Maxie Johnson

For the past 6 years, I have faithfully and transparently served as your elected representative to the Dallas ISD school board. Throughout my tenure, I have been able to learn, develop, and enact policies that positively impact the lives of our students, parents, and staff. Just as I have created and implemented a long-term vision for the school board, I have a plan for the future of District 4, and with your support, I will be able to continue serving the residents of Dallas as your next council member.

1. Our Seniors - Delivery of Reliable and Efficient Services

   • Responsiveness - Older residents are the backbone of our community and the most dependent upon basic and specialized city services. Having an accessible and responsive representative at City Hall will ensure from my office to city departments, the needs of District 4 are being met.

   • Engagement - Recreation Centers and other city facilities are hubs of entertainment and exercise for many within District 4. Our seniors deserve programming geared toward their needs and interests as well as dedicated transportation to be able to engage in their communities. Together, we will work to ensure community connections with the community exist for all residents across the district, so that anyone can enjoy the high-quality offerings available at our city facilities.

2. Quality of Life - Happiness and Opportunity Matter

   • Parks - Dallas has added and continues to build the best and most accessible park system in the country. Every resident should have, within walking distance, a clean, accessible, and vibrant green space that serves as a place to relax, play, and exercise in their community. This is essential for the health, safety, and wellness of our community. Kiest Park is the “jewel of the south”, and we must replicate its success across the district.

   • Housing - Premier, well-built, and affordable housing isn’t a luxury, it is a need. All income levels and zip codes in Dallas should have access to the dream of purchasing a home and/or the choice of a place to live that they can afford. Our youth and young professionals in particular feel these dreams are out of reach. We need to utilize the City of Dallas Land Bank Program, federal HUD grants, and Community Housing Development Corporations to expand our housing stock without displacing current residents or gentrifying neighborhoods. Preserving our single-family neighborhoods equitably is critical. Responsible development helps us thrive.

   • Entertainment - District 4 residents should not have to leave our community to sit down at a nice restaurant, safely enjoy public spaces, or experience cultural events.  We must leverage public assets within our district like Cedar Crest Golf Course and the Southern Gateway Deck Park to become destination centers for residents and tourists to bring cultural vibrancy to our community.

3. Economic Development - A Strong Economy Builds a Strong Community

   • Jobs & Business - Creating a well-trained and prepared workforce is an area of expertise for me as a current school board trustee. By supporting our teachers and students, we have made schools a place that people want to send their children and improved education to ensure more students are graduating ready for college, careers, and military opportunities. At the city level, we also have a responsibility to develop and support the workforce and business community. This includes supporting Workforce Dallas and Workforce Solutions to make upskilling and getting hired more simple and accessible.

4. Public Safety - Peace in Our Community

   • Police and Fire - The pension and response times are related and must be addressed. From stray animal management to keeping violent crime low, we need the appropriate staff levels to sustain our improvements. In order to attract and retain the best first responders, we need to ensure they are cared for after a lifetime of service and facing danger. We can meet this basic and reasonable need by pursuing creative solutions to generate more revenue while pursuing cost savings to fully fund our current Police and Fire Departments staffing needs, and fully funding the pension obligations.

   • Environment - For too long District 4 has been treated as a dumping ground for trash and environmental waste. Chronic health issues are rampant in our communities due to a lack of environmental responsibility. Our air and our water are precious resources, and I view it as my responsibility as your representative to protect them and you by focusing on corporate responsibility of current businesses, future planning of industrial developments, and basic services like timely bulk trash pickup and sanitation.

This is what I believe in, the types of policies I will champion, and how I will vote.