A raised voice for openness, transparency, vision, and explaining how things work—a valuable citizen role with or without holding public office

The afternoon pictured here, almost one year ago, kicked off one of the most enriching times of my life—an experience I urge other Garlandites to experience as well—the gift of running for public office. (Photo by Deborah Downes of Take to Heart Images)

The photo posted at the start of this blog recalls an afternoon that began one of the most thrilling and enriching times of my life.

On the afternoon of February 15, 2018, standing on the front porch of Garland's historic Pace House, I announced my candidacy for mayor of the City of Garland. That kicked off a series of weeks I'll never forget: knocking on doors, meeting citizens, visiting a wide variety of churches and businesses, addressing groups large and small, articulating my vision for our city.

With a dynamic volunteer team gifted with a wide array of talents and expertise, we set high goals. We heard from the people—their heartcries, their needs, their feelings of neglect. They opened their hearts about the city's direst needs. We believed we had heard from the very essence of what Garland is, and we promised to help. 

The outcome of the election didn't make that possible in an official capacity, but throughout this ensuing year I have never forgotten what the citizens of Garland said to me. I have used my journalistic training to continue to write my Louis Moore of Garland blog about the vast diversity and needs of our city.

And that is the capacity I intend to continue to use to try to create a difference in an enduring way. Though filings are now under way for the May 2019 municipal elections and the opportunity for a repeat citywide campaign avails itself, I do not feel compelled—nor called—to be a part of a political race for this year and will not declare as a candidate for mayor.

Conversing with citizens from all walks of life and from all regions of our city was a true blessing in being a candidate in a citywide race. I would wish for contested races in this spring's municipal election so that the ultimate outcome is not "all sewn up" and so that candidates, through campaigning, can hear the heartcries of the people.

I have been absolutely delighted to see any number of changes come about in our city as a result of last year's contested mayoral race and through this blog. 

Garland residents are now more aware of how our political system operates, who some of our behind-the-scenes political gatekeepers and kingmakers are, and who actually funds our elections and to whom many of our politicians, to a large extent, owe their jobs. Identifying the problem always is the first step toward a cure or solution.

Some city councilmembers have picked up my actual wording from the campaign and this blog and now use those words and phrases as their own, which I am absolutely delighted for them to do. I am particularly pleased that so many on our city councilmembers have pressed for causes that I have long advocated—for instance, a new animal shelter and massive renovations in our parks such as Rick Oden Park. Until the mayor's race last spring, few in this community talked about being a "political independent" or about making this "a better community for ALL citizens" or about the myriad of unfunded and unaddressed needs in our city.

I also take great delight in knowing that on the May 4 ballot, Garland citizens will have the opportunity for the first time in 15 years to address major funding needs to pull our city out of the sad condition too many of our streets, parks, and other amenities are in today. The kernel of an idea for a 2019 proposed bond issue that was germinated a year ago in mid-December in a non-televised and non-video-recorded council retreat held at a local hotel under the leadership of former Mayor Douglas Athas was ultimately constituted and moved on to publicly identify more than $1.2 billion in much-needed projects, less than half of which will actually be on the bond election ballot in May. If approved by voters, it will be a good start to pull our city out of the malaise and the declining state Garland has been in for too long.

I raised my voice loudly about the city's tendency to permit so much to occur away from the public spotlight outside city hall. Later I was pleased to see that Councilmember Robert John Smith wrote a new policy, which council adopted unanimously, encouraging as many meetings as possible at city hall, where instant TV access is readily available.

A better Garland—where truth, transparency, openness, fairness, honesty, and prosperity abound for ALL our citizens—is what I desired during last spring's mayor's race. It is what I still want most for my hometown of Garland. Words are not sufficient, but they are at least a beginning.

I hope that all candidates in this year's election are blessed to have a dynamic volunteer team gathered around them, as we did in last year's race, that are multi-talented, dedicated, and deeply in tune with the needs of our city.

I ran for mayor of Garland a year ago not for any personal gain or to fulfill any personal needs in my own life. Throughout my adult years I have been personally blessed by God far beyond my greatest dreams. I need no other honor or role.

I ran for mayor because, as former President John Kennedy said of himself, I can see what can be and am not bogged down with what is. I see a city that CAN rise above current downward trends—such as growing poverty, decreasing educational and work opportunities for so many, increasing racial, language, and cultural polarization, unfair and unAmerican political control by the few and not the many in our city, and other trends dragging my hometown down the hill from where it should be.

