election. However, the notification did not indicate the dollar amount, and I may not know that until April. If received, it mostly likely will be the largest single donation for this election.
For the same reason, I neither seek nor use any other endorsements beyond the REALTORS®, individual or otherwise, choosing to instead stand on this single endorsement, combined with my long record of accomplishments, and my history of transparent and unquestionable ethical conduct.
Have you ever been arrested on any misdemeanor or felony charge or otherwise involved in any criminal proceedings? If so, please explain and include the outcome of the case:
No. None. No arrests of any kind. Additionally, I successfully passed an FBI Extended Background Investigation (FBI-EBI) and was granted Top Secret and above, including Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and Special Access Programs (SAP) clearances used in previous work.
Have you ever been involved in any civil lawsuits or declared personal or professional bankruptcy? If so, please explain and include the outcome of the lawsuit or bankruptcy filing.
No. None. No bankruptcies in my personal life or any business I have owned or now own at any time in my life.
What is an example of how you led a team or group toward achieving an important goal?
I am perhaps most originally and memorably known locally for the fight to keep gas drilling away from established Lewisville neighborhoods and parks mentioned above. The story is one of careful grassroots organization, working under pressure, and creating ownership among the citizens who would help carry the fight – all in a remarkably short period of time. In some ways, the story begins much earlier by meeting with neighbors and organizing the other grassroots fight mentioned above. So the drilling fight was not my first grassroots round.
With experience gained working in oil and gas, I knew that drilling could be done successfully from pad sites in warehouse areas south of SH-3040. Despite a foolish failed attempt to label me as "anti-drilling" and scare leaseholders out of support, I had conceived a plan where drillers could drill, mineral rights holders would receive royalties, and, most importantly, the quality of existing neighborhoods would not be harmed. It was literally a win-win-win. With the indispensable help of the communities I helped organize and lead, we literally changed the course of gas drilling in Lewisville for the better – yet another win.
Drilling would now impact another neighborhood, Fox Creek (not part of the Pasquinelli fight). They were truly caught unprepared and completely unorganized. I began talking with a few interested residents. And this permit would come before council first, potentially intended to put our well-established organization of which I was President (Lewisville Neighbors for Responsible Urban Drilling, aka LNRUD) in the back seat.
After recognizing a sudden shift in strategy was now essential, and that the outcome for our group rested on forbidding this new first permit, I convinced LNRUD we should partner with Fox Creek, and I told them I would now be focusing there. It took some convincing, but LNRUD members realized why Fox Creek's outcome could now rested on Fox Creek's success. Meanwhile, LNRUD would continue to work on a signed petition of objection to both permit(s).
In a short two weeks, I first explained what they faced, and urgency and effort it would take to fight it. A group of dedicated neighbors, who mostly did not know each other before, now began meeting nightly We would exchange 100's of phone calls and emails as I led them to create a plan of attack together, which meant OWNERSHIP. I helped them identify all important topics: proving misrepresentation of drill site location when signing leases, property value impacts, neighborhood downturn, potential health impacts, environmental impacts, and so on. Key members that all felt would make good presenters were assigned one topic. Others would notify nearby residents, and encourage them to attend the decision meeting at City Hall.
I would be the "closer", speaking last, recapping all prior points, then making a more important final argument to "say no to this permit". All presenters would be scripted and honed to five minutes (per City Council speaker limits). The last two nights before, every presenter would give their entire presentation, including exhibits. The group would critique each, make important changes, and then see it again until all agreed we had a well-oiled machine.
With hard work and careful organization, we drew the single largest turnout for a City Council meeting before or since, estimated at well over 400 citizens. Titan ended up withdrawing both permit requests. Titan subsequently requested and permitted to drill south of FM3040, joined by other well sites in that area. Ultimately, the drillers drilled, leaseholders were paid, and neighborhoods were not harmed. The win-win-win plan work in every aspect.
IN SUMMARY: Anyone you talk that has worked with me will tell you this: I listen first. You will see that in action at City Council workshops and meetings. When working as a board chair, I will guide the discussion to see that ever participant is heard, and no one feels excluded or chastised for their ideas. I rarely put my ideas out initially, preferring to let the group operate openly without using some sort of bully pulpit from me. That is a fundamental of Robert's Rules of Order for conducting an open and productive meeting.
I may then weigh in if I feel no one has considered something I think important, and continue the discussion. When I feel everyone who has an idea or opinion has been heard, I move forward to a rational consensus and action plan that the group also believes is correct, and most importantly, feel they have ownership. Without ownership, even the best plan is just writing. Ownership creates the commitment that makes things happen. That is also a cornerstone of the 2025 Plan.
Why are you running for this office, and why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I am very proud of the many valuable accomplishments achieved during my time so far on City Council. There are things I have been part of creating that are now in motion that I would like complete. I would add that I have never been involved in any scandals either before or as a Councilman in any aspect of my life. I would also note our police and fire departments have performed most commendably in the public eye, and as a city, we have weathered economic cycles without the large layoffs or service cut-backs seen in neighboring cities, all due to good stewardship, combined with intelligent and conservative budgeting.
Here are a few highlights of accomplishments for Lewisville I personally launched:
• Initiated the Creation of the City's On-Line Performance Dashboard - A Customizable Snapshot of City Operations Combined With a Drill-Down Capability to See Every Action Behind It
• Moved Gas Drilling Away From Established Neighborhoods
• Lead Efforts to Create State Legislation to Confirm Lewisville's Authority over Landfill Expansion Permits
• First Identified Significant Construction Error Between Actual Build and Approved Design Drawings on Fox Avenue Bridge
• Pushed for and Obtained via City Engineer Modifications to Fox Bridge to Rectify Construction Error
• Brought Chalk This Way Family Festival to Start a Spring Arts Festival in Lewisville, Which Evolved Into Colorpalooza
• Promoted Better Financial Arrangement to Bring and Expand Best Little Brewfest in Texas Festival to Lewisville
• Initiated Policy That Now Considers Concrete Before Asphalt for All Street Improvements to Save Money Over Time And Improve Appearance (Potential Value Over Time: $Millions)
• Revised Policy Placing Responsibility on Commercial Property Owners who Pave Over City Easements to Restore Private Damage if City Damages During Underground Structure Upgrades or Repairs (Removed Burden From Homeowner Taxpayers - Potential Value Over Time: $Millions)
...and here are some examples of smaller improvements to our city that I also originated:
• Modified Walk Lights Around Ferguson Plaza Area Precede Traffic Green Light to Increase Pedestrian Visibility to Drivers
• Addition of Handrails, Contrasting Step Edges with Traction Grit Plus Illuminated Steps at MCL Grand for Improved Visitor Safety
• Addition of Four Way Stop to Old Town Intersection Where Cross Traffic Visibility Was Poor
• Improved Signal Light Timing At Multiple Intersections
• Preservation of Architecturally Significant Components Prior to City Demolition of Two Houses
• Authored Ordinance to Expand Role of Arts Advisory Committee Leading to New Public Arts Initiative
• Creation of Changing Table for Babies Inside Bathroom at City Hall with Access for All Parents (Unisex)
This is a partial list. There is plenty more things I have initiated on my own to make Lewisville better for every resident and visitor. I picked items to list to show the broad range of initiatives I have created. Some save very significant sums of money, while other provide greater safety. Still others first identified and then got modifications to important design changes in a major I-35 overpass rebuild, while another created state legislation to control landfill expansion at Camelot.
