dallas police supports

I grew up in Dallas in the 70s and 80s in both District 11 and 13. My brothers and I were raised by a strong single mother after our father abandoned our family. She made it clear to her four boys that we were not victims. And neither was she. As a single mother with no child support, she led by example, and through hard work and determination, it paid off. She made sure education was important, as well as love for God, country, state, city, and our community.

I went to elementary school at Akiba Academy, before being accepted into St. Mark's School of Texas, where I not only excelled in the classroom, but also in varsity sports, theater, and student government as student council president.

In college, while my studies at the University of Texas were focused on international relations and linguistics, I still found time to perform on stage and on the basketball court. But, it was my performance in the classroom that positioned me to be selected as one of a handful of civilians to study with US Air Force and Army Russian linguists at Trinity University, and later earned a USIA Grant to study at the Moscow Power College in Russia.

Upon graduating college, I moved to Israel where I first worked in dispute resolution for the Ministry of Justice in Jerusalem, and then with the Israeli Immigration Ministry in its efforts to assimilate the influx of Jewish Russian and Ethiopian immigrants seeking asylum into Israeli society.

I then returned home to Dallas to earn my J.D. from the SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas. While in law school, I assisted in the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Division of the DA's office, and also served as the president of the Jewish Law Students Association. While in law school, I took part in a comparative international and religious law program at Tel Aviv University Buchmann School of Law, where I participated in a symposium on Legal Aspects of Middle East Peace, Ceasefires, and Truces.

In the 20 plus years that I have been an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator, I have lived and worked in various and sundry industries all over the world and in New York, Florida, California, and Texas. I have served as in-house legal counsel, CEO, and managing member for numerous companies in banking and financial services, pharmaceutical and insurance, sports and entertainment, residential and commercial real estate, and SEC/FTC government regulated businesses and franchises. For the last decade, I have utilized my business experience in my mediation, arbitration, negotiations, and settlement counsel practice, Currently, I volunteer at the Dallas County Dispute Resolution Center, serve as Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Dallas Bar Association, and was recently elected to the State Bar of Texas ADR Council for a 3 year term from 2021-2023.

When not in mediation or arbitration, I still continue to find time to write and produce television and movie properties as well as volunteer and serve on the boards of numerous charities and non-profits.

My interest in public safety is personal. When I was in high school, a close family friend was brutally raped and murdered right here in District 11. A few years later, a family member survived a mugging at gun point while unloading groceries in the driveway of her home. As a result, I have taken an active role in support of victims' rights. Over the last several years, I have worked closely with law enforcement, including police departments, sheriff offices, and the Texas Rangers in filming the "Justice for Jennifer" docu-series investigating the 18 year-old cold-case murder of my wife's sister. This past year, I co-wrote and produced a Gold Telly Award winning educational video which helps children face their abusers when testifying in court. It is currently used by the Crimes Against Children Division of the Dallas District Attorney's office and other DA offices throughout the country. I am an Operation Underground Railroad Abolitionist Club member and a member of the Men's Advocacy Group of New Friends New Life. Both organizations play vital roles in rescuing victims from the $99 million/year human trafficking and sex trade industry, which operates right here in Dallas.

In the summer of 2020, we were in the midst of one pandemic, which turned this country on its head. But, along with the virus, came another pandemic of epic proportions... Crime. Riots and looting of major cities throughout the country were not only intensifying with little to no resistance, but sadly, sometimes were even encouraged by our political leaders. The murder rate in Dallas was already well on its way to breaking all time records. Numbers we hadn't seen in over 15 years. That's when I first thought about running for Dallas City Council District 11.

In a civil society, violence is never the answer. My mediation practice has always focused on bridging the gap between parties coming from different perspectives, no matter how contentious. I plan to use my skills as a mediator to benefit our city by: facilitating productive communication between those in leadership, as well as between leadership and our constituents; providing results-driven creative solutions for complex matters; and promoting reconciliation, settlement, and understanding.

So where do we go from here? The first thing we must do is prioritize public safety. Everything else stems from there. A vote for me means you will never have to worry about me voting to defund the police, focusing instead on making sure they have the resources they need to make our city safe. Our firefighters will never have to second guess whether city leadership is concerned about their most basic needs. If we take care of our first responders, then they can take care of us. And if we can all be assured of public safety, then we can we can ensure a safe and strong Dallas for all of u

Imagine how much greater a city we could be, if we felt safe and secure again to go out and enjoy the world class cuisine, culture, and arts our great city has to offer. Imagine, if we focused on issues, such as: repairing the infrastructure, roads, and sidewalks; lowering taxes and cutting wasteful spending; addressing issues like homelessness with solutions, as opposed to spending tens of millions of dollars a year on temporary fixes; and finally, replacing those on a city planning commission, who for the last 8 years have failed us with disregard for neighborhoods, a penchant for more government buildings, and a desire to leave us with eyesores on the most valuable real estate in North Texas. It's time for new leadership. It's time to turn an economic wasteland into an economic boomtown.

Where we're going will include my family and yours. I moved back to Dallas 13 years ago to start a family in the best place (and only place) I could ever imagine doing it. I am doing this because I love Dallas and I love my wife, Alyssa, and our three daughters. It's time for you to take a stand for your city and your family, too, by joining me in making Dallas safer and stronger than ever.