I know that when Chilton Hall was renovated, they kept the original facade and superstructure and updated the interior, plumbing and electrical as needed. This was far more financially sound than razing the building and starting over. Small businesses are the backbone of this country and I for one do not want to see Denton looking like every other SimCity town popping up like mushrooms throught Texas and the nation.

Those who own the property certainly have a right to sell it and develop it, but it must be tempered with wisdom and a true concern for keeping the local flavor of Denton without making it cost prohibitive for these historic businesses to stay in business. The way you can protect this area is by getting involved as the development process ensues, and don’t give up. Attending P&Z meetings is crucial, as is meeting with developers when they have their open meetings. It must be a cooperative endeavor, as a strictly adversarial approach will only stonewall any attempts at a compromise that will appease the property owners and the area’s surrounding neighbors and those who love and patronize these historic spots.

No one person can get this accomplished. It requires consistent, focused and friendly citizen involvement.

Our City Council is doing their best to adopt this code right under your nose. They have denied it at the public forums, but the proof is in writing in public documents you can obtain online or from the City Manager’s Office. They are claiming that the only folks who really want this to go away are the “riff raff” (a phrase uttered by a candidate for election at the recent Robson Ranch forum) who own rental properties in Denton. Many residents believe that adoption of this code is their salvation from irresponsible property owners that do not maintain their property. What many folks fail to realize is that the adoption of the IPMC code affects ALL residents, not just ’slum lords’ and allows code enforcement to ENTER YOUR HOME to inspect it at “reasonable times” and refusal to allow such an inspection is cause for your property to be condemned and/or for you to go to jail. This is America, folks! If we do not stand up and stop these kinds of shenanigans, we are not going to recognize this country in a few years.

Our City Council Members have also stated at the recent forum that many cities have adopted this code without incedent. That should provide very little comfort to those who read the IPMC and for those who see the trends across the nation of City Councils using terms such as “substandard housing” to take away private property while skirting Constitutional protections from such acts. We’re not talking about crack houses with broken windows and collapsed roofs… we’re talking about historic homes that may only have one toilet - a well kept, soundly built structure, but deemed ’sub-standard’ by the muckety mucks who would rather bulldoze your home to make way for palatial estates and/or large commercial ventures.

The City has its own set of property codes that are sufficient to protect us from slum lords and irresponsible property owners, we simply need to enforce the ordinances we already have instead of looking at an international body or international ‘code.’ Our city is in red ink. This IPMC provides for more code enforcement officers we cannot afford to hire. It allows them to inspect your garbage disposal and make you replace it if it isn’t working properly. Why is this any of their business? The President of the United States has been quoted several times promoting home ownership. Who will want to own a home and have the associated expenses when your privacy is rendered meaningless? You’d have more privacy in a motel than in your own home. To quote Justin Bell, the IPMC “should not be allowed to see the light of day” in Denton.

The code uses entirely subjective means to judge substandard conditions, which means it can be and WILL BE abused by those who covet your property and have more power than you do. If you give up your freedoms, you cannot easily take them back. We had to take our freedom back from the British using muskets. Good luck doing that today. The only way to protect your rights is to vote and ring the phones off the wall at City Hall. These people represent you and they’re trying to get this thing pushed through without your say so.

There is no money-machine behind me or this campaign. I cannot and will not be “bought.” My aspiration is to make a difference, to represent the people of Denton, and to be a good public servant. I have no grandiose visions of future political aspirations.

I first fell in love with Denton when I transferred to UNT in 1990 and vowed that one day I would move here. I received my AS degree in Applied Arts & Sciences from Richland College in 1991 and I received my BA in Art from UNT in 1992. While attending UNT, I worked first as an RA (Resident Assistant) at the dorms for 7 semesters, then worked as a desk clerk for the Texas Academy of Mathematics & Science (TAMS).

In 1996, I was hired as the first Webmaster for Tribal DDB (then known as DDB Interactive Communications), the interactive arm of DDB Needham, a global advertising agency, known at the time as 2nd largest ad agency in North America, 5th in the world. I was the Webmaster for their various clients, including their largest client site, pepsi.com.

In 1998, I was hired as the Webmaster for the City of Denton and enjoyed the work and the people I worked with for over 7 years. Along with a number of others, I lost my job in 2005 after budget cuts ended a number of positions, including mine. I have no axe to grind with “the establishment” over this. It was a financial decision and the City was stuck in a position where they had cut as much as they could and finally had to resort to cutting people.

I am now employed by an innovative technology company located in Plano, TX. My employer has stated that if I am elected, they will work around my schedule to accommodate me in attending council meetings and other events.

Even though I no longer work for the City as an employee, I would like to work with the City as a public servant.

I would like to work with other members of the Council to ensure that the City can continue to be competitive in luring businesses to this area, while lowering the cost of living in this area and without reducing City services. I believe this can be done without having to ever again being placed in position where experienced, loyal employees have to find employment elsewhere due to budget cuts.

I cannot do this solo - I need input from YOU. Please e-mail me and tell me what you think, ask questions, provide feedback and voice your opinions.