Meet the Candidates: City Council District 1

City Council elections are really just around the corner. It is an eventful election as all district seats are up for re-election. The Dentonite has sent a general questionnaire to every filed candidate for each district and have compiled the answers into separate posts, beginning with District 1.

May 4 is election day, but don’t miss your opportunity to early vote April 22-30. If no one has told you yet, early voting is a dope option. You can find more information on the city council election here. You can find out who your current city council member is and which district you need to vote in here. For a breakdown of information such as polling dates, times and locations, check out our guide to the 2019 City Council Election.

The Dentonite will be hosting a candidate forum April 20 at Dan’s Silverleaf at 2:30 p.m. All candidates have confirmed their attendance with the exception of Gerard Hudspeth (incumbent, D1), Keely Briggs (incumbent, D2) and John Ryan (Incumbent, D4). You can submit questions for the forum through this google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf27PAOSmXEdo2BZep6sEEaQsuUvxYg8pIi-DLGxemHmNZtow/viewform

Incumbent Gerard Hudspeth was elected May 2017 and is currently being opposed by George Ferrie. Both responded to the questions sent and their answers are as follows.

George Ferrie

What boards or organizations are you involved with in the Denton community? Based on your involvement in the community and on these boards or organizations, what skills do you believe you will bring to the city council, or continue to bring?

I serve on the Parks, Recreation, and Beautification Board for the city. I also serve on the boards of OUTreach Denton, Friends with Benefits, and the Denton Main Street Association, as well as volunteer with various organizations. By being apart of such different organizations, I have been able to get to know and understand the needs of many different communities in our city. They have given me the opportunity to build relationships with sponsors, vendors, and volunteers, as well as raise money for local nonprofits. Each board requires a different skill set, working collaboratively, reaching an understanding of what each board needs, and working to achieve goals it exactly what City Council does.

What is the biggest issue(s) facing your district that you want voters to know means a lot to your campaign? What changes would you like to institute to address these issues?

I think safe housing is an important issue facing District One and our city as a whole. The first goal is providing a comprehensive document listing all the rights and responsibilities of renters and landlords to each person who signs a lease. Secondly, our city need to create a rental inspection program, like most cities in our state. We should develop a system that ensures management companies and landlords are maintaining building standards both inside and out. Implementing yearly inspections will not only decrease the amount of rental dwelling issues, but incentivise businesses to preserve their investment.

What are three achievable goals that you would champion in the next two years if you won?

I want ensure we as a city include the LGBTQIA+ community in our non-discrimination policy. It is important that we join other North Texas cities in adopting more inclusive policies that protect sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

We are expected to grow to over 207,000 residents in 2030. Affordable housing is a necessity especially given this growth, and I want to ensure that all Dentonites can afford to live here, without the worry of paying 35-50% of their income on rent. We need to work with developers to create low income single and multi-family housing, which will allow citizens to have more expendable income and will help with resident retention of our 53 percent of renters.

We have a growing population of people experiencing homelessness in Denton. This is not a problem, this is an opportunity to be of service to those most in need in our city. This is a multi-faceted discussion in which we must look at accessibility to services, availability of services, and long term solutions. From transportation to transitional housing programs, we need a top-to-bottom look at what we as a city can provide, as well as how we can partner with the county.

What are the most important policies Denton needs to implement to ensure that it reaches and maintains sustainability?

The average home in Denton costs over $340,000, so an affordable housing program is vital, especially given that roughly 90 percent of Denton’s residents make less than $75,000 annually.

Also, by implementing a better tax incentive structure we can ensure we are creating quality, high paying, competitive jobs without sacrificing tax payers’ best interests.

How do you feel about the transportation options currently available in our city? Do we have enough options? If not, what will you do to increase those?

I think we need to increase the safety of folx commuting on bicycle, by adding bike lanes in more dense areas in our City. I also think we should investigate increasing the number of stops our buses make, to ensure all citizens can reach any and all services and businesses they need,

Is the city spending money in the right places? What would you change, if anything?

I believe we are doing a decent job with our city spending. I would say we need to be more conscious of what deals we make where tax incentives are being given and keep our focus of infrastructure on the forefront.

How do you plan to involve residents in the decision making process in our town?

I would first encourage anyone who lives here to attend city council meetings and work sessions if they are able. My campaign is about honest and transparent communication. I welcome all resident questions and will be sure to provide an answer in a timely manner. I’m here to be of service to District One and the city of Denton, and I look forward to the hard work ahead.

What sets you apart from the other candidates across all districts? What is it about you that you believe the council is lacking that you will bring to the table?

I’m a local small business owner, a renter, and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. I am ready to represent the communities I believe have been underserved by our council for too long. I am running because I believe it is time to have a more diverse and inclusive table at which the Council sits at. I believe the future of Denton is at stake, and if we don't begin to take into consideration the needs of all our neighbors, we will lose what makes Denton what it is today.

