Lewisville City Council (Place 1) comparison 2008
John Gorena		Greg Tierney
Biographical Information
Name: John Gorena Street Address: PO Box 293042 City/Town: Lewisville State: TX, 75029 Education/Degrees: Bachelors of Science Degree in Emergency Administration and Planning with a minor in chemistry, Plus 15 hours of graduate level Public Administration classes. Date of Birth: 1962 Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 972-315-0496 E-mail Address: John.Gorena @ Gorena.org Campaign Web Site Address: http://www.Gorena.org		Name: Greg Tierney Street Address: 1854 Chisolm Tr. City/Town: Lewisville State: TX Education/Degrees: Bachelors Degree in Business Administration - Hotel and Restaurant Management. Michigan State University Date of Birth: 9-25-68 Work or Campaign Office Phone Number: 214-212-6618 Fax Number: 972-221-2374 E-mail Address: greg@millstcafe.com GTierney@cityoflewisville.com Campaign Web Site Address: Tiernyforcouncil.com
Length of residency in the city:
John Gorena: since 1987 - 21 years		Greg Tierney: 13 years
Length of residency in the district (if a council candidate):
John Gorena: since 1987 - 21 years		Greg Tierney: Council in Lewisville is at large - no districs
Occupation/main source of income:
John Gorena: IT Consultant, Owner of JMG Enterprises: Server & PC Networking, Domain Hosting Services, Web Design Services.		Greg Tierney: Restaurant Owner
Current civic involvement/accomplishment highlights:
John Gorena: Attend City Council Meetings regularly, Transportation Board for the City of Lewisville, Precinct chair, Working at the voting locations and Election judge, Lewisville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, various volunteer work in the Community. I also created and maintain the Sounds Of Lewisville website to have a list of free events in the area for residents. Board member for Citizens for Immigration reform. Active member of the following organizations: member of The Lewisville Chamber of Commerce (since 2000), Denton Chamber, and Coppell Chamber. Though the City Council is not a partisan position I am a member of the following in Lewisville: Pachyderm Club, republican Men's Club, Lewisville Area republican club.		Greg Tierney: Lewisville City Council Place #1
Previous civic involvement/accomplishment highlights:
John Gorena: Volunteering for the Lewisville Volunteer Fire Department (1987 - 1993), the Boy Scouts, along with my son, John, from (1989-2006), as well as, lending a hand with many of the City’s events such as the Christmas Stroll, Summer Blast, Western Days, Sponsor of The Sounds of Lewisville, member of Old Town Business Association.		Greg Tierney: --President, Old Town Business Association --President/Founder, Old Town Preservation Society --Board of Directors, Lewisville Chamber of Commerce --Board of Trustees, Christian Community Action, Housing --Member, Lewisville Police Citizen Advisory Board --Originator/Operator, Restaurants Helping the Needy, golf outing --Chairman/Founder, Lewisville Summer Blast 2001 --Founder, Service Provider of the Month 2001-Present - Lewisville City Council 2004 - 2005 - Deputy Mayor Pro Tem 2005 - 2006 - Mayor Pro Tem
Previous public offices sought/held:
John Gorena: none		Greg Tierney: None
How much funding have you raised for your campaign?
John Gorena: Less than $500 at the time of this writing. Most of the campaign will be paid with personal funds. However, I still welcome contributions to my campaign as we still have a weeks before the election.		Greg Tierney: $3,300
Who are your top three contributors?
John Gorena: Susan Davis of Lewisville, Susie Burns of Lewisville, and Leroy and Jean Towell of Dallas.		Greg Tierney: Greater Lewisville Area Realtors Tom Black Mack Rogers
Have you ever been arrested or involved in any criminal proceedings or civil suits? Please explain:
John Gorena: No		Greg Tierney: Serving a minor - TABC never pressed charges. I have had two civil suits in small claims court - I won both.
Why are you running for this office, and why should voters consider you the most qualified candidate? What in your personal or professional background most prepares you to serve in this office?
