Mesquite District 4 city council candidate answers questions on COVID, taxes before election

Early voting begins Monday October 18 and lasts through Friday October 29 in the Mesquite City Council and Mayoral elections. Before the vote, the Dallas Morning News publishes a series of question-and-answer stories with candidates focusing on housing, diversity, COVID-19, and tax choices. This is part four of seven stories in the series.

Each candidate running for Mesquite City Council was invited to answer questions. District 4 candidate Tandy Boroughs replied, while Andrew Hubacek did not. The answers appear complete.

Tandy Boroughs is running for re-election in District 4 of Mesquite for city council in the November elections.(Tandy districts)

Tandy districts

Tandy Boroughs – a retired Mesquite firefighter, business owner, and 39-year-old Mesquite resident – is standing for re-election. Boroughs served as the general representative in District 6 from 2017 to 2019. He is a member of the AMBUCS organization and participates in many community groups, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s “Fill the Boot” campaign.

What do you hope you can contribute to Mesquite by serving on the city council?

I hope to continue to build a strong public safety department so that residents in their city feel safe and secure in order to maintain the quality of life. I would also continue the goals set by the Council for financial stability and tax cuts and continue to work for balanced development, investing in our public spaces and parks.

What are the biggest problems facing residents in your borough?

Top issues for District 4 are infrastructure repair or replacement and crime.

As a council member, how do you intend to approach these issues?

No. 1, Public Safety: The city not only needs to hire more public safety officers, but also to keep the employees instead of losing them to another city. Mesquite must continue to provide adequate resources to the police and fire departments to keep Mesquite safe and secure!

# 2, Financial Stability: We must continue to provide the citizens of Mesquite with the services they have come to expect. By continuing to strive for a balanced budget and lower taxes without sacrificing services to the citizens of Mesquite, not only can we take care of the streets and roads that require attention, but the city can also meet the goals set by the city council work towards public safety. as well as investing in and protecting our public spaces and parks.

No. 3, Crime: Both public safety and financial stability will go a long way in solving the crime problem, and I will continue to give them the highest priority.

What qualities, experiences and skills will you bring with you if you are elected to the city council?

Growing up in Mesquite, becoming a Mesquite firefighter, and growing up in a family who owned a small business in Mesquite gives me a good overview of my city. As the only candidate who has worked to save lives, called burning buildings or drove the ambulance to emergency medical calls, I have seen people in their most vulnerable times. You will develop a sense of compassion and a willingness to improve their situation – whether by trying to save all you can of their home and belongings from fire, a life in the back of an ambulance, or someone Liberating the autobahn from your vehicle – you develop this inner drive that does not only go away after you retire. My inner drive is and always has been to improve Mesquite for all of its citizens.

As Mesquite’s population grows, the current housing stock doesn’t necessarily grow with it. As a councilor, what type of housing would you support that would provide a home for Mesquite residents of all incomes?

Mesquite had no upscale housing developments in years because of an income quota that was negatively rated by the developers. When Bloomfield Homes finally took a risk and built higher quality homes and they quickly started selling, the perception of Mesquite began to change. Because of this shift, our Economic Development Department can proactively track better development for Mesquite. There is currently an abundance of smaller, more affordable housing in Mesquite and I would like to keep working on getting a better mix of medium to higher quality housing developments.

As a council member, what plans and measures would you support to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community?

I believe the city and council have done an excellent job through their actions so far to prevent the spread of COVID and continue to monitor the situation to respond to changes. The only change I would make would be to encourage others to get vaccinated, as we did for our city workers.

Mesquite has a diverse population. According to the latest census data, the city is made up of 2.8% Asian, 26% Black or African American, 41% Hispanic or Latino, and 27.4% White (not Hispanic or Latino), among others. What is your vision for making Mesquite a fairer and more inclusive community for all residents?

If you believe in the politics of inclusion, which I do, then our politics should be the same for all citizens, whether it is diversity based on race, religion, economy or gender etc. That said, any policy we adopt should include all of Mesquite’s citizens who I have worked for in the past and who I want to work for in the future.

On the November vote, there is a proposed tax rate of $ 0.70862 per $ 100 of estimated property value, a move supported by the current city council to pay an increased budget for city services. Do you support this Mesquite Resident Tax Rate? And if so, why should voters support it at the ballot box? If you don’t support it, please tell us why.

Yes, I support that increase, and as mentioned above, the city needs to be able to recruit more public safety officers to better serve the people of Mesquite. Due to the increased population and the current housing development, the city has to hire additional police officers and firefighters due to the time frame required for the training. At the same time, Mesquite must continue to deliver the services that citizens expect. Since the state of Texas introduced a tax cap two years ago, the funds needed to achieve these goals must be raised from other areas. This increase would allow the city to meet its current goals.

Voting information

A full list of candidates and information on how and where to vote can be found here.

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