April 21, 2025 • 41 mins
Local elections are right around the corner, and Let’s Talk Local is your go-to source for getting to know the people aiming to shape the future of Dallas. In this episode, we sit down with Bill Roth, a candidate for Dallas City Council District 11. Known for his no-nonsense approach and clear focus, Bill shares his vision for making Dallas a more vibrant, effective, and community-centered city. He’s the first of several candidates we’ll be spotlighting in the coming days—so be sure to follow along as we bring you closer to the voices behind the ballot.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (00:00):
Hey, everyone. I'm Sarah Zubiate
(00:01):
Bennett, and welcome back toLet's Talk Local. I'm really
excited about today's episodebecause I'm sitting down with
someone who's got excellentideas and real passion for the
future of our city. District 11City Council candidate Bill
Roth. Bill's all about elevatingDallas to world class status and
bringing our City Counciltogether to work as one for the
(00:23):
greater good. No drama, just aclear vision for a better,
brighter Dallas. So if you'reinto local change makers and
real talk about what's next forour city, you're in the right
place. Don't forget to like,subscribe, and let's jump into
it. Here's Bill Roth.
(00:46):
Bill Roth, thank you so much forbeing here today. I know that
you're a candidate for District11. I am eager to learn more
about you. I've only had thepleasure of meeting you once
very briefly. And today, I wannadelve into what makes you you
and what ignited this passionand desire to run.
Bill Roth (01:04):
Well, that's very kind of you. I'm really happy to
be here. It's really nice totalk to you and to meet you.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:09):
Thank you. Thank you so much. So, just
like I mentioned in that introto everyone who's listening and
or viewing, would you tell uswhat ignited this passion and
desire to run as a candidate inDistrict 11?
Bill Roth (01:22):
Well, it's sort of interesting. I really never had
any passion to run. I never hadany thought of doing this. This
was not an aspirational goal ofmine.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:32):
Sure, sure.
Bill Roth (01:33):
But I was recruited to do this and I was flattered
to be asked to do it. When thecurrent council person decided
not to run, several people fromthe community really reached out
to me and asked me to do thisand they thought that perhaps my
background and my skill setsmight be advantageous to being
(01:54):
helpful to the city and toworking in this position. After
consideration and mostimportantly, making sure that my
wife was in agreement with it
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (02:04):
Yes. That is very It's necessary!
Bill Roth (02:08):
I really decided that maybe it was something that I
could do and that I could doeffectively and really help out.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (02:16):
Yeah. I love that. And it's interesting
to me because I know that ifpeople are asking you and
recruiting you, so to speak, torun, there must have been some
type of informationunderstanding about who you are
and have been your entire life.Can you tell us a little bit
(02:37):
about your background andperhaps why people felt
compelled to persuade you torun?
Bill Roth (02:43):
Sure, I'd be happy to. My background is that I'm
from El Paso. I went to acollege in Washington, D. C, got
a degree in finance and thencame back to SMU, went to law
school, became an attorney. Iwent into the real estate
(03:05):
business with a relative for ashort period of time and then
formed my own company and I havea commercial real estate
company. The reason I'mmentioning those skill sets is
because I think they're valuablein what the task that I'm
running for is important to.I've also been very active in
(03:26):
the nonprofit community. I'vebeen involved with my trade
organizations. The industry isvery important to me, both the
legal industry and the realestate industry. I've been
involved in my faith basedcommunity significantly and in
other nonprofit social serviceorganizations.
I think that background of sortof a technical, legal, real
(03:51):
estate, financial, and maybeunderstanding the community and
the industries that I've beeninvolved in have sort of given
me a little bit of skill setsthat maybe I can use to help a
little bit. I think I come froma servant background and I grew
(04:12):
up in a family that was alwaysparticipating and trying to help
and trying to be involved. Andthis is my opportunity to do
that. So I think that's whatpeople focused on and that's how
I got, I think, targeted to beincluded in this group.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:32):
Well, I have to digress just a little
bit. Do you know that I'm fromEl Paso?
Bill Roth (04:36):
I did not.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:37):
Yes, sir. I guarantee, and I'm not a
betting woman, well sometimes Iam, but we probably grew up on
different sides of the city. Didyou grow up on the West Side?
Bill Roth (04:47):
I did grow up on the West Side.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:48):
Of course. I grew up on the East
Side in Yasleta. Okay. Off ofSaragossa and North Loop.
Absolutely. So I mean, when Itell people I come from very
humble beginnings, only peoplewho are from El Paso understand
what that means. To be raised inthe Lower Valley, bars on my
windows, all of that. Becausemost of my friends who are now
here grew up on the West Side OfTown.
Bill Roth (05:10):
Well, that's that's a small world. It really is a
small world. That's fabulous.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:13):
It is.
Bill Roth (05:13):
And you know what? That area of the East Side Of El
Paso has really changed a lot.My goodness. Tremendous.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:21):
Oh, Bill. I just buried my my mother.
Bill Roth (05:24):
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:25):
Well, both of my parents now are are
in heaven. But she taught at inYaslita Independent School
District for thirty eight yearsat Thomas Manor Elementary. And
she was 84, she would have been85 in March. And so my parents
are both in heaven and I lostthem both over the past two and
(05:48):
a half years. And I still kepttheir home in El Paso. I have
some duplexes out there as well.Do you have any ties to the
city?
Bill Roth (05:56):
We do. I do. I still have real estate there. We still
have family there, and we'restill active in the community
there. And I love El Paso. It'sgreat city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:08):
It is.
Bill Roth (06:08):
And it created, you'll appreciate it, it created
a different environment to livein, to grow up in, to focus on
because it was so remote, and wereally did have a growth and a
background of helping people,having a community that was
cohesive, that was notacrimonious, that was not
(06:30):
divisive, that was communityminded, that was problem solving
oriented, and that was inclusiveof people, and I felt that very
strongly growing up. Some of thethings that, that attitude, that
feeling is something that I missin our current situation and in
(06:52):
our current community. So tobring that little bit of history
and community and feeling into anew community and into a new
experience and into a newsituation where we can help make
things better is maybe an extraskill set that most people
(07:14):
wouldn't understand, but thatyou might appreciate a little
bit.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett: I certainly do. The people from (07:18):
undefined
El Paso are so special to me.Not just humble and like you
said, community oriented, and itis a sense of family belonging,
no judgment. I mean humans arehumans, humans will judge. But
(07:40):
it's just so welcoming andwarming. And so now I certainly
have a deeper understanding andappreciation for why you were
recruited. It gives me greatpeace. Nice. Peace actually. So
I'm I'm thrilled to learn thatabout you. Tell me if you
wouldn't mind, how many childrenif any do you have? And where
(08:02):
are they now?
