Arlington District 5 City Council candidates in May 1 election
Rebecca Boxall
Age: 63
Occupation: architect
Education: B Architecture, Texas Tech University, 1985
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought)
No
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held):
HANA board member since 2010 and President 2018 -2019. Helped research and prepare the Heart of Arlington Neighborhood Action Plan. I have served on the city’s Comprehensive Master Plan Advisory Committee, the Downtown Master Plan Advisory Committee, Collins Street/Pioneer Parkway Design Guidelines Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals (3 terms). Currently I serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission.Prior to living in Arlington I served on similar committes and task forces in Hawaii.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Team Tarrant PAC, Ignacio Nunez, MEI Inc.
Why are you seeking this office?
My professional and civic engagement background and overall life experiences would enable me to be a valuable contributor to decision making. Arlington is my home, I have a vested interest in making sure it thives and prospers .
What are the biggest challenges facing your district?
Using our resources strategically and wisely
Meeting Housing Demand
Keeping our citizens engaged and our neighborhoods strong
Growing businesses and creating jobs
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Safety, Housing, Economy broadly speaking
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I live in Arlington and District 5 full time. My homestead is in Arlington District 5 and I also own have other property in District 5. I have the experience, background and temperament to do this job well and I wish to put those to good use for my fellow citizensI am a practical, solution oriented kind of personI am comfortable working collaboratively and am open to new ideas and approaches from wherever they originate. I see opportunity everywhere!
City leaders have encouraged redevelopment of older property as the city runs short on commercial land. What, if anything, would you propose to entice developers to rebuild?
We need to update our UDC (zoning code) and other regulations to allow a greater diversity/flexibiity in type and mix of uses on greyfield sites. We need to reward creativity, innovation and risk taking. We need to encourage local propery owners and small developers to upgrade existing properties and develop smaller infill sites. Larger investors look to see which communities are encouraging innovation and improvement at all scales. We should prioritize greyfield re-development for many reasons, not the least of which is leveraging our already committed infrastructure investements while curtailing ongoing investment liabilities elsewhere. Other benefits include better environmental stewardship, increase/rebuild commercial tax base, greater ease of mobiity, beautification of the city which attracts better developement overall as well as civic pride.
The Unity Council proposed over 50 recommendations to create equity throughout the city. What are your thoughts on the final report? What recommendations from the report and/or other solutions would you advocate to enact, if any?
Well researched, organized and documented report. However, the recommendations seemed more general in nature. That’s fine, but I’d like to see them translated into specific do-able proposals that help meet the worthy goals and objectives laid out in the report. I have proposals ready to present and would love to work with the Unity Council to implement them and develop others.
Arlington voters approved funding for a city economic development corporation to attract large businesses while supporting local ones. What should be the group’s priority or priorities during its first year?
Encouraging re-development of greyfield and underutilized sites.Encouraging business growth (large and small) and supporting our existing businesses.Larger businesses look for communities where small business is already thriving.
Last year’s Term Limits Advisory Committee recommend letting candidates serve for eight years, then return two years after. Would you support a proposal to place the recommendations on the ballot? Why or why not?
I would consider making the terms 3 years and 2 terms (6 years) with the possibiity of running for another 2 terms (6 years) after sitting out one or more election cycles. Longer terms mean the office holder would not be in campaign mode as often. I would like to hear the pros and cons of different approaches but in general I support reasonable term limits that give the office holder (who for the most part are not professional politicians) a chance to learn and be effective.
Does Via, the citywide rideshare program, adequately fill the demand for transportation in Arlington? What, if any, programs or services should the city consider to complement Via?
I support this incremental-flexible solution to transit. VIA is working well and gaining ridership. It can be expanded or augmented (or cut back) as needed.In addition to VIA we could benefit from privately operated transit options, for example in and around the Enterainmentment District and Downtown. Encourage some type of connectivity to regional transporation systems. Transit works best if it is diverse in type and scale, creating a finer grain network of options. In general, I support incremental, adaptable/flexible approaches (to any issue) over big expensive one-size-fits-all gambles and via is an excellent example.
How would you grade the city’s response to the loss of power and water from the winter storm, and what steps should the city take to better prepare for the next extreme weather event?