I fervently hope that this spring's municipal elections ALL will be contested races, without an insider group believing they have everything "all sewn up", because I believe only in such situations can our citizens truly benefit and can democracy thrive. Why vote for someone when you truly don't know what the person believes? Competitive races give us the opportunity to more fully know what candidates—even those deemed qualified—stand for and not just who has endorsed them to feather their own nests.

While I see too many trends in Garland going in the wrong direction, I remain hopeful they can be reversed. The recent bond-issue discussion has brought to the surface so many of these negative realities. Our needs are legion; our resources are limited. Yet our people are basically good, friendly, and hard-working. The flush of expansion and growing wealth of our neighbors to the north, west, and east of Garland only brings our deficiencies to the surface to see more clearly.

We must, therefore, move forward with confidence in a future that CAN be brighter for ALL Garland citizens.

I have never forgotten what the citizens of Garland said to me during the weeks of campaigning, and in the ensuing months I've pressed on to work for those causes, even in a nonofficial capacity, and will continue to do so. (Photo by Deborah Downes of Take to Heart Images)

Now on a personal note:

On August 30, Kay and I will celebrate 50 years of marriage. The love of my life and my best friend for more than a half-century and I call this golden anniversary our "Jubilee Year".

We have much to celebrate and will be doing so throughout the whole year. We have been blessed in more ways than we can ever count. We have a host of special events and outings planned already to celebrate and walk down memory lane with family and friends and in places special to us. Almost every day between now and the rest of the year we have so many special memories to relive as the days leading up to and following our marriage were filled with special times, incredibly kind people, and an unbelievable outpouring of love and support from so many.

The year 2019 is our golden anniversary year. We are spending the year walking down memory lane and reflecting on all we have experienced in this half-century.

Garland played such an important role for us—both before, during, and after our marriage. From before her birth, Kay was a Garlandite. She grew up here, went to school in Garland ISD schools (a handful at that time), was a member from her early days at First Baptist Church of Garland, and was involved as were her parents in community life fully. When we began dating while students at Baylor, I became acquainted with Garland not only through my bride-to-be but also through her parents, especially during long walks with her father in the downtown neighborhood where the family lived (which also is the neighborhood where we live now).

The era in which we married was filled, like today, with great political turmoil—the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, to name only the two most prominent at that time. Throughout our marriage, from college and graduate school until now, we have lived on the cutting edge of so many other societal trends and causes large and small: From equal rights for employed women, to the adoptee-rights movement, to the ecumenical movement, to the push for freedom for Soviet Jews in that defunct empire, to the pro-life movement, to the rightful recognition for Native Americans and other underrepresented American and worldwide people groups, to the cry for political and social reform and freedom that echo through our land today. We expect to continue to be involved in these and other cutting-edge issues for the rest of our lives.

I am also very pleased that so many of you now read my blog. As a newspaper writer and editor, I learned what it is like to live in the public eye—where, regardless what I say, someone somewhere will have a differing opinion. As a debater in high school and a journalist in college and my whole career, I believe firmly in social discourse, in which various opinions and options are put on the table to be examined and studied from various angles and perspectives. My mind is open to change; I hope my readers' minds are, too.

I will continue to write this blog partly because this is a city without a traditional daily newspaper and existing next door to a bigger city whose Dallas Morning News cares less and less about what happens in our Garland community.

The year 2019 is also important for the nonprofit organization Kay and I helped found—Friends of Garland's Historic Magic 11th Street. This spring the group is sponsoring a fabulous drama, with eight original songs in it, entitled Becoming Garland Avenue about the early days in Garland. Besides writing the original script and music, Kay has done an amazing job of recruiting some of the finest, most talented people in Garland to carry the gauntlet for performing the musical live at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, on the stage of Garland's historic Plaza Theater in conjunction with Garland's Heritage Celebration 2019. I hope you will attend.

The Historic Magic 11th Street organization also has two other special projects planned for 2019 to focus the spotlight on two underrepresented people groups here. Look for more information on these later.

Instead of our annual spring historic home tour, which has been held for four straight years now, during the Christmas season 2019, our Travis College Hill Historic District in downtown Garland (in cooperation with neighboring Embree) will be lit up and decorated to welcome visitors from far and wide to see our 100-year-old-plus historic homes in their Christmas finery—some on the inside and all from the outside. 

All in all, 2019 is shaping up to be a memorable, exciting, busy, and great year at the home of Louis and Kay Moore, who are proud to say they live in the heart of Garland, Texas.

May God bless you, dear readers. And may God bless Garland.