Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Last night, the League of Women Voters held a Candidates' Forum at City Hall.  If you missed it, The Dallas Morning News provided a live twitter feed that included a concise summary of each candidates' response.  These are the questions and responses given by me and my opponent, in the order they were made.

For the DMN summary page of all candidates go to: http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/04/council-candidates-talk-city-d.html



22h
Council candidates introducing themselves now

22h
LaMorgese: wants to take back city government for people; new stronger ethics rules; less risky contracts

22h
Mahoney: important time for city; now not time for partisan politics; history of local, military service;

22h
Council question 1 - support ent ctr and financing as proposed?

22h
LaMorgese: contract too long, financial risk too high on city, agreement doesn't give enough oversight

22h
Mahoney: vital to econ dev; would change aspects of contact but need to honor it; no Private ent ctr in southwest;

22h
Question 2- Plans for Heritage District redevelop and how pay for it?

22h
LaMorgese: Need to work with reputable developers who put taxpayers first; private developers should pay for it

22h
Mahoney: Need comprehensive plan; already have committee of residents; can be done in months; let developers bid

21h
Question 3 - How would you encourage a large company to move to Irving?
21h
Mahoney: need to give them a place that is positive and moves forward; has good transportation and infrastructure

21h
LaMorgese: need to ensure strong city finances, services and infrastructure are in place and not at risk;

21h
Question 4 what priority do you give in upgrading aging water and sewer infrastructure and how would you implement?

21h
LaMorgese: water is "blue gold;" no risky contracts that could be spent on updating infrastructure; reward conservation;

21h
Mahoney: water and sewer infrastructure critical; leverage water reuse rights just need infrastructure;

21h
Question 5 is city doing enough to ensure commercial tax base, which covers 70% of property taxes?

21h
Mahoney: yes. Chamber serves as professional, focused team that works at protecting business tax base

21h
LaMorgese: dont leave businesses paying taxes for failed projects; city not competing in private industry

21h
LaMorgese: Taxpayers first, not special interests; need to refocus on core services

21h
Mahoney: lives leadership has limited his own political donations; build bridge between council & mayor

The election is May 12, 2012. For more information about me or my campaign, please check out our website at http://www.billmahoneycampaign.com/.
I would appreciate your vote for Irving City Council, Place 6.

Pol. Adv. paid for by Bill Mahoney Campaign

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

DART's Importance to Irving

As some of you already know, transportation and infrastructure have been civic passions of mine for many years.  They are also critically important issues for the future of Irving.  The North Central Texas Council of Governments has projected that the region’s population could double in the next ten years.  It is imperative that we have the infrastructure to sustain this growth well into the 21st century.  That includes having a transportation system sufficient to efficiently move goods and people throughout the city.

Most recently, I have had the honor of serving as the Chairman of Irving’s Transportation Management Association (TMA).  The TMA is charged with the responsibility of managing and solving local transportation concerns.  The TMA has been heavily involved in the final stages of the DART Orange Line construction.  The Orange Line is a crowning achievement for Irving, providing light rail transit access from downtown Dallas through the Las Colinas Urban Center to Terminal A of the DFW Airport.  The TMA’s work has included participation in layout negotiations, station design committees, the APT connection and connections with other DART modes.  I have enjoyed working with DART’s professional staff and I have learned a lot about the transportation needs of Irving and this region along the way.

DART’s President, Gary Thomas, gave a very informative presentation this morning on the progress of the Orange Line at the Henry Holmes Breakfast.  Revenue service begins on July 30, 2012, for Irving I to the Irving Convention Center Station.  His material highlighted the need for a seamless regional transportation system.  Irving and DART have been true partners in recognizing what it takes to have a complete door-to-door transit option for the thousands of employees that commute to Irving everyday.  DART will operate a daily circulator shuttle from the Orange Line’s Las Colinas Urban Center Station, along Lake Carolyn Blvd. and Las Colinas Blvd., as a service for its riders within the Urban Center, including Irving’s Convention Center.  We need to collectively thank DART for its efforts in completing this important piece of the transportation puzzle.

Transit is also important to us because Irving can expand its tax base, which in turn could lower property taxes, by seeking and encouraging the right types of developments in these areas.  Much of the growth and/or redevelopment in Irving will be centered on new and existing transit centers.  Transit Oriented Developments (TOD's) along the soon-to-be completed DART Orange Line and the TRE, the former Texas Stadium site, Las Colinas Urban Center and Irving's Heritage Crossing can greatly enhance Irving’s tax base.  We need to continue developing our transportation and infrastructure systems to sustain our growth.

The election is May 12, 2012.  For more information about me or my campaign, please check out our website at http://www.billmahoneycampaign.com/.

I would appreciate your vote for Irving City Council, Place 6.

Pol. Adv. paid for by Bill Mahoney Campaign
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