Exellent response. However, we there is always room for improvment. One thing we can do is public education on disater preparedness and preventitive actions to minimize the harm of predictable events. What to do when, who to call, where to go. We also need to address seniors living alone or homebound. Other cities have a registry of older or disabled people who do not have family nearby and who can be connected to services or moved to safer place if necessary. We need emergency shelters with back-up power and supplies to help the most vulnerable.
If elected, how will you make yourself accessible to constituents in your district?
I will be accessible by phone and email of course. In addition I will attend neighborhood meetings and/or meet with individuals/groups via ZOOM. If one or more citizens wants to discuss something, I will meet with them anywhere. I am always open to hearing different ideas and points of view
Arlington City Council District 5 Questionnaire Responses
Kennedy Jones
Age: 60
Occupation: Engineer, businessman, pastor, community activist
Education: BSME, MS Engineering Mechanics, PHd Engineering Studies
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought)
Arlington City Council District 5
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held):
MLK 4 Day Celebration Executive board, NAACP Executive board, Arlington City Council Unity Council,
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
United Worker of America, UAW, self
Why are you seeking this office?
To improve the quality of life for the residents of District 5 and the citizens of Arlington
What are the biggest challenges facing your district?
Affordable housing, access to healthcare, economic opportunity
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Affordable housing, job creation, addressing Covid-19
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I have a record of accomplishment in Covid-19 testing, vaccination sign-up and vaccination application. I am was initially responsible for moving the Covid testing to district 5. I have a record of improving policing in district 5 and I was chiefly responsible for the March of Conscious, the Proclamation of Equal Protection and Treatment under the Law that led to the City’s unity council. I established a low cost Childcare facility and active Senior Activity facility and programming. I am the president of the Arlington Ministerial Association and as an member of the Executive board of the NAACP I was instrumental in resolving critical high profile cases with the Mayor and the Tarrant County District Attorney. Lastly I am principle responsible for the City of Arlington having a MLK street being established this year. In short I have a record of accomplishment and my opponent really do not.
City leaders have encouraged redevelopment of older property as the city runs short on commercial land. What, if anything, would you propose to entice developers to rebuild?
I would propose changes in zoning that would allow for some parts of the city to have smaller houses. I would also reduce some of the burdensome requirement in remodeling older homes.
The Unity Council proposed over 50 recommendations to create equity throughout the city. What are your thoughts on the final report? What recommendations from the report and/or other solutions would you advocate to enact, if any?
I was part of writing the Unity Council Final Report. I was the chairman of the Economic Disparity Group. I would advocate for all of them, from the Policing, to the Education, to the transportation, to the Healthcare with the caveat that I would put for the addition of a bricks and mortar clinic in District 5 instead fo just the mobile clinic.
Arlington voters approved funding for a city economic development corporation to attract large businesses while supporting local ones. What should be the group’s priority or priorities during its first year?
Attracting new business to Arlington and closely developing the operational policy for the group to avoid waste or fraud.
Last year’s Term Limits Advisory Committee recommend letting candidates serve for eight years, then return two years after. Would you support a proposal to place the recommendations on the ballot? Why or why not?
Yes I would. Our current term limits are to draconian with only two year terms. This maybe the shortest city council terms in the country of any major metropolitan that have term limits. It make it hard to get things done.
Does Via, the citywide rideshare program, adequately fill the demand for transportation in Arlington? What, if any, programs or services should the city consider to complement Via?
Not presently. However time will tell. This year there is a dramatic increase in VIA and if the recommendation that I proposed in the Economic Disparity group of the Unity Council is adopted the folks in District 5 will have a substantial lower rate and hopefully higher ridership.
How would you grade the city’s response to the loss of power and water from the winter storm, and what steps should the city take to better prepare for the next extreme weather event?
I would give the city an A. The storm was a politically created catastrophic event. I was in the middle of working with the city to provide safe warm spaces for residents without power. I personally pressed the city to get water over to District 5 when water pipes all over the city were bursting. This happen while I was also dealing with my own catastrophic occurrence of busted fire sprinkler pipes in my own church.
If elected, how will you make yourself accessible to constituents in your district?
I am the pastor of Greater Community MBC at 126 Park Row. I am always available from early morning to 10 pm everyday but Sunday.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 2:02 PM.
