ISSUES
ALLEN EVENT CENTER
We have a diamond in the rough in the Allen Event Center. I love going there with my granddaughter for hockey games. We love our Allen Americans! We have a pretty great soccer team that calls Allen home as well. We have gun shows, home and garden shows, and have even held voting for elections in our event center. It is truly a beautiful facility! However, I feel along with many others that this facility is underutilized and could be used for so much more. In addition to these established events, the center should be booked weekly for concerts and other events. We need to use this facility to its maximum potential, or the question must be asked, why even have it in the first place? The potential revenue that it could generate not just for itself but for local restaurants , local hotels and tax revenu could be a windfall to our community. As we look to a post pandemic future, we need to prioritize fully utilizing this opportunity that we have here in Allen.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
I stand firmly opposed to unconstitutional regulations. A city government should not violate their oath of office and attempt to strip away citizens' constitutional rights. Members of our community need their constitutional rights to be protected, and I will be an asset in this area to local businesses and residents.
City council members that advocate to break a contract with a gun show will lead to the city being sued in a court of law and set the city up for financial ruin. The gun show brings many people to Allen from outside the city. It is an economic boom for Allen. The vendors and attendees eat at our restaurants, stay at our hotels, and shop at our businesses. Not only does this benefit the Allen Event Center and the city in the form of added revenue, but it boosts profits of local businesses and taxes that Allen EDC and CDC would not normally collect. By “cancelling” the Allen gun show we would lose, the businesses would lose, and we would lose again in a court of law. All to push an agenda that is driven by fear and hate.
I firmly stand behind the order that Judge Hill issued early last year that all business is essential. It is not the place of the government to decide which businesses are essential or and which are not. What makes one business more important than another? We can’t allow the government to intrude on our daily lives. The people will make the decision if a business is essential or not when they decide to do business or not at an establishment.
Government should listen to and govern from the will of the citizens, not push their own personal agenda. When you have nearly two dozen Allen citizens show up in support of an issue and less than five against, and you vote the opposite of the will of the community, you no longer represent that community.
City council members that openly advocate that people shouldn’t be able to exercise their constitutional rights do not belong on the council. There is no excuse for openly advocating for the destruction of the US Constitution and of America while on the city council.
I will never vote for or advocate for hindering anyone’s constitutional rights. I will not support in any way the destruction of the American dream or freedoms that have been fought for, and that people have died for.
APARTMENTS
I believe that adding more apartment complexes in Allen will negatively impact the city in a number of ways.More apartments would mean more water and wastewater issues. On the surface this might not seem like a big issue, but let’s dive deeper. The water district is building a new pumping station which means higher water bills for all of us. They are also building a new “lake” for the expected growth and water needs of the future. It will increase our wastewater treatment needs, including new larger sewer pipes.
All of these new apartments will lead to increased traffic on the roads. More cars on the road will mean more pollution, more congestion, and more accidents. It will be less safe for pedestrians. Increased traffic will also lead to the need for more roads and repairs. Where will all that money come from? Taxes. I do realize that we will increase our tax base with more apartments, but will it really offset the rise in sewers, water and roads? I say it won’t. If you look at cities with older apartments, they always go through a “decline period”. While some do make a turnaround, the decline in most cases is permanent.
I want to point out that I am not anti apartment. I have lived in an apartment before, and they do have their place in a community. There are some new ones going up on Highway 121, and it looks like it will be a beautiful addition to Allen. I don’t see a need for apartments in our existing neighborhoods. There is no need for towering apartments in our CBD area as well. I believe that we should focus on rebuilding downtown with respect to history and the concern of citizens that live near or in the CBD.
I SUPPORT THE POLICE
I will NEVER support defunding the police! I was absolutely horrified and sickened at the events last year in Minneapolis, and those involved will and should face their day in Court. This does not mean that we need to abolish our police force nationwide. I have had discussions with members of our police force including Chief Harvey, and he has talked about the need for a well trained police force here in Allen. The Allen police want and need the training, but there is an issue with understaffing. Currently, training would mean fewer feet on the ground to ensure our public safety. I would propose that over time we need to hire up to 5 more police officers for Allen. This would cut down on overtime and ensure public safety while our dedicated police force receives the training that is needed and wanted.
Allen is a very safe city. The people living here and the people moving here expect a safe city. When I am elected to the city council, I will do my part to ensure that Allen citizens remains safe. I believe that this is a top priority for Allen.
TAXES
I have every confidence that we can get to the no new revenue tax rate here in Allen, formally known as the Effective Tax Rate. Plano and McKinney have done it, and Allen can as well.
Term limits
I am one of the candidates not facing term limits. For two of the candidates, however, this will be their final term according to our city charter. According to the charter, as voted upon by the citizens of Allen, no one is allowed to serve for more than 12 years total, or two terms in a row. The incumbent has served one term, and this would be her 2nd term. Another candidate has already served 10 years. There is conversation as to whether or not he can actually fulfill a full term. I stand with the city charter and say he cannot.
DART AND ALLEN
I stand firmly against DART in Allen. First of all, it would create a safety issue with a train running through Allen. The train would run through a quiet neighborhood where school kids walk the tracks to get to and from the high school. The quality of life for the residents in these neighborhoods would severely diminish. Quality of life is one of the reasons that people live in and move to Allen. I will not contribute to the continued decline of quality of life here in Allen. It is clear that crime around the DART stations in Plano has risen. Allen is a safe community, and I would not want to jeopardize this.
The monetary downfall of Allen would also be too great. Not only would we lose the EDC and the CDC, something Allen voters agreed to and wanted, but we would have to give DART back pay to the tune of $800 million. We would have to pay them as if we joined back in the beginning, not as if we joined today. This would bankrupt the city and cause taxes to inflate overnight. About 8 years ago, Allen experimented with a bus service. From my understanding, the city received a grant to run the bus service, but it failed miserably. I am not interested in wasting taxpayer money on something that has already failed.
A voice that will listen to the citizens of Allen
The incumbent will listen to you but only if she agrees with you. She didn’t listen to Allen citizens when it came to the new gun range. She wasn’t listening to Allen citizens when she wanted to cancel the Allen Gun Show, which would have led to a lawsuit that would have been costly for the city. She didn’t listen to Allen citizens when she stated that she thought that 98% of the guns in America should be done away with. She didn’t listen to businesses when she opposed Chief Harvey’s request to install license plate reading cameras at strategic locations in Allen to help curb and catch criminals that rob our stores. She was more concerned about illegal aliens being caught than protecting our businesses and citizens.
I enjoy meeting with people, and am available for lunch or coffee, or by Zoom to discuss your concerns for the city of Allen. I am very responsive on my campaign and personal page. When I am asked questions about local issues, if I don’t have the answer, I will work to find it. I strive to be open and transparent in my campaign and will continue that once I am elected. Once elected by the citizens of Allen, I will lead solely for the citizens of Allen and not for any hidden agenda, identity politics, or special interest groups outside of Allen.
Help support my run for Allen City Council.