What are the most pressing needs in City Council District 2?

I am running for Dallas City Council for many reasons.  I have the opinion that City Council representation from District 2 has not shown adequate leadership at Dallas City Hall on many fronts. This page has been assembled to outline some of my positions on Key Issues. It is by no means a complete list of issues. Your input during this campaign will ultimately help to make this list complete.

Key Issues

We Must Increase City Hall Outreach

I have engaged the people in District 2 for over 10 years. I have done it from the street level to the corporate level, from the halls of city government to the entertainment districts.  I have consistently advocated for residents, small and large business, and I have fought for the homeless and the addicted.  I have fought for the beaten and the broken for most of my adult life. I have learned more about working hard for the downtrodden and disenfranchised than I can explain on this site.  I have personally gone to up Dallas City Hall and spoken in front of the Dallas City Council dozens of times on behalf of District 2 residents.   I did not do this of my own accord; I have District 2 with me every step of the way.  Before I would give a speech at City Hall I talked to the people in the neighborhoods and in the coffee shops.  Then, I would take what I learned from listening to the people in the District to the Dallas City Council.  I gave voice to the disadvantaged and unrepresented with words, leadership, and passion.  The Dallas City Council needs a man of the people and that is what I can deliver.

I am involved in District 2 at the grass seed level. I have watched as the roots grew, and I championed for District 2 by going to door to door talking to the residents and business owners face to face. I have traveled into the many neighborhoods of District 2.   I walked the streets of the district and I spoke to hundreds of families and thousands of people about the opportunity that we have in front of us. I believe more council members should be more involved in their districts. Sadly, I spoke to many District 2 residents and business owners who did not know who is their Councilperson District 2 deserves better. I offer better communication between City Hall and District 2.   From Day one in office I offer bold new leadership on the Dallas City Council, with your help, we can make Dallas a better City to live, work, and play.

District 2 needs a Vocal Leader To Fight for Equality and Social Justice!

A major part of my campaign will be to knock on doors and get out in the LGBT Community to listen to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender as well as straight-supportive people in our neighborhood. The Cedar Springs and Oak Lawn Community have not had true representation since Ed Oakley left office in 2008. District 2 has not had a bold voice at City Hall since John Loza left office 6 years ago. The Resource Center Dallas and The Dallas Design District both reside within District 2 and my campaign will work hard to move the message for equality for all residents including LGBT.  I will work vigorously against discrimination of the LGBT community.

My activism and support of the LGBT community consists of tirelessly moving a message of social justice. This includes promoting DIFFA, Toast to Life, and AIDS Life Walk. I have also been an ardent promoter of the HRC Bike for Equality team with Chris Linville and Justin Snider. These men are straight allies for the LGBT community. I see them as passionate activists for the cause of equality.  I was extremely proud to walk along side these men and thousands of other passionate men and women in 2010 Alan Ross Texas Freedom Festival and Parade.

When I am elected to Dallas City Council for District 2, the LGBT community will have a straight ally with a passion for social justice and a voice to move their message.  Over the past 10 years, I have shown my dedication to the LGBT community.  This is a moment in time for a charismatic and vocal leader to stand up and fight for the LGBT community.  The LGBT community deserves to have a tireless advocate.  District 2 lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered residents are craving an outspoken and dynamic leader to dispel the stereotypes and spotlight the challenges of inaccurate rhetoric.  Failure is not an option in this fight.  I am the exact type of leader needed.  I care about the causes and issues in the LGBT community and have the leadership ability to make a difference.

District 2 Deserves a Straight Ally at City Hall!

What is a straight ally?  The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans considers a straight ally as “someone who is not lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) but personally advocates for LGBT equal rights and fair treatment. Straight allies are some of the most effective and powerful advocates for the LGBT movement. These allies have proven invaluable personally and politically, and are increasingly important in the fight for LGBT equality.” I am a straight ally for the Dallas LGBT Community who will promote a message of economic justice and social progress in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community.