Bill Roth (08:04):
So, my wife and I have two children. I have a
daughter who's... I don't knowif I should tell the ages,
but...
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:12):
Sure. Sure. Sure.
Bill Roth (08:13):
I have a daughter who's in her low forties.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:18):
Yes. Okay.
Bill Roth (08:19):
And we have a son who's in his low thirties.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:21):
Yes.
Bill Roth (08:22):
Both are doing very well. Our daughter and
son-in-law are in Los Angeles,they're involved in the
entertainment business.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:31):
Oh, good.
Bill Roth (08:32):
And we're very proud of them, they're very successful
and she does mid leveltelevision producing. He works
at NBC in their public relationsdepartment. We have a five year
old grandson there. My son ishere in Dallas. He works with me
and my real estate company. He'salso been very helpful in this
(08:53):
campaign experience that we'rehaving, and he has a 12 year old
son. So we have a 12 year oldgrandson here. We've very proud
of our kids.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:06):
Oh, that's true.
Bill Roth (09:07):
My wife has been a terrific connector for all of us
to keep us all together.She has a specialty advertising
business that does very well,and I'm very proud of her also.
So to all of us, been veryactive. Everybody's been active
in our communities. We've beensocially active. We also have
(09:29):
been family oriented, and niceto have a tight family. And
we're very lucky to be in thatsituation.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:38):
Yes, I couldn't agree more about that,
just familial aspect. Monty andI, while we have a blended
family, my twins are 12. So sameage as your grandson here. And
then his oldest is 11 and hisyoungest is nine. So we have and
his oldest is about to be 12 inMay, so he's almost 12.
(10:00):
So three 12 year olds and a nineyear old. We are busy and in the
throes of crazy living. But notjust crazy living, I mean, for
me as a person, but kind ofseeing what's happening in the
cityscape. I mean, there's a lotof crazy things. And your
district has been at the heartof a lot as of late.
Bill Roth (10:26):
It really has.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (10:27):
Yes. It really has been. And it's mind
boggling to me because I meanyou understand how that goes
when you're looking at the cityas a whole and you understand
the demographics of every singlecity council district. And then
you're you kind of scale intothis microcosm in District 11.
(10:53):
What have you really admired,with the present leadership? Not
just within your your district,but the council altogether. And
what have been some areas inwhich you've believed there's
room for improvement?
Bill Roth (11:08):
Yeah. No. I think it I've lived in the in the area in
District 11 for forty fiveyears. We live in the same house
that we bought when I got outof law school and got married.
And we've stayed in that samehouse since since we've been
here.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (11:26):
That's special.
Bill Roth (11:27):
Which ties me to that community very strongly. It's a
community that is important forthe city. It's got some
tremendous people, it's got sometremendous assets, resources.
It's really a strong, strongneighborhood and district and it
(11:49):
really is a leadership districtin this community. It's given me
a lot of opportunities tobenefit from being in that
district.
It has a significant stablepopulation. It's got good
(12:12):
diversity. It has some of themost important real estate in
the city that impacts
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:18):
That's right.
Bill Roth (12:19):
That impacts our community. It has some of the
most significant traffic andhighway and roadway portals in
this city, which is significantin how we develop the city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:35):
That's right.
Bill Roth (12:36):
It has some important tax and income opportunities
that have impact in the city,and it's got a tremendously
smart, educated, communityoriented population which is a
(12:58):
tremendous resource to thiscommunity. And all of those
things have an impact on theoverall city, and I think serves
as a great example for asuccessful neighborhood, which
then translates into asuccessful city. And I think all
of the neighborhoods couldbenefit by the experiences that
(13:19):
I've had in my neighborhood, andalso creating some of the
visions and some of theopportunities to deal with some
of the problems. Your questionreally focuses on some of the
controversies and some of thechallenges that we've had in our
district because it's a verysignificant part of the
(13:44):
community. Some of the issuesthat have come up are very
interesting opportunities tounderstand how problem solving
can be done in future issues Andnot only the positives of how to
(14:04):
get the problem solved, but alsohow to avoid the difficulties in
making decisions that are notresponsive to the community.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (14:14):
With that, I mean, mind's just
sitting here. In my mind's eye,I'm just envisioning all the
different spaces. So not just myfriend Scott Beck's Midtown up
to Pepper Square, And I justtoured the Banner House A Week
And A Half ago because we're atPark House and I thought, well,
(14:35):
you know, if we're needingsomething more active, I know
it's kind of right in this hubof so much that can be
incredible. Can you speak toperhaps how you would do things
differently with respect to justthose two particular
(14:56):
developments? What could beMidtown and Pepper Square as
well?
Bill Roth (15:01):
Our district has, really, Pepper Square is a
significant piece of property.The Midtown Valley View
development is significant pieceof property. The other area that
you didn't really address, whichis also significant, is the LBJ
Corridor.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:21):
That's right.
Bill Roth (15:21):
We really encompass some of the highest opportunity
for development, but we alsohave some of the highest
significant issues that affectthe neighborhoods. And to answer
your question more directly,these are all great
(15:44):
opportunities to advance and toimprove the quality of life in
our district, but they have tobe sensitive to the needs and
the concerns of the singlefamily residents that live in
that district. And the priorityin my mind and what I've learned
and what I feel very stronglyabout is that the community that
(16:08):
lives there, the community thathas created a stable,
successful, dynamic environmentis entitled to priority, and
they're entitled to have theirconcerns addressed. They need to
be...
(16:28):
They are the bedrock of thecommunity, and the single family
residences throughout the cityof Dallas should have the same
honor, the same respect, and thesame acknowledgement in decision
making generally. Sorry to be solong winded, but that's the
(16:49):
basis of how decisions I thinkshould be made with regard to
the development, the growth, thechange in any community. People
want change, people wantupdated, people are not adverse
to improving the quality oftheir life, but you have to take
into consideration the concernsand the issues and any adverse
(17:13):
effects on the people that havecreated the stability for those
successful neighborhoods. If aperson comes to you to ask for a
favor, it seems to me that theburden of proof is on that
person to convince the peoplethat have the priority that that
favor is valid, is respectful,and is acceptable. Both parties
(17:42):
have to be reasonable in theirdiscussions.