Other intiatives I have created brought new and unique festivals, and launched public art. If you sense anything here, it is that I have no shortage of vision, ideas, and they range from the financial side to the artistic side. In short, I believe I bring a wide array of very valuable skills to Lewisville in my position on City Council.
City Council is essentially a board of directors job. In less than seven years, I have watched activities become increasingly complex with new technologies, and also with new state and federal laws. At this point, I do not believe our city has had more of these projects in motion at one time, plus many completed just in the past two years, than ever in its prior history. the driver is the 2025 plan, combined with the largest and most complex successful bond package election in the city's history.
I am certain that if I were to walk away for just six months, it would take me another six months to get fully up to speed again. And a career centered about skills that are largely central to the city's business place me in a unique position to direct the enormous variety of topics dealt with today. Those skills include knowledge of real estate, legal, retail site selection, geographic information systems, servers, desktops, operating systems, websites, networks, security, gas drilling, landfills, the full spectrum of the arts, large workforce management issues, very large budgets, reading construction and engineering plans, in depth understanding of maps and aerial images, information platforms and databases, imaging technology, graphic arts, product (and city) branding, and the list goes on. I provide the kinds of knowledge and resources that make combine to create a decisions maker, logistics planner, problem solver, and idea creator. And I have a solid record of following through.
In over every year to date on council, I have missed one single official meeting. And every single one of those meetings has provided at least one essential piece to understanding the enormous number of activities both the council and city staff are knee-deep in today. It is no different than any job, from pilot to plumber: you need someone who has been continuously gaining information from performing the very duty you now want them to perform again by electing them. When an elected official has failed to perform, failed to add anything, failed to be there, failed to be completely open, failed to be willing to educate, failed to solve problems, or fail ethically should you say it is time for them to go. But if they have never failed to do these things, as the saying goes, why argue with success?
You may hear an opponent say, "Vote for me - I have new ideas!" I will give you two thoughts on that. The first is, if you have something you believe the city needs, or needs to do, or do better, or do differently, talk to me or email me. I am open to exploring it with you. If it is good, legal, and can be funded and done, let's do it. I will champion it for you, but it will be known that it was your initiative. I don't take credit for other's work. So if anyone does have new ideas, being on city council is not the only way to get something done. I can vouch for that firsthand, including bringing the largest ever turnout for a city council agenda item before I was on city council. If you are passionate about something, you have all you need to make it happen.
The second thing I would tell you is, ask yourself: the longer you have done the work you do, or participated in a sport or a hobby, did you find you had less and less new ideas on how to do or improve things, or did you find you had more? I have more channels of information for ideas and solutions now than I did a year ago, and more than the year before that. Each year I have been at city council meetings (over eight -- I began going almost two years before I was elected) multiplied the resources I learn from. That highest level of productivity comes from seeing more and newer connections of information built over time and direct contact that result in the best solutions. These come from being at the heart of it all. Not even a regular spectator keeping current can build that understanding, although it is perhaps the most important first step.
Overall, I have had and will continue to have a set of fundamentals that became my core platform and commitment. I believe in every one, because I believe they consider our city's every need and aspirations for the future as a united community:
• I will represent the needs of all Lewisville citizens:
◦ By listening to the full range of all of our resident population
◦ By acting to respect the combined needs that best benefit our city as a community.
• I will serve as a wise steward of taxpayer money and a committed proponent of transparency in government:
◦ By ensuring that public funds are allocated judiciously while the needs of citizens are exceeded.
◦ By making best use of bond funding and/or cash payment when and where each makes best financial sense.
◦ By identifying opportunities to reduce costs and improve services.
◦ By honoring ethical transparency in my own actions and the actions of our City Government.
• I will focus on improving the quality of life and growth in Lewisville:
◦ By protecting, revitalizing, and promoting the intelligent growth of desirable neighborhoods and housing opportunities.
◦ By maintaining reliable infrastructure (roads, sewer, water).
◦ By carefully preserving and managing our remarkable green space environments, trails, and park land for recreational and educational use.
◦ By carefully protecting vital healthy drinking water resources now and for future generations.
◦ By providing exceptional fire and police protection for the safety and security of all residents and businesses.
◦ By supporting productive economic development and sustainable expansion of our commercial and retail business base for job opportunities at all levels, ensuring an expanding property tax base.
◦ By promoting desirable retail shopping opportunities to further grow our sales tax base.
◦ By cultivating a distinct and recognizable positive city image, expanding awareness of the remarkable assets and culture we have.
All of the decisions I make for our city ultimately rest on these fundamental commitments. As for choosing me over my opponent, I have watched the pace, complexity and technology of city services and programs accelerate rapidly just in the six plus years I have been on council. Look at technology alone: smart phones, tablets, internet of things, maker's space, social media, real time dashboard, electronic billboards, wireless technology, facial recognition, adaptive websites, and thousands more changes have either come into play or seen tremendous change during that time. This is not the City Council job it was even three years ago.
My careers have all centered around technology, mapping, computer systems and networks, geographic information systems, residential and commercial real estate, commercial construction project systems, retail business site selection and planning, market research, management of large budgets and large departmental organizations, trusted handling of information, and even knowledge of oil and gas. These read like the job description items you would list when posting a hiring for a City Council position.
Ultimately, that is exactly what voters are doing: interviewing candidates to fill a job, and looking for who has the best set of skills to do it. That includes history of performance, and includes history of transparency and an perfect record of honesty and integrity. Add to that, someone that not only says they have the time to do this job, but has proven they will go above and beyond without even being asked. I was very busy with civic issues well before I ran for city council, creating a long track record of being there when I saw a need.
Again, in over six years of over 100 officially called city meetings, I have missed just one in my first six months, when my daugher had a very bad accident near Hamilton, TX. Beyond that, I have never recuse myself from a single council vote due to a business conflict of interest -- all because I believe if voters chose someone to represent them at every opportunity. Voters expect you to be there, to do the deeper research, ask tough questions, suggest new initiatives, discover important problems, and more than anything, vote on items no matter what. Because each vote on all items is effective the hand of every single citizen, whether they voted for me or not, trusting that I will be there and will always represent their best needs.
During that time, I have attended over 1000 events either as part of City Council, or some civic purpose: Chamber of Commerce, various arts and social services meetings, business openings, community meetings, and more. In 2017, just inside the City of Lewisville, I logged over 2000 personal car miles to be places related to civic concerns. City Council is just an extension of what I consider to be my efforts to make a better community every day. I give you these measures not for some pat on the back, but an idea of how much I put into the whole needs of our city.
Length of residency in your city or town and, if applicable, in your council district:
Over 28 years and counting, joined by with my wife of 40+ years, Jean, our three schnauzers and one rescue dog. I am the product of six generations of North Texas residents, who's ancestors founded the Cities of Dallas and Mesquite. At the same time, I have combined my deep native roots with diverse perspectives gained from domestic and global travel, living, and organizational management experience. I believe my deep roots are important, but I also believe every citizen in this city and their needs and ideas are just as important, whether you have been here a day or a lifetime. We are all Lewisville, and while our family histories are a matter of personal pride, no matter where we come from, we all share an equal stake in the future of our city, an equal role in deciding what that will be, and that gives us all an equal vote in those decisions.
