April 20, 2025 • 25 mins
Meet John Sims, candidate for Dallas City Council District 3! He’s passionate about making sure every voice in our city is heard—no matter your background. In this episode, we chat with John about what inspired him to run, the issues that drive him, and how he plans to create real change if elected.
Remember, your vote is your voice—so let’s make it count this election season!
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Episode Transcript
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Sarah Zubiate Bennett (00:00):
Hello. I'm Sarah Zubiate Bennett. So
glad you're tuning into thisepisode of Let's Talk Local.
Today, I'm sitting down withJohn Sims who's running for city
council in District 3. John'snot just passionate about making
real change in Dallas.
He's all about making sure thatvoices of everyday people are
actually heard at city hall. Andhonestly, with everything going
(00:20):
down there lately, I'm startingto really see where he's coming
from. I can't wait for you tohear from John yourself. What
drives him and what he wants forDistrict 3, and why your vote
matters more than ever. So stickaround, get inspired, and don't
forget to make your voice count.
If you like what you hear, hitthat like button, subscribe, and
check out our other interviewswith local candidates. Thank you
(00:43):
for being a part of theconversation. Hello. I'm here
with John Sims today, acandidate for District 3.
John Sims (00:57):
District 3.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (00:58):
Yes. Thank you for coming in and for
chatting with Appreciate help.Yes. Absolutely. And I have to
say, I think you're the firstperson ever to come sit with me
to say, you know what? Don'tsend me any kind of topics or
questions you may ask oranything beforehand. I wanna be
authentic in my answers. That'sthat's bold. That's great
because it's it's just aconversation.
John Sims (01:19):
Right. And and Yeah. For me, it's it's more important
to be authentic and and showpeople who I really am. Right?
And if it works, it works. If itdon't, it don't.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:31):
Yep. I agree with you. And I'm just
interested to hear becausewhenever I was reading a little
bit about you, saw that you havejust a varied You had many
varied interests. Yeah. And Imean, you've DJ'd, you've
coached youth baseball, I mean,have even worked as a
firefighter. You volunteer aton. What has brought you to
(01:53):
this place in your life whereyou've decided to step forward
for this candidacy?
John Sims (01:59):
Well, for me, it's lot about accountability. You
know, and and the lack thereof.You know, we've got some things
in government that I thinkreally need some refining. Let's
(02:25):
get back to the basics and havecommon sense.
In the in the way thatgovernment operates. So, you
know, just to remind justthroughout life and and my
experiences, I've I've seen alot of different sides of of,
different lifestyles. And I see,for me, a lot of injustices. You
(02:52):
know? I've, I was raised in WestDallas.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (02:56):
Mhmm. Historically underserved, you
know, lower income side of thecity. So I feel like I've got a
pretty unique view with regardto to how people live in lower
income communities. I obviouslywent to school there. We moved
(03:19):
around a lot as a child. So Iwent to all the all the
different schools in the in theproverbial hoods. Right? So grew
up in West Dallas and and SouthOak Cliff. So so I feel like
I've got a unique perspective. Iworked so so let's let's go back
(03:44):
to the to my growing up. I grewup in a in a single family
household with my mom. My dadwas never there, and and that's
just, you know, it's just partof life. But went to to Thomas
(04:05):
Edison Middle School, which isright in the heart of West
Dallas across from projects.
John Sims (04:12):
Went to Zumwalt Middle School, Went to Maceo
Smith for freshman year of highschool, then back to Pinkston.
So so I've been surrounded byminorities my whole life. Right?
I I was the minority.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:31):
Exactly. I was about to say that.
John Sims (04:34):
So Maceo Smith was about 85% African American, 15%
Hispanic, and me. Right? So Idon't have a problem with with
prejudice or stereotype. Ofcourse. And and, really,
(04:57):
everyone has some biases, andand we've gotta realize it. But
as far as, some of the major,you know, opinions that that
some people may have based onrace, I I think I I don't have
those. Because I've seen thegood and bad in in all all
(05:18):
people. You know, growing up inin a relatively poor,
environment, I think it's taughtme the value of of money and and
how it should be managed andspent.
And I understand that we can'twe can't borrow ourselves out of
(05:39):
debt. And and at the way thecity operates with a
$17,000,000,000 in deferredinfrastructure maintenance,
estimated $16,000,000,000 inunfunded liabilities for the
police and fire pension. Wecan't we can't borrow
(06:00):
$50,000,000 bond package everycouple years to patch, you know,
patch potholes on the road. Andthe more we neglect it, the more
expensive it becomes to tocomplete the repairs.
