A Better Grapevine

Thanks to the dozens of residents who braved the weather for last night's Grapevine City Council Candidate Forum, and the 140 who watched live online. Thanks to Jeane and Margaret with the League of Women Voters - Tarrant County.

And thanks to our candidates, Debi Meek, Chris Coy, Cory Huddleston, and Duff O’Dell.

Our local election is just weeks away.

Come meet the candidates for Place 5 and Place 6, vying to serve you. Hear from them on a number of issues including transparency in government, property and sales tax revenue, safe streets, constituent services and more. Audience members are encouraged to come with their own questions.

The event is hosted by A Better Grapevine, a non-partisan group dedicated to increasing accountability, stewardship, and transparency in local government.

As always, we have reached out to the LWV to moderate. Monday, April 17, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. The REC of Grapevine 1175 Municipal Way Grapevine, Texas 76051

We’ve been asked a half-dozen times now by residents and city employees, “did you see it?” Of course we did.

Here’s the January 5th council meeting in which Darlene Freed was elected Grapevine’s new Mayor Pro Tem. CM Freed was not the mayor’s nominee. Congratulations to Ms. Freed.

From your submissions, we asked all four of the Grapevine City Council candidates to help us and you get to know them better.

Their responses are below. 

1. How will you encourage members of our community to become more involved in municipal affairs?

2. Will you work to create an environment of transparency?

3. Do you support video recording of council workshops and meetings?

4. Do you support the current policy of council reimbursements without receipts?

5. Do you support term limits?

6. Recognizing that Grapevine is not completely “built out”, what do you want to see in Grapevine’s population numbers in five to ten years?

7. Why should a young Grapevine voter choose you?

8. If you support increased recycling at single-family and multi-family residences and businesses, how will you work to make it a reality?

9. What will you do to advance active transportation improvements such as non-recreational cycling and walking to everyday destinations and enhance walking and cycling facilities?

10. What will you do to make the streets safer for all users, including pedestrians and cyclists?

11. How do you plan to diversify local tax revenue in the future from hotel/motel/retail to other industries?

12. Do you support single-member districts vs. at-large city council districts?

13. If elected/re-elected, will you pledge to return all constituent emails and phone calls, even if you disagree with a resident or business owner on a particular issue?

Marc Blum 

Lee Derr 

Christian Ross 

Marc Blum for Place 1 Grapevine City Council Candidate Questionnaire

1. How will you encourage members of our community to become more involved in municipal affairs? Continual articles in the Impact Paper, the community resource.  All employees and elected officials should have this as part of their job description.  The city already holds open houses on almost all the city departments for the local community. I have always feel that you need to give back to the community and make it a point to get involved and encourage others to do so. 2. Will you work to create an environment of transparency? While certain items of city council need to be closed sessions due to legal and conflict of interest issues, the city should continue to forge ahead with openness.  Additionally the budget as it is formed should include all items of expenditures and projects so all is open to the public. I believe in transparency so that the community will believe in the city. 3. Do you support video recording of council workshops and meetings? City Council and the Mayor have allowed the recording of such events but they are carefully controlled so that it is difficult to modify (which is a good thing) executive meetings should be recorded but not made public.  I support the need of accountability to the community and believe those recordings should be done. 4. Do you support the current policy of council reimbursements without receipts? As part of my campaign promises, fiscal responsibility is a big deal.  This policy is not right.  The business world does not accept it and the people of Grapevine should not accept it as well. 5. Do you support term limits? I see that the City Council has been against it for decades not just years.  For some, they have gotten significant amounts of money to defeat term limits and the PAC that ran against were financially 10 to 1 over those against.  Those that gave money other than council members were given enormous restitutions later. I will fight that type of corruption. I believe in term limits. 6. Recognizing that Grapevine is not completely “built out”, what do you want to see in Grapevine’s population numbers in five to ten years? Depending on how the city manager and city council plan, there is enough room possible for 20,000 additional neighbors.  This is possible through some of the land that is currently held by the DFW Airport.  While this would be a windfall for the city, it would bring densities that would require additional infrastructure, traffic issues and of course, if it is by apartments, potentially additional criminal activity.     7. Why should a young Grapevine voter choose you? As a conservative, I see the long term for the city issues: spiraling debt burden (104m est. in REC and Safety Building, 39m est. existing long term debt, and 86m est. for Tex Rail), the lax budget efforts of infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, sewer, and water issues) have been overshadowed with emphasis of additional entertainment and parks (We have some of the greatest parks in Texas, we just need to keep them in great shape).  For more business to move to the city, more jobs and better infrastructure. I am the candidate that has years of experience as a manager, negotiated with major corporate entities, have been involved with local and federal governments on issues relating to water and infrastructure, and significant construction expertise via work history. 8. If you support increased recycling at single-family and multi-family residences and businesses, how will you work to make it a reality? The city can contractually make all trash recycled and let our businesses make that a reality.  This is something done throughout the country, and could bring a new business to the city that will do it.  Having lived in California, where recycling was born for the public, it can be a simple as a contract.   9. What will you do to advance active transportation improvements such as non-recreational cycling and walking to everyday destinations and enhance walking and cycling facilities?  