What current or former city or town council member do you most admire and why?
I could say there are several, each for different reasons starting with Mayor Wayne Ferguson for the huge and lasting advances he created in this city, Mayor Bobbi Mitchell for her fearlessness and breaking through more than one barrier, and Mayor Gene Carey for his friendship, down-to-earth persona, and his personal encouragement towards me to become and continue as a City Council Member. I would include Mayor Dean Ueckert for his personal concern for others, and his leadership. I thank R.L and Brenda Crawford, for their community involvement, and their personal encouragement. And I thank Charles and Elaine Emory, for their support and friendship. But there are many more I respect and admire. Having said that, anyone that knew me prior to my very first City Council election knows that I held great admiration for past Councilman David Thornhill, and my website always carries a special tribute to his memory.
I did not know him as well as many people did. My contact was primarily from attending many City Council meetings long before I ever thought of running for a seat. I saw in David thoughtfulness, intelligence, consideration, and his wisdom. I realize now that he became a mentor for me. He exhibited true dignity and grace. I observed as he asked questions, looking to discover both truth and balance in decisions. He was very approachable. He never made me feel like I was intruding or taking up his time. He was a true gentleman. And, as I strive to do the same, he always did his homework on issues and not rely on assumptions.
After his passing, I considered running for his vacant seat, but had a difficult time dealing with the idea because of my admiration. I had already made plans to help in his re-election in any way that I could. I considered it an honor and an opportunity to get to know him better. Sadly, I never got that to fulfill that opportunity as I would have liked.
I attended his memorial service in 2011. I had never met his wife and learned what she looked like in pictures shown at the service. Afterwards, I saw Maureen Thornhill come across a room in my direction towards me. I know she had so many things weighing on her mind, and yet she took the time to tell me something I never forget: that David had great respect for me, and that I should consider running for his vacant seat. I was stunned, to say the least.
I called Maureen Thornhill a week later, and asked how she was doing. You could still hear the pain in her voice, but she was glad to hear from me. I wanted her to hear from me, before anyone else, that I had decided to file for his open seat. Before anyone else other than my wife, I told her I had made my decision in large part due to her encouragement, and would file for his vacant seat. Since that day, the Thornhill family has always graciously shown me both courtesy and support, for which I am very grateful.
What are the three most important actions you would take, if elected, and how would you advance them and pay for them?
1. See every commitment possible made in the 2025 plan either started, moved forward, or completed that can be accomplished by the end of the next term, which would be 2021. I want to over-achieve 2025 goals, including completion of every commitment made early, but also find new and more creative ways to address each of the nine big moves. It is what we have been doing so far, in that this plan never once collected dust. It hit the ground running from day one, and continues to build momentum with a list of meaningful accomplishments already checked off. It is a living breathing plan that is the heart of Lewisville current and long-range future across every aspect that affects citizen's quality of living, and the sustainability of what we create, most of which has approved bond money to insure it can and will get done.
2. Complete the major portion of Castle Hills Annexation. The costs would then be paid for out of ad valorem taxes and fees collected on the annexed properties and improvements. I have been studying this issue for over six years, asking questions, look in particular at infrastructure and city services integration. City staff is keenly aware of those issues, and is hard at work examining every aspect of the annexation and post-annexation management issues. I believe we will be well prepared for the many complex issues so that staff, I, and the other members of City Council are confident in we know the steps required to institute successful annexation proceedings. Advancing this process is something I and the whole council and staff have been working on for years. I also pushed for a new initiative to look at how we build a cohesive relationship between the original Lewisville and its new citizens, working together to make a better city for everyone.
3. Complete and open the new multi-generational center, with its expanded and dedicated senior's area, indoor year-round aquatics and jogging track, expanded and improved exercise equipment, space for special events and parties, special features for children and for our aging population with disabilities, and much more. This was also part of the recent bond package funding, with any added costs coming either from general fund balance, projects with cost savings, and other revenue sources.
Where does the development or redevelopment emphasis need to be in your community – residential or commercial – and how has your municipal government performed in this area?
Lewisville as it sits today is close to being built out. So future growth will primarily focus on redevelopment and re-purposing of existing properties, and the annexation of Castle Hills. City Staff, at the direction of the Council, has been actively studying many areas of our city, identifying opportunities to be re-purposed, and actively pursuing developers interested in doing that work.
As is typical in an older city, we have both residential and commercial properties that could benefit from redevelopment. That has already begun in large part thanks to the encouragement and efforts of City Hall. Both have an equally important need and role to play in the revitalization of older areas, when both often exist in close proximity. I have been part of many significant and visible strides to see that parties interested in redevelopment opportunities are not only aware of what Lewisville has to offer, but also why our city offers an environment for success with these projects. Developers who have done or are doing projects here are often quoted, saying our city makes the process far easier than other cities.
Perhaps the biggest, latest news is that on March 22nd, as part of the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Two large areas of Lewisville were included in the program. This special program encourages long-term investment in low-income community areas. The benefits could bring reinvestment money far beyond what the city could hope to do with the usual limited time property tax value freezes it uses to encourage business investment, plus bring in substantial outside investors and their dollars. This is a huge opportunity to significant reinvestment and revitalization across a large portion of the older area of the city.
Under this special program, the IRS allows each state's governor was able to nominate 25 percent of eligible low-income census tracts to be designated as opportunity zones. Across the 628 census tracts in Texas, two were chosen here. Many of the other included areas by fires, hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters. One area includes Old Town, Tract 216.18, and is bounded by I-35E to the west, SH 121 on the south, a line north of Valley Ridge, and the KCS rail line to the north, and the DCTA rail line to the east. The other, Tract 217.39, is a triangle bounded by I-35E to east, SH 121 Business to the west, and Timber Creek on the south.
Combine this with the City Council's I-35 Overlay District, which is designed to encourage quality redevelopment of I-35 after the recent road expansion, and things could not be looking better for the future of both development and redevelopment in Lewisville. These two combined will be game changers for the future of quality here. Add to that the new developments in Castle Hills, set to be annexed, and the future could not look better.
What challenging demographic changes have been taking place in your community? What would your response be, if elected?
I would describe many of our demographic changes as good, particularly the variety of cultures and ethnicities that makes our population so diverse. The challenge is to celebrate both of those, joining out community together as a whole, while preserving the unique customs each has. There are a number of ideas in the works to target at just that, and several already in the works.
The Fiesta Charra coming up on Saturday, May 26 (Noon-7 p.m.) at the Lewisville Rodeo Grounds meant to celebrate Hispanic heritage with traditional dress and horsemanship performances based on the animal husbandry practices of Haciendas in Old Mexico, and will include a performance by Little Joe y La Familia. But this is just one of many events the city is working on to celebrate its many cultures. We already have the Lebanese Festival each year, which is privately run, and everyone should sample (especially the food).
Ethnic diversity and culture is one aspect of our changing demographic. Another is the aging population. The new multi-generational recreation and senior's center will provide both enhanced and enlarged space for our seniors to gather, socialize, and play, with convenient parking just outside. It offers seniors a sense of separate space for their own, but easy access to other facility features, including indoor aquatics. That will feature a lazy river this can provide exercise that is good for circulation, but gentle to joints by walking against the water flow.
