Background

Dear Neighbors,

As your next District 8 council member, I am committed to keeping the momentum for our district going strong. I will be laser focused on what truly matters to our community and I have the experience required to be effective. I will support neighborhoods and families, and I will work diligently to reduce crime, lower property taxes, provide affordable housing, deliver reliable and efficient basic city services, and ensure that district residents enjoy a high quality of life.

My professional background and work in the community have prepared me to serve you. Over a 35-year career at AT&T, I began as a Customer Service Representative and ended as an IT Project Manager. This experience instilled in me the qualities of service, leadership, ethics, and especially collaboration. I pride myself on being a collaborative listener who seeks consensus for the greater good. These attributes are at the core of my character and I will use them in service to our district.

After leaving AT&T, I broadened my community service skills by writing and editing for Elite News, a local newspaper. For seven years, I immersed myself in the political landscape of the City of Dallas, writing articles about political candidates, new city staff members, and issues at the heart of the community I now wish to serve.

With the desire to find additional ways to make a difference, I earned my certification through El Centro College to mediate civil and family matters. As a volunteer civil court mediator, I found joy in helping others reach common ground. Each case began with the principle: "It is my job for neither party to walk away getting everything they want but to find a place of agreement where each party can leave satisfied with the results." This principle remains one of my guiding philosophies.

I am ready to serve District 8 with the know-how I gained working with the city. From my first day as District 8 Commissioner in October 2020, until my last day in December 2024, the City Planning Commission docket has consistently included zoning cases that impact our part of Dallas. In every case, I kept community consideration at the forefront and employed thoughtful collaboration to meet our district’s unique needs.

In the Kleberg Rylie area, my first major task was to re-evaluate Land Use Plans to bring them up to date. Working with code, we identified and stopped multiple illegal land uses and illegal outdoor events. I am proud of the partnership we forged with the community to bring in the first equine veterinary facility. This facility will become a new revenue source for Dallas.

In order to keep commercial vehicle and warehouse use from further encroaching into our residential areas, I stood firm on denying zoning cases that added these uses outside of the International Inland Port of Dallas. In collaboration with Friendship-West Baptist Church and the neighboring community, I led the effort to deny the construction of a major warehouse on Wheatland between Polk and Hampton. This thwarted another environmental injustice that threatened District 8.

The Floral Farms Area Plan first came before the Planning Commission in March 2024. Shingle Mountain, the area surrounding the landfill, and the previous cumulative zoning allowed industrial businesses to operate, in the same area where residents lived. This mix of land use contributed to an environmental issue that required a Planned Development to allow these incompatible uses to continue coexisting. Through an exhaustive effort, I was finally able to get unanimous CPC approval and the matter moved to City Council. 

Understanding all the land use needs and the unique characteristics of District 8, I worked to ensure that Forward Dallas 2.0 reflects how land use and zoning will be considered by the district moving forward. It reflects that Kleberg Rylie is rural and that the Inland Port is the area for all warehouses and warehouse supportive services. Lastly, Forward Dallas 2.0 reflects that the area surrounding the University of Texas Dallas, and the only DART rail line, is the strongest economic development corridor of the district.

With my background in management, my commitment to this community, and my demonstrated work on behalf of this district, I humble ask for your support as I run for the Dallas City Council.

Sincerely,

Lorie Blair