Lee Derr for Place 1 Grapevine City Council Candidate Questionnaire

1. How will you encourage members of our community to become more involved in municipal affairs?

When I recently reviewed the city’s 12 boards/commissions the city has, I found there were 4 vacancies currently available. These groups ask for new members to apply every year, and it’s the best way I know of to contribute to Grapevine. When I joined the Historic Preservation Board almost 18 years ago, I thought it was the best way to share my life experience with the city.

2. Will you work to create an environment of transparency?

Yes. The next two questions look like good ideas to work toward more open and honest leadership.

3. Do you support video recording of council workshops and meetings?

Yes.

4. Do you support the current policy of council reimbursements without receipts?

If they are spending city funds, receipts should be appropriate.

5. Do you support term limits?

I would be open to term limits if it was approved by a vote by the citizens of Grapevine.

6. Recognizing that Grapevine is not completely “built out”, what do you want to see in Grapevine’s population numbers in five to ten years?

If we continue as we did in 2012 and 2013 with 3 and 3.5 percent growth, we will be at over 60,000 residents by 2020.

7. Why should a young Grapevine voter choose you?

I have had extensive experience in lowering/managing budgets for construction projects in my 29 years as a construction manager.  I want to make sure that the money spent in Grapevine is for issues that improve our quality of life creates a community our kids will want to stay in and raise their families. With the pending train station coming to downtown, I want to make sure that any development doesn’t harm the feel and charm of our downtown that we have worked so hard to maintain. I’d also like to see more support businesses like dry cleaning, pharmacies, and groceries go back to downtown so we have a walking friendly environment for those who live downtown.

One of my favorite quotes by Gen.George S. Patton “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking”. I enjoy questioning the norm, and always looking for ways to improve service and processes.

8. If you support increased recycling at single-family and multi-family residences and businesses, how will you work to make it a reality?

We should educate the public better on the benefits and costs savings for the city with recycling. We can also work with existing property owners to encourage adaptive reuse versus teardowns and redevelopment. We also need to do a better job of managing our water resources. When we have water restriction in place, we need to enforce them.

9. What will you do to advance active transportation improvements such as non-recreational cycling and walking to everyday destinations and enhance walking and cycling facilities?

I’d like to work with CVB to add bicycle rental stations like you see in Austin and other major cities. Stations can be added at the hotels and downtown so our residents and visitors have another option to get around town.

10. What will you do to make the streets safer for all users, including pedestrians and cyclists?

Encourage the addition of painted bike lanes on existing streets. If we haven't had a master plan made for additional bike paths, I'd would encourage one be done. I would also be for adding sidewalks for pedestrians where they may be lacking.

11. How do you plan to diversify local tax revenue in the future from hotel/motel/retail to other industries?

Our development department has done a great job bringing in revenue sources for the city. With the land the city owns, I’d like to see more corporate campuses that will support all the other existing businesses.

12. Do you support single-member districts vs. at-large city council districts?

I would be open to single-member districts if it was approved by a vote by the citizens of Grapevine.

13. If elected, will you pledge to return all constituent emails and phone calls, even if you disagree with a resident or business owner on a particular issue?