I've never seen a pothole getsmaller. And and roads don't
magically get smoother. Sothat's that's really what what
(06:20):
motivated me to to get involved.I've never before 2023, I'd
never imagined that that I woulddo anything, you know, in
politics. I'm really not a ahuge fan of politics. You know?
(06:41):
But
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:42):
It's a tough space.
John Sims (06:44):
Yeah. The the older I get, know, the more I I feel
like voices need to be heard.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:52):
That's right.
John Sims (06:53):
And and some of the social injustices need to need
to be made right.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:58):
Yes. I entirely agree with you on that.
And what is the landscape likein District 3? Can you talk to
me about other people who arerunning for this exact same
seat? And what type of residentsmake up the heart of District 3?
John Sims (07:17):
So demographically, we're about 43% Hispanic, 42%
African American, and we we havea a decent sized Thai, you know,
Asian neighborhood off ofLedbetter.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:39):
Oh, got it. Okay.
John Sims (07:40):
Yeah. They they've got a a nice Buddhist temple
over there.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:44):
Okay.
John Sims (07:45):
If you drive if you drive in that area, you you
wouldn't expect it. Right?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:49):
Yeah. I had no idea.
John Sims (07:51):
You kinda just drive up and you're like, wow. Look at
this temple. It's Yeah. Youknow, it's awesome. And that
they're really kind of a uniqueneighborhood. And they've kind
of segregated their selves. It'sit's really more of a a country
setting.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:08):
Okay.
John Sims (08:08):
Right? Because the there's a large portion of
undeveloped land. And, lots oftrees. It's it's really nice
change. Right? But the majorityof the of the district is single
family homes. You know, thousandto 1,500 square feet is is kind
of the average. We've got somesome really big houses and some
(08:32):
really small houses, but themajority is, you know, just
working class Americans. We'vegot good shopping. Right?
Redbird. We've got You know,Keast and and Polk area.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:49):
Uh-huh.
John Sims (08:50):
We've got a new Fiesta grocery store over there.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:54):
I love Fiesta! I feel like we're on the
right track as as far asdevelopment goes, but, you know,
it's it's a, you know, nicemiddle class district. And we've
got tons of developmentopportunity, a lot of
undeveloped land in District 3versus you know, if if you look
(09:15):
up at the northern districts,they're pretty landlocked.
Right? And and they've gotta gothey've gotta build up. They
they can't really build out.But, in District 3, no, we've
we've got a lot of open space, alot of green space that's,
primed for development.
In some of the questions thatyou answered, you really spoke
(09:36):
to not wanting to fall into the,I guess, the crookedness that
politics can bring. And just yousharing a little bit about
yourself really opens my eyes upto who you are. How would you
personally strengthen the trustbetween law enforcement and the
community without falling intothe trap of performative
(09:58):
politics?
John Sims (09:59):
Like I mentioned earlier, I grew up in in a lower
income, rougher side of town.Mhmm. And, you know, we
experienced the six, seven hourresponse times that would come
from from the police department.And, you know, it was tough.
Right?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (10:19):
Even back then?
John Sims (10:20):
Yeah. So, you know, prop u was was which is the,
Dallas hero proposition to theto for to amend the charter, the
city charter to increase the thepolice to resident ratio back to
(10:45):
an ordinance that was passed in1988. Right?
So in in in the late eighties,early nineties, you know, that
was my, say, my 12 to 16 yearold, you know, life kinda going
through adolescence and andeverybody else in the
(11:06):
neighborhood doing the same.And, you know, a lot of a lot of
fights, a lot of car thefts, youknow, a lot of burglaries, drive
bys, and the, you know, majordrug problems with with crack
and and heroin, which resultedin a huge crime, you know, huge
(11:34):
huge level of crime. So tocombat that crime, the city
passed the the ordinance thatrequired three police officers
per 1,000. And so the city, thecouncil, the city manager ramped
up the police numbers. And thenthrough chief David Kunkle, we
(11:56):
saw a large
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (11:58):
Oh, Kunkle he passed.
John Sims (12:01):
So we saw you know, he was tough on crime. We saw a
great reduction in crime. And ascrime went down, the city kind
of, you know, took their footoff the gas with regard to
police staffing.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:13):
Mhmm.
John Sims (12:15):
And one thing that that that, really bothers me and
scares me about the future ofthe city is, do we have to get
back to the to the crackeighties?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:28):
Mhmm. And, you know, the eighties and
nineties? Do we have to get backto to that level of crime for
the council to wake up and do dowhat they were obligated to do.
