Ft. Worth Mayor Moncrief says, "help me keep the current City Council intact."

At a fundraiser for Sal Espino last night, Mayor Moncrief told the crowd that the current City Council has been doing the "right things for the right reasons" and that he'd like for them to help him "keep the current Council intact." He went on to say that he was sure everyone had heard that he had a couple of opponents in the race and he hoped everyone would help him "squash um like a bug."

(No, I didn't get any special invitation to the event, I responded to an invitational ad for the event in a local community newspaper.)

Ft. Worth's Council District 8 Sierra Vista Housing Project

Three years ago, the taxpayers provided $3.2 Million dollars for the 232 unit Sierra Vista housing project at Berry & Riverside Drive in Council District 8. Ralph McCloud, City Council Rep for District 8 started the project. The current Councilmember Kathleen Hicks, served as McCloud's aide until June 2005 before she became the elected Rep for the District.

Of the 232 lots, only 80 houses have been built as of today. That's a mere 34% of sales in three years! The fields are empty around the fenced housing project and the project has not "spurred" ANY Economic Development around the area. Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks says, "Sierra Vista is coming along just fine." I disagree. I believe those $3.2 Million dollars could have remained in the people's pockets and never collected by the Government.

It's always interesting to me when Developers say, "Well, I grew up in Ft. Worth and I want to 'give back' to the community." "Give Back?" One would be "giving back" if they were investing their own money for a project and taking the risks as they will the "profits," as most of us business owners do. One is not giving back when the taxpayers are paying for the risks. That's what I call "taking", not.... "giving back."

In looking at the facts, Michael Mallick, (Vertex Investments) put in $3+ Million for the project; however, he turned around and sold all but 31 of the lots to History Maker Homes. So, in reality, he served as the middle man in the exchange of monies.

Below are some quotes regarding the project from years past:

"Vertex’s planned community, named Sierra Vista, will include the construction of 232 single-family homes, two outdoor strip-mall centers and a large grocery story. " (Hasn't happened.)

"“We are committed to ensuring an abundance of new economic opportunities such as new businesses, grocery stores and more commercial development in the area,” said Kathleen Hicks (Oh really? Where are the new businesses, grocery stores and more commercial development?)

"the project, which will serve as a neighborhood revitalization project." (Where is the revitalization?)

http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=4114

"Of all the urban revitalization projects under way in our city, one of the most astounding transformations will be the Sierra Vista project and the complementary activities at the intersection of Berry and Rosedale streets." (Complementary activities? Where are they?)

http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=5620

"It is anticipated that this project in conjunction with the adjoining Sierra Vista project will result in one of the most successful Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) districts in the country. " (Really?! How much money has the TIF gained because of these projects?)

http://www.synergyprop.com/happy-baggett.htm

Hicks "points to the two Mallick Group developments on the map. The Sierra Vista development will provide about 230 new single-family homes on the site of the old Riverside Village apartment complex, plus retail sites nearby. Hicks helped broker a deal earlier this year that created a tax increment financing district to include both Mallick Group properties. As tax income to the city increases because of the development, the extra dollars will pay for infrastructure improvements — perhaps one of the few instances when Fort Worth has used the TIF device in the kind of blighted area it was intended for. " (Really Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks --where are the extra dollars? We are still waiting!)

http://www.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=4221

Briscoe, "The city gave Michael Mallick $4 million. Cash. They gave him money for demolition. We had demolition too. It cost us $300,000 to make our site useful." (So, what exactly cost Mallick $3+ Million?)

http://www.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=4221

Ft. Worth's Mayor Pro Tem, Kathleen Hicks, wants taxpayers to "step up" and make sure Development succeeds

IMO, making sure retail Developments succeed is not the responsibility of the tax payers. It is the responsibility of those who decide to take the risk and invest in the development. They, in turn, will make sure that their investments make sense and are profitable. Forcing the tax payers to socialize the risk is not what is best for the taxpayers. Hence, Sierra Vista Housing Project, Evans Rosedale Development and THER housing project that never got off the ground but thousands of tax dollars are gone and the taxpayers are having to repay right now. Thanks to Nehemiah Davis (President of THER, donor to Hicks Campaign and President of Ft. Worth's NAACP), Ft. Worth City Council members in 2003, 2004 & 2005 including Ralph McCloud (Kathleen Hicks was his Council aide) and others for allowing the thousands of taxpayer dollars to be given away.

http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Davis_Nehemiah_24285192.aspx

http://www.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=6093

Government needs to stick to taking care of basic services and quit playing Mommy & Daddy with the taxpayer's dollars and quit passing them out to their friends and supporters (in the name of helping the poor, of course!).