Christian Ross  for Place 1 Grapevine City Council Candidate Questionnaire

1. How will you encourage members of our community to become more involved in municipal affairs?

I think we all go through seasons in life. There are times when we're able to be involved and other times when we need to take a step back. Families are busy, probably more so than ever before in history. There was a time when our family needed to focus on itself for a season and now that our boys are a little older, we have decided it's a good time for us to get involved.

Getting involved in municipal affairs isn't just a "you need to get out and vote, it's your civic duty" type answer though. People need to be given reason to get involved, they have to feel connected. I think we've seen the city take decent strides at providing some connection points (library offerings, Friday Night Fireworks, Butterfly Flutterby, etc) but more could definitely be done.

Giving families more opportunity to connect with each other and city employees at things like the Fire Department / Police Department open houses makes forming relationships easier and allows the residents to see employees in a different setting. As these connections and conversations grow, I think you'll see more and more get involved.

In addition, there's a good sized portion of our population that doesn't get involved at all with municipal affairs. The Community Outreach program run by the Police Department on Timberline has made great strides with this community and after speaking with them, I think we can do much more. Helping tutor the students there through the V.A.S.T program would be a great start but there are many ways to get involved and foster a better and more involved community.

2. Will you work to create an environment of transparency?

Accountability is important to me, whether in my business, personal life, or in my service as a City Council person. Integrity as an entrepreneur and business owner is one of my main values, and I work to be open and respectful with all my interactions. I don't take dealing with taxpayer dollars lightly, your money should be accounted for and you have a right to know how it is being spent.

The Texas Comptroller’s office has an award called the T.C. Leadership Circle Award that is given to cities that are shown to have the most open and accountable governments. Neighboring cities like Trophy Club have been recognized with the Leadership Circle Award and I would love for Grapevine to earn a platinum level award from the Comptroller’s office as well. To do so we would need to make better use of the city’s website for displaying open financials in a user-friendly format for all residents to see. Having a background in that type of industry, I would be happy to help drive that and push us in the right direction.

Additionally, one of our council members promised in a previous election that she would host sit-downs with residents regularly and I applaud her for following through with that and continuing to do so. I pledge to be accessible to city residents and plan on holding regular meet-and-greets as well to give all residents the opportunity to be heard. We may not always agree on the issues but civil discussion is great and I welcome it.

3. Do you support video recording of council workshops and meetings?

Texas’ State Legislature recently passed a law that mandates cities of a certain size to record Council workshops and meetings. While I’m pretty sure Grapevine currently falls just under that population mandate line, I firmly believe we owe it to the citizens to continue the process of both recording and live-streaming all meetings. I will vote to continue this service for the community because I believe Grapevine residents have a right to know not only what decisions are being made but also why they are.

4. Do you support the current policy of council reimbursements without receipts?

As a businessperson, I would not reimburse any expenses without receipts, nor would I expect to be reimbursed by a client without providing receipts. As a volunteer Council member, I would expect to conduct myself in the same manner. Taking reimbursement money for things I have not accounted for is not something I’m open to doing.

5. Do you support term limits?

I don’t have a problem with term limits at any level of government. I can say that I personally will limit my service on the City Council, if elected, because I believe everyone should serve and then allow others to serve. In addition, I'd love to see a concerted effort at mentoring more leaders in the community through programs like Leadership Grapevine so that we can get more residents involved.

6. Recognizing that Grapevine is not completely “built out," what do you want to see in Grapevine’s population numbers in five to ten years?

My father used to say, “If a town isn’t growing, then it is dying.” While I don’t want to see runaway growth that might change the family environment of Grapevine, I believe growth of around 1-2% annually should be expected. We can and should plan for growth, so it doesn’t reduce the great quality of life we have here.

We all love Main Street and want to keep the tradition and heritage there. One of my desires and plans is to focus our efforts next on Northwest Highway. Northwest Highway is one of the major backbones through our city and has some real potential for upgrades. Tens of thousands of eyeballs drive through there everyday and I'd like to get more and more of them to stop.

The ground-up construction of Meat U Anywhere into a beautiful building is showing what really happens when a little effort is put into Northwest Highway. You can hardly venture into there any time of day and not stand in line for some great BBQ. My office is on Northwest Highway and I know we would benefit from it as would every other business. It would bring an enthusiasm to the town as well as have a big impact on the tax base.