Kinda kinda getting a little offtrack, but, you know, the, I've
I've heard some council membersspeak about the, the impacts of
(12:53):
prop u, you know, post, passage.And and I've heard some comments
that, you know, the city feltlike they didn't have to enforce
Prop U based on the ordinance.Well, if they didn't think they
had to enforce it, then why'dthey go change the ordinance?
(13:15):
Correct. You know, so thatthat's that's goes back to what
I say about doublespeak. Youknow, they they craft their
words in a way to to misleadyou, and and that's let's call
let's call it how we see it.
John Sims (13:31):
Not, not twist words around. You know, there there
were whenever whenever I saw,you know, nearly every council
member, every past mayor, youknow, Dallas County
Commissioners, just just
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:48):
All of them. Many people said that.
All of them get behind it, Iknew something was wrong. You
can't get that group of ofpeople to agree on anything. And
and I've I've watched, councilmeetings where the council is
(14:10):
more passionate about, a zoningchange request than the police.
Yes.
John Sims (14:19):
You know, there there was, recently a a zoning change
request that that, involvedPepper Square. You know, talk
talking about accountability,you know, with prop u where
where the the propositionpassed, the council convened a a
meeting and changed theordinance so they didn't have to
honor the will of voters. PepperSquare, we we saw much of the
(14:43):
same from the horseshoe. You youhad a little over 90%, you know,
of of the residents opposed it.Yet, you know Overwhelming
support in Over overwhelmingopposition.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:01):
In opposition. That's right.
John Sims (15:05):
And this is something that's gone on for three years.
You know, the public has haspushed back against this for
three years. And Yeah. Listeningto all those zoning cases before
before that one came up, duringduring the meeting where that
was passed, there were zoningcases that had no no support, no
(15:27):
opposition, and they were turneddown. And then there was only
cases that that had, you know,we'll say equal number of
support and opposition in in thecity survey, and they got turned
down.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:46):
That's right.
John Sims (15:47):
But then we get to the to the Pepper Square issue.
You've got, you know, 35speakers in the audience.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:55):
I think it was over 50.
John Sims (15:57):
Right. Right. But some of those speakers were
remote and whatever. Yeah. So soyou've got huge opposition.
You've got, you know, homeownersassociations with with over a
thousand residents.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (16:08):
Thousand yes.
John Sims (16:09):
Exactly. A thousand residents, and they all sign,
you know, petitions against it.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (16:14):
That's right.
John Sims (16:14):
So so you have a huge groundswell of opposition, and
the council votes to approve it.That is for me, that's that's a
miscarriage of of government.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (16:29):
I don't understand it. I don't know how
these council members how ingood faith they can vote in
favor of it with all thatopposition. Well It boggles my
mind. I think it's I don'tunderstand. What are your
conversations like with theresidents of District 3 while
(16:52):
you're talking to them andyou're walking around block
walking? Are they overwhelminglyin support of things that you
are speaking here with me abouttoday?
John Sims (17:03):
I see I see people on both sides of of most most every
issue. I haven't found a ageneral consensus except
infrastructure. Right? Everyoneagrees that that the roads are
terrible. Our parks don't see,the kind of improvements people
(17:27):
would expect, you know, withregard to playgrounds, walking
trails.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (17:31):
Mhmm. What about crime?
John Sims (17:35):
Everyone everyone is concerned about crime. You know,
you know, the the council is anonpartisan position.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (17:44):
Mhmm.
John Sims (17:45):
That's right. But when you're out block walking,
you you meet people that arepartisan. And it doesn't matter
if I meet someone that's that'sa Republican or a Democrat.
Everyone cares aboutinfrastructure and crime.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (17:58):
That's right. And It's how we all live.
John Sims (18:01):
Right. Everyone wants to wants to feel safe in their
home. They wanna be able to goout and shop and and hang out
with family, go out to eat, andnot worry about, you know, being
robbed, their car being brokeninto or stolen, or someone
watching their house. And whenthey leave, they run-in there
and steal their property. Socrime is is, across the board,
(18:25):
the number one issue that that Ihear from whenever I go out and
block walk. And, and I I'vebeen, I've been trying to hit
the streets hard. And Saturdayand Sunday, I try to hit a
hundred doors, you know, knockknock on a hundred doors, talk
(18:45):
to to people in the in thedistrict because I believe that
that if I get elected, I shouldbe a representative of the
people. And, you know, we allhave our own individual ideas of
what's important. But if youdon't get out and talk to the
(19:06):
residents, then you don't reallyknow what positions you you
should have.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:11):
Are you familiar at all with any of the
conversations that councilwomanCare Mendelson and Jesse Moreno
are having with respect to thedevelopment of a homeless
shelter in that particularspace?