John Gorena: As a citizen of Lewisville, I care very much for this city as all the candidates do. I am running for office because I think the City needs to make decisions differently than they have in the past. I became active with the issues of the city when the city council voted to build a day laborer site. I think that decision was the wrong route to take. Sometimes enough is enough. It is a decision that I would never have made for many reasons. I would have pushed for enforcement. As a Christian, an American citizen, a person of Hispanic heritage, I am affected like other Americans about the issues caused by illegal immigration. As a business owner, I follow the rules and run my business as a law abiding citizen. It is unfair for any business (or individuals) to hire illegal aliens to cheat the system by not paying the employee taxes, a fair wage, etc... I have a degree in Emergency Administration and Planning and have 15 Hours of Public Administration classes at the graduate level. I understand how a City works from the inside. For many years, I have been involved with Lewisville and other cities in the area: a volunteer firefighter for Lewisville (1987 – 1993), a firefighter/paramedic for Coppell (1993 – 2000). worked part-time in Carrollton on the Fire Chief’s staff in Emergency Management (1996 to 1999) which started as an intern but became a part-time employee for 2 more years. I currently own my own successful business as an IT Consultant which started in 1982 part-time and grew to be a full-time business in 2000. I am a graduate of the Lewisville Citizens Police Academy and a member of the alumni association. I am on the Lewisville transportation board and attend council meetings regularly.		Greg Tierney: I have served on city council for just under 7 years and I enjoy it. I believe Lewisville is a very well managed city with strong leaders. I take great pride in what we have accomplished and the direction we are heading. I enjoy serving the public and being involved in shaping the future of our city. City council members have to be good decision makers, they should have a feel for what the community wants and needs and they should be accessible. Being an independent business owner and operator I am very in tune with making decisions. My restaurant is in Old Town Lewisville, open three meals a day, 7 days a week. I am face to face with literally hundreds of people in our community everyday.
What are the three most important actions you would take if elected? How would you push for them and pay for them?
John Gorena: I have many concerns but here are my top three: - The future of Lewisville depends on what we do today. The problems that are caused by illegal immigration have to be addressed since it affects many areas: our schools, hospitals, public assistance like welfare, identity theft, etc... It affects our City, County, and State. We must work with federal agencies to enforce the laws of this Country. The United States does not have Federal Police because we have the law enforcement agencies at the local level. It is at the local level that this work must be done. We are responsible for our city – our piece of America. We pledge our allegiance to the united States and as elected officials take oaths to “uphold the constitution, laws of this country, state, and ordinances of the city." We do this now or pay so much later. - Retail & residential redevelopment and maintenance. With the expansion of I35 we have a great opportunity to give the area a greatly improved look. Through Private-Public partnerships, we can improve properties along the I35 corridor and throughout the city. - Transportation in the area is becoming a problem for Lewisville residents. With many commuters traveling to/from Denton/Dallas, Lewisville is a focal point of much needed transportation needs. The city can use dedicated funds for beautification to help improve the look along I35 as the TxDOT works on the expansion and rail system.		Greg Tierney: A top priority to me is revitalizing our aging neighborhoods. A basic component of this is strong code enforcement. One of our current struggles is overcrowding in residential properties - too many unrelated families living under one roof. This is something we are currently looking at solving but enforcement of this appears to be a huge challenge. We have seen great success in our revitalization efforts in Old Town and some of the concepts used there can be translated into residential areas. The upcoming expansion of I-35 will have major impact on all residents in Lewisville. We are losing a lot of residential and commercial properties in the process. The loss of the commercial and retail will have a significant impact on our budget. I will have a solid retail retention plan in place to minimize our loss. This expansion also allows us an opportunity for redevelopment in this area. Special zoning and development standards should be put in place ahead of time to capitalize on these opportunities. I would like to see an 18 hole championship golf course in Lewisville in connection with a resort style hotel and convention center.
What are the key differences between you and your opponent(s) that make you the best choice?