7. Why should a young Grapevine voter choose you?

As a person in my 30’s, I believe I can effectively speak for the generation of young families who make up a majority in Grapevine whose median age in the mid-30s.  Families are some of the cities biggest users of amenities like the parks, library, lake trails, The REC and more. I want to see those not only maintained but even more effort put into increasing and renewing them. According to the Quality of Life Survey the City conducted in March of 2015, park and trail amenities were the highest ranked project areas.

Technology is also extremely important to young adults, as well as other age groups. Increasingly, people are choosing their residency based on the advantages of the digital capabilities of a community. Grapevine has the potential to be forefront of new job creation, if we build up our technological infrastructure.  I envision a city where all city parks and city buildings have free public wifi; a city where all residents have access to advanced technologies. What if Grapevine had the opportunity to become the next Google Fiber City where everybody in town had access in their homes to 100GB bandwidth internet speeds? Businesses and families would flock to be a part of that.

8. If you support increased recycling at single-family and multi-family residences and businesses, how will you work to make it a reality?

Ask my wife, she'll tell you that when I drive Industrial Blvd south from Euless to Grapevine or when we head south on 35 past Burleson/Aledo I get a little upset at seeing fake mountains being built by the side of the road which are just some dirt piled on top of heaps and heaps of our waste. It's not a way I want to leave things for my kids and grandkids. We love recycling in our house, our kids get into it and we've actually gotten to the point where our recycling bin is more full each week than our trash is.

We are fortunate to have the resources to provide recycling to Grapevine residents and I am aware of many other communities whose governments do not provide any of these services. I support continued recycling, and if City finances allow, would consider increasing these services through education about recycling, rewards, and especially focus on the business side of the program where I see it being underused far too much.

9. What will you do to advance active transportation improvements such as non-recreational cycling and walking to everyday destinations and enhance walking and cycling facilities?

I see active transportation as an important issue not only for our health but also for our city. I think we’d be quite surprised to actually see how many locals actually get to work by means other than a vehicle here in town. I have the fortune of living within a mile or so from my office and have been able to ride my bike on the days when my schedule allows and I want to encourage that practice for more and more local folks. Having a healthier community often leads to a happier community and a place people want to stay.

I like the fact that businesses like Baylor and the local bicycle shops are working together to provide bike racks in front of Grapevine establishments with the hopes to encourage folks into thinking about different modes of transportation. I'd be interested in exploring options for ride-share bikes that have worked well in other communities and hearing from residents about other ideas that might work well for them. Where it’s feasible, I’d be happy to see new bike lanes and ‘share the road’ signs.

10. What will you do to make the streets safer for all users, including pedestrians and cyclists?

I drive Dove regularly and love to see how many runners, walkers, and cyclists utilize it for recreation and health. Sidewalk additions and improvements was another item that ranked very high on the Quality of Life Survey by Grapevine residents.

I grew up in a smaller community so when I moved to the metroplex 15 years ago, I was a little perplexed at how few sidewalks there actually are, especially in neighborhoods. As a father, I support having sidewalks and curbs for the safety of all who choose to walk to their destinations and I know safety of Grapevine residents is a concern for everyone. I intend to review all aspects of the budget to assure that street and sidewalk improvements are considered as important to our infrastructure.  

11. How do you plan to diversify local tax revenue in the future from hotel/motel/retail to other industries?

Updating and expanding the digital infrastructure in Grapevine will be crucial for diversifying our business base. All businesses of the future will base their location decisions on which community can provide the best, most advanced technology.

As an entrepreneur in the tech industry, I've already seen it happen in Grapevine on a small scale. In our office, we opened up a small collaborative co-working space and ended up sub-leasing desk space to other technology companies. We've had the fortune of having software development companies, small digital agencies, and even satellite offices for larger tech companies all rent space there and it's been great! One business actually moved from Keller to Grapevine just to be a part of the space. I've seen it work and I believe we can make it work on a larger scale.

Grapevine can be the community that businesses want to be a part of — high tech businesses — if we plan and allocate financial resources to our digital infrastructure.

