Denton Officials Invited to Visit Sriracha Plant – Help Us Sell Denton
Denton led the way in the national efforts to save Sriracha. Since then, many others, including Texas State Representatives and other city officials in other states, copied our efforts and continued the push for Huy Fong Foods to fine a more welcoming business environment elsewhere.
I am very pleased to announce that Denton has been invited to visit Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale, CA and meet with company officials to discuss possible relocation or expansion opportunities in Denton, TX.
Details are still being worked out, but I will be heading to California in the next couple of weeks, accompanied by a select team of city officials, including Economic Development Director Aimee Bissett. I will provide more details as soon as they are official.
From the start, our efforts to lure Sriracha to Denton have been community based. In order to make a pitch to Sriracha that is becoming of the creative city we are, I need you all to think up some big ideas on how to sell Denton. More importantly, I need you to jump in and help implement these ideas. We need your marketing skills, your film talents, your music abilities, your business savvy, and your collective creativity.
So throw your big ideas below or contact me via Twitter, Facebook, or email. Together we can make this happen! This is how Denton does economic development.
The Tragic Irrelevancy of the Denton Record-Chronicle
Dan’s Silverleaf was packed last night – not for a show, but for a city council debate. With four seats on the ballot, this is arguably one of the most important elections in years. Last night’s debate, hosted by the Denton Downtowners, We Denton Do It, and Drink and Think, was an attempt to capture the momentum and attention of Denton’s growing creative class, a demographic that has made itself a force to be reckoned with in Denton. They are the creators of our city, the changers of culture, and are beautifully directing their democratic impulses back to their community.
By all accounts, last night’s debate had more people than any other forum to date and, according to many candidates and attendees, it stood out as the most important.
Yet our local newspaper, the Denton Record-Chronicle, neither promoted it nor covered it. Instead, the lead story for today’s paper was about the painting of walls at the Sanger library.
The first Denton Creatives Mixer from October 2012 at Oak Street Draft House.
This isn’t new. Despite the fact that there have been growing crowds of civic-minded young professionals, artists, and families coming together to help create Denton in the areas of culture, technology, and livibility, our local paper has acted like none of this is happening. Hundreds showing up each time we have a Denton Creatives Mixer or host innovative citizen engagement events like February’s Ideas for the City Forum, yet not a single story.
Meanwhile the paper continues perpetuating the now tired and outdated narrative that “City Hall is not listening to the citizens.” I have no interest in speculating why this is the case other than to point to something that is becoming increasingly obvious. The conspiratorial fantasies of those who spend a significant amount of time commenting on dentonrc.com stories tend to find their way into the headlines. It’s as if the coverage of local politics in Denton is written with an aim of causing a commotion among these curmudgeon commentators.
And this is tragic. A robust local news outlet is essential for a robust and healthy local democracy. With local newspapers failing all over the nation, it will be up to somebody or some entity to reimagine and transform the future of local news. And I can’t think of a better place where we have all the necessary ingredients to create a new model for the power and possibility of local news than Denton, Texas. And in doing so, help return a vibrant democracy to the city.
There are armies of journalists, photographers, videographers, creative writers, cultural thought leaders, and analysts ready to join with you in this ambitious project.
But you are ignoring them.
The Candidates Debate – April 14 – Dan’s Silverleaf
With four Denton City Council seats up for grabs and early voting for those elections beginning in less than a month, the time is now to start paying attention.
Once again, a bunch of local hackers are organizing all that info over at VoteDenton.org – there you’ll find all the candidates and links to their websites and social media sites. Becayse one seat is a district specific seat (District 2), you’ll be able to use the great interactive map in order to determine your district.
There are several opportunities to catch these candidates engage the issues and ideas, but there is one you should make sure to catch. We Denton Do It, Denton Downtowners, and Drink and Think are teaming up for The Candidates Debate on Monday, April 14 at Dan’s Silverleaf at 7pm.
Local politics, with beer. Probably the way it was intended to be.
Check out all the details on the Facebook event page.
On Storms and Humanity
There is something about the onset of stress that tests one’s character. What is true of an individual is also true of a community. This is why it is often said that natural disasters bring out the best and worst in humanity. Our moral progression as a civilization is revealed when our comforts of typical life are removed.
I went swimming with my family last night at the Denton Natatorium. All of a sudden, a lifeguard ran into the pool area, quickly gave a signal to all the other lifeguards on post, and within less than a minute the entire pool area was cleared and everyone in the building huddled in one of the locker rooms. The staff was calm yet directive. The entire operation seemed to be run by a staff of teenagers, but their age was no issue here – they knew what to do and we all followed their lead.