They have to respectful in theirdiscussions, but there should be
a collaboration that allows thepeople who are the stakeholders
in that neighborhood to not beadversely affected. I think that
the city has a very strongposition in participating in
(18:07):
that process as either acollaboration partner, as a
arbitrator, a mediator, a factfinder, a party that really can
help the process go in a correctdirection. And I think that
(18:32):
that's the opportunity for thecity. And I think in this
situation with Pepper Square inparticular, in particular with
the Valley View developmenthistorically, and in some of the
potential controversies that arecoming up in the LBJ Corridor, I
think the city has aresponsibility and the people
that are involved inrepresenting the neighborhood in
(18:55):
the city have thatresponsibility to take on that
position and that responsibilityto advocate, listen to their
neighbors, listen to the peoplethat they represent, be
responsive to the people thatthey represent, and serve as an
advocate and a truerepresentative of the people
(19:16):
that are in that neighborhood,And I would hope that that would
be the job description for allthe city council people
throughout the city. And I thinkthat that vision, that
thoughtfulness would helpprevent more divisiveness, I
think it would help preventacrimony, I think it would help
(19:39):
prioritize issues in the city sothat we can get the city moving
in the right direction, and thatwe can solve problems rather
than deal with the chaos ofcreating the problems. We have a
great, great opportunity. Thecity is a great city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:59):
It is.
Bill Roth (19:59):
We should be a world class city. And we can be a
world class city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:03):
We can be.
Bill Roth (20:04):
And we have all the resources that allow that. And
in the microcosm of ourneighborhood, having people,
having resources, having realestate, having growth, having
all of these things are positivethroughout the city. And so we
all should have a common visionof prioritizing and making this
(20:28):
place successful. And to theextent that the city council has
the opportunity to direct thatand create that vision, that's
the job description and that'sthe goal, and that's the benefit
that we'll all have.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:47):
Yes, I appreciate that answer. It kinda
gave me insight as to what yourgifts are particularly. I know
just sitting here I can verymuch see wisdom, temperance,
intelligence, and just clarityof thought and purpose. I wish
(21:07):
that more persons would comeforward who have those
particular gifts and especiallythat of discernment. How would
you particularly intend tocollaborate should you be
elected? Because you have theunique skill sets, not just
these inherent gifts, but theknowledge base to understand the
(21:32):
developer's goals yet theresident's schools. How would
you be able to orchestrate thatcollaboration of thought
differently than others beforeyou?
Bill Roth (21:43):
To me, it's not it's not a difficult question because
I bring to any decision makingprocess that I'm involved in, I
try to bring a decision makingprocess that's based in common
sense, that's pragmatic, that isfact based, that's not
(22:06):
emotional, that's not specialinterest designated, and that's
problem solving oriented. Andyou can't do that if you don't
speak to the people, if youdon't listen to people, and if
you're not responsive to people.You have to have the ability to
(22:30):
have a reasonable, honestcommunication, and you have to
have people who are willing totry to resolve issues. And that
collaboration, I think, and thatability to interact with people,
I hope would be a skill set thatI could bring to the table. I've
had that opportunity to usethose talents in other venues,
(22:54):
whether it's in my own business,which we've been pretty
successful in, in the ability towork out arrangements, to work
out transactions, to do businessdeals, to actually be able to
create value and createopportunities for people in an
economic and business sense,especially in the real estate
(23:16):
area, in the legal area, in thefinancial area, which are all
opportunities and all issuesthat we're gonna have to deal
with, but also in the nonprofitworld, in trade organization
world where you really have tocollaborate with people to
create goals, to create issuebased solutions, to difficult
(23:40):
questions, and you can't do thatalone, you can't do that from a
top down, it has to be a processthat is really generated from
the bottom up based on facts,based on discussions, based on
reasonableness, common sense,study, education, knowledge. You
(24:04):
have to be prepared. I thinkthat guidance is not unavailable
in our community, but it hasn'tbeen accessed and it hasn't been
encouraged. And I think maybethat might be an influence that
(24:26):
that maybe I would be able tohave a positive effect on.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (24:30):
That's terrific. That's terrific
insight. And I presume thatyou've been block walking a
decent amount. How have thoseconversations been moving along?
Bill Roth (24:43):
That's been actually one of the most interesting
processes and things that haveoccurred in this process. I'm
not a politician. I'm notpolitically involved. I've never
really been involved incampaigning as such, but
actually block walking, meetingpeople, talking to them directly
(25:03):
is really insightful and peopleare concerned and there's a huge
amount of people that are notvocal. There's a huge silent
majority of people that haveconcerns, but in many cases feel
disenfranchised, feel that theydon't have power to influence,
(25:24):
feel that nobody is listening.
And that was sort of the pictureidentification that I got from
many people who I ran into andwho I've had the opportunity to
talk to, that they feel thatnobody is there for them. And
that resonated with mepersonally, that I felt like
(25:48):
representatives were not therefor me. And it's not anybody in
particular, it's just generallythat we don't feel like the
governmental part of theorganization of the city is
really front and center withrelationships that they are
(26:10):
supposed to be taken care of.The fact that you meet people
and that somebody says, Wow,you're willing to even say hello
to me, is impressive. Now,specifically, what are people
concerned about? Overwhelmingly,people are concerned about
(26:31):
financial security. They'reconcerned about physical safety
and security. They're concernedabout the leadership and the
direction that the city isgoing, and they're concerned
with just basic services. Theyjust wanna make sure the trash
is picked up, the alleys arefixed, and the potholes are
taken care of, and they wannamake sure that they can feel
(26:54):
safe and comfortable walking intheir neighborhoods and going to
the grocery store. They wannafeel comfortable that the taxes
that they're paying, which arebecoming very, very expensive,
it's expensive to live in thecity, not only in our district,
but in the city generally.
They wanna make sure that themonies that are being paid are
(27:17):
going to the right places, thatthey're being managed, and that
the stewardship of the fundsthat are being given to the city
are being handled in a properway. Those are not unreasonable
concerns. That's what I thinkthe city's job is, is to provide
those items, those mainpriorities, safety, security,
(27:41):
financial responsibility, andtake care of the physical
infrastructure. And that's whatthe job description is, and I
think people feel generally, asI did, that maybe we had lost
that direction and thatsignificance of priority in
(28:04):
managing what's going on in thecity. The city councilman
doesn't manage the city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (28:09):
That's right.
Bill Roth (28:10):
And that's realization that many people
don't understand. But what thecity council does do is they're
the board of directors. They'rethe group that has the
opportunity to create thevision, to create the
priorities, to help establish abudget, and then to help create
(28:37):
the goals that they can thenhelp the manager implement to
the extent that they need to.The job of the city council is
to make the managementdepartment of the city
accountable. It's not to beadversarial, it's to be
collaborative, it's to beencouraging, it's to be
(29:01):
thoughtful in helping to guidethis city into a world class
city. The demographics that Ihear about is that there's eight
and a half million people in theDallas Fort Worth area. In
twenty years, there's gonna be16 to 18,000,000 people here.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (29:23):
That's right.