There will also be a relaxing seated hot pool feature, fun shallow pool areas, and lap swimming areas to choose from. Plus, seniors may enjoy time with their grandkids year round at the kid's splash and pool area. If seniors just want a quiet place to read, there will be a separate lounge area. There will also be a large space that can be used for luncheons, games, or even plays, presentations, or live music performance with a built-in stage.
For families in general, we have created many parks, ranging for small neighborhood pocket parks to Lake Park boat launch and playing fields to the huge complex at Railroad Park. During my tenure on council, we have been very hard at work expanding our trails system, offer the opportunity to explore much of Lewisville on foot or bicycle. And we have initiated a new arrangements at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) with the city managing operations, expanding the hours and programming while lowering the cost to $5 per carload rather than a higher cost per person while expanding and improving trails there. At the same time, we are being careful not to overuse LLELA to the point of damaging the nature there while continuing important prairie restoration and conservation work.
Having said that, there is another aspect to demographic changes that we do need to address somehow, and that is the lack of low cost housing, and the homeless population that particularly suffers from that. These two overlap, with low cost hosing affecting people who may not now be homeless, but are at risk. This situation is the result of what is now a new person moving to North Texas every 3.5 minutes on average. They come here for the jobs (often with one already secured) and the climate, and what is still, on a national level, lower cost housing.
But the pressure for places to live over the last several years has driven the real estate market way up, the product of supply (little) and demand (great). Single family homes sell fast, usually with multiple competing bids that make even seller happy, but drive buyers to pay more and more for fear of getting nothing. And it has affected apartment rental prices, where complex owners are well-aware of the market, and very aware of their long waiting lists.
Meanwhile, all of these job opportunities cover the full range, and that includes plenty of service workers: food industry, janitorial, lower-level construction, salons, retail sales clerks, hotel, landscape care, basic repairs, warehouse, stockers, and more. And yet the wages they make aren't necessarily keeping up with the rising cost of housing. And simply put, there is no longer much of any low cost housing around.
The idea of building low cost housing typically brings the neighboring NIMBY fears out, saying this will ruin their neighborhood and property values, they got here first, so take it elsewhere. Never mind that actual examples tell a different story, or that only the landowner owns his land, not what is adjacent, or that the proposed construction is perfectly legal in a state that treasures property rights on both sides of every fence. But eventually, there is no "elsewhere" under these pressures.
And for the homeless, there already is no "elsewhere". They have run out of options, and are now on the street. These are largely shadow people. That means out of sight, so out of mind, and horrified when seen. Some do have mental issues, and some have alcohol or drug issues. Then again, some lost jobs in the subprime mortgage crisis than led to the recession that started in 2007, and never recovered -- losing homes and jobs, and eventually the ability to stay together as a family unit. But more often than you might think, they is another reason: they were abused as children or had no stable home or family life, and may have either been pushed out on the streets early to survive on their own, or chose to escape their abusive situation. From not just my own research, but that of many, this last item is often the case. And no one wants to be homeless -- it is simply a last option to survive.
I want to pause for a moment to acknowledge the work being done by a number of non-profits. Kyle's Place / Journey to Dream ranks high on my list, because it is focus on teen homelessness. I don't think many were even aware this problem existed here in Lewisville. The teens who were either pushed out of their homes, or had no stable home life, or suffered abuse and left home found themselves on the streets, just trying to survive. Many still attended school, but hid their private lives, wanting to fit in undiscovered. That is painful just to imagine someone with such a disrupted life still trying to keep part of it normal, and committed to getting an education as their way out.
I also would acknowledge an array of non-profit social agencies here and in Denton County, trying their best with the resources they have to give a hand up to those who have no other way out. Without them, the homeless problem would be far greater than it is. But the challenges are huge. Money is limited, and it is often the most critical resource along with dedicated and properly trained people. If you want to help a homeless person, work with one of these agencies. I know many are compassionate, and want to help someone with gifts directly, but this is a very complex issues, and real success hinges on doing the right thing, not an just following an impulse.
I also personally want to thank Love for Kids, a non-profit organization I have increasing become more and more involved with, because their mission is "to ensure that children and their parents have easy access to education and resources." They have been doing this for 40 years, have a proven track record of results. More importantly, they have turned their focus to the kids of Denton County, and particularly Lewisville. And despite the title, they also work with families, and have additional efforts for seniors. Great job, all of you. Keep it up.
But we are a long way from solving homelessness. Most have little or no means of transportation, making it impossible to find work, much less keep a schedule. The same goes for having a place to clean up, or wash clothes to work in, or even suitable clothes for work. This is a world that few can conceive of unless you spend time with the caretakers who work with them, and, perhaps, have an opportunity to be with them. Depression, distrust and lack of self-worth are common, as is the sense of having been discarded by society, along with most of what the rest of us take for granted as a normal routine.
So what is the solution? Over and over, those who work with the homeless have realized that just having a place to call home, not a tent or box or old car, is the most important step. I restores a sense of normalcy, an ability to have some privacy and security, plus the ability to maintain cleanliness, and have some basic things including clean clothes, all to make having the next step, a job, even possible. A home restores dignity, and fosters the sense that one is part of regular society again.
I had the privilege of spending the better part of a day with someone, who along with her husband, have created a community where former homeless people and families live, play, work and have access to transportation to hold jobs. I was honestly awestruck at what they had done, and that it was all done with private money, including corporate donations I would not have imagined possible. I spoke to people who lived there, and their whole attitude told me this had turned their lives around. If I have the money, or time, or power to do the same for Denton County, I would. Which sounds like an excuse -- someone else needs to do this. No, a lot of people need to do this, or something like it. But it starts with having a home, and a more normal life, in a community of others who support you, because they have had to deal with homelessness themselves.
Could it be done here? Yes, with the right resources and people also believing this is an excellent working solution. It would take land and money to start. It would take a lot of different agencies and individuals agreeing to make it happen. Until then, I will go back to an earlier point. Any housing anywhere is a start. But low cost housing has essentially disappeared in Lewisville, and much of Denton County. So until we can find a way to solve that problem, I worry we will make little progress. And more will potentially slip into homelessness. As I said earlier, many are working on this issue here in Lewisville and Denton County. Many more are needed to either help, or help with donations so the right help, the kind that can change a life long-term, can occur.
Please assess your community's crime picture and what, if anything, you would try to improve or change.
One would expect crime statistics are fairly straightforward -- more so since there has been a "Uniform Crime Reporting" report required across the U.S. from enforcement agencies for many years by the FBI. It should be easy to compare one city to another, and have apples to apples analysis to yield meaningful information.
But it is not all that simple. Some cities have citizens who, for various reasons, are hesitant to report crime, or request police response, or agencies that do not report all crimes the same way, or report crimes uniformly over time. Some cities may want to paint a better picture than reality, or make it appear they are doing a better job to not upset citizens.
There are some ways to reduce reported numbers, starting with a change in the way data is collected and reported from one year to the next. There is also a recent increasing trend to report certain crimes that were previously under reported. Rape and family violence are two, which can make year to year data appear different without any actual increases in incidents.
Whether or not a city sits along a major U.S. highway can have a big impact. So can the district court they sit in, or the reputation of their agency as one Federal agencies want to work with. And different states define offense differently -- aggravated assault vs. simple assault is a very good example. These is just a few of the variables than can affect reporting.
