Chad West, Mariana Griggs and Albert Mata sat for a candidate forum Thursday night to discuss their views and plans for Oak Cliff if elected to the District 1 City Council seat.
You can read more about each candidate here, or watch the forum below. The timestamps for questions asked will be listed below the video.
Candidates had two minutes for an opening statement, closing statement and to answer each question. Candidates answered questions in a rotating order to ensure fairness, and questions were sourced from District 1 residents ahead of the forum.
0:15 : Introduction and forum rules
3:19 : Opening Statements
10:03 : What do you feel were the successes and failures of WOCAP, and what role do you feel a city councilperson plays in the next steps of neighborhood determination now that it has passed?
16:55 : The City Council’s Quality of Life Committee will pick up the STR regulations and zoning discussion in the coming months. City Council will likely consider this item by summer 2023. What role should STRs play in District 1 and as a city council member how would you approach this city-wide issue?
24:01 : With the rising interest in Conservation Districts and the worry about overdevelopment (Bishop Arts) how would you balance neighbors desire for preservation while also ensuring District 1 continues to grow and there is room for economic development?
30:25 : Cycling infrastructure is an important part of a city’s transportation plan, providing quick, affordable, and healthy transportation to an area’s residents. There is overwhelming support for cycling as an alternative form of transit according to Dallas’s Strategic Mobility Plan, but there is little bike infrastructure in Oak Cliff. Bikes are forced into the roads, and as with most of Dallas’s roads, cycling in Oak Cliff is stressful and often dangerous (as we all know how great Dallas drivers are). Do you believe that the cycling infrastructure in Oak Cliff meets the needs of its residents? If so, why do you believe that? If not, how do you plan to increase and promote biking as transportation in the district?
37:45 : Homelessness is only becoming more and more of a relevant issue. There are new encampments at 30 and Sylvan, as well as 35 and 10th St, and the city has formed another commission to handle the problem of homelessness. How do you plan to work with the new city committee to make sure that they give adequate resources to Oak Cliff and make sure that its needs are heard?
44:42 : Many of our community members have experienced hearing random gunfire throughout the District. At multiple times throughout the last year, gunfire near playgrounds have been recorded during the day when children are playing. What can be done to address gunfire in our district and better promote safety in our public spaces?
51:17 : A new bond cycle is approaching and appointments for the taskforce will take place in the next few weeks. What would you look for when appointing someone to the bond task force? What types of things would you like to see in the next bond filing
57:50 : What is a vote that you feel the incumbent City Councilman got wrong, where you would have voted differently? Why would you have voted differently?
1:04:12 : Closing Statements