John Gorena: - My opponent and the rest of the City Council voted to build a day laborer site which a decision that I would have fought hard against if I were on the council. When I heard about it, I spoke to the Council and have tried very hard to get them to stop and make decisions in the other direction. This action has since been stopped and the money was reallocated. Building a Day Labor Site would just encourage more illegal aliens to come to Lewisville. It would encourage companies and citizens to hire people illegally. It would give the appearance that the city condones this type of behavior. Instead of making it easier for illegal aliens to find work, we should be actively enforcing the laws of this Country. - My opponent has pushed for the Council to ban smoking in Lewisville. Though I do not like smoking, I don’t feel that the council has a right to govern how a business should be run, however give them the option of their choice. Patrons can then decide whether or not to do business with them. Smoking may be part of their business model and how they compete with others in their market. It is legal for them to have smoking. I commend those that have taken the step to have a smoke free establishment and encourage other establishments to do the same. - I am more conservative on abatements. I would not have voted for abatements on certain office buildings especially since we have much retail that is not leased in Lewisville. I do not think that the city will recover the lost property tax revenue in some of these cases. I believe that these investors would have built their office space regardless of the abatements due to the great location and what the City has to offer. Abatements are sometimes necessary in order to help with redevelopment but not in the cases in which I am referring. The lost revenue from these property tax abatements could have been used for revitalization in other areas.		Greg Tierney: My opponent appears to be a one issue candidate. He is focused on the fight against illegal immigration. He appears to want to follow in the footsteps of Farmers Branch. I am also against people who are here illegally and agree that the problem is getting worse and that something needs to be done about it. Going in the direction of Farmers Branch is NOT what I think we should do. They have spent almost a million dollars, of taxpayer money, on legal fees and they still have not been able to enforce the laws they have passed. We at the city level are stuck dealing with the symptoms of this issue. I believe Lewisville has been successful in taking measures to deal with these symptoms but the real issue must be dealt with by the state or the federal government. Cities, currently, do not have the authority to address the issue like many people think we should. Once the laws and the courts grant us more power to handle this problem I will be 100%prepared to do so.
Development challenges vary from city to city. Where does attracting residential and/or commercial development to your city rank on your list of priorities? How would you evaluate the job your city has done to date in attracting such development?
John Gorena: This is a very high priority. The City has done well in attracting development. Lewisville is getting closer to a point where most of the city is built up. While we still do have some room to build up new areas, we should start focusing on redeveloping older areas. Historic Downtown area was a good start for revitalization. Lewisville has a great location in the Metroplex and is a great place to invest. Those investing in new building construction usually do not like to build in an area with older deteriorating areas. Redevelopment of older areas is a very important to attract new development.		Greg Tierney: Lewisville is fast approaching build out. Except in the 121 corridor on the East side of the city, there is not a lot of room for new development. Currently our tax base is 67% commercial and 33% residential. I believe this is a good mix because it affords us to keep our taxes at a relatively low rate for our residents. Many of our surrounding cities would love to have the commercial development that we have. We have a very strong economic development team that is very proactive in attracting quality developers.
What demographic changes are happening in your city that the rest of the region should know more about? How is your city dealing with those changes, if any?
John Gorena: I perceive Lewisville to be like Farmers Branch and Irving was about 10 years ago. We know from current events what issues they are facing with illegal aliens in their community. You can say that the writing is on the wall. Lewisville has about 27% reported rental properties which is about 10 times more than Flower Mound (2.3%) and Highland Village (3.5%). Also, our mean rent is $775 which is about half of the cities mentioned. If a certain population is going to fit as many people as they can in a single dwelling, they usually do not go for the higher rental areas. We must find ways to control the number of people living in a single family dwelling or apartments.		Greg Tierney: Lewisville, like most of the Metroplex, is seeing a rise in our Hispanic population. This really does not affect the way we govern our city.
Do you favor or oppose a seamless regional rail system, and if you favor it, what steps would you take to make it happen? Do you favor or oppose a local option sales tax election and why?
John Gorena: I favor a seamless rail system. The plans for the area are already near finalization. I agree with the plans that I have seen. It will connect the cities from Denton to Lewisville with the rest of the Metroplex. This will benefit commuters greatly. When the I35 expansion is completed with the rail system, I think the improvement will be a good one. I do not support a local option sales tax and I do not think toll roads should be used to pay for these ventures. I think toll roads should be used only to pay for the road that is being tolled and then stop taking tolls once the funds have been achieved to pay for the road. Every year citizens pay the county for vehicle registration which is supposed to be used for maintaining roads. The rail system should be self supporting with fees paid for by those using the system.		Greg Tierney: I am in favor of a regional rail system. I was publicly in support of the formation of the Denton County Transportation Authority and I continue to support them. We have identified three light rail stops in Lewisville and I hope to have a rail system connecting us to downtown Dallas by 2012. Traffic congestion in Lewisville and the Metroplex is atrocious and a regional rail system is the most logical step to solving that problem.