Let me start with an easy comparison, then get into the details and other comparisons: how does the 2017 UCR compare to the 2016 for Lewisville alone, and looking only at what was confirmed (actual vs. unconfirmed -- there are false reports). Here are the important numbers, starting with major crimes. Arson is down this year, from nine events to five, which is a 44% drop. Murder and Voluntary Manslaughter were up, from zero in 2016 to three in 2017, all drug related.
Confirmed Forcible Rape numbers were up, from 42 events to 62 events (may be part of the increased reporting trend). Robbery (theft by threat/force) was up from 49 to 72. Assault, both aggravated and simple, were up from 633 to 783 events. Burglary was down, from 440 to 353, both across and within categories (habitation and building). Larceny (theft without threat) was down 1928 to 1701, along with small drop in motor vehicle theft, 745 to 734.
As a total along with Class II crimes (an even longer list of less violent crimes), overall reported and confirmed crime was actually down, 2835 to 2569 (9.4%) in Lewisville from 2016 to 2017. For example, curfew violations dropped more than 50%, as did impersonation of an office, by 95.5%, and pornography violations by 40% along with other sex offenses, by over 29%.
But what does this really mean? It helps that we keep statistics using the same guidelines from 2016 to 2017, so comparing numbers is more valid between the two than, say, with another city, especially in another county or state. And which crimes are up rather than which are down are where everyone tends to focus.
So the question then becomes: "Why is this item up or down, and what should we do?" For that matter, what would I do? As noted, reporting of rape, for example, is believed to be more common, because victims no longer see the stigma they once did, and that includes being shamed and blamed by society. So the actual rape number might be different, but you can only work with the incidents that are reported and confirmed. Not that rape may not be up overall, and not just in Lewisville. But is it incidence of rape, or reporting of rape that is up? And sex crimes overall are down here. So simple answers are not easy to come by.
We had three murders this past year -- all related to two incidents. So you might want to then look at drug arrest. These offenses are captured by the UCR in a different table, and include in "Substance Abuse". That table also includes "ABC Violations", which has many items, mostly alcohol related (sale to minor, open container, sale after hours, consumption after hours, over-serving, and several more). But getting back to drugs, as in narcotics and narcotic equipment violations, to keep it simple, those were up about 23% over 2016.
Before you try to draw conclusions, ask "What exactly is going on?" If you are looking for one answer to all of this, perhaps increased population is a good one. More people equals more crimes -- and that is a reality. Severe decline in low cost housing is another: it leads to anger (violence) and theft (need money) on a simple level.
The irony is more arrest are automatically viewed as more crime, leading to the assumption we need more police. But think about this: if more police were the solution, what would you automatically expect to get? More confirmed crime arrests reported. And if adding police adds to arrests, which increases the crime reporting number, won't that make people say what we need is more police to address more crime? That is, until more police actually don't result in more arrests, because the department is doing all it possibly can.
Put it another way, if we got rid of police we have now, resulting in less to do investigations, stake outs, undercover buys, and so on, reported and confirmed crime stats will go down. What you see in numbers is that crime went down. But, in fact, it didn't. Arrests went down with less officers to make those arrests. Yet if the numbers go down, most citizens assume things are better. And that is where the mistake lies in using crime numbers to draw simple conclusions.
Let's go a step deeper. I-35 is the single busiest interstate in all of America. And it connects to two other countries, one a known drug producer with boarders to other known drug producers. Consequently, I-35 becomes an important route for illegal drugs entering the country -- much safer for traffickers than by air. It is also the primary route for human trafficking.
Now make note of this: the DEA, FBI, and DHS (homeland security) have one city in Texas along I-35 where they particularly like working with the expertise of a local police department, like the ability and safety of closing the highway if needed, like that we make good arrests or cooperate in successful ones, and like working with the Eastern U.S. District Court in Texas, which is less clogged up than the adjacent Norther District (in fact, if you look these two up, you will see Denton County is more or less carved out of the Northern District from the counties to either side).
That one city is Lewisville. We are considered among the very best at cooperating with sting operations on drug and human trafficking, and nationally recognized for our expertise in gangs. Which has you thinking, we must have a big gang problem, when, in fact, do a lot of gang arrests that result in exportation from the country or prison time. Again, what you might assume is the reverse , not that we are experts at gangs because we are experts in the inner workings, and controlling them. And keep in mind, we are the first city after you cross into Denton County, where the Eastern U.S. Court District starts. Below that, you are in the Northern District (Dallas County) or other courts.
If we are the DEA's, FBI's and DHS's favorites, and the first place to make arrests in the Eastern District Courts traveling north on I-35, the results are a lot of additional drug arrests here. Not local Lewisville drugs, but drugs coming in and on their way across the country. And that is a good thing for the whole of the U.S. But it can make our statistics appear skewed, because (see above), more arrests are assumed to mean more crime, assumed to mean more police are needed. And now, as you start to work through the layers, you see a very different picture of crime stats.
Here is one more example: DWIs. We have six highways in Lewisville: I-35, SH 121, FM 407, FM 1171, FM 3040, and FM 544. They bring traffic in from other cities, and the people are headed on to still other cities -- I-35 and SH121 in particular. Lewisville is aggressive in keeping drunks off the road. You want them to be for your safety. But the DWI statistics are far more than someone who lives here driving around here or going home. They may be to or from Ft. Worth, headed to or from Plano, or Dallas, or Denton, or a casino in Oklahoma.
When you have all the busy highways we have, you automatically get more drivers, and with them, more drunk drivers, especially on the weekend. In both 2016 and 2017, Lewisville had close to 1000 confirmed DWI arrests. Be glad they were arrested, and taken off the road. But do not assume they all live here, or our local bars are all to blame, or the city has a real drinking problem. Assume we have a low tolerance for drunk drivers, including many who are passing though in larger numbers simply because we have many very busy highways.
Now that you look at and hopefully see crime stats differently, I will tell you I could spend many hours trying to find a real apples to apples comparison for our own UCR data. Denton would be a good choice, but I don't have their 2017 UCR. Other data I have at hand is primarily 2015 and 2016, because much of 2017's reports are not yet out on the Texas Department of Public Safety website for public viewing. And there is an interesting notice on their site: "February 22, 2018 - After publication of the 2016 Crime in Texas (10/30/2017), an error in the base data was discovered. Chapters below with an asterisk (*) denote corrected chapters." Even TxDPS has trouble digesting the data. I suspect, by now, you can understand at least part of why.
I'm not trying to give you smoke and mirror answers. The truth is, you would like a simple "are we better or worse that [fill in the blank]", be it national, or state, or some city. I guarantee I could cherry pick data that would either tell you things are horrible, or things are great, or maybe somewhere in between. The one comparison that is most meaningful is ourselves to ourselves, one year after another, because the moment you compare outside our city, anything can change – and will.
Outside our boarders, circumstances driving confirmed arrests are different, even though the framework of collecting and reporting stays the same (UCR). However, a change to the UCR is coming. The NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting System), designed in cooperation with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs Association, will replace the existing system.
Nationally, that must be done nationally by 01/01/2021, but Texas is requiring it by 09/01/2019. I think a lot of people are hoping it will bring a lot more uniformity, clarity, and detail to crime reporting across the U.S. But, as I pointed out at the opening, who reports what, differences in cities and their citizens, highways going through with how much traffic, and different state laws will still have an impact to saying one apple really compares exactly to another.