12. Do you support single-member districts vs. at-large city council districts?

This is a hot-button issue, and one I don’t take lightly. Advocates of single-member districts argue that representation can truly be had by all citizens in this type of system and that it has the most potential to give all residents a voice. On the other side, at-large district supporters believe that by opening up the vote across the entire city you allow the voters to truly support the folks they feel they align the most with.

I know that cities have been sued over at-large districts and those types of battles leave a pretty sour taste in people’s mouths. The last thing I want to see is Grapevine become a city entangled by lawsuits and bad press. I am continuing to do my research as to what would work best for Grapevine and to find a solution that works well for all of our residents and not just a select few.

13. If elected, will you pledge to return all constituent emails and phone calls, even if you disagree with a resident or business owner on a particular issue?

Paul Slechta for Place 1 Grapevine City Council Candidate Questionnaire 

1. How will you encourage members of our community to become more involved in municipal affairs?  

I will be accessible to the residents and business owners to discuss any issues or concerns they may have with local government. Promoting the city newsletter, Facebook page, and twitter account will also encourage members of our community to become more involved.  

2. Will you work to create an environment of transparency? 

Yes, I support all state and federal laws in regards to transparency. I believe in open and honest city leadership and government.

3. Do you support video recording of council workshops and meetings?  

Yes. Over the last year, I have attended both Council workshops and meetings and those meetings are being videotaped. Citizens have the ability to either watch them live or go back and watch them at a later date by going to the City website.

4. Do you support the current policy of council reimbursements without receipts? 

I am confident that the City of Grapevine is following all state rules in regards to council reimbursements.

5. Do you support term limits?  

The citizens of Grapevine voted about 2 ½ years ago against term limits, therefore I support their decision.

6. Recognizing that Grapevine is not completely “built out”, what do you want to see in Grapevine’s population numbers in five to ten years? 

I don’t anticipate that we can grow much more residentially and therefore I don’t see it increasing by more than around 5%.  

7. Why should a young Grapevine voter choose you? 

I have prepared myself for this next level of service to the community. Over the last several years I have served on various boards and committees within the City, Chamber of Commerce, and in local service organizations. I have a business in Grapevine and I am currently the chairman of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce. I care about the future of Grapevine and I am excited to be a part of that continued success.  

8. If you support increased recycling at single-family and multi-family residences and businesses, how will you work to make it a reality?  

I am a big supporter of recycling both at home and at my office. Grapevine is going in the right direction with its recycling efforts and I will support looking into ways we can improve & increase recycling.

9. What will you do to advance active transportation improvements such as non-recreational cycling and walking to everyday destinations and enhance walking and cycling facilities?  

The City of Grapevine is spread out geographically therefore it is very difficult to make everything accessible by active transportation. I think a comprehensive on-road bike plan is something that the City should be looking into if they have not already started the process. I would certainly be open to the idea of adding bike lanes on all major roads throughout the city.

10. What will you do to make the streets safer for all users, including pedestrians and cyclists?  

The city has done a good job with signage, crosswalks, and adding additional sidewalks. As a member of the City Council I would take input from the Public Safety departments and residents in regards to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in Grapevine.

11. How do you plan to diversify local tax revenue in the future from hotel/motel/retail to other industries? 

Grapevine does have a diverse base of businesses that already call Grapevine home. If elected, I would work to attract businesses that add value to the community and are a good fit for our citizens.

12. Do you support single-member districts vs. at-large city council districts? 

No

13. If elected, will you pledge to return all constituent emails and phone calls, even if you disagree with a resident or business owner on a particular issue? 

See you tonight at our Grapevine City Council Candidate Forum, moderated by the League of Women Voters. 

Four candidates have filed for Grapevine City Council, Place 1. 

We asked the candidates for their website, Facebook and Twitter accounts. We’ll share them as they come in.

Here are Lee Derr’s:

Four candidates have filed for Grapevine City Council, Place 1. 

We asked the candidates for their website, Facebook and Twitter accounts. We’ll share them as they come in.

Here are Paul Slechta’s:

There’s a special election just days away and we want you to meet your candidates.

Our October 14th Grapevine City Council Special Election Candidate Forum is planned for 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., and will be at Stacy's Furniture or The REC.

Four candidates have filed for Grapevine City Council, Place 1. We asked the candidates for their website, Facebook and Twitter accounts. We'll share them as they come in.

Here are Christian Ross’: