According to the city we currently have more than one (1) million square feet of retail and commercial development. The majority of this development is located along the FM 544 and Highway 78 thoroughfares. I think we need to understand what markets will be profitable for our area. If our city leaders and staff are not satisfied with the level of retail being courted or our development and brokerage community, we should invest in the tools and the research to prove our market potential. I will look at staff and my resources for support... I know retail development and resulting sales taxes helped the city shift the tax burden off property owners, but I am an advocate of choice and hate to see small businesses go out of business because of the larger ones. I realize that our tax rate is one of the highest in Collin County, but the way that we can see a decrease over the next 5 years is to ensure that we cultivate commercial development so that the burden proportionately shifts from the backs of home owners.

Good schools and recreational facilities are constantly listed among the most desired attributes of a neighborhood or town. As a Park Board Member, I know the needs and capabilities of our Parks and Recreation Department. As your Council Member, I will work to bring new and upgraded facilities to Wylie.I put this up for discussion, putting more basketball goals in our parks, and support the skate park with the board. We have seen a 50% increase at Friendship Park due to the basketball goals. And for Founders Park I think its main use will be for the leagues not the community. There is not enough passive activities install at the park for pass time fun only for what I call organized sports. The recreation center is more then 2 year down the road, we need to use what ever resources right now, to deal with our young people pass time now and in the summer. We have over 10,000 kids that will be looking for something to do in our city.

Preventing Youth Violence

In the past 12 months the youth violence in Wylie has increased. Recognizing youth violence as a public health problem is imperative. I think our community leaders and public safety experts should meet with Wylie young people and consult with city experts. We need to create a youth violence prevention program and engage in a deep discussion about the complex issues facing young people in our community.

I have a comprehensive Framework for School Violence Prevention:

• School-wide Education
• Student Counseling
• Alternative Education
• Community Involvement
• Identifying Problems
• Determining Objectives
• Evaluating Measures and Identifying Options

We can't give up on our young people!

I think we need to create and support programs that cater to our youth. We need to do this, before we see a spike in our crime report that would be a challenge to control. Public Safety is important, so we must work with the community and learn how to deal with growth and diversity. I would want to create an updated website for the community and a monthly crime report. We as a city should stay proactive and not reactive about crime, this will attract people and business to come to the city of Wylie. I am a big supporter of our police department and know they will need community support, we can’t expect them to control crime alone.