This year, our current police chief retires, and a new one will begin. If you want to know what I will do, it is listening to what both have to say, because they know far more about this than I do. We also set a very high standard for officer hiring. We do not take anyone terminated from another department, for starters. And reserves cost more because they deliver less for every tax dollar spent, so they are simply a bad deal. I also need other 2017 UCR data from local cities, for better or worse, before I would push for any specific changes, because asking for the wrong change can be far worse than making no change, and it also costs taxpayers more in money and confidence over the long run.
Does your city or town deliver services in the most cost-effective manner? Please be specific about improvements you would advocate.
I would first direct voters to check out the online city Performance Dashboard I initiated, found at metrics.cityoflewisville.com. I would note all that is available to the public there, plus the 2025 work described in a recent mail out to every address in Lewisville and Castle Hills, how we do it all with one of the very lowest property tax rates in the DFW area. Then combine a lean but very dedicated and sincere staff, rare double AAA bond ratings, awards every year for budgeting excellence, and the phrase "cost-effective" seems like an significant understatement. I taken together, I would put Lewisville up against any city near our size or larger, and no matter how you measure it, I can honestly say your tax dollars are hard at work.
I think sometimes some people forget that I live hear and pay taxes and get city services just like everyone else. I don't get special treatment, nor do I try to. My expectations are as high as anyone else's. The only difference is, I don't just look at how my tax dollars are spent, I look at how everyone's tax dollars are spent. I also look to cut cost with initiatives that have include preference for longer-lasting lower-maintenance less-overall labor concrete over asphalt that can save money over time, and saying to businesses if you want to put your driveway over our water or sewer line, I'm glad that access benefits you. But if we have to come in and do repairs or upgrades, putting back your driveway is not on our citizen's backs. That is the trade-off of having the driveway there. I'm particularly focused on recurring costs, because they come back over and over, but also on upfront costs, and how to achieve the same goal for less money.
I'm sure I will continue to find, and the council will continue to find, and the staff will continue to find ways to be more cost-effective, to work smarter, to get more results for less money. That is a state of mind across the current City Hall, and something I carried over from both executive occupations and owning my own businesses from the day I started on City Council. It is built in with me -- the feeling I have accomplished something meaningful when I have controlled costs to bet the best return on investment. To be honest, at the moment, I'm sure I will think of something else we can do. But today, I am satisfied that if we know about it, it is being done. That also connects directly to the Sustainability "Big Move" that is part of 2025. Build it right the first time, and build it to last.
For more information please visit my web site, www.ElectFerguson.com, and visit my Facebook page, "Neil Ferguson for Lewisville City Council Place 2".
Please assess the property taxes levied by your city or town and whether it has the right balance between residential and commercial base. Would you take any initiatives in this area?
The City of Lewisville has one of the lowest tax rates of any city in the DFW area. In a comparison of cities of comparable size and demographics, we rank third lowest. Citizens approved a tax increase of up to 1.8 cents in the rate, should it become necessary, to support the $135 million voter-approved bond package. However, it does not appear that the increase will be needed, at least at this time.
When I looking across both tour residential and commercial tax base, Lewisville ranks high among DFW cities in striking a balance between both revenue categories. And we have maintained a very desirable balance between property tax income, sales tax income, and fees and services income -- essentially 1/3rd each. Along with conservative budgeting practices, these two are our best insurance against economic ups and downs, because we do not depend on one source more than another.
Lewisville has proven over time that this balance works, even during the tough years in the most recent recession. In fact, other cities know this is the ideal to seek for the same reason. In the last recession, other cities like Plano were slashing staff and programs, yet Lewisville did neither. Credit our City Council and city staff, because we knew how important that balance was to stable growth, and it has, in part, helped earn us our double AAA bond ratings.
If we were not doing this, I can tell you it would be my initiative to balance not just commercial vs. residential tax bases, but all revenue sources. Fortunately, that is exactly what we already do.
How would you improve the quality of life in your city or town and, if appropriate, pay for any added programs?
The 2025 Plan maps out a complete strategy for improving all aspects of Lewisville as we approach 2025. The citizen-voted $135 million bond package, combined with very low interest rates courtesy of our existing double AAA bond ratings, provide the method to pay for the bulk of 2025. Beyond that, the burgeoning growth of North Texas, including Lewisville, drives all revenue sources -- not just the 20.9% portion of your total property tax bill that goes to the city (and a chunk goes on to the state), but sales tax, builder fees, and all other sources.
In the time I have been on city council, both council and staff have been successful in finding efficient ways to offer many programs and services without increasing taxes. I constantly look for ways to make that happen, because we need to be good stewards of city money, producing the best return we can for each dollar spent. Will we need to raise property taxes by a penny or two per thousand evaluation, as approved by voters? It is far too early to say. The current forecast say maybe not, but the economy can easily change. But for now, income streams look very good to fund city operations and 2025 initiatives as planned.
If there is one word that captures my own expectations for improving the quality of life in Lewisville, it is quality. We need quality in everything we create or improve. We have a remarkable opportunity to create a better life for people in Lewisville, and it has already begun with 2025. I want quality stamped all over everything we do.
Please rate the transparency of decision-making in your city or town hall.
In 2014, in "a yearlong audit of open government compliance, The Dallas Morning News approached 113 local agencies to determine how well they followed state laws guaranteeing access to information about how taxpayer money is spent and whether they followed best practices, such as those developed by the state Comptroller, in 2014."
In the final results, Lewisville was given a score of 96.2%, earning it a tie for place #5 with Addison, and making the top five of 113 list. By comparison, of the 107 other local agencies that ranked lower, and more than 1 in 5 assessed received a score of either a "D" or an "F." The article went on to note, "Lewisville was among the best in the Transparency 2015 ratings. It ranked as excellent in request best practices, excellent in request compliance, good in web customer service and excellent in online meeting notices."
One might think we were completely satisfied to be ranked so highly. However, many new additions and improvement have since be implemented for further simplify and also help analyze already transparent data. One significant improvement I personally requested and pushed hard for after seeing one in use by the City of Boston. To be able to spot any issue in seconds stuck me as extremely powerful, as was seeing overall were we meeting goals -- and see it is real time. I subsequently learned our IT department was working on an preliminary dashboard concept.
In a snapshot, the Performance Dashboard I initiated allows anyone with internet access to see how well the city is doing all of its many jobs. You can view it at metrics.cityoflewisville.com. To make that work, a team examined every department's activities, and then set a performance standard to be met if none previously existed. This is an important component, because it allows the dashboard to show how well these standards are being met, and do so as percentages. The areas of top-level interest can be customized to what the user needs to see, and a drill down function will take to all the way to the individual actions that are creating the high-level productivity display.
I am told that, more than anything else, my dashboard system is what opened the door for consideration as a "What Works City" -- that the evaluation committee was very impressed with the transparency and relevance this system offers anyone who accesses it, yet is is fundamentally very simple to understand as a toolkit for evaluating the city across all departments and their functions. I am very proud of this accomplishment, but owe much to the Information Technology department for taking an idea and some examples of the concept design, and turning it into everything I could have ask for.
