Join Me for ‘Tour Dallas’ Cycling Event

Join me and over 3,000 other cyclists for tomorrow’s Tour Dallas, where I’ll be the “Official Starter” of the ride.

Tour Dallas is an annual cycling event with an emphasis on fun. The Tour is a relaxed ride — not a race — and there are three different routes of varying lengths so riders of all skill levels can participate.

The three routes are…

• 8 miles – This route tours downtown Dallas and makes a quick trip across the Trinity River into Oak Cliff and back.
• 20 Miles – This route takes in most of the sights of the 8 mile route, plus a route that tours Turtle Creek, Uptown, and much of East Dallas.
• 30 Miles – This route follows the 20 mile route, with an added trip around White Rock Lake.

The beneficiary of this year’s tour is Spokes for Folks, a Dallas-based non-profit that provides bikes to the needy.

You can register for the event tomorrow morning at Dallas City Hall (where the tour begins and ends). Registration is $40 per rider, and registration begins at 6:30am. (Children 12 and under ride for $10.) The tour begins at 8am, and all participants get a T-Shirt. After the tour we’ll have a Finish Line Celebration at City Hall Plaza, where Pizza Patrón will supply pizza for all riders.

So dust off your bike, round up the kids, and join me and my family at City Hall tomorrow morning for a great event!

Lower Greenville Update

100k parade crowd, 20k party crowd, 200 parking citations, 41 tows, 2 DWI, 8 public intox, 21 consumption citations, 30 service calls (nothing serious)

Bluffview Garden Club Flower Show

This afternoon, the Bluffview Garden Club held its annual flower show, and the contestants had beautiful entries. District 14 shares the Bluffview neighborhood with District 13, and the flower show was held just outside the boundaries of District 14. I was so proud that one of my good friends and supporters, Pat White, claimed a ribbon for her beautiful peony ensemble. Well done, Pat!

SMU Maura Awards Dinner

It was such a pleasure to attend the Maura Awards Dinner this evening. Started in 1978 by the Women’s Center of Dallas, and now hosted by SMU, the award pays tribute to those who have made significant contributions to improving the lives of women and girls in Dallas. Proceeds benefit the Gender Parity Initiative in the SMU School of Engineering.

This year’s honorees included Michele Bobadilla, Kathy LaTour, Karen Shuford, Ruth Thomas, and Linda Pitts Custard, whom I am proud to call a campaign supporter. Linda has been a remarkable force behind so many important projects in Dallas, particularly the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. This award is well-deserved!

I was also in good company at my table, sitting with past recipients such as Rita Cox, Lois Finkelman, Dr. Sheron Patterson, Becky Sykes, and my host, Patricia Meadows. Thanks, ladies, for a wonderful evening!

Dallas Northeast Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

This afternoon I attended a debate on the Blackwood charter amendment between Laura Miller and former city council member Alan Walne.

Breakfast Group Meeting

This morning I enjoyed talking with members of the Breakfast Group, an organization for business leaders in Dallas. We discussed the economic development, the strong mayor initiative, and crime. Many thanks to our moderator, Harry Tanner, for a great breakfast at the Crescent Hotel and a good discussion.

Toast to Life Gala

Tonight I attended the 7th annual Toast to Life Gala, held at Republic Center in downtown. The annual event benefits the Resource Center of Dallas, and has raised over $1,000,000 since its inception.

The Resource Center of Dallas is a United Way agency that provides assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS, as well HIV prevention programs. I am proud to have attended this important event, and had a great time. I’m also proud to have the support of people who have been actively involved in making the Resource Center a success, such as Craig McDaniel and Bill Brosius.

North Dallas Chamber of Commerce

I was pleased to meet with members of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce to discuss issues of importance to the chamber, such as making our city more business-friendly and working to improve our downtown and South Dallas.

Oak Lawn Realtors Meeting

It was a pleasure to meet with realtors from Oak Lawn this morning at Texas Land and Cattle on Lemmon. Abio AHK’s McKinney Avenue office hosted the meeting, and I was invited to discuss the Dallas Homeowners League.

DHL is a non-profit, umbrella organization for neighborhood groups in Dallas. Since 1968, it has helped neighborhood groups work together to develop positions, proposals, processes, and projects that improve the integrity, strength and voice of Dallas neighborhoods.

As DHL’s executive vice president, I spoke to the realtors about some of DHL’s past successes and current projects. But the primary focus of my talk was DHL’s resources that are available to help home buyers improve their neighborhoods, including crime watch training, traffic calming workshops, and zoning seminars.

Greater Dallas Restaurant Association

I met with leaders from the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association, who told me about the problems they have in working with the city of Dallas. Too often the city does not reach out and support their industry, which is an important part of our economy. We need to streamline and simplify permitting processes and inspection processes, while ensuring food safety for consumers.