We must bring New Business and Development to District 2

District 2 needs someone with sales and marketing experience, someone like me. Every day I reach out to leaders across this country. District 2 needs a promoter who will go out and sell the city personally and I have the perfect skill set required. District 2 includes the hospital district, the design district, American Airlines Center, Victory, West End, Dealay Plaza, Lou Sterrett Jail Complex, Jack Evans Courthouse, Dallas City Hall, the Cedars, Deep Ellum, Baylor Hospital, and Lower Greenville. District 2 needs a salesman with the energy that only I can bring to the table, salesmanship is my specialty. I will be personally engaged in the recruitment of business from other cities.  Also, I will help bring solutions to struggling small business owners in District 2. They are the engine that drives the future of District 2. Small business owners need a leader that will help them keep their doors open, not a leader who forces them to lock their doors.  When I am elected, I will make it a priority to fight for small business.

Dallas Independent School District Must Adopt a stronger Anti Bullying Policy!

Bullying is an endemic problem in American schools. Anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) bullying is one of the most pervasive forms of bullying and often the weapon of choice for bullies, regardless of the bullied student’s sexual orientation. Yet many schools have not effectively addressed anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment.

GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. and they recommend  four approaches that schools can implement now to address anti-LGBT bullying and make schools safer for all students. I support these recommendations.

1. Adopt a comprehensive anti-bullying policy that enumerates categories such as race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender expression/identity. Enumeration is crucial to ensure that anti-bullying policies are effective for all students. Policies without enumeration are about as effective than having no policy at all when it comes to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment, according to GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey.

2. Require staff trainings to enable school staff to identify and address anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment effectively and in a timely manner.

3. Support student efforts to address anti-LGBT bullying and harassment on campus, such as the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance or participation in events such as the National Day of Silence and Ally Week.

4. Institute age-appropriate, inclusive curricula to help students understand and respect difference within the school community and society as a whole.

No child can focus on school work when they are fearing for their safety. This is a life and death issue and these children deserve a courageous leader at Dallas City Hall to be their voice on the Dallas City Council.  I will be that leader.

The Trinity River Project?

A large portion the Trinity River Project is in my district and sadly it has become a national joke. There are seven miles of the Trinity River in district 2including both designer bridges as well as the Trinity River Park. The Dallas City Council “sold” a Trinity River Park to Dallas voters and then replaced that vision with a reality of 10 miles of concrete toll road plans. Thankfully, the Army Core of Engineers put an end to that debacle. The toll road would have come directly through District 2, and the sitting Council person almost let it happen. I will bring all the recent failures of our city council person’s judgment as well as solutions from those failures.

Based on Army Corps of Engineers reports, the weakest part of the levee is squarely in District 2. My opponent has had no voice and shown no leadership on this issue. The sitting Council person agreed with the power brokers and pushed a toll road. The sitting Council person did not stand up for the safety of the people who live in District 2. I will change that; I will immediately report back to the district the true state of the levee. I will do what it takes to build the park. I will reverse the errors of the past and move forward with bold leadership and bold strokes.

Is the Trinity River Park Really Dead?

Where is the Trinity River Park? As of today the Park is dead, that project was laid to rest long ago. The Trinity Project is dead thanks to a lack of leadership in District 2. The powers at City Hall sold the Trinity River Park Project down the toll road and all we have to show for it is a broken levee system. The worst part is consultants took most of the money. Now, there is no money to fix it.  City Hall will say that big voters had spoken, and then reality set in. The voters were conned. I will make it a priority to revive the recreational aspects of the plan as part of my greening initiative. As your City Councilman, I will reach out to the private sector and seek private funding for the project. I will reach out to Austin and Washington and seek State and Federal dollars. The recreational elements of the Trinity River project must be brought back to life, the big deception must be reversed. We were promised a park and some ball fields. I will do everything in my power as a City Councilman to see it play out like we were promised.  I supported the Trinity River Project as it was laid out to the voters. That included a park with a lake and athletic fields. When it was originally sold to the voters, the Trinity River Project was going to be a hallmark recreational project that would rejuvenate the spirit of District 2.  When I am elected to Dallas City Council, I will make sure increasing green spaces and rejuvenating both the spirit and bank account of District 2 residents will be my number one priority.