John Sims (19:25):
Yes. Well, I'm yes. I'm very familiar with the 2929
South Hampton. I've opposed itsince since I heard about it.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:37):
Okay. Okay.
John Sims (19:38):
And and that was in 2023. I ran in 2023 for the for
the same position. That was mynumber one issue.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:49):
How come? Why'd you oppose it?
John Sims (19:51):
I I think it's a poor, irresponsible use of that
property. You know, the propertyis is next to a, retirement
community. 300 feet from apublic library.
Maybe 500 feet from anelementary school. Across the
(20:11):
street is is one of the, jewelsof the city, Keist Park.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:17):
Ah, okay.
John Sims (20:18):
Yes. Directly across the street. It's just it is not
the right use for that property.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:27):
I know that they've looked in many
other areas as of late withinyour district.
John Sims (20:33):
And and we already have one
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:36):
I know.
John Sims (20:37):
Homeless facility in District 3.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:40):
They're looking for a larger one to have
more wraparound services thereto treat it just more
holistically and to not be assegmented as it now is across
the city. And so I just wantedto know what your opinions were
as it related to thehomelessness.
John Sims (20:59):
I believe that we we need to help the homeless, but
there's there's not a one sizefits all solution.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (21:10):
No. There's not.
John Sims (21:11):
Because there's, you know, just like in in public in
general, there are manydifferent types of people that
that have different issues inlife. And and the same is true
for the homeless population.We've got, you know, people that
are struggling with with mentalhealth issues, people that are
struggling with drug addiction,and and people that just, you
(21:35):
know, maybe are have fallen onhard times dealing with some
depression. That maybe don'thave the the, extreme mental
health issues. Maybe they'rejust down on their luck, and
they and they need some help. Sowe can't say, oh, there's one
solution that's gonna solve thisproblem.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (21:54):
Of course not.
John Sims (21:54):
I believe that some people may be comfortable living
that lifestyle.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (22:00):
That's right.
John Sims (22:01):
And and they're not they're not gonna conform. to
what you and I think is normalin life. Correct. And we've
gotta respect that that's that'sthe way that they wanna live.
And let's provide a way for themto continue to live that way
that's not, a public healthissue or a public safety issue.
(22:23):
You know, the there was a timethat the homeless had a had a
huge encampment near, 45,relatively close to downtown,
and, hundreds of camps outthere. And someone thought it
would it would be in the bestinterest to go and bulldoze
those encampments. And for me,that's that's heartbreaking
(22:48):
because though it's a nuisancefor us, that was their
community. And I don't care ifit's a homeless person or a
millionaire. If you destroytheir property, it's gonna have
an emotional effect on them. Andand I think it was just just
careless and and ruthless tobulldoze their property. Even if
(23:10):
you give them notice, right,it's still not right. And and
it's not humane treatment forhumans. So whenever whenever the
city you know, I believe adirect result of bulldozing
those encampments is now thehomeless are all over the city.
Right? Whether it's NorthDallas, South Dallas, they're
(23:31):
all over the city. And we'vegotta we've gotta find the the
homeless that that wannacontinue to live that way and
maybe provide a space, you know,with some facilities
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (23:45):
That's right.
John Sims (23:47):
Where they can continue to live that way.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (23:48):
That's right.
John Sims (23:49):
You know, whether it's you know, let's let's
create a state park type ofsetting where they have
campsites, some restrooms,showers, and maybe create a, you
know, a mess hall, a place wheredaily they could come in and
grab something to eat. And, ifthey have mental health issues
that that they just don't wannabe around people and they they
(24:12):
wanna live that secludedlifestyle, let's let's, embrace
it.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (24:17):
And with all of this, I mean, know that
we're we've spoken about manyissues that are at the core of
what you are running on, yourbeliefs and principles. And with
that, I just wish you tremendousluck. And you're very
knowledgeable about a widevariety of issues I think that
(24:38):
your constituents residenceDistrict 3 will find invaluable.
So I just urge you to pleasecontinue serving in any possible
way that you possibly can.
John Sims (24:50):
Yeah. It's important to serve, and I think it makes
us a better person.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (24:56):
I couldn't agree more. Yeah. I
couldn't agree more withyou, John.
John Sims (24:59):
Thank you. It's been an honor.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett: Thank you for being here, John. (25:00):
undefined
I really appreciate it, and Ilook forward to seeing you in
the future.
