Throughout Garland we need vision and elbow-grease to mobilize our citizens into a force that will transform our beloved city

The experiment worked and can be transported throughout Garland to put the city on the best path forward.

THE SAME KIND OF SOLUTIONS-MINDED EFFORT THAT MADE OUR FEATURED NEIGHBORHOOD A SHOWCASE CAN HAPPEN ALL OVER GARLAND WHEN CITIZENS PULL TOGETHER WITH THE RIGHT LEADERSHIP.

"If Louis Moore can accomplish all this for his neighborhood, just think what he could do for the City of Garland!"

This remark, heard from a home-tour guest as he departed one of the vintage dwellings at last Saturday's historic home tour in Garland's Travis College Hill, put into words a thought that I've hoped to advance during this mayoral campaign.

Although my campaign was officially suspended last Friday afternoon through last Saturday evening with all our campaign signs and materials taken down temporarily as we concentrated fully on this annual event that brings several hundred people to our neighborhood, it would have been tough to miss this keen observation made by a friend as he walked out our front door. He meant that in the past, I had taken charge of a next-to-impossible situation that our neighborhood was encountering, I worked with neighbors, city departments, the police, and the school district to bring about an effective solution. 

With a decaying, blighted, crime-and-drug-infested street once nicknamed "Marijuana Avenue" closed and gone forever, we then began working "to seal the deal forever"—to bring proper recognition to this overlooked part of town. First a state historical marker, then a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Creative thinking and effort led to special bonuses for our neighborhood, once it was cleaned up.

This year, an added recognition was the dedication of an official monarch butterfly waystation on a major entry into the addition. A large, beautiful interpretive artistic sign at the corner of Avenue D and 11th Street is one more touch of class to the neighborhood.

In 5 short years Travis College Hill has gone from "slum", as one former council member called it, to being a bright jewel in Garland's treasure chest. Great acclaim is brought to Garland each time a home tour is conducted. Massive amounts of positive attention, boosting Garland's image considerably, is generated as a result of these annual events. This year's tour brought people from throughout the Metroplex, as well as from other parts of the country—people who left saying things like, "I didn't know Garland had something like this." 

Everything about the home tour is a class act—from the pre-tour concert on Friday evening featuring internationally acclaimed guitarist Trace Bundy, to the masterful, locally created metalwork stand created to hold the new interpretive sign at Avenue D ad 11th, to the espirit de corps of neighbors both in Travis College Hill and Embree who furthered our sense of community and neighborliness here. 

The sign turned into a local art piece, thanks for a locally created metalwork stand made by Garland artisans.

Looking back, it would have been so easy—and less costly to us—five years ago for us to have done exactly what our adult children then wanted: to have sold our home and everything else we own in Garland's downtown area and moved either to Firewheel or Rockwall. In their perspective our neighborhood in downtown Garland at that time was too dangerous and going downhill too rapidly for us to remain.
 

Instead, Kay and I dug in our heels, stuck to our guns, and set to work to give it one last "college try" to try and save our drowning neighborhood.

We are glad we did! We forever will appreciate all who joined in the effort and movement and supported us.

That doesn't mean the transition in our neighborhood was easy. Change is difficult on many people. It brings out the best as well as the worst in people. It certainly wasn't easy for us either. But it was indeed something borne of necessity—and blessed by God with success.

It was also born of our love for Garland and ALL things Garland.

Even though privately owned once again, Garland citizens enjoy touring this classic symbol of our city.

It is reflective of something that needs to occur throughout much of Garland, particularly central and south Garland: a radical vision for what can occur here—and an even more radical determination for implementing that vision.

Almost every section of Garland has something that needs radical transformation:
1. the site of the former Baylor Scott & White Hospital;
2. the site of the former Eastern Hills Country Club;
3. the rerouting of Texas 78 through central and downtown Garland;
4. Texas 66 from First Street to the Rowlett/Garland boundary;
5. much of South Garland especially along LBJ (I-635);
6. the old Hypermart site;
7. downtown Garland, particularly east of the railroad tracks to First Street, from Avenues B and D;
8. the antiquated and embarrassing animal shelter in the city's work area off Commerce Street (as well as many of the city's rundown looking work sites in that area, too);
9. and the many other places within the city limits that need both a solid vision and serious elbow grease.

I don't pretend to have all the answers for all of these challenging areas,  but I know who does: the citizens of this great city, if only they were empowered with the right tools and leadership. 

May the leaders of Garland never forget that the city exists not for our politicians, nor for our city government, nor for our sacred institutions, but for the citizens themselves who call this place HOME and are our city's most valuable assets.

I will keep my campaign promises to exert the same kind of solutions-minded effort that I employed for our Travis College Hill neighborhood and pull together victories all over Garland so these areas can be crown-jewels of our city as well.

With the right leadership and vision, the path forward for our city can be beautiful!