Soon, folks started coming in from the streets. There’s a sizeable mobile home community just Northwest of this area and the city sirens and other news announcements drew many residents out of there and into the closest open building.
City personnel, city buildings, and other city resources come to the aid of the city’s most vulnerable in ways we often don’t realize. Consider the homeless who find refuge and relief on hot or cold days in one of our libraries or rec centers. Consider the poor who are often invited in to the Civic Center pool at the end of hot summer days when the staff decide to stop taking payments early. The city is made up of people who are empowered to care.
Inside the locker rooms, people took care of one another. Towels were shared, anxiety-filled kids were tended to, updates were shared as some were able to access news and social media from their smartphones.
And throughout the city, similar stories happened throughout the evening. Street crews, DME workers, high-water teams, police, and fire teams got after it. The Denton social media team was active and responsive, providing information and responding quickly to reported issues. Here’s a shot of the DME crew restoring power to homes in our neighborhood which was accompanied by Twitter hashtag #lovethistown.
But the most impressive display of character I had the privilege of observing came from a 3rd grader from Ginnings Elementary School named Jake. His family came to seek shelter from a nearby neighborhood. As we struck up a conversation with his family, Jake jumped in to help translate for his parents’ broken English. Realizing that my kids and others around us were starting to go stir crazy after being in a cramped locker room for 30 minutes, Jake called the children to himself…
“Would you kids like to hear a story? Everyone come over here and I’ll tell you a story, OK?”
When the teenagers of your town are effectively managing emergency situations and the third graders of your city are bringing hope and encouragement to the kids, you’re doing it right Denton.
Denton a Leader in PreK Innovation and Collaboration
The call for universal PreK is quickly becoming a policy priority well beyond school districts. At all levels of government, the race is on to figure out how to invest in our youngest citizens in order to fix the achievement gap before it begins. And for good reasons. We now know that a person’s academic success is greatly influenced by their first few years of life. The greatest predictor of graduation rates is 3rd grade reading scores. The greatest predictor of 3rd grade reading scores is the quality and quantity of vocabulary a child has in their head when they come their first day of Kindergarten.
I grew up in a family with two educated parents where reading, learning, and discovery were commonplace. The expectation was there from an early age that I would do well in school, go to college, and likely seek an advanced degree. Even with all that, my parents still sent me to Betty Bixler Preschool at the church down the street. But I fully recognize my relatively privileged upbringing.
A growing number of kids are entering Kindergarten without having books in the home. Many kids are raised by parents who have never understood education as a priority – in large part because it was not part of their upbringing. The stress of poverty compounds this situation and we have an epidemic of kids entering school at 5 and already having years of catch-up to do. If education is a key to socio-economic mobility in our country, then justice demands we fix this and give everyone an equal shot at success.
Many know that my wife created an innovative tool to help tackle some of this. Inspired by her days as an elementary school teacher, her work in the educational publishing industry, and role as a mother of three little ones, she created a way to put high quality preK into the hands of parents and caregivers - ReadyRosie. Through daily videos modeling everyday activities in English and Spanish designed to promote greater vocabulary, essential skills, and a love for learning, the kids’ most influential teacher (the parent) is getting the tools they need. And it is designed to be delivered daily free of charge to the families who need it the most.
While so much of the policy emphasis is on building preK centers, we cannot give up on the parents. Regardless of their background, we have to believe that parents ultimately want what is best for their kids. We can unlock the potential in kids by unlocking the potential in their parents.
Developed in Denton with Denton families and first adopted by Denton ISD and available to every family of 0-5 year olds in the district, ReadyRosie is now being utilized by communities throughout Texas and around the nation.
In order to implement this tool and establish a vision for tackling the preK issues in Denton, the Denton PreK Coalition was formed. A collaborative initiative comprised of Denton ISD, United Way of Denton County, UNT, the City of Denton, and many churches, non-profits, and businesses, the Coalition is frequently being referenced and replicated in other communities. It’s another way Denton is pulling together its resources and leveraging its assets and partnerships to lead the nation in creative solutions to tough problems.
In that spirit, I’m excited to partner with 100 UNT students this Saturday to canvass the neighborhoods surrounding the Denton ISD elementary schools with the greatest number of at-risk students. We’ll be putting resources and tools into the hands of parents of young ones. This is all part of UNT’s Big Event where over 2500 volunteers will spend the day serving the needs of our community.
GO HERE to see Superintendent Jamie Wilson’s column on the PreK Coalition.
