Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who attended our Coppell Town Hall in March. We had great presentations by Public Works on the projects underway for Coppell as well as a description of the County’s planned expenditures with the ARP (American Rescue Plan) funds from County Administration.

I am very proud of my team for putting together these events that have served the community well. The purpose is to educate our constituents on the role of County government and the specifics of projects and programs affecting their communities. We rotate general topics and add at least one “hot-button” issue for these events. I am open to any suggestions or requests for specific topics to be addressed in a Town Hall in your community.

Graduations will soon be upon us, and we are preparing to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments and resilience of our students around the district.  Our valedictorians and salutatorians certainly deserve praise for their hard-won academic recognition. But it is incumbent upon our entire community, not just the parents and teachers, to distinguish this class of graduates as one that is unique, having suffered some of the greatest effects of the pandemic, and yet, have persevered. My hope is that, throughout their lives, they remember tough times come and go, and that they are equipped to weather the storm and emerge stronger on the other side.

Lastly, this week begins Early Voting for many ISD races and two Dallas College Board of Trustee district seats in Dallas County. There are also two important constitutional amendments on the ballot. I encourage you to voice your opinion by casting your vote either this week during Early Voting or on Election Day, May 7.

Also, be aware that Elections Administrator Scarpello was allowed under the Secretary of State’s interpterion of the election code to recommend a polling site consolidation plan for Election Day on May 7. Only 39 sites were approved as part of this consolidation effort, for a total of 428 county-wide, which is still more than any other county in Texas, including Harris and Tarrant counties. 19 of the 39 sites (listed in a separate article) are in District 2; however, another location is within one mile to ensure easy access to a polling center.

While we voted in Commissioner’s Court to consolidate 39 voting locations for the May 7 election, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Failing to reduce sites more significantly will lead to tremendous inefficiency in County resources, poor service to the citizens with the Elections Department stretched thin and additional cost passed on to the cities holding their municipal elections. This will be an ongoing issue in Dallas County and one that I will continue to strive to advance. I have great confidence in Mr. Scarpello and hope we can better aid him in his efforts, as they have been consistently aligned with making voting easier and more efficient for our residents.