We the taxpayers have "stepped up" enough and bailed out every Tom, Dick & Harry. I say it's time that we elect someone to Ft. Worth's City Council who understands the value of a taxpayer's dollar and who's campaign IS funded by the people as opposed to Big Business. I say it's time that we elect someone to Ft. Worth's City Council who is not ethically challenged and who truly "cares" about The People, The Neighborhoods and Quality of Life here in Ft. Worth. http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/

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http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/feb/24/fort-worth-city-council-looking-bring-large-retail/

http://www.fortworthgov.org/citysecretary/info/default.aspx?id=62960

http://www.pegasusnews.com/people/kathleen-hicks/

http://startelegram.typepad.com/files/hicks_jan.-15-part-1-1.pdf

http://startelegram.typepad.com/politex/fort-worth-city-council/

How In-Touch can Ft. Worth's Mayor Pro Tem, Kathleen Hicks be with the enormous stray dog issue if she thinks "spay" is pronounced "SPRAY?"

Hello, it's "Spay & Neuter Clinic" not "Spray & Neuter Clinic!" Both Mayor Pro Tem, Kathleen Hicks (my opponent in the City Council race) and Councilman Frank Moss (both Represent two of the worst Districts in this City for irresponsible dog owners) pronounced "spay" as "spray" at the dedication yesterday for the Chuck Silcox Spay & Neuter Clinic at the City's Animal Control center.

It's rather amusing to me to see my opponent stand up in front of a crowd of Animal lovers and responsible dog owners and talk about how much she and the Ft. Worth Council care about the issue we have in this City with irresponsible dog ownership when it has taken this City Government 5 years to appropriate the approved bond money for this facility. It is because of the out of control Animal problem (mostly in their Districts), some community activists like myself pushing them to do something about it, and Mr. Silcox's voice and genuine concern for the animals on the Council, that helped make this happen. It was not because of any leadership that Kathleen Hicks provided, I am hear to confirm! She has done NOTHING in the way of leadership in the 3+ years that she has sat on the Council about this issue! NOTHING, but follow orders and vote yes when it's popular to do so! I find this appalling which is another reason I am running against her in the upcoming election.

It's definitely time for CHANGE in this District leadership!

For statistics on the matter: www.youtube.com/suzetteforcouncil

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My first speech as a Candidate for Ft. Worth's District 8 City Council Seat

Wednesday, Feb. 18th, 2009
Today, I officially filed for a place on the City of Ft. Worth General Election Ballot for the Office of District 8 City Council. Something that several of my lifelong friends have wanted me to do for a long time and when I told them what I was going to do, they said, “I can’t believe it’s taken you THIS long, Suzette!!”

The first thing people ask me when I tell them that I am running for office is…..are you a Republican or a Democrat. My answer is Both -- and none of the above …

I don’t really fit in any of the political boxes very tightly.

I will say, that I’m hoping that the

* The Republicans & Libertarians will approve of me for my fiscal conservative-ness

* and my very liberal social-tolerant-beliefs will keep the Democrats from throwing me to the wolves ………

* and The Independents will like me because I won’t be beholden to the Party ideology arguments for the sake of Party loyalty.

So when people ask me what I am, I say let me tell you a little bit about my value system and what I believe, and you decide where I fall and if you’d like to support me as a candidate for public office.

I was born in the southeast Texas town of Beaumont, TX. I was educated in the public school system, I graduated from Klein High School in Houston, TX in 1980. I moved back to Beaumont, married -- (a great man, BTW) Put myself through college and obtained an Associates degree in Management from Lamar University. Divorced 4 years later, moved to Dallas -- worked in Corporate America for several years (more times than not, frustrated because I thought that I could do the job better than most of my bosses) went back to college part time and finished with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from UNT.