Bill Roth (29:24):
In Dallas proper, there's a million and three, a
million and a half people. Intwenty years, there's gonna be
3,000,000 to 5,000,000 peoplepossibly. In my little business,
you need to be thoughtful aboutthe future. If we're trying to
make decisions today for thefuture, for the future success
(29:46):
of this community, we've got tobe planning. We've got to have
strategic goals.
We have to have collaboration.We have to have thoughtfulness.
ake We have to have a managementstyle and a leadership style
that is oriented towardsbuilding the best, most fabulous
(30:12):
quality of life and communitythat we can achieve. We're the
seventh largest city in TheUnited States. We are not
insignificant. We are absolutelycritical, not only to Texas, but
to The United States. And wehave a responsibility as
(30:37):
leadership in the city to takethat requirement of planning and
growing the brand, growing theeconomic prosperity, growing our
population, and creating valueto our community, that's the
(31:03):
responsibility of thegovernmental leadership. And
it's a big responsibility Andit's something that we have the
talent to do it. Let's take thatopportunity and move forward.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (31:17):
Thank you for that. It's certainly just at
the very base line. I mean,essential, necessary. And I do
pray that more voices of wisdomand collaboration do come to the
forefront because it's reallybeen missing in leadership in
general from the very top of ourcountry to every single
(31:44):
organization and household. So Icertainly pray that for our
country and, of course, our cityand state. Where would you focus
specifically as it relates tocrime within your district, but
(32:06):
then on a broader scale, withincollaborative conversations with
other elected leaders?
Bill Roth (32:15):
Sure. Listen, safety and security is an absolute
important issue, and it's it'sabsolutely significant in all
aspects of the management of thecity. It's not just a crime
situation. It's how does howdoes safety and security
(32:36):
interact with all the otherparts of the management of a big
enterprise like a city. Right?
So and I'm going to ask I'mgonna answer your question
directly, but a but a little bitof overview. To me, the city is
in a growth stage. We're goingto be growing. We're going to
(33:00):
have a lot of demands, economicdemands, population demands,
service demands, and all thosedemands are going to require
funding. Funding is going to betremendously important, and the
(33:22):
only way you can fund theserequirements for a growing
business, a growing environment,is that you've got to grow the
city, And you can't grow thecity if you don't have an
environment where new businessescan come, where businesses that
are here can expand, where youcan attract new residents, where
(33:42):
you can be proactive and helpfulin attracting and developing
more and more people who want tocreate a stable community, where
you wanna have more tourists,where you wanna have people
coming to take advantage of thetremendous entertainment and
cultural opportunities we havehere.
(34:02):
You need to have a communitythat is safe and is going to be
receptive to people. And that'swhere safety and security is so
important. It's not justrequirements for any particular
neighborhood, it's a requirementfor the whole city. And it may
(34:26):
be the absolutely most importantpart of the future development
of our city. Everybody is awarethat we've got a limited number
of police and fire folks here.They're absolutely essential.
And we need more people there.The need to expand the security
(34:52):
and safety community is vital.At this point in time, it seems
that we're mostly reactive tothe criminal security situation.
Our objective should be tocreate an organization, a police
and fire and safety organizationthat allows for deterrence,
(35:16):
allows for proactiveinvolvement, that allows for
preventive criminal activityrather than reactive situation.
And I think that this puts anadditional pressure on the city
to find the resources to hireadditional people, to provide
(35:39):
those people with the resourcesthat they require, to provide
them with the culture thatallows for retention and allows
for attraction. People want tobe part of the city, and it
allows us to recruit moreactively and to find the best
(36:02):
and the brightest folks that canhelp us. And I think that's the
goal and that's the objective.So, in that respect, we've got
to find the resources to pay forthat. We've got to provide,
whether it's the funding forsalaries, whether it's fixing
the pension plan situation sothat the police and fire folks
(36:28):
feel comfortable that they'regoing to have a future, that we
have to provide them with thetraining and the physical
resources so that they can dotheir job effectively.
We have to make sure thatthere's community interaction
with the police. The police andfire are not adversarial. That's
(36:49):
right. This is part of thecommunity. The community needs
to be engaged with them. Theyneed to be part of the
community, and they are. Therehas to be a culture there that
the police are part of thecommunity, not adversarial to
the community. I don't feel likethat's the case, but we have to
(37:12):
maintain that direction and thatculture to say that they are
important. And I think that wealso have to provide sort of
infrastructure that the city hasto provide other infrastructure
outside of just policing. Weneed to have the basic
technology. We have to havelighting. We have to have the
(37:36):
ability to have the rightresources, whether it's patrol,
whether it's the cars, thefacilities, the ability to
manage the areas of town thatneed to be properly landscaped,
(37:56):
properly secured, properlyprotected. And those are
physical issues. It's not aboutpeople, it's about opportunities
where we can help managesecurity. And I think funds for
that are important and they'reavailable and we should create
that as a priority.
(38:18):
My message was that we really doneed to focus on priorities. And
if security is one of thepriorities, if city services is
a priority, if watching andlooking at the fiscal
responsibility of the city is apriority, then that's the common
goal. And anything that fits inthose priorities should be
(38:41):
superior. It's not to discountother issues, but you take care
of the important things first.And then once those are solved,
then you can start taking careof priorities that are lower on
the list. But security isabsolutely essential.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (38:57):
It certainly is. Is there anything
else that you would like toshare with our listeners and
viewers? Your answers werethoughtful and also nuanced yet
broad brush enough to where Ithink you were able to cover a
lot more that I wanted to ask insome of your other answers. Is
(39:18):
there anything else you wannaadd before we wrap today?
Bill Roth (39:22):
I would hope that that I could bring to the table
a thoughtfulness, apreparedness, a collaborative
effort to create common goals,common sense decision making,
(39:44):
and really serve as an examplenot only to my neighborhood, but
also to the city generally andto the other city council people
that we really have a animportant task and our
responsibilities go beyond ourindividual capacities. That as
(40:08):
representatives of the city andof our neighborhoods, we are
representing a much larger,important, long term situation
and that this job is reallyimportant. And the folks that
are in this job have a real neatopportunity to create a world
(40:31):
class city that everybody couldbe proud of, could be successful
in, and could really serve as alight for other cities and other
communities. And so, we have theopportunity to be
transformational if we do itright, and if we come to the
(40:56):
table with the right attitude.That's what we, you and I, grew
up in a community that was likethat.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (41:04):
Mhmm. It really was.
Bill Roth (41:08):
So that's what we should aspire to That's right.