John Sims (25:05):
Yeah. May maybe on the horseshoe, maybe not?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (25:08):
Yes. And collaborating in some capacity.
Absolutely.
John Sims (25:14):
Thank you.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (25:14):
Thank you for being here.
Hello. I'm Sarah Zubiate Bennett. So
glad you're tuning into thisepisode of Let's Talk Local.
Today, I'm sitting down withJohn Sims who's running for city
council in District 3. John'snot just passionate about making
real change in Dallas.
He's all about making sure thatvoices of everyday people are
actually heard at city hall. Andhonestly, with everything going
(00:20):
down there lately, I'm startingto really see where he's coming
from. I can't wait for you tohear from John yourself. What
drives him and what he wants forDistrict 3, and why your vote
matters more than ever. So stickaround, get inspired, and don't
forget to make your voice count.
If you like what you hear, hitthat like button, subscribe, and
check out our other interviewswith local candidates. Thank you
(00:43):
for being a part of theconversation. Hello. I'm here
with John Sims today, acandidate for District 3.
John Sims (00:57):
District 3.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (00:58):
Yes. Thank you for coming in and for
chatting with Appreciate help.Yes. Absolutely. And I have to
say, I think you're the firstperson ever to come sit with me
to say, you know what? Don'tsend me any kind of topics or
questions you may ask oranything beforehand. I wanna be
authentic in my answers. That'sthat's bold. That's great
because it's it's just aconversation.
John Sims (01:19):
Right. And and Yeah. For me, it's it's more important
to be authentic and and showpeople who I really am. Right?
And if it works, it works. If itdon't, it don't.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:31):
Yep. I agree with you. And I'm just
interested to hear becausewhenever I was reading a little
bit about you, saw that you havejust a varied You had many
varied interests. Yeah. And Imean, you've DJ'd, you've
coached youth baseball, I mean,have even worked as a
firefighter. You volunteer aton. What has brought you to
(01:53):
this place in your life whereyou've decided to step forward
for this candidacy?
John Sims (01:59):
Well, for me, it's lot about accountability. You
know, and and the lack thereof.You know, we've got some things
in government that I thinkreally need some refining. Let's
(02:25):
get back to the basics and havecommon sense.
In the in the way thatgovernment operates. So, you
know, just to remind justthroughout life and and my
experiences, I've I've seen alot of different sides of of,
different lifestyles. And I see,for me, a lot of injustices. You
(02:52):
know? I've, I was raised in WestDallas.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (02:56):
Mhmm. Historically underserved, you
know, lower income side of thecity. So I feel like I've got a
pretty unique view with regardto to how people live in lower
income communities. I obviouslywent to school there. We moved
(03:19):
around a lot as a child. So Iwent to all the all the
different schools in the in theproverbial hoods. Right? So grew
up in West Dallas and and SouthOak Cliff. So so I feel like
I've got a unique perspective. Iworked so so let's let's go back
(03:44):
to the to my growing up. I grewup in a in a single family
household with my mom. My dadwas never there, and and that's
just, you know, it's just partof life. But went to to Thomas
(04:05):
Edison Middle School, which isright in the heart of West
Dallas across from projects.
John Sims (04:12):
Went to Zumwalt Middle School, Went to Maceo
Smith for freshman year of highschool, then back to Pinkston.
So so I've been surrounded byminorities my whole life. Right?
I I was the minority.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (04:31):
Exactly. I was about to say that.
John Sims (04:34):
So Maceo Smith was about 85% African American, 15%
Hispanic, and me. Right? So Idon't have a problem with with
prejudice or stereotype. Ofcourse. And and, really,
(04:57):
everyone has some biases, andand we've gotta realize it. But
as far as, some of the major,you know, opinions that that
some people may have based onrace, I I think I I don't have
those. Because I've seen thegood and bad in in all all
(05:18):
people. You know, growing up inin a relatively poor,
environment, I think it's taughtme the value of of money and and
how it should be managed andspent.
And I understand that we can'twe can't borrow ourselves out of
(05:39):
debt. And and at the way thecity operates with a
$17,000,000,000 in deferredinfrastructure maintenance,
estimated $16,000,000,000 inunfunded liabilities for the
police and fire pension. Wecan't we can't borrow
(06:00):
$50,000,000 bond package everycouple years to patch, you know,
patch potholes on the road. Andthe more we neglect it, the more
expensive it becomes to tocomplete the repairs.
I've never seen a pothole getsmaller. And and roads don't
magically get smoother. Sothat's that's really what what
(06:20):
motivated me to to get involved.I've never before 2023, I'd
never imagined that that I woulddo anything, you know, in
politics. I'm really not a ahuge fan of politics. You know?