Walk into City Hall, and outside the City Secretary's Office where the payments windows are, and you will see it on a large screen, where employees see it every day. Go into the City Manager's office, and you will see it on her large screen, keeping tabs on operations throughout the city. And if you look on my desktop computer, you will also find it there, too. Add it as yet another reason Lewisville tops the charts when it comes to transparency, along with online tools that include the open check register, how your city taxes are used by department, and online low cost for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filing, with rapid response times. Because a well-informed city works best.
What is an uncomfortable truth about your city or town that voters must confront?
The 2025 Plan is a work of art. It quickly won an important and well-deserved planning award for that reason. It is a close to a masterpiece in city planning as I have seen, and I have looked at many others in the past few years. It lives and breathes the future of our city, setting lofty but important goals.
One uncomfortable truth is the heavy demands 2025 places on city staff. Allow me to go back for a moment, and tell you that before I was on City Council, I worked on a number of projects, including the MCL Grand, gas drilling, arts grants, creation of the Art Advisory Board, and so on. And being self-employed gave me huge flexibility with scheduling my time. And I spent quite a bit of it at City Hall. At some point, I would often be heard saying I thought might just be the second happiest place on earth after Disneyland. Everyone I talked to, worked with, or simply observed, seemed to care deeply about their work. But more significantly, they care about helping each other to be successful.
Which, honestly, did not really make sense to me. I had figured out quickly, having been responsible for large budgets, that this was a very lean staff. To this day, I can tell you everyone is very busy. And they care. But one would think in an environment where everyone is working this hard, and there is not spare money for departments laying around, there would be a lot of protectionism: "my employee does not have time to help with your work", or "I fought to get this money in my budget, so don't even think of trying to take any of it for your department". You get the idea.
But I never found evidence these problems existed. Everyone wanted everyone to succeed. There was no infighting. It was all about working as a team. And to this day, I cannot tell you how much respect I have to the extremely hard-working, sharing, and conscientious employees I have found across every single department from top to bottom. But I worry. There is this thing called burnout. And it began to concern me over a year ago. I worried that as we pile on more and more things to do, with more details to worry about, there eventually has to be a limit.
And I don't want to push beyond it, and risk turning the second happiest place on earth into a drudge. I have to add that I do believe our staff has tremendous drive and resilience, but I don't want to see that start to wear out. There are two obvious solutions. One is to back off on the work, but then not see 2025 achieve all it set out to do, or do it with less quality or potential or depth than it might have had. The other option is to add more staff. And with the citizen-created 2025 plan expanding a number of things to maintain, that may have to happen.
That is, until despite one of the very lowest tax rates, you breathe a word about more the city wanting more money, never mind that costs in general are rising for materials and labor. It always strikes me as odd that it is the city, not the county or the schools, that everyone seems to point to for all their property tax complaints. The reality is, city taxes are not only extremely here compared across DFW, but they also represent less than 21% of you total tax bill. Think about it. That's $208.20 out of every $1000 in property tax you pay. The other $791.80 (79.18%) goes to the Denton County and LISD.
But back to city staff and 2025. Maybe we won't reach that breaking point. I hope we don't. I hope that, if we start to get close, we sense it well in advance. I believe City Manager and her Assistant City Managers are very skilled at their jobs, and would also recognize it very early. But at that point, the question then becomes, do you back off the schedule and/or reduce project scope, or do you add the extra workers to stay on schedule and keep scope and quality intact? If that does happen, it may well come down to citizens, who built the 2025 plan, to decide whether to compromise, on accept that the super low city tax rates actually comes at a price, and $209.21 out of $1000 is worth staying the course.
For now, I think we are good -- moving quickly but pacing just right. Perhaps the warning signs of burnout will never come before we finish everything in 2025. I definitely hope so. I happen to like our low tax rate. I also like a happy and productive city staff doing fine work. But ultimately, I also respect a plan citizens mapped out, and told the council all of it was needed, and what the Blue Ribbon committee of citizens who recommended bond package content told council about funding and tax rate may be a penny off. Let's hope it all remains comfortably in balance, but keep the big picture and long range outcome in perspective if and when it should become a concern.
Meanwhile, If you thought LISD was the only one who had to send part of their property tax money to Austin, they aren't alone. Texas cities are also saddled with "Unfunded Mandates" and Reverse Intergovernmental Aid (RIGA) fees that most do not know exist. These become major revenue sources for the state -- their way of taxing you, but shifting the blame over to cities. It is fundamentally a shell game.
Here is how it works. Start with "Unfunded Mandates". I'll use the initials UMs for short. This means the state tells cities to go do something for the state, but without any funding. So it comes out of local city taxes (that ~21% of your total property tax bill). Cities have no choice but to do UMs, and find them money to pay for them. Examples include
An example was a state requirement to provide back-up generators at all water plants, but no funding to pay for them. The idea of doing this itself is not unreasonable, but the cost falls on cities to find money in their budgets. That means local taxpayers are paying for a state project, but think it is the city who created some new demand for money.
Remember the new storm water fee on you water bill? The state has also mandated that cities adopt and implement a Storm Water Management Plan, placing more controls on storm water run-off, but offered no money to pay for it. That resulted in one program supervisor and two inspectors in response. So cities have had to turn to rate payers to cover that cost. The result is, you blame the city, not the state, for coming up with a new way to spend money, a new fee to go with it.
Here is one more: SB 401 by Van de Putte, enacted by the 78th Legislature, requires testing of local public safety personnel for exposure to hepatitis. Again, it seems like a reasonable thing to do. But the state appropriated no funding to pay for it. Money had to come from somewhere, and that "somewhere" was your city taxes. You could argue that you either pay the city or pay the state. The trick is, you blame your city for their taxes when the money pays for state mandated programs, and let's be honest, did you know your city had this new expense levied on them? Texas cities are required by the state constitution to keep a balanced budget. So the added costs either mean cuts in another programs, like street repairs, or increased city tax rates, or else delaying a project to reallocate funds.
RIGA is slightly different. This is where the state forces cities to collect fees, and send them to Austin. For example, on a traffic fine, somewhere between $82 to $120 or more of any criminal fines collected by the city must go to the state. And the state must be paid first. If the city only collects partial payment, the state gets their money, which can leave the city with the cost of operating both police and the courts -- which cost more to operate than they could ever possible generate in fines anyway. We collect it, they get paid, we might get the rest if there is any left. That is RIGA.
Here is another RIGA. The state charges cities a 2% fee to administer sales tax collections. The two-percent fee is high compared to the same fee in other states -- typically one percent or less -- and some charge nothing. In Texas, the two-percent fee generated more than $100 million in 2013, of which cities paid close to $80 million. It has gone up since then. You put the blame on city sales tax, but a chunk of the money went to Austin you did not know about. That is over and above the direct 6.25% that belongs to the state out of all sales tax.
Some examples are downright ridiculous. The Commission on Fire Protection is required to generate revenue through fees on cities and firefighters to 'cover all the costs of the commission for the biennium.' For one recent biennium, that was around four million. Then a rider was placed in the commission's budget during the last few hours of the 2011 session that required the commission to generate an additional $3.38 million to into the state's general revenue for undesignated use. That is fire fund money that can be used in a way unrelated to fire issues. So the commission raised its fees by an additional 42%, leaving firefighters and some cities to pay more state taxes into the general fund.