Right?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (41:11):
It oozes from every part of you, which I
just love, and I wish you thebest of luck. You're very kind.
Thank you. Of course. Thank youfor being here with me today,
Bill.
Bill Roth (41:21):
Well, thank you. Thank you so much for having me.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (41:23):
You're welcome.
Hey, everyone. I'm Sarah Zubiate
(00:01):
Bennett, and welcome back toLet's Talk Local. I'm really
excited about today's episodebecause I'm sitting down with
someone who's got excellentideas and real passion for the
future of our city. District 11City Council candidate Bill
Roth. Bill's all about elevatingDallas to world class status and
bringing our City Counciltogether to work as one for the
(00:23):
greater good. No drama, just aclear vision for a better,
brighter Dallas. So if you'reinto local change makers and
real talk about what's next forour city, you're in the right
place. Don't forget to like,subscribe, and let's jump into
it. Here's Bill Roth.
(00:46):
Bill Roth, thank you so much forbeing here today. I know that
you're a candidate for District11. I am eager to learn more
about you. I've only had thepleasure of meeting you once
very briefly. And today, I wannadelve into what makes you you
and what ignited this passionand desire to run.
Bill Roth (01:04):
Well, that's very kind of you. I'm really happy to
be here. It's really nice totalk to you and to meet you.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:09):
Thank you. Thank you so much. So, just
like I mentioned in that introto everyone who's listening and
or viewing, would you tell uswhat ignited this passion and
desire to run as a candidate inDistrict 11?
Bill Roth (01:22):
Well, it's sort of interesting. I really never had
any passion to run. I never hadany thought of doing this. This
was not an aspirational goal ofmine.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:32):
Sure, sure.
Bill Roth (01:33):
But I was recruited to do this and I was flattered
to be asked to do it. When thecurrent council person decided
not to run, several people fromthe community really reached out
to me and asked me to do thisand they thought that perhaps my
background and my skill setsmight be advantageous to being
(01:54):
helpful to the city and toworking in this position. After
consideration and mostimportantly, making sure that my
wife was in agreement with it
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (02:04):
Yes. That is very It's necessary!
Bill Roth (02:08):
I really decided that maybe it was something that I
could do and that I could doeffectively and really help out.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (02:16):
Yeah. I love that. And it's interesting
to me because I know that ifpeople are asking you and
recruiting you, so to speak, torun, there must have been some
type of informationunderstanding about who you are
and have been your entire life.Can you tell us a little bit
(02:37):
about your background andperhaps why people felt
compelled to persuade you torun?
Bill Roth (02:43):
Sure, I'd be happy to. My background is that I'm
from El Paso. I went to acollege in Washington, D. C, got
a degree in finance and thencame back to SMU, went to law
school, became an attorney. Iwent into the real estate
(03:05):
business with a relative for ashort period of time and then
formed my own company and I havea commercial real estate
company. The reason I'mmentioning those skill sets is
because I think they're valuablein what the task that I'm
running for is important to.I've also been very active in
(03:26):
the nonprofit community. I'vebeen involved with my trade
organizations. The industry isvery important to me, both the
legal industry and the realestate industry. I've been
involved in my faith basedcommunity significantly and in
other nonprofit social serviceorganizations.
I think that background of sortof a technical, legal, real
(03:51):
estate, financial, and maybeunderstanding the community and
the industries that I've beeninvolved in have sort of given
me a little bit of skill setsthat maybe I can use to help a
little bit. I think I come froma servant background and I grew
(04:12):
up in a family that was alwaysparticipating and trying to help
and trying to be involved. Andthis is my opportunity to do
that. So I think that's whatpeople focused on and that's how
I got, I think, targeted to beincluded in this group.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:32):
Well, I have to digress just a little
bit. Do you know that I'm fromEl Paso?
Bill Roth (04:36):
I did not.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:37):
Yes, sir. I guarantee, and I'm not a
betting woman, well sometimes Iam, but we probably grew up on
different sides of the city. Didyou grow up on the West Side?
Bill Roth (04:47):
I did grow up on the West Side.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:48):
Of course. I grew up on the East
Side in Yasleta. Okay. Off ofSaragossa and North Loop.
Absolutely. So I mean, when Itell people I come from very
humble beginnings, only peoplewho are from El Paso understand
what that means. To be raised inthe Lower Valley, bars on my
windows, all of that. Becausemost of my friends who are now
here grew up on the West Side OfTown.
Bill Roth (05:10):
Well, that's that's a small world. It really is a
small world. That's fabulous.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:13):
It is.
Bill Roth (05:13):
And you know what? That area of the East Side Of El
Paso has really changed a lot.My goodness. Tremendous.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:21):
Oh, Bill. I just buried my my mother.
Bill Roth (05:24):
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:25):
Well, both of my parents now are are
in heaven. But she taught at inYaslita Independent School
District for thirty eight yearsat Thomas Manor Elementary. And
she was 84, she would have been85 in March. And so my parents
are both in heaven and I lostthem both over the past two and
(05:48):
a half years. And I still kepttheir home in El Paso. I have
some duplexes out there as well.Do you have any ties to the
city?
Bill Roth (05:56):
We do. I do. I still have real estate there. We still
have family there, and we'restill active in the community
there. And I love El Paso. It'sgreat city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:08):
It is.
Bill Roth (06:08):
And it created, you'll appreciate it, it created
a different environment to livein, to grow up in, to focus on
because it was so remote, and wereally did have a growth and a
background of helping people,having a community that was
cohesive, that was notacrimonious, that was not
(06:30):
divisive, that was communityminded, that was problem solving
oriented, and that was inclusiveof people, and I felt that very
strongly growing up. Some of thethings that, that attitude, that
feeling is something that I missin our current situation and in
(06:52):
our current community. So tobring that little bit of history
and community and feeling into anew community and into a new
experience and into a newsituation where we can help make
things better is maybe an extraskill set that most people
(07:14):
wouldn't understand, but thatyou might appreciate a little
bit.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett: I certainly do. The people from (07:18):
undefined
El Paso are so special to me.Not just humble and like you
said, community oriented, and itis a sense of family belonging,
no judgment. I mean humans arehumans, humans will judge. But
(07:40):
it's just so welcoming andwarming. And so now I certainly
have a deeper understanding andappreciation for why you were
recruited. It gives me greatpeace. Nice. Peace actually. So
I'm I'm thrilled to learn thatabout you. Tell me if you
wouldn't mind, how many childrenif any do you have? And where
(08:02):
are they now?
Bill Roth (08:04):
So, my wife and I have two children. I have a
daughter who's... I don't knowif I should tell the ages,
but...
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:12):
Sure. Sure. Sure.
Bill Roth (08:13):
I have a daughter who's in her low forties.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:18):
Yes. Okay.
Bill Roth (08:19):
And we have a son who's in his low thirties.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:21):
Yes.
Bill Roth (08:22):
Both are doing very well. Our daughter and
son-in-law are in Los Angeles,they're involved in the
entertainment business.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:31):
Oh, good.
Bill Roth (08:32):
And we're very proud of them, they're very successful
and she does mid leveltelevision producing. He works
at NBC in their public relationsdepartment. We have a five year
old grandson there. My son ishere in Dallas. He works with me
and my real estate company. He'salso been very helpful in this
(08:53):
campaign experience that we'rehaving, and he has a 12 year old
son. So we have a 12 year oldgrandson here. We've very proud
of our kids.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:06):
Oh, that's true.
Bill Roth (09:07):
My wife has been a terrific connector for all of us
to keep us all together.She has a specialty advertising
business that does very well,and I'm very proud of her also.
So to all of us, been veryactive. Everybody's been active
in our communities. We've beensocially active. We also have
(09:29):
been family oriented, and niceto have a tight family. And
we're very lucky to be in thatsituation.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:38):
Yes, I couldn't agree more about that,
just familial aspect. Monty andI, while we have a blended
family, my twins are 12. So sameage as your grandson here. And
then his oldest is 11 and hisyoungest is nine. So we have and
his oldest is about to be 12 inMay, so he's almost 12.
(10:00):
So three 12 year olds and a nineyear old. We are busy and in the
throes of crazy living. But notjust crazy living, I mean, for
me as a person, but kind ofseeing what's happening in the
cityscape. I mean, there's a lotof crazy things. And your
district has been at the heartof a lot as of late.
Bill Roth (10:26):
It really has.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (10:27):
Yes. It really has been. And it's mind
boggling to me because I meanyou understand how that goes
when you're looking at the cityas a whole and you understand
the demographics of every singlecity council district. And then
you're you kind of scale intothis microcosm in District 11.
(10:53):
What have you really admired,with the present leadership? Not
just within your your district,but the council altogether. And
what have been some areas inwhich you've believed there's
room for improvement?
Bill Roth (11:08):
Yeah. No. I think it I've lived in the in the area in
District 11 for forty fiveyears. We live in the same house
that we bought when I got outof law school and got married.
And we've stayed in that samehouse since since we've been
here.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (11:26):
That's special.
Bill Roth (11:27):
Which ties me to that community very strongly. It's a
community that is important forthe city. It's got some
tremendous people, it's got sometremendous assets, resources.
It's really a strong, strongneighborhood and district and it
(11:49):
really is a leadership districtin this community. It's given me
a lot of opportunities tobenefit from being in that
district.
It has a significant stablepopulation. It's got good
(12:12):
diversity. It has some of themost important real estate in
the city that impacts
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:18):
That's right.
Bill Roth (12:19):
That impacts our community. It has some of the
most significant traffic andhighway and roadway portals in
this city, which is significantin how we develop the city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:35):
That's right.
Bill Roth (12:36):
It has some important tax and income opportunities
that have impact in the city,and it's got a tremendously
smart, educated, communityoriented population which is a
(12:58):
tremendous resource to thiscommunity. And all of those
things have an impact on theoverall city, and I think serves
as a great example for asuccessful neighborhood, which
then translates into asuccessful city. And I think all
of the neighborhoods couldbenefit by the experiences that
(13:19):
I've had in my neighborhood, andalso creating some of the
visions and some of theopportunities to deal with some
of the problems. Your questionreally focuses on some of the
controversies and some of thechallenges that we've had in our
district because it's a verysignificant part of the
(13:44):
community. Some of the issuesthat have come up are very
interesting opportunities tounderstand how problem solving
can be done in future issues Andnot only the positives of how to
(14:04):
get the problem solved, but alsohow to avoid the difficulties in
making decisions that are notresponsive to the community.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (14:14):
With that, I mean, mind's just
sitting here. In my mind's eye,I'm just envisioning all the
different spaces. So not just myfriend Scott Beck's Midtown up
to Pepper Square, And I justtoured the Banner House A Week
And A Half ago because we're atPark House and I thought, well,
(14:35):
you know, if we're needingsomething more active, I know
it's kind of right in this hubof so much that can be
incredible. Can you speak toperhaps how you would do things
differently with respect to justthose two particular
(14:56):
developments? What could beMidtown and Pepper Square as
well?
Bill Roth (15:01):
Our district has, really, Pepper Square is a
significant piece of property.The Midtown Valley View
development is significant pieceof property. The other area that
you didn't really address, whichis also significant, is the LBJ
Corridor.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:21):
That's right.
Bill Roth (15:21):
We really encompass some of the highest opportunity
for development, but we alsohave some of the highest
significant issues that affectthe neighborhoods. And to answer
your question more directly,these are all great
(15:44):
opportunities to advance and toimprove the quality of life in
our district, but they have tobe sensitive to the needs and
the concerns of the singlefamily residents that live in
that district. And the priorityin my mind and what I've learned
and what I feel very stronglyabout is that the community that
(16:08):
lives there, the community thathas created a stable,
successful, dynamic environmentis entitled to priority, and
they're entitled to have theirconcerns addressed. They need to
be...
(16:28):
They are the bedrock of thecommunity, and the single family
residences throughout the cityof Dallas should have the same
honor, the same respect, and thesame acknowledgement in decision
making generally. Sorry to be solong winded, but that's the
(16:49):
basis of how decisions I thinkshould be made with regard to
the development, the growth, thechange in any community. People
want change, people wantupdated, people are not adverse
to improving the quality oftheir life, but you have to take
into consideration the concernsand the issues and any adverse
(17:13):
effects on the people that havecreated the stability for those
successful neighborhoods. If aperson comes to you to ask for a
favor, it seems to me that theburden of proof is on that
person to convince the peoplethat have the priority that that
favor is valid, is respectful,and is acceptable. Both parties
(17:42):
have to be reasonable in theirdiscussions.
They have to respectful in theirdiscussions, but there should be
a collaboration that allows thepeople who are the stakeholders
in that neighborhood to not beadversely affected. I think that
the city has a very strongposition in participating in
(18:07):
that process as either acollaboration partner, as a
arbitrator, a mediator, a factfinder, a party that really can
help the process go in a correctdirection. And I think that
(18:32):
that's the opportunity for thecity. And I think in this
situation with Pepper Square inparticular, in particular with
the Valley View developmenthistorically, and in some of the
potential controversies that arecoming up in the LBJ Corridor, I
think the city has aresponsibility and the people
that are involved inrepresenting the neighborhood in
(18:55):
the city have thatresponsibility to take on that
position and that responsibilityto advocate, listen to their
neighbors, listen to the peoplethat they represent, be
responsive to the people thatthey represent, and serve as an
advocate and a truerepresentative of the people
(19:16):
that are in that neighborhood,And I would hope that that would
be the job description for allthe city council people
throughout the city. And I thinkthat that vision, that
thoughtfulness would helpprevent more divisiveness, I
think it would help preventacrimony, I think it would help
(19:39):
prioritize issues in the city sothat we can get the city moving
in the right direction, and thatwe can solve problems rather
than deal with the chaos ofcreating the problems. We have a
great, great opportunity. Thecity is a great city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:59):
It is.
Bill Roth (19:59):
We should be a world class city. And we can be a
world class city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:03):
We can be.
Bill Roth (20:04):
And we have all the resources that allow that. And
in the microcosm of ourneighborhood, having people,
having resources, having realestate, having growth, having
all of these things are positivethroughout the city. And so we
all should have a common visionof prioritizing and making this
(20:28):
place successful. And to theextent that the city council has
the opportunity to direct thatand create that vision, that's
the job description and that'sthe goal, and that's the benefit
that we'll all have.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:47):
Yes, I appreciate that answer. It kinda
gave me insight as to what yourgifts are particularly. I know
just sitting here I can verymuch see wisdom, temperance,
intelligence, and just clarityof thought and purpose. I wish
(21:07):
that more persons would comeforward who have those
particular gifts and especiallythat of discernment. How would
you particularly intend tocollaborate should you be
elected? Because you have theunique skill sets, not just
these inherent gifts, but theknowledge base to understand the
(21:32):
developer's goals yet theresident's schools. How would
you be able to orchestrate thatcollaboration of thought
differently than others beforeyou?
Bill Roth (21:43):
To me, it's not it's not a difficult question because
I bring to any decision makingprocess that I'm involved in, I
try to bring a decision makingprocess that's based in common
sense, that's pragmatic, that isfact based, that's not
(22:06):
emotional, that's not specialinterest designated, and that's
problem solving oriented. Andyou can't do that if you don't
speak to the people, if youdon't listen to people, and if
you're not responsive to people.You have to have the ability to
(22:30):
have a reasonable, honestcommunication, and you have to
have people who are willing totry to resolve issues. And that
collaboration, I think, and thatability to interact with people,
I hope would be a skill set thatI could bring to the table. I've
had that opportunity to usethose talents in other venues,
(22:54):
whether it's in my own business,which we've been pretty
successful in, in the ability towork out arrangements, to work
out transactions, to do businessdeals, to actually be able to
create value and createopportunities for people in an
economic and business sense,especially in the real estate
(23:16):
area, in the legal area, in thefinancial area, which are all
opportunities and all issuesthat we're gonna have to deal
with, but also in the nonprofitworld, in trade organization
world where you really have tocollaborate with people to
create goals, to create issuebased solutions, to difficult
(23:40):
questions, and you can't do thatalone, you can't do that from a
top down, it has to be a processthat is really generated from
the bottom up based on facts,based on discussions, based on
reasonableness, common sense,study, education, knowledge. You
(24:04):
have to be prepared. I thinkthat guidance is not unavailable
in our community, but it hasn'tbeen accessed and it hasn't been
encouraged. And I think maybethat might be an influence that
(24:26):
that maybe I would be able tohave a positive effect on.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (24:30):
That's terrific. That's terrific
insight. And I presume thatyou've been block walking a
decent amount. How have thoseconversations been moving along?
Bill Roth (24:43):
That's been actually one of the most interesting
processes and things that haveoccurred in this process. I'm
not a politician. I'm notpolitically involved. I've never
really been involved incampaigning as such, but
actually block walking, meetingpeople, talking to them directly
(25:03):
is really insightful and peopleare concerned and there's a huge
amount of people that are notvocal. There's a huge silent
majority of people that haveconcerns, but in many cases feel
disenfranchised, feel that theydon't have power to influence,
(25:24):
feel that nobody is listening.
And that was sort of the pictureidentification that I got from
many people who I ran into andwho I've had the opportunity to
talk to, that they feel thatnobody is there for them. And
that resonated with mepersonally, that I felt like
(25:48):
representatives were not therefor me. And it's not anybody in
particular, it's just generallythat we don't feel like the
governmental part of theorganization of the city is
really front and center withrelationships that they are
(26:10):
supposed to be taken care of.The fact that you meet people
and that somebody says, Wow,you're willing to even say hello
to me, is impressive. Now,specifically, what are people
concerned about? Overwhelmingly,people are concerned about
(26:31):
financial security. They'reconcerned about physical safety
and security. They're concernedabout the leadership and the
direction that the city isgoing, and they're concerned
with just basic services. Theyjust wanna make sure the trash
is picked up, the alleys arefixed, and the potholes are
taken care of, and they wannamake sure that they can feel
(26:54):
safe and comfortable walking intheir neighborhoods and going to
the grocery store. They wannafeel comfortable that the taxes
that they're paying, which arebecoming very, very expensive,
it's expensive to live in thecity, not only in our district,
but in the city generally.
They wanna make sure that themonies that are being paid are
(27:17):
going to the right places, thatthey're being managed, and that
the stewardship of the fundsthat are being given to the city
are being handled in a properway. Those are not unreasonable
concerns. That's what I thinkthe city's job is, is to provide
those items, those mainpriorities, safety, security,
(27:41):
financial responsibility, andtake care of the physical
infrastructure. And that's whatthe job description is, and I
think people feel generally, asI did, that maybe we had lost
that direction and thatsignificance of priority in
(28:04):
managing what's going on in thecity. The city councilman
doesn't manage the city.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (28:09):
That's right.
Bill Roth (28:10):
And that's realization that many people
don't understand. But what thecity council does do is they're
the board of directors. They'rethe group that has the
opportunity to create thevision, to create the
priorities, to help establish abudget, and then to help create
(28:37):
the goals that they can thenhelp the manager implement to
the extent that they need to.The job of the city council is
to make the managementdepartment of the city
accountable. It's not to beadversarial, it's to be
collaborative, it's to beencouraging, it's to be
(29:01):
thoughtful in helping to guidethis city into a world class
city. The demographics that Ihear about is that there's eight
and a half million people in theDallas Fort Worth area. In
twenty years, there's gonna be16 to 18,000,000 people here.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (29:23):
That's right.