What gets me here before you today, to be quite honest, is a love of proving that I can make things happen…….when I have a clear vision………. and having a lifetime history of jobs in customer service and I know ………that I have the skills for working with people which is what I think a City Council job is all about.

I have a vision for making District 8 a safer, cleaner, more business friendly & a more resident friendly part of this City….and I feel confident… that I can make a difference.. for the better; in the District.

I believe that w/in the first 6 months I can get the crime rate knocked down to at least second place. Every single year that my opponent has been in office, District 8 has had the most total crime of all the Districts in this City. This is unacceptable! … if I get elected to this office, I promise you, that will CHANGE – - - - District 8 will not remain the most crime infested District in this City of ours!

HOW WILL I DO THIS? It’s quite simple. It’s called holding people accountable. We have laws on the books for a reason. If we aren’t going to enforce those laws then we need to take them off the books. If we are going to leave those laws on the books, then we need to enforce them….every single one of them, even littering.

If the jails are full and can’t take anymore offenders – sounds to me like we need to look at the system and see if there is a more effective way of dealing with the problem. I say it’s time for jail reform.

If we keep getting the same repeat offenders of the same crimes, sounds like we need to look at the system and see if there is a more effective way of dealing with the problem. I say it’s time for jail reform.

If the police officers are frustrated because the people they take downtown are back on the street corners before the officers finish their mounds of paperwork, sounds to me like we need to look at the system and see if there is a more effective way of dealing with the problem. I say it’s time the beat officers have an advocate at City Hall.

Let me ask y’all a question……(this is a test, but it’s an easy one!) If you know the answer say HEYYY!

How many of you know the name of your Neighborhood Police Officer?

My point exactly. Our NPOs need to know WHO THE RESIDENTS ARE! How can you fight neighborhood crime if you don’t know the residents, how can you educate the residents if you don’t know them? How can you keep communication lines open if you don’t communicate? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming the NPOs! What I’m pointing out is that there is a gap in lines of effective communication between the fancy offices at City Hall and street level workers in this City. I’m saying let’s talk about how many salaries we the taxpayers are paying----- for positions above the NPOs…what are the people in those positions doing and who is holding them accountable?

It is my understanding that it’s the City Council’s job to make sure that City Government is serving the people and businesses in the neighborhoods.
From what I’ve seen on the EASTSIDE of town, it appears there may need to be more questions asked about who’s doing what -- how they are doing it -- and is it effective.

A few ideas I have on ReBuilding our communities

– Neighborhood Police Officers riding bicycles and walking the neighborhoods

– getting a vibrant and effective community service program going that teaches self responsibility with the hope of instilling some pride & life ----- back into troubled & lost souls

– Holding leaders of NAs accountable for communicating with the residents and businesses in the neighborhood -- regardless if the residents or business owners aggravate them or not! -- regardless if everyone agrees! – no one will agree 100% of the time… we all know that!…. but if we are to call ourselves leaders, then it is our responsibility to stay open to communication IF…. we are to serve…. the common good of the people.

MY GOALS FOR DISTRICT 8 would be to have

– a District that attracts Economic Development on its own w/out having to be sub-si-dized by the tax payers!

– – a District that holds our police force accountable for enforcing the Class C Misdemeanor Crimes (what some call petty crimes)

– – a District that holds the DAs office and the FWPD accountable for prosecuting offenders to the fullest extent of the law

– – a District that provides bike lanes up & down the main corridors of District 8 so that we can inexpensively get people moving in & out of our side of town and maybe sell them a sandwich, salad or cold beverage in a safe environment like they do in other parts of our City.

– A District that has a Representative at City Hall that will actually know what’s going on and care what’s going on in the neighborhoods & in our Municipal Courts

– A District that has a Representative that will bring common sense to the money table and not ask for something just because everyone else is asking for it even when it’s not prudent from a business standpoint. It’s the right thing to do for the taxpayers -- - - (the owners of this City)!

– A District that has a humble, working girl, ready & willing to get her hands dirty and not be concerned about ruffling feathers in order to bring about NEEDED CHANGE!

