06/25/2024
LHNA would like to share the following from Rudy Karimi. He is the Dallas Park and Recreation Board Member for Council District 14 and one of our proudest residents.
āForwardDallas may literally be the biggest thing to go through City Hall in decades, but shockingly few are talking about it.
I get it, it can be a challenge to activate our residents on civic matters. As a proud member of the Dallas Park and Recreation Board, I am passionate about parks and public spaces. Through the years, I have come to grips that these things simply do not excite every Dallasite the way they excite me, no matter how fluffy I make my social media page about it.
This is different though. Beyond its gentrification concerns, community displacement, environmental impact, lack of transparency and community input, lack of actual affordability and equitable issues, and challenges with actual urban development initiatives; ForwardDallas has the potential to change the makeup of every single one of our neighborhoods, and still not enough people are talking about it.
Iām not talking about pockets of the meta world like Facebookās Reform Dallas page, astute readers of CandysDirt.com or gadflies like me that swarm City Hall on a regular basis. I am referring to our everyday cocktail parties, happy hours, summer cookouts, coffee bars, gyms, parks, text group chats, or even our casual conversations with our neighbors.
Talk Density to Me
While I understand why concerns around the cityās future land use wouldnāt come up on a first date and I certainly wouldnāt recommend whispering, āI love it when you talk density to meā into your spouse or partnerās ear, I am still shocked how few are aware of whatās at stake under ForwardDallas. Trust me, I know. I talk to a lot of people.
Unfortunately, even the most civically astute among us arenāt talking about ForwardDallas. I am talking about residents who know what council district theyāre in, can name their council member, can name at least one of their council memberās appointed commissioners or board members, and vote in local elections. Iāve just described the top one percentile of civic-minded residents, and they still have little or no knowledge about ForwardDallas or its potential impact on our neighborhoods.
Dallas, we have a problem, but what can we do to fix this?
Weāve got to rely on each other more. The City of Dallas isnāt going to fill this gap for us. They arenāt staffed, nor are they willing or effective in getting the word out. Our council members, bless their hearts, are only as good as their reach, which is cumulatively around 9 percent of Dallasās registered voters that exercised that right in the last race.
The ForwardDallas conversation is contentious. It is uncomfortable. It will turn friends into foes. Yes, it is complex and confusing. Yes, discussions around land use and zoning arenāt the sexiest conversations youāll have that day, but they must be had. It is the only way we are going to get our communities informed and engaged.
The ask is simple: get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Make the post on social media. Start the conversation in your group texts. Talk about it at your kidās next play date at the park or with your pickleball partners. Ask the questions. Start to answer some too! Feel free to leave it out of your romantic interests, but do dive into the discussions everywhere else.
You might realize you enjoy it. And if youāre like me, you might find yourself grabbing a friend and bringing them to City Hall or a public town hall to tell your elected or appointed leaders how you feel about it! Like I always tell our residents, your advocacy is your gift, and youāve got to keep giving it!ā