GO HERE to sign up for your free subscription to ReadyRosie if you live in the Denton ISD district.
GO HERE to see a KERA story on ReadyRosie and their work in another community.
City Council Preview – March 4, 2014
Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins with a Work Session at 2pm, followed by our Regular Session at 6:30pm. Both meetings will be held at our main City Hall at 215 E. McKinney Street. Click here for a full agenda with backup reading material. Here are a few items of interest…
COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT AND ANNUAL AUDIT
Did you know that you can have access to all the major documents and data relating to the city’s financial budgets, plans, strategies, and reports – it’s all here. One of the major reports we receive each year is the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) – this represents the entire financial position of the city for the year of the report (in this case, ending on September 30, 2013). Each year, the city goes through an annual audit from an outside firm where the CAFR comprises one of four major components.
It is important to our values of open government that our books are open, accessible, and transparent to the citizens. We’ll be receiving the best possible report from our auditors and receiving an update on the CAFR. Because I sit on the Audit/Finance Committee of the council, I have the privilege of hearing this twice in one day!
STANDSTILL AGREEMENT EXTENSION (WITH EAGLERIDGE) and what a NO vote to this would really mean…
Up for a vote as part of the Consent Agenda will be an extension of the Standstill Agreement. As a reminder, this agreement was the initiating agreement that brought the city and Eagleridge to the table to discuss a possible “global settlement” as it relates to gas drilling operations in the city. While a certain amount of drilling activity was allowed to continue under the terms of this agreement, it also represents a “standstill” on any further drilling activity by the operator over the course of the agreement.
To be clear: the goal of these negotiations is to fix problems with a large amount of existing well sites that can’t be sufficiently addressed through municipal regulations. While our most recent gas drilling ordinance updates gave us a much more robust ordinance from the perspective of NEW gas drilling in the city limits, we will continue to be plagued with the problem of drilling OLD gas sites previously permitted and vested under earlier rules (especially as new technology and business models have sparked new interest in these otherwise old sites).
And to be even more clear: a YES vote on this standstill agreement is a YES to a continued stand down on new drilling activity by Eagleridge and a YES vote to continue negotiating in hopes of finding a solution to these old sites. Therefore, a NO vote on this standstill agreement is a vote to allow Eagleridge to pull new permits and the continued possibility of drilling in dangerously close proximity to protected uses. A NO vote on this standstill agreement is a vote to continue with the status quo. I don’t think that is acceptable. Negotiations may or may not be successful, but given the consequences of the current status quo, we owe it to the city to try.
As a reminder, here’s a post from this past November on the subject where I attempt to give a more comprehensive overview of the problems with these old gas well site.
As always, let me know your thoughts…
My Decision
I’ve heard from hundreds of you over the last couple of days. Beyond the many encouraging comments, I am most inspired by your vision for Denton and your willingness to work hard to accomplish it.
What has become most clear to me through this and over these last three years I’ve served on council: the creative class of Denton is emerging. They want a city that is smart, innovative, ambitious, and continually solving big problems. Having been reared politically through the abstract mess of national politics, they are discovering true democracy locally and becoming beautiful citizens with a love for their city. They are dissatisfied with the traditional role and scope of local government. Understanding that cities can and should be the incubators of innovation, they see government as one of the many essential platforms upon which people can be brought together to create great things and solve the toughest issues of our day.
As most of them are from elsewhere, they are frankly uninterested in hearing narratives about how far we’ve come. They want to know where we are heading. And, perhaps more importantly, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and be part of that movement forward. They want to create, innovate, tinker, and do.
They are looking for civic leaders who inspire them, involve them, connect them with others, and unleash them to create a great city. In reality, we as a city should be following them.
After taking seriously your comments, spending time assessing the political landscape, and recognizing that there will be many changes on council come June, I have decided that the best thing to do is continue my term as the council representative of District 1 and not seek the Mayoral seat.
Several of you are now paying attention to this race. Jean Schaake and Chris Watts are both good, honest, smart, and hard-working servants who love this city and want what’s best for it. Insist that this year’s election for Mayor be about vision and big ideas.
Jean and Chris – I look forward to working with either of you, helping you be a great mayor of this city, and helping move this city forward. There’s an army of our city’s best and brightest ready to help as well. Inspire them. Lead them.
Should I run for Mayor? Join my 24 Hour Exploratory “Committee”
Over the last couple of months, a growing number of people have asked me to consider jumping into the already crowded Mayoral race. But I’ve been told that its too late, that each candidate already has significant support and there’s no room for a third candidate. The problem is, the vast majority of our citizens have not yet engaged in this election. That’s why I’m coming to you to ask: should I run for mayor?