– A District that values the historic charm of this City and protects historic homes in historic neighborhoods. I see no reason why we can’t work together and help neighborhoods rid themselves of crime & code violations and bring back some responsible homeowners to those neighborhoods.

If you will continue to support me through this campaign -- tell your friends, acquaintances, colleagues, business associates & certainly anyone you know on the Eastside that there is a girl running for the City Council seat in District 8 that

- means what she says and says what she means

- isn’t afraid of speaking up for the people & small businesses

- isn’t afraid to tackling the sensitive issues we have in District 8,

- A girl running for City Council who you won’t have to worry about doing shady housing deals that leaves the people in need with nothing -- the bandits with the money -- and the taxpayers picking up the pieces for bad business deals -- AND decisions made by ethically challenged politicians and their friends.

- A girl who won’t feel the need to sit on multiple Board of Directors and at the same time say that the District is so big I don’t have time to tend to the needs of the people!

- A girl who will be an advocate for personal responsibility, accountability and transparency, not only in the office of City Council District 8 but in all aspects of City Government and especially businesses that are getting money from the City of Ft. Worth on behalf of the taxpayers!

If you will help me spread this word, I can unseat the entrenched incumbent & we can restore this District to working for the people instead of working against the people and business communities of District 8 – we can help all of the taxpayers in Ft. Worth because there will be someone on their side for a change! Someone who will try her best to pick up where The Honorable Mr.Chuck Silcox left off.

- I can promise you that I will be someone following the money and making sure that everyone is held accountable. It’s the right thing to do for this District -- it’s the right thing to do for the tax payers of this City – it’s the thing I have to do personally… in order to look myself in the mirror each morning.

Last, but certainly not least! The dogs! This District is one of the WORST for having neglected stray dogs running around! Just last year (2008) there were 1,793 stray dogs picked up in District 8! That is roughly 150 dogs per month! Any you don’t want to know how many are euth-anized each day in this City! It is way past time for this city to consistently enforce the laws concerning humane treatment of the dogs!

and it is way past time for this City to address the problem of irresponsible dog ownership! It’s the right thing to do for the dogs, it’s the right thing to do for the taxpayers and it’s the right thing to do for our communities.

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Donations are needed and accepted at http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/donate.html

My latest campaign video

http://www.youtube.com/suzetteforcouncil

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OFFICIAL Ft. Worth City Council Candidacy for Suzette Watkins in District 8 is kicked off with special guest, Lauren Whitener

Ft. Worth's own, Rahr & Sons Brewery, 701 Galveston Ave., Ft. Worth, TX 76104; Wed., Feb. 18th 5:30 - 7:30. $20 per person, $35 per couple. Be there or Be Square.

http://www.suzetteforcouncil.com/

http://www.youtube.com/

http://www.facebook.com/

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Another rape in City Council District 8 - Near Southside of Ft. Worth

"Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who attacked a woman last month, dragged her to a stairwell and raped her. "

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1202273.html

Another City Council District 8 Crime in East Ft. Worth

" A woman told police a man dragged her into Cobb Park and sexually assaulted her Friday morning."
http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1203857.html

Meanwhile the currently seated Councilwoman is busy beefing up her resume and begging for more respect from community activists (see few posts down), while crime stays at the top of the list in the District she "represents." Time for real change you can count on! Please send money to Suzette for Council Campaign at www.suzetteforcouncil.com.

My opponent, Kathleen Hicks is doing this: Hicks is a member of Leadership Fort Worth and has served on the boards of Junior League of Fort Worth, Girl Scouts, Women’s Haven and chaired the Fort Worth Commission for Women. She helped found with her mother the African-Americans Against AIDS Taskforce. She currently serves on the board of the Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration Fort Worth, AIDS Outreach Center, Fort Worth-Dallas Birthing Project, All Church Home for Children, Presbyterian Night Shelter, Red Cross – Chisholm Trail Chapter and the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau. Hicks is a proud life member of the NAACP and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She also serves on the Mount Holyoke College Recruitment Committee in North Texas

http://www.fortworthgov.org/government/district8/

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