(06:41):
But
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:42):
It's a tough space.
John Sims (06:44):
Yeah. The the older I get, know, the more I I feel
like voices need to be heard.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:52):
That's right.
John Sims (06:53):
And and some of the social injustices need to need
to be made right.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (06:58):
Yes. I entirely agree with you on that.
And what is the landscape likein District 3? Can you talk to
me about other people who arerunning for this exact same
seat? And what type of residentsmake up the heart of District 3?
John Sims (07:17):
So demographically, we're about 43% Hispanic, 42%
African American, and we we havea a decent sized Thai, you know,
Asian neighborhood off ofLedbetter.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:39):
Oh, got it. Okay.
John Sims (07:40):
Yeah. They they've got a a nice Buddhist temple
over there.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:44):
Okay.
John Sims (07:45):
If you drive if you drive in that area, you you
wouldn't expect it. Right?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:49):
Yeah. I had no idea.
John Sims (07:51):
You kinda just drive up and you're like, wow. Look at
this temple. It's Yeah. Youknow, it's awesome. And that
they're really kind of a uniqueneighborhood. And they've kind
of segregated their selves. It'sit's really more of a a country
setting.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:08):
Okay.
John Sims (08:08):
Right? Because the there's a large portion of
undeveloped land. And, lots oftrees. It's it's really nice
change. Right? But the majorityof the of the district is single
family homes. You know, thousandto 1,500 square feet is is kind
of the average. We've got somesome really big houses and some
(08:32):
really small houses, but themajority is, you know, just
working class Americans. We'vegot good shopping. Right?
Redbird. We've got You know,Keast and and Polk area.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:49):
Uh-huh.
John Sims (08:50):
We've got a new Fiesta grocery store over there.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:54):
I love Fiesta! I feel like we're on the
right track as as far asdevelopment goes, but, you know,
it's it's a, you know, nicemiddle class district. And we've
got tons of developmentopportunity, a lot of
undeveloped land in District 3versus you know, if if you look
(09:15):
up at the northern districts,they're pretty landlocked.
Right? And and they've gotta gothey've gotta build up. They
they can't really build out.But, in District 3, no, we've
we've got a lot of open space, alot of green space that's,
primed for development.
In some of the questions thatyou answered, you really spoke
(09:36):
to not wanting to fall into the,I guess, the crookedness that
politics can bring. And just yousharing a little bit about
yourself really opens my eyes upto who you are. How would you
personally strengthen the trustbetween law enforcement and the
community without falling intothe trap of performative
(09:58):
politics?
John Sims (09:59):
Like I mentioned earlier, I grew up in in a lower
income, rougher side of town.Mhmm. And, you know, we
experienced the six, seven hourresponse times that would come
from from the police department.And, you know, it was tough.
Right?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (10:19):
Even back then?
John Sims (10:20):
Yeah. So, you know, prop u was was which is the,
Dallas hero proposition to theto for to amend the charter, the
city charter to increase the thepolice to resident ratio back to
(10:45):
an ordinance that was passed in1988. Right?
So in in in the late eighties,early nineties, you know, that
was my, say, my 12 to 16 yearold, you know, life kinda going
through adolescence and andeverybody else in the
(11:06):
neighborhood doing the same.And, you know, a lot of a lot of
fights, a lot of car thefts, youknow, a lot of burglaries, drive
bys, and the, you know, majordrug problems with with crack
and and heroin, which resultedin a huge crime, you know, huge
(11:34):
huge level of crime. So tocombat that crime, the city
passed the the ordinance thatrequired three police officers
per 1,000. And so the city, thecouncil, the city manager ramped
up the police numbers. And thenthrough chief David Kunkle, we
(11:56):
saw a large
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (11:58):
Oh, Kunkle he passed.
John Sims (12:01):
So we saw you know, he was tough on crime. We saw a
great reduction in crime. And ascrime went down, the city kind
of, you know, took their footoff the gas with regard to
police staffing.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:13):
Mhmm.
John Sims (12:15):
And one thing that that that, really bothers me and
scares me about the future ofthe city is, do we have to get
back to the to the crackeighties?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:28):
Mhmm. And, you know, the eighties and
nineties? Do we have to get backto to that level of crime for
the council to wake up and do dowhat they were obligated to do.
Kinda kinda getting a little offtrack, but, you know, the, I've
I've heard some council membersspeak about the, the impacts of
(12:53):
prop u, you know, post, passage.And and I've heard some comments
that, you know, the city feltlike they didn't have to enforce
Prop U based on the ordinance.Well, if they didn't think they
had to enforce it, then why'dthey go change the ordinance?
