Shauna Newman: Candidate for Southlake City Council Place 6

Southlake Style: Whatbrinspired you to run for City Council?

Shauna Newman: Mybrfamily and I moved to Southlake from out of state in June 2004.  During our exhaustive research into findingbrthe right Texas fit for our family, we were continually struck by thebrthoughtful, deliberate and visionary planning that was outlined in the thenbrvery initial stages of “Southlake 2025 Vision and Goals.”  Southlake faced critical decisions that wouldbrgreatly impact its future. Decisions made just prior to 2004 like maintainingbrone high school thus preserving the Dragon tradition, and expanding Town Squarebrwere exactly why we ultimately chose Southlake as our home.

Now that Southlake isbrentering yet another planning phase, this time the ultimate commercial developmentbrof the 114 Corridor, I see an opportunity to give back to the community thatbrhas provided so much to my family. I have spent the last 13 years rolling up mybrsleeves to help our school district and community maintain and improve itsbrquality of daily life. 

·     brPTO President,brEubanks Intermediate School 2007-2009

·     brVolunteerbrReligious School Director and Board of Trustee, Congregation Beth Israelbr2005-2011

·     brCLASSbrparticipant, DAC Committee member; Carroll Independent School Districtbr2006-2009

·     brPresident andbrCoach; Southlake Carroll Odyssey of the Mind 2006-2014

·     brProjectbrGraduation; 2010 – 2017

·     brVolunteer: RES,brEIS, DMS, CHS, CSHS; 2004-2017

In each of these roles,brthe people of Southlake have inspired me with their dedication to making thisbrcommunity an incredible place to live and work. Continuing to work with thebrwonderful people of this city and applying the skills I have developed andbrabsorbed toward the continued betterment of Southlake would be a greatbrprivilege.

SS: Ifbrelected, what are some of your top priorities?

Newman: Ifbrelected I would work to approach the development of the 114 Corridor to includebran open dialogue between Southlake families and the City Council about criticalbrissues that will come with this last push of development.

·     brIncreasedbrTraffic - The TD Ameritrade Campus, the proposed Village at Carrillon Parc, thebrnewly constructed Kimball Park, the soon to be finished Granite Office Buildingbrat Town Square, just to name a few, are sound economic additions to the 114brCorridor. It is critical, however, that the inevitable increase in traffic bebrdealt with so that our local roads, residential neighborhoods and local schoolbrareas do not bear the burden of this growth.

·     brConservation ofbrSouthlake’s trees, tree canopies, and green spaces. It is important that thebrexisting ordinances and initiatives to foster and preserve parks and greenbrspaces do not get lost during our negotiations with developers. It is anbrimportant component of our economic and environmental future.

·     brLocal control ofbrour government – Texas’ state government is considering legislation that wouldbrrestrict local tree ordinances, local permitting regulations, and limit localbrgovernment property tax collection. Southlake’s City Council must work withbrother communities to advocate for the concerns of our residents, keepingbrjurisdiction over these issues at the city level.

·     brDevelopment of abrplan and time-line to achieve environmental sustainability – Southlake is abrleader in so many areas within Texas; great planning, great schools and abrstandard of excellence in all aspects of community life. Staying on the leadingbredge by committing to 100 percent sustainability in our schools, our commercialbrbuildings and best practice policies is a goal I share with many Southlakebrresidents. Southlake has made improvements such as water conservation,brrenewable energy and efficiency upgrades, and in efficient new constructionbrlike the DPS North facility. This is all positive progress. However, I am inbrfavor of a more comprehensive and goal oriented plan for our community,brapplying our communal high standard of excellence to benefit our present andbrfuture. 

SS: What isbryour vision for Southlake’s future?

Newman: Southlakebrhas executed its far-reaching vision with care and thoughtfulness. Whilebrprogress and expansion as a destination city within North Texas is one of ourbrgoals, I believe the heart of Southlake, what makes it such a special and idealbrplace to live, raise a family, grow, thrive and prosper, is its strong familybrfriendly community feel. The Dragon pride, the standard of excellence for whichbrwe strive, our excellent schools, the sense that this is our hometown, is whatbrattracted my family to Southlake all those years ago. As people move to NorthbrTexas, I think it should be our goal to maintain that hometown feel as webrwelcome, with open arms, newcomers to our city. I look forward to assuring webrstep up to this challenge in all aspects of our future planning.

SS: Whatbrmakes you the best candidate?

Newman: Ibram proud and honored to be a candidate for Southlake City Council, Place 6. Ibroffer the residents of Southlake a candidate that made the proactive decisionbrto move to this wonderful community to raise a family and establish roots.

The path to my candidacybris non-traditional, perhaps unconventional. Working in the trenches for so manybrSouthlake organizations with other community members has given me the uniquebropportunity to listen to, and learn about, their concerns, perspectives, andbrvisions, all sharing the common goal of maintaining exceptionalism inbrSouthlake. I offer a fresh perspective that benefits from those 13 yearsbrworking hard on the ground, side by side with other Southlake families, sleevesbrrolled up and boots on the ground. 

I have used my passion,brmy problem solving skills, my willingness to take the lead when things simplybrneed to get done, my humility to know that in the greater scheme of things nobrjob is too small, and my determination to make sure our community is servedbrwell, to ensure that Southlake can achieve the goals we set forth.