Stephani “Skyle” Kyle owns a marketing agency, The Skylark Agency, and is a real estate agent.

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She says she was compelled to run for office because she was unhappy with a deal City Council approved to temporarily house homeless residents diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Miramar Hotel on Fort Worth Avenue.

I want to ensure that our neighbors get a say in developments and policies that shape our community.  Recent city council decisions motivated me to run for District 1 representative.  I want to represent the collective  wishes of the residents and business owners of District 1. We deserve to be heard, and I will be available to my constituents.  We have the chance to bring policy back to the people.

How would you like to see Dallas change in the next 10 years?

Over the next 10 years I would like to see our schools improve, violent crime decrease, homelessness taken care of, and more middle class families staying in the city versus moving to the suburbs.

What do you think Dallas did right in the last decade?

In the last decade I have appreciated Dallas’ efforts towards green space — I love Klyde Warren Park and the trails down along the Trinity River. The Winspear is slightly over a decade old but is also a great addition to Dallas — I just wish the programs were more affordable; especially when tickets aren’t sold out. The streetcar is cool and would be even better if we had continuous reliable public transportation.

Give the current City Council a compliment sandwich:

I like that City Council has stopped increasing the property tax rate in recent years, but I do think we could do more to help lower income families by having a tiered structure (like with income tax) and offer discounts to our police, firefighters and teachers to keep them in Dallas. I know we have the Dallas land bank program, which is a good thought, but we need to allow our first responders to choose where they want to live and then give them the tax breaks to stay. We need to stop putting groups of affordable housing in undesirable areas and disperse it throughout the city and around public transportation. Dallas has been doing a good job of increasing the footprint of our public rail.

What makes you proud to represent Dallas? Oak Cliff?

I’m proud to represent Dallas and Oak Cliff because we are a bustling city full of driven and friendly people – I love our diversity and culture, and I would be honored to represent at City Hall.

What are your anxieties about where District 1 is headed?

I worry about District 1’s safety and home values as our crime rates rise and affordable housing seems harder and harder to find. As a real estate investor, I see some areas where sewage comes up on the street when it floods and others where you have 14 offers above asking price on a home. It’s a crazy market, and it’s leaving a lot of people out to dry when it comes to finding a good place to live.

How should the City of Dallas be spending money differently?

CARES Act money was spent rashly. The Miramar Project in my district was purchased with $3.5 million when tax rolls had it worth less than $900,000. At the time of purchase there was not a clear plan or management company in place. I believe we could have helped far more people than what can fit in the 60-unit, run-down Miramar Hotel with $3.5 million.

What are this community’s priorities regarding crime and policing?

Oak Cliff’s crime rate is 200% higher than the national average and Dallas’ homicides have exceeded 200 for two years in a row — the highest in a decade. We have dangerous street racing and intersection takeovers, and we need more police patrol. I strongly disagree with the City Council’s decision to cut $7 million from the police overtime budget in our time of crisis. We need more patrol.

How can the city better serve local small businesses in District 1?

As a small business owner of two D1 businesses, I don’t think the current Council listens to the local small businesses. Council can better serve local small businesses in D1 by not giving monetary incentives to national developers like David Weekly, for starters. Oak Cliff is a hotspot for development, if we are going to lend aid to anyone, it should be those bringing jobs and affordable housing. I think we have too many attorneys and not enough business people in City Hall and need a change so we can listen and understand businesses needs and bring jobs to our community.

What is your No. 1 priority, if elected to City Council?

INCREASE SAFETY! Increasing safety is a multifaceted target — we need to advocate for our police force, spread out affordable housing, build infrastructure to slow down street racing, and create economic development that fits the community and will lead to jobs.