We must Increase Economic Development and Help Business Thrive in District 2

There have been a few well known projects such as: the Dallas Convention Center Hotel, The New Jail, and The Calatrava Bridge to West Dallas. The Cedars continues to grow with the development of new properties but not at the pace wanted or needed by all of District 2 residents. This is one of the reasons I am running for office, all the residents have not benefited from economic development opportunities or funding.  The residents near Love Field, in East Dallas, Lower Greenville and Deep Ellum have not gotten their piece of the pie. They need a City Councilman who can talk to big business, communicate and understand small business.  A person, who will listen, and who will lead. My experience in the private sector makes me a superior candidate.  And when I am elected, I will bring this leadership style to the Dallas City Council.

I believe in limiting government regulation of business.  Imposing Special Use Permits when they are unnecessary and discrimatory is bad policy.  District 2 needs a Councilman who has run his own small business and knows what is like to be on the other side of public policy.

City Hall can do more to help District 2 residents who want to start their own small businesses.  I will find ways to help small businesses responsibly grow into medium size businesses and assist them when they need when they grow again. I will even take the steps necessary to review the Dallas tax codes to see how we can modernize our tax policies to help business thrive.  District 2 needs a City Councilman who can lobby in Austin and in Washington.  I have the ability and the desire to fight for the future of business owners in the District. I can do more and will do more to improve the financial future for the entire district.

We must promote the Diversity in District 2 and we must create a community

Every single day I promote and market District 2 as the jewel of Dallas. Very few people understand how spread out the district really is and even less people know when they are in the District itself. District 2 has no identity. As District 2 City Councilman,  I pledge to do something that has not been done in years in the district, I will go out and sell the city personally. I do it every day now, but as your Dallas City Councilman I will proudly represent the many unique areas of the District and I will create a District 2 identity. I will be a champion for all the areas of the District such as Grauwyler Park, The Hospital district, The Dallas Design District, the American Airlines Center, Victory, West End, Delay Plaza, Dallas City Hall, The Cedars, Deep Ellum, The Baylor Hospital District, Lower Greenville, Little Mexico and Old East Dallas.

Any district with this kind of diversity needs a skilled salesman like myself to be their champion and with your help I will have my seat at the table. I am the only candidate with the energy to recruit new business from other cities with the intuition and know-how to determine what areas will suit their needs and how to close them.  I believe that  I am the best man for the job at this time in our District. As  your Dallas City Councilman in District 2 I ask that you help our movement going forward by offering your ideas and suggestions.  We can start today! You can send me your input anytime at askbilly@billymacleod.com.  I will respond to every email personally.

Can the City of Dallas affect the education of our children?

The Dallas Independent School District and Dallas County Community Colleges have serious financial difficulties. The elected representative for District 2 must be a vocal leader and fight for quality education and a safe environment in Dallas schools.  Mayor Tom Leppert has led on these issues. I will not only follow his example, but I will step it up to the next level.  I believe the Dallas City Councilperson in District 2 can take a stronger educational role in better educating its citizens on financial literacy. We can go out into the community and develop educational outreach programs targeting minorities and bring this needed information down to the grass roots. We can leverage resources already existing within the corporate community like Junior Achievement Programs. We can create ESL and SAT study groups at City Facilities like City Hall.  This would keep children off the streets and demonstrate how City Hall is committed to embracing education and responsibility.  Major problems of bullying of LGBT students need to be addressed head on. This is a life and death struggle. I do not see the appropriate action to change school policies to remedy the problem. There are many things that can be achieved with better leadership in District 2 such as creating a better opportunity for all children in our local schools.