Finally, one more RIGA, and a big one: "Local Participation". Your property taxes pay for local roads. So it seems logical that state roads would be paid for by the state, and federal roads by federal government. Only neither has the money. Enter "Local Participation", where cities make up the shortfall. I'd have to dig up newer data, but in 2010, cities added over$130 million plus additional right-of-way land donations and "in-kind services" to create a 44% increase over the previous three years collections. And where you might assume cities are exempt for state gasoline taxes, they aren't. So the state taxes its own cities for more road money. You blame cities for you tax burden, and the state says it must be them, not us.
So the next time you open your property tax bill, remember two things. Less than 21% of it goes to the city, and the rest goes elsewhere. And the state gets a healthy share of your money from the city, either from property taxes, sales taxes, or city fees (like park facility rentals) and fines (criminal offenses). Then ask yourself, "What is the state is up to if it sets a lower cap on property tax increases while demanding cities pay more back to the state?" Not that Lewisville has ever come close to the cap before. But the idea of lower it while asking for more out of property tax for the state makes no sense, unless the idea is to leave Lewisville holding an empty bag because the rest went to Austin.
To learn more, visit my website at ElectFerguson.com. And please consider making a contribution to my campaign if you support my re-election.
I want to express my thanks to all my supporters, the Dallas Morning News, and Tom Washburn who organizes these every year. Great job, Tom! I also want to thank every voter who spends time to learn more about each candidate, and especially grow their knowledge of the City of Lewisville. There is an opportunity for each person to get more involved as they learn more. But nothing is more important that becoming educated in order to vote for the candidates that will represent you best.
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Below you will find information on U.S. Risk underwriters and brokers. Use the drop-down menu to filter by office location, program or specialty.
Aaron Ma
Vice President
Aaron has 19 years of entertainment insurance industry experience, beginning his career at a leading entertainment insurance MGA, underwriting property, casualty, workers' compensation and contingency lines of coverage. In 2006, he joined L.A. Xcess Insurance Brokers, a leading entertainment wholesale brokerage firm, managing all agency operations.
Product specialties
- Entertainment property and casualty
- Workers' compensation
- Contingency
- Media liability
Sage Maroney
Senior Program Underwriter
Sage joined U.S. Risk in 2013 as a Senior Underwriter, focusing on multiple lines of coverage for the StaffPak program. She has worked in the insurance industry since 2003 in brokerage, MGA and underwriting capacities in various lines of business for property and casualty, surplus lines and workers' compensation. Sage specializes in the temporary staffing/employment agency specialty market. The One Beacon Insurance Group meets the needs of standard staffing and PEO accounts with their admitted package policy, and certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London meet the needs of the not-so-standard staffing and PEO accounts; Sage has the pen for both markets. Workers' compensation is also written for staffing accounts by One Beacon of AIG, leading providers in the industry.
Sage is known for her exceptional service, broad commercial underwriting background and expertise in the staffing industry.
Product specialties
- Professional liability
- Workers' compensation
- Staffing services E&O
- Crime
- General liability
- Property
- Medical E&O
- Auto liability
- Directors and officers liability
- Fiduciary
- Excess liability
Brian Mennes
Karen Misiaszek
Senior Underwriter
Karen joined U.S. Risk in 2001. She specializes in underwriting and brokerage of all types of contractors, bars/taverns/restaurants, liquor liability, storage tank pollution and other environmental liability, inland marine, commercial property, excess and umbrella, and small to medium sized energy risks. Karen has over 35 years of insurance industry experience, with 32 years an E&S underwriter and broker.
Product specialties
- Artisan/trade contractors
- Builders risk
- Commercial property
- Daycare centers/nurseries
- Energy
- Entertainment
- Environmental
- Equipment floaters and dealers
- Excess liability/umbrella
- General contractors
- Habitational property
- Liquor liability
- Products liability
- Residential and roofing contractors
- Special events
- Vacant property
Lydia Moomey
Lydia joined U.S. Risk in January 2020 and has three years of commercial wholesale experience. She is a graduate of Missouri State University with a degree in Risk Management and Insurance, and is currently pursuing her CPCU designation. She works with a wide variety of industries including contractors, habitational, liquor, and excess.
Product specialties
- Contractors
- Commercial property
- Habitational
- Lessor's risk
- General liability
- Liquor liability
- Excess/umbrella
- Builder's risk
- Hospitality
Kevin Mordarski
Vice President/Branch Manager
Kevin specializes in the brokerage of professional liability, general liability, property/auto, EPL, D&O and umbrella/excess for assisted living facilities, nursing homes, allied medical fields and social service agencies. He also underwrites for the U.S. Risk Healthcare Pros program that offers a combined general/professional liability insurance product for assisted living facilities, nursing homes, allied medical fields and social service agencies. Kevin has over eight years of E&S brokerage experience and over 14 years underwriting experience.
Product specialties
- Auto liability
- Allied/miscellaneous healthcare
- Assisted living centers
- Clinics
- Crime
- Commercial property
- D&O (including difficult-to-place)
- Employment related practices
- Excess liability
- Excess malpractice/professional
- Hospitals
- Nursing/convalescent homes
- Physicians
- Social services
- Umbrella
Tammy Morgan
Vice President/Senior Underwriter
Tammy specializes in the underwriting fields of auto, garage, and inland marine. These fields include but are not limited to trucking, commercial auto, public, hired and non-owned auto, dealers and non-dealers. She has 22 years in the insurance industry with the last 17 years as a transportation underwriter.Read more
Tammy specializes in the underwriting fields of auto, garage, and inland marine. These fields include but are not limited to trucking, commercial auto, public, hired and non-owned auto, dealers and non-dealers. She has 22 years in the insurance industry with the last 17 years as a transportation underwriter.
Product specialties
- Auto liability
- Artisan/trade contractors
- Auto physical damage
- Commercial property
- Excess liability
- Garage
- General contractors
- Habitational property
- Motor truck cargo
- Public auto
- Social services
- Special events
- Trucking
- Umbrella
- Vacant property


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If an NBA player like Kyrie Irving or an NBA legend like Reggie Miller tells a bad joke, is it still a bad joke?
But, in this clip of the Uncle Drew cast members telling bad jokes latest episode of the of Whistle Sports' "Bad Joke Telling", there may be one that make you crack a smile.
For example: "Did you hear the rumor about butter?"
"Well it's nah … I probably shouldn't spread it."


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The Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing & Brain Sciences UNSW present a lecture by Professor A.David Smith FMedSci in association with Professor Helga Refsum – 8 December 2016
Professor A.David Smith FMedSci is Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford and Founding Director of the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA). Professor Helga Refsum is a Professor of Nutrition at the University of Oslo and Visiting Professor of Human Nutrition at the University of Oxford.
TOPIC: Beneficial interaction between B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids in slowing brain atrophy and cognitive decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment
WHEN: Thursday 8 December, 2016 4PM – 5.30pm
WHERE: Black Dog Institute Lecture Theatre, Hospital Road
Refreshments will be provided at 5pm following the lecture.
*RSVP required since seats are limited - please contact firstname.lastname@example.com
Event date:
Thu, 08/12/2016 - 4:00pm
Black Dog Institute Lecture Theatre, Hospital Road, Randwick
Event Type:
Booking deadline:
Thursday, 1 December 2016 - 5pm