I’m of the opinion that Denton deserves a robust campaign for Mayor that mirrors its greatness and ambitions. Because my entire tenure on council has been marked by civic engagement, I want to take 24 hours to listen to you – to hear your thoughts and ideas. It’s your ideas, thoughts, and passions that are already shaping and creating this beautiful city. Now I ask that you help shape the landscape of our upcoming Mayoral race.
This May, the campaign for Mayor will be about what sort of city you want to help create.
I’m launching a 24 Hour Exploratory “Committee” where I am asking anyone who sees this to help me decide whether or not I should run for Mayor.
To help you decide, I’ll give you some insight into what a Roden for Mayor campaign might look like…
- Perhaps you’d see a TRACK RECORD OF LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES.
- Perhaps you’d see a VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF DENTON and a SET OF IDEAS TO GET US THERE.
- Perhaps you’d see a candidate who has the ability to BRING ATTENTION TO OUR CITY THROUGH A LONG LIST OF MEDIA STORIES.
Get educated and check out the other candidates: find out what you can about Jean Schaake, Chris Watts (no website available), and Donna Woodfork (no website available).
Then use this form to help me make a decision of whether or not to run to be the next Mayor of Denton…
Your Ideas for the City – Recap of the Denton Creatives Mixer
Some of Denton’s most innovative citizens packed out Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios on Monday, February 17 for the latest installment of the Denton Creatives Mixer. The focus of the event was a time where anyone could sign up to give a 2 minute “pitch” for a great idea for Denton. We called it the “Ideas for the City” Forum.
There’s something pretty special about a city where its best and brightest are eager to spend an evening together brainstorming how to make the city they love even better.
Here are the pitches (click on each image to make larger), condensed into brief abstracts. Just about everyone here is on Facebook or Twitter, so if you want to work to make one or more of these happen, track that person down…
And thanks Rubber Gloves for hosting and Hayes, Berry, White, and Vanzant for buying everyone’s first round of drinks!
City Council Preview – February 18, 2014
We’ll kick things off with a Work Session at 3pm followed by a 6:30pm Regular Session, both at City Hall at 215 E. McKinney Street. Click here for a full agenda with backup materials. Here some items you might be interested in…
TAMS STUDENTS HONORED FOR SCIENCE PROJECTS IN A BOX
My two worlds are colliding – students at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science at UNT (where I work) are being honored with a Mayoral Proclamation at the council meeting for their work in creating and donating a series of Science Projects in a Box for each of our three libraries. Check out the Denton RC article about their fine efforts.
REPORT ON POTENTIAL BAN ON HANDHELD WIRELESS DEVICES WHILE DRIVING
This is the second time the council will hear a report and hold a discussion on a possible ban on texting and other handheld uses of a mobile phone while driving. The rise of smart phones and all their bells and whistles has led to an epidemic in distracted driving, especially among younger and less experienced drivers. It is no longer an issue of distractions while talking on the phone, now we see increasing numbers of people having text conversations, checking their facebook and Twitter accounts, and even emailing people while driving a car. Is there anything city regulations can do to curb this dangerous trend? Is that the best approach, anyway? All this will be a part of today’s discussion.
CONVENTION CENTER – UPDATE ON DESIGN PROCESS
The Council approved a Master Developer Agreement to move forward with the Convention Center project back in December of 2013. At the time, we agreed to enter into a Feasibility Period whereby all parties could assess cost projections upon entering into the design phase of the project – at the end of this period, all parties will once again have to give approval that the plans are in line with acceptable costs. We will be receiving an update on the design process during our meeting.
FOOD TRUCK ORDINANCE TWEAKS
Following a series of recommended changes to the relatively new food truck ordinance, several members of Denton’s food truck community came out to express their concerns, particularly with a provision that would prohibit on-street operating of food trucks. After a series of amendments were offered during our last meeting, staff as reviewed the ordinance and we will be discussing and possible acting upon these changes.
SOLAR PANELS IN HISTORIC DISTRICTS?
The Historic Landmark Commission heard an interesting case recently involving a proposal to place solar panels on a home in the West Oak Historic District. All homes in our historic districts are governed under special regulations aimed at preserving and protecting these homes. As such, special aesthetic standards are at play – even down to the type of siding or the color of paint. This proposal seemingly pit two important city values against one another: historic preservation and sustainable practices. The Commission ultimately voted against the proposal and the applicant is appealing the issue to the Council.