Time is always a big concern for city council candidates. What would you say to those who are concerned that you wear too many hats and won’t be able to fully dedicate the attention needed to represent your district?

I think with any commitment you must assess the time requirements and duties that are involved. As an artist, I used to work 2-3 jobs while pursuing my dreams, to make ends meet and pay my bills. I’ve worked in the service industry and with nonprofits for over a decade, so multitasking is second nature to me. I love hard work and taking on new challenges. If elected, Denton can rest assured I will work tirelessly to ensure they are getting all that they deserve, including a Councilperson who represents them well on all platforms and both listens and respond to all in a timely, respectful manner.

What is something that we haven’t covered that you want voters to know about you, your mission, and why you are running for city council?

I realize that I am not the stereotypical CIty Council candidate. However, I have been serving my community for the better part of 13 years and love this city with all my heart. I know how to listen to all sides of an issue, work collaboratively to find a solution, and keep moving forward to reach our goals as a city. I want a Denton where everyone is encouraged and included in the conversation. I will work to ensure everyone is heard and not just given lip service. I promise to be on the ground helping to build our future together, one brick at a time.

Gerard Hudspeth, incumbent

I was honored to serve the City of Denton quite a bit before being elected. I served on Planning and Zoning, as well as graduated from Leadership Denton. I serve with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), and I graduated from the North Texas FBI Citizens' Academy as well as the City of Denton Citizens' Police Academy. Serving the city prior to being elected provided me a great foundation to be a better City Council member. Planning and Zoning taught me a great deal about those issues, and serving the great people of Denton is a privilege.

What is the biggest issue(s) facing your district that you want voters to know means a lot to your campaign? What changes would you like to institute to address these issues?

Growth is the biggest issue facing my District, as well as the entire city. Many people want to move here and that brings more traffic and more infrastructure needs. I work very closely with city staff, who do a great job, to push our infrastructure needs to the forefront.

What are three achievable goals that you would champion in the next two years if you won?

Taxes - It starts with taxes and keeping our tax rate low, all the while continuing to provide a high level of services.

Increased Transparency and Ethics are very important to me, and we need to continue to allow our citizens to have faith in their city government. We have done a good job of increasing our transparency, and I will work tirelessly to continue to be be a leader in terms of ethics, transparency and accountability.

Pedestrian Safety - We need to focus on keeping our citizens safe, and our Public Safety officials do a great job. As a City Council, we need to make it a focus to improve sidewalks, lighting etc and help keep the many people in Denton who walk and bike safer.

What are the most important policies Denton needs to implement to ensure that it reaches and maintains sustainability?

We are always trying to lower pollution, and protect our environment. Exploring renewable forms of energy, and those that put less strain on our environment, is something we need to continually work on.

How do you feel about the transportation options currently available in our city? Do we have enough options? If not, what will you do to increase those?

We have a good deal of options, but we continue to look at options that make sense. As more and more people come to our great city, we will need to be proactive in making sure our residents can get where they need to go in a timely and efficient manner.

Is the city spending money in the right places? What would you change, if anything?

We have done a really good job of keeping taxes low and maintaining high level of services. I will look for ways to reduce spending in areas where we can cut, and pass that along to the taxpayer.

How do you plan to involve residents in the decision making process in our town?

I work on being open and accessible. I take many calls, respond to emails, and also use social media to get the pulse of our residents and what they care about. As anyone will likely tell you, it is not hard to reach me and I know I work for the people.

What sets you apart from the other candidates across all districts? What is it about you that you believe the council is lacking that you will bring to the table?

I believe I have a unique way to communicate with people from all walks of life, all political ideologies, and try to treat everyone with respect and invite feedback. The people are my boss, and it is always a good idea to listen to your boss when they have ideas or issues.

I find a way to get it done, and try to be everywhere, not only in my district but all across the city. I have a loving and supportive family, and they share me and my time with the people of Denton.

I may not always agree with every person on every issue, but I think we can treat each other with kindness and respect, and I work on doing that every day. Smiling takes a lot less effort than frowning, and we are so lucky to live in Denton, so we are very blessed.

Other information

More information on George Ferrie’s candidacy found here. More information on Gerard Hudspeth’s candidacy found here.

And, don’t forget election day May 4! Other information on polling locations, times and early voting dates and district lookup can be found here. Once again, please join us April 20 at Dan’s Silverleaf at 2:30 p.m. for a candidate forum moderated by Dewey Marshall and Deana Ayers.

Questions/concerns about this article? Email tori@thedentonite.com.

Header image courtesy of Element5 Digital on Unsplash.

Header design by Kylie Phillips.

CultureTori FalconMarch 25, 2019District 1, Race for district 1, Election Day, Early Voting, Vote, City Council, city council election, Gerard Hudspeth, George Ferrie, dan's silverleaf, The Dentonite