(13:15):
Correct. You know, so thatthat's that's goes back to what
I say about doublespeak. Youknow, they they craft their
words in a way to to misleadyou, and and that's let's call
let's call it how we see it.
John Sims (13:31):
Not, not twist words around. You know, there there
were whenever whenever I saw,you know, nearly every council
member, every past mayor, youknow, Dallas County
Commissioners, just just
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:48):
All of them. Many people said that.
All of them get behind it, Iknew something was wrong. You
can't get that group of ofpeople to agree on anything. And
and I've I've watched, councilmeetings where the council is
(14:10):
more passionate about, a zoningchange request than the police.
Yes.
John Sims (14:19):
You know, there there was, recently a a zoning change
request that that, involvedPepper Square. You know, talk
talking about accountability,you know, with prop u where
where the the propositionpassed, the council convened a a
meeting and changed theordinance so they didn't have to
honor the will of voters. PepperSquare, we we saw much of the
(14:43):
same from the horseshoe. You youhad a little over 90%, you know,
of of the residents opposed it.Yet, you know Overwhelming
support in Over overwhelmingopposition.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:01):
In opposition. That's right.
John Sims (15:05):
And this is something that's gone on for three years.
You know, the public has haspushed back against this for
three years. And Yeah. Listeningto all those zoning cases before
before that one came up, duringduring the meeting where that
was passed, there were zoningcases that had no no support, no
(15:27):
opposition, and they were turneddown. And then there was only
cases that that had, you know,we'll say equal number of
support and opposition in in thecity survey, and they got turned
down.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:46):
That's right.
John Sims (15:47):
But then we get to the to the Pepper Square issue.
You've got, you know, 35speakers in the audience.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (15:55):
I think it was over 50.
John Sims (15:57):
Right. Right. But some of those speakers were
remote and whatever. Yeah. So soyou've got huge opposition.
You've got, you know, homeownersassociations with with over a
thousand residents.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (16:08):
Thousand yes.
John Sims (16:09):
Exactly. A thousand residents, and they all sign,
you know, petitions against it.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (16:14):
That's right.
John Sims (16:14):
So so you have a huge groundswell of opposition, and
the council votes to approve it.That is for me, that's that's a
miscarriage of of government.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (16:29):
I don't understand it. I don't know how
these council members how ingood faith they can vote in
favor of it with all thatopposition. Well It boggles my
mind. I think it's I don'tunderstand. What are your
conversations like with theresidents of District 3 while
(16:52):
you're talking to them andyou're walking around block
walking? Are they overwhelminglyin support of things that you
are speaking here with me abouttoday?
John Sims (17:03):
I see I see people on both sides of of most most every
issue. I haven't found a ageneral consensus except
infrastructure. Right? Everyoneagrees that that the roads are
terrible. Our parks don't see,the kind of improvements people
(17:27):
would expect, you know, withregard to playgrounds, walking
trails.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (17:31):
Mhmm. What about crime?
John Sims (17:35):
Everyone everyone is concerned about crime. You know,
you know, the the council is anonpartisan position.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (17:44):
Mhmm.
John Sims (17:45):
That's right. But when you're out block walking,
you you meet people that arepartisan. And it doesn't matter
if I meet someone that's that'sa Republican or a Democrat.
Everyone cares aboutinfrastructure and crime.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (17:58):
That's right. And It's how we all live.
John Sims (18:01):
Right. Everyone wants to wants to feel safe in their
home. They wanna be able to goout and shop and and hang out
with family, go out to eat, andnot worry about, you know, being
robbed, their car being brokeninto or stolen, or someone
watching their house. And whenthey leave, they run-in there
and steal their property. Socrime is is, across the board,
(18:25):
the number one issue that that Ihear from whenever I go out and
block walk. And, and I I'vebeen, I've been trying to hit
the streets hard. And Saturdayand Sunday, I try to hit a
hundred doors, you know, knockknock on a hundred doors, talk
(18:45):
to to people in the in thedistrict because I believe that
that if I get elected, I shouldbe a representative of the
people. And, you know, we allhave our own individual ideas of
what's important. But if youdon't get out and talk to the
(19:06):
residents, then you don't reallyknow what positions you you
should have.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:11):
Are you familiar at all with any of the
conversations that councilwomanCare Mendelson and Jesse Moreno
are having with respect to thedevelopment of a homeless
shelter in that particularspace?