Identify other issues you think your city and North Texas could benefit from greater regional cooperation, and what would you do to encourage regional partnerships?
John Gorena: For the most part, I think the regional relationship is very good. Police and Fire have mutual aid agreements to assist when needed. Though it would be nice for every department to have every specialty mastered, most departments have taken the responsibility to specialize in a few areas so that they can assist when needed. Some of these specialties are dive teams, trench rescue, etc… Another issue has to deal with Illegal Immigration. Cities should get together and help enforce the laws of this Country. A cooperation to assist in funneling illegal aliens to ICE. I encourage all elected officials and police to join this fight for America.		Greg Tierney: Any time we can work with other cities or the region the more sharing options we have. One area that we are currently working on, and I support, is a regional multi-city health clinic. Health care costs for Lewisville are incredibly high and getting higher. Most cities face the same challenges. We anticipate over a half million dollars in savings (15% of health care budget) if this program is implemented. We are currently working with other cities thru inter-local agreements to get more participation. Lewisville will be needing an updated animal shelter/facility in the near future. I think working an inter-local agreement with other cities in the region on a shelter would save all particpants money. regionlly = cost sharing dispatching we have a state of the art communications system. Fire departments cooperativly -
Farmers Branch and Irving have taken an aggressive stance against illegal immigrants. What changes in local laws should your city adopt to address this issue?
John Gorena: The oath of Police and Elected Officials contains, “…protect and defend the Constitution and Laws of the United States and of this State and the Charter and Ordinances of this city…” and enforcing the laws is honoring our oath. National security begins at home and Lewisville is our piece of the United States for which we are responsible. If all the cities would take action then we would not have a problem like we do. The Pro Illegal Alien groups like La Raza (the race), the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) are trying to circumvent our already relaxed immigration laws. These organizations are bullying many areas to not do anything and accept what is coming to them. These threats to lawsuits will be expensive to a few cities if they fight this alone. If we all stand united instead of cowering in fear of a lawsuit, we can defeat this problem and save America. As Americans, we brag of our capitalist system and our rule of law. I believe that our capitalist system will work best when the law is applied to everyone. We should do what we can to enforce the law.		Greg Tierney: Currently the courts are not allowing cities who have made changes in their local laws to enforce them. Farmers Branch has spent close to $1,000,000 of taxpayer money, on legal fees defending illegal immigration lawsuits. They have created chaos and completely divided their city by creating a mini civil war and been host to seemingly non stop protests. All of that, and they are still unable to enact the ordinances they approved. I am not willing to spend Lewisville taxpayer money on legal fees of this stature. Let them tear their city apart and spend their money. I may support Lewisville taking similar action when the courts make their final rulings.
Do you think that your city delivers services in the most cost-effective manner to taxpayers? If not, what changes would you recommend?
John Gorena: Yes. Lewisville is blessed with employees that really care how well they do their job. As active as I am and interact with city staff, I can see that they are good people. It is that personal service that brings value to the residents of Lewisville. The City Manager and his staff are doing a great job from my vantage point as a citizen. The budget reports that are available on the internet are a detailed summary. If I am called by the voters to be on the Council, I will be able to look more closely at the details.		Greg Tierney: Yes. Our current tax rater in Lewisville is .4505 per $100 of valuation. This is the 3rd lowest in our 16 survey city poll (we use 16 similar cities in the Metroplex as our "survey cities"). Other cities such as Garland, The Colony and Grand Prairie are well over .6000 - more than 50% higher than Lewisville. Our city staff and city Management is outstanding and the current council is wise enough to let them do their jobs.
What is an uncomfortable truth about your city that voters must confront?
John Gorena: There are several things that citizens of Lewisville need to keep in mind and be prepared. - Lewisville is about to have a large amount of disruption along the I35 corridor with the expansion. This will take years to complete. It is unavoidable and we must stay focused on the finished project. - Lewisville is getting older and certain areas of our city will need to be redeveloped to maintain a good local economy. - Lewisville will have to address the problems caused by illegal immigration. With lower rental rates and a larger amount of rental properties when compared to our neighboring cities, Lewisville’s problem will get worse.		Greg Tierney: Lewisville is well operated, well governed city. I am not aware of any uncomfortable truths.