Enforcement of federal immigration laws by local officials

I am against local enforcement of federal immigration laws. It is an unfunded local mandate situation. We don’t have the funds to properly pay for this enforcement, and it is a federal and state responsibility.

What should we do about Water conservation?

I strongly support water conservation. I propose to lead a planning effort to ensure adequate water supply for Dallas residents and future generations. The city council can change public opinion through education, create incentives through smart legislation, and tax incentives. It is in the long-term interest of Dallas to adopt water conservation policies. I believe it is critical to solicit the cooperation of other groups when devising solutions to these real problems. I plan on working with other cities, counties, and governmental bodies to identify long term solutions for our resource issues. I will act, and lead, and fight for this issue that has long term ramifications if not addressed.

We must Increase the amount Affordable Housing in District 2

District 2 needs more affordable housing in and around Downtown Dallas. I have the ideas and the business background to be able to deal with such a complex issue. I believe that Dallas City policies should encourage subsidized affordable housing projects.  They need to be integrated in all neighborhoods in District 2. With the right guidance and planning, the recipients of this type of assistance will take pride in their neighborhood and will work towards home ownership in District 2. We need to build new communities in District 2. I will demand immediate transparency at the Dallas Housing Authority. The residents of District 2 will finally have a good picture about what is really going over at City Hall. Increased home ownership has been demonstrated to strengthen neighborhoods. It reduces crime and helps increase district pride. I am in favor of involving residents in this process. The end result is more people caring for their own community.

Dallas City Contractors Must  pay their employees Living Wages

If a person is living paycheck to paycheck he or she doesn’t have disposable income to spend at the local restaurants, coffee shops, stores, and bars. If a person is struggling financially, he or she doesn’t have money for football tickets, concerts, symphony, theater or charitable donations. I believe City Hall needs to take a leadership role to encourage businesses that they contract City Services to pay living wages to their employees.  Dallas can do this by demanding living wages be paid, but they can also take the lead being a good example and examining their own employee policy on the subject. City employees pay has been going in the wrong direction for years.

Dallas needs to make sure that companies they contract out City Services are providing a living wage to their employees Some may think “living wage” is a divisive phrase, but I look at the overall picture. I see that if a person is living paycheck to paycheck he or she will find it hard to obtain home ownership.

We must improve the overall quality of life in District 2

Improving quality of life and neighborhood vibrancy is as mental as it is physical. As your City Councilman I will combine social networking, internet marketing, direct marketing combined with salesmanship to bring new people and new business to District 2. I will also bring to the table creative new business incentives to offer small and large business alike in order to remain competitive. I have been in Sales, Marketing and Public Relations my whole life. On the street and in the boardroom, I am a pro. In a down economy and beyond, you have to sell the City and make Dallas sizzle. In order to do that, you have to be able to sell.  I am ready to take Dallas to the next level, but I cannot do it without your support.

Summary

In a nutshell: I believe that we must maintain Dallas City services, fix some of our basic infrastructure,    and stop cutting city services. We need to put away the hatchet and find new ways of increasing Dallas City revenues.  We need to be inclusive, transparent, and communicative with all residents to show the true potential District 2 has to offer.

I am the kind of leader who will openly fight for Equality and boldly fight against injustice at every turn, every day.  I believe that I am the exact type of leader that District 2 needs at this time in our City.

These are only some of the important issues facing our great city but there are many more.  There are so many issues I care about and I will continue to add them all as this campaign moves forward.

More than anything, I want to redouble City Hall’s effort to get involved in actionable community outreach. I want to promote real engagement with both District 2 residents and our small business community; the two have rarely formed a real alliance. Most of all, I believe there needs to be more communication between the Dallas City Council, residents, and its business owners. Simply put, I plan to knock down the brick wall that currently exists around City Hall.  I have the proven leadership experience. I have plenty of energy in the tank, and I have the long term vision to make District 2 a better place to live work and play.  District 2 needs a trustworthy diplomat. I am ready, willing, and able for the task at hand.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to “dig in” and check out my ideas.