John Sims (19:25):
Yes. Well, I'm yes. I'm very familiar with the 2929
South Hampton. I've opposed itsince since I heard about it.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:37):
Okay. Okay.
John Sims (19:38):
And and that was in 2023. I ran in 2023 for the for
the same position. That was mynumber one issue.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (19:49):
How come? Why'd you oppose it?
John Sims (19:51):
I I think it's a poor, irresponsible use of that
property. You know, the propertyis is next to a, retirement
community. 300 feet from apublic library.
Maybe 500 feet from anelementary school. Across the
(20:11):
street is is one of the, jewelsof the city, Keist Park.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:17):
Ah, okay.
John Sims (20:18):
Yes. Directly across the street. It's just it is not
the right use for that property.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:27):
I know that they've looked in many
other areas as of late withinyour district.
John Sims (20:33):
And and we already have one
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:36):
I know.
John Sims (20:37):
Homeless facility in District 3.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (20:40):
They're looking for a larger one to have
more wraparound services thereto treat it just more
holistically and to not be assegmented as it now is across
the city. And so I just wantedto know what your opinions were
as it related to thehomelessness.
John Sims (20:59):
I believe that we we need to help the homeless, but
there's there's not a one sizefits all solution.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (21:10):
No. There's not.
John Sims (21:11):
Because there's, you know, just like in in public in
general, there are manydifferent types of people that
that have different issues inlife. And and the same is true
for the homeless population.We've got, you know, people that
are struggling with with mentalhealth issues, people that are
struggling with drug addiction,and and people that just, you
(21:35):
know, maybe are have fallen onhard times dealing with some
depression. That maybe don'thave the the, extreme mental
health issues. Maybe they'rejust down on their luck, and
they and they need some help. Sowe can't say, oh, there's one
solution that's gonna solve thisproblem.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (21:54):
Of course not.
John Sims (21:54):
I believe that some people may be comfortable living
that lifestyle.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (22:00):
That's right.
John Sims (22:01):
And and they're not they're not gonna conform. to
what you and I think is normalin life. Correct. And we've
gotta respect that that's that'sthe way that they wanna live.
And let's provide a way for themto continue to live that way
that's not, a public healthissue or a public safety issue.
(22:23):
You know, the there was a timethat the homeless had a had a
huge encampment near, 45,relatively close to downtown,
and, hundreds of camps outthere. And someone thought it
would it would be in the bestinterest to go and bulldoze
those encampments. And for me,that's that's heartbreaking
(22:48):
because though it's a nuisancefor us, that was their
community. And I don't care ifit's a homeless person or a
millionaire. If you destroytheir property, it's gonna have
an emotional effect on them. Andand I think it was just just
careless and and ruthless tobulldoze their property. Even if
(23:10):
you give them notice, right,it's still not right. And and
it's not humane treatment forhumans. So whenever whenever the
city you know, I believe adirect result of bulldozing
those encampments is now thehomeless are all over the city.
Right? Whether it's NorthDallas, South Dallas, they're
(23:31):
all over the city. And we'vegotta we've gotta find the the
homeless that that wannacontinue to live that way and
maybe provide a space, you know,with some facilities
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (23:45):
That's right.
John Sims (23:47):
Where they can continue to live that way.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (23:48):
That's right.
John Sims (23:49):
You know, whether it's you know, let's let's
create a state park type ofsetting where they have
campsites, some restrooms,showers, and maybe create a, you
know, a mess hall, a place wheredaily they could come in and
grab something to eat. And, ifthey have mental health issues
that that they just don't wannabe around people and they they
(24:12):
wanna live that secludedlifestyle, let's let's, embrace
it.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (24:17):
And with all of this, I mean, know that
we're we've spoken about manyissues that are at the core of
what you are running on, yourbeliefs and principles. And with
that, I just wish you tremendousluck. And you're very
knowledgeable about a widevariety of issues I think that
(24:38):
your constituents residenceDistrict 3 will find invaluable.
So I just urge you to pleasecontinue serving in any possible
way that you possibly can.
John Sims (24:50):
Yeah. It's important to serve, and I think it makes
us a better person.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (24:56):
I couldn't agree more. Yeah. I
couldn't agree more withyou, John.
John Sims (24:59):
Thank you. It's been an honor.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett: Thank you for being here, John. (25:00):
undefined
I really appreciate it, and Ilook forward to seeing you in
the future.
John Sims (25:05):
Yeah. May maybe on the horseshoe, maybe not?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (25:08):
Yes. And collaborating in some capacity.
Absolutely.
John Sims (25:14):
Thank you.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (25:14):
Thank you for being here.
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