Bill Roth (29:24):
In Dallas proper, there's a million and three, a
million and a half people. Intwenty years, there's gonna be
3,000,000 to 5,000,000 peoplepossibly. In my little business,
you need to be thoughtful aboutthe future. If we're trying to
make decisions today for thefuture, for the future success
(29:46):
of this community, we've got tobe planning. We've got to have
strategic goals.
We have to have collaboration.We have to have thoughtfulness.
ake We have to have a managementstyle and a leadership style
that is oriented towardsbuilding the best, most fabulous
(30:12):
quality of life and communitythat we can achieve. We're the
seventh largest city in TheUnited States. We are not
insignificant. We are absolutelycritical, not only to Texas, but
to The United States. And wehave a responsibility as
(30:37):
leadership in the city to takethat requirement of planning and
growing the brand, growing theeconomic prosperity, growing our
population, and creating valueto our community, that's the
(31:03):
responsibility of thegovernmental leadership. And
it's a big responsibility Andit's something that we have the
talent to do it. Let's take thatopportunity and move forward.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (31:17):
Thank you for that. It's certainly just at
the very base line. I mean,essential, necessary. And I do
pray that more voices of wisdomand collaboration do come to the
forefront because it's reallybeen missing in leadership in
general from the very top of ourcountry to every single
(31:44):
organization and household. So Icertainly pray that for our
country and, of course, our cityand state. Where would you focus
specifically as it relates tocrime within your district, but
(32:06):
then on a broader scale, withincollaborative conversations with
other elected leaders?
Bill Roth (32:15):
Sure. Listen, safety and security is an absolute
important issue, and it's it'sabsolutely significant in all
aspects of the management of thecity. It's not just a crime
situation. It's how does howdoes safety and security
(32:36):
interact with all the otherparts of the management of a big
enterprise like a city. Right?
So and I'm going to ask I'mgonna answer your question
directly, but a but a little bitof overview. To me, the city is
in a growth stage. We're goingto be growing. We're going to
(33:00):
have a lot of demands, economicdemands, population demands,
service demands, and all thosedemands are going to require
funding. Funding is going to betremendously important, and the
(33:22):
only way you can fund theserequirements for a growing
business, a growing environment,is that you've got to grow the
city, And you can't grow thecity if you don't have an
environment where new businessescan come, where businesses that
are here can expand, where youcan attract new residents, where
(33:42):
you can be proactive and helpfulin attracting and developing
more and more people who want tocreate a stable community, where
you wanna have more tourists,where you wanna have people
coming to take advantage of thetremendous entertainment and
cultural opportunities we havehere.
(34:02):
You need to have a communitythat is safe and is going to be
receptive to people. And that'swhere safety and security is so
important. It's not justrequirements for any particular
neighborhood, it's a requirementfor the whole city. And it may
(34:26):
be the absolutely most importantpart of the future development
of our city. Everybody is awarethat we've got a limited number
of police and fire folks here.They're absolutely essential.
And we need more people there.The need to expand the security
(34:52):
and safety community is vital.At this point in time, it seems
that we're mostly reactive tothe criminal security situation.
Our objective should be tocreate an organization, a police
and fire and safety organizationthat allows for deterrence,
(35:16):
allows for proactiveinvolvement, that allows for
preventive criminal activityrather than reactive situation.
And I think that this puts anadditional pressure on the city
to find the resources to hireadditional people, to provide
(35:39):
those people with the resourcesthat they require, to provide
them with the culture thatallows for retention and allows
for attraction. People want tobe part of the city, and it
allows us to recruit moreactively and to find the best
(36:02):
and the brightest folks that canhelp us. And I think that's the
goal and that's the objective.So, in that respect, we've got
to find the resources to pay forthat. We've got to provide,
whether it's the funding forsalaries, whether it's fixing
the pension plan situation sothat the police and fire folks
(36:28):
feel comfortable that they'regoing to have a future, that we
have to provide them with thetraining and the physical
resources so that they can dotheir job effectively.
We have to make sure thatthere's community interaction
with the police. The police andfire are not adversarial. That's
(36:49):
right. This is part of thecommunity. The community needs
to be engaged with them. Theyneed to be part of the
community, and they are. Therehas to be a culture there that
the police are part of thecommunity, not adversarial to
the community. I don't feel likethat's the case, but we have to
(37:12):
maintain that direction and thatculture to say that they are
important. And I think that wealso have to provide sort of
infrastructure that the city hasto provide other infrastructure
outside of just policing. Weneed to have the basic
technology. We have to havelighting. We have to have the
(37:36):
ability to have the rightresources, whether it's patrol,
whether it's the cars, thefacilities, the ability to
manage the areas of town thatneed to be properly landscaped,
(37:56):
properly secured, properlyprotected. And those are
physical issues. It's not aboutpeople, it's about opportunities
where we can help managesecurity. And I think funds for
that are important and they'reavailable and we should create
that as a priority.
(38:18):
My message was that we really doneed to focus on priorities. And
if security is one of thepriorities, if city services is
a priority, if watching andlooking at the fiscal
responsibility of the city is apriority, then that's the common
goal. And anything that fits inthose priorities should be
(38:41):
superior. It's not to discountother issues, but you take care
of the important things first.And then once those are solved,
then you can start taking careof priorities that are lower on
the list. But security isabsolutely essential.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (38:57):
It certainly is. Is there anything
else that you would like toshare with our listeners and
viewers? Your answers werethoughtful and also nuanced yet
broad brush enough to where Ithink you were able to cover a
lot more that I wanted to ask insome of your other answers. Is
(39:18):
there anything else you wannaadd before we wrap today?
Bill Roth (39:22):
I would hope that that I could bring to the table
a thoughtfulness, apreparedness, a collaborative
effort to create common goals,common sense decision making,
(39:44):
and really serve as an examplenot only to my neighborhood, but
also to the city generally andto the other city council people
that we really have a animportant task and our
responsibilities go beyond ourindividual capacities. That as
(40:08):
representatives of the city andof our neighborhoods, we are
representing a much larger,important, long term situation
and that this job is reallyimportant. And the folks that
are in this job have a real neatopportunity to create a world
(40:31):
class city that everybody couldbe proud of, could be successful
in, and could really serve as alight for other cities and other
communities. And so, we have theopportunity to be
transformational if we do itright, and if we come to the
(40:56):
table with the right attitude.That's what we, you and I, grew
up in a community that was likethat.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (41:04):
Mhmm. It really was.
Bill Roth (41:08):
So that's what we should aspire to That's right.
Right?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (41:11):
It oozes from every part of you, which I
just love, and I wish you thebest of luck. You're very kind.
Thank you. Of course. Thank youfor being here with me today,
Bill.
Bill Roth (41:21):
Well, thank you. Thank you so much for having me.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (41:23):
You're welcome.
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