DISTRICT 4 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS

DISTRICT 4

​Wrapping up our Politics Week series of interviews with city council potentials, today we bring you District 4. District 4 opponents Joey Hawkins and Phil Kregel have some different views on what may be best for their district and our city - but they do agree on one entirely important issue: tacos. These guys both fully support the tasty taco efforts of Casa Galaviz. We suggest you grab your wallet, head to said taco mecca, get a taco, and read through their answers to our hard hitting questions.  ​

If you aren't sure which district you live in or if you're even registered, go ahead and check out The League of Women Voters of Denton or votedenton.org to find out. Don't forget that the last day to register is April 11th! 

​JOEY HAWKINS

What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

Denton is the 7th fastest growing city in the nation and is projected to double in size by 2030. This projection makes growth the greatest challenge for our community in the near future. I believe the three most important issues Denton faces will require us to meet this challenge wisely:

1) I am concerned about maintaining Denton's vibrant identity.  Growth is both inevitable and vital for a healthy community.  I know that with a very strong, deliberate plan and with the right leadership, Denton will continue to achieve great success without having to sacrifice its soul, the thing that makes us special.  I choose to live here because we have retained so many great things of our small-town past, such as our street festivals and parks and small family-owned businesses, while also embracing our future and the exciting things that are still ahead of us.  Like any successful relationship, it will require a lot of work to keep balanced and on track.    

2) The City of Denton has been a convention destination without a convention center for years. Denton has turned down important convention business due to the lack of an appropriate facility. That is something we simply cannot afford. That we aren’t attracting business to Denton is bad enough; exporting our business, such as the Denton Benefit League Ball, high school proms, etc., to other cities is just irresponsible and embarrassing.  

3) Speaking from my own experiences and from conversations I have had with other small business owners, we need simplified and more reasonable practices that assist in obtaining permits, passing inspections, and adhering to the Denton Property Maintenance Code.  The relationship between private citizens and city officials too quickly becomes adversarial.  I recently looked up the mission statement for the Code Enforcement Division, and it states: 

“The Code Enforcement Division provides enforcement and educational services to ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Denton.”  

Compliance with the code is not the goal; it is the means to achieve the goal, our common goal—a better City of Denton.  As such, more emphasis should be placed on education, understanding that most people want to do what is expected and may simply require explanations, advice or assistance in finding resources to help them comply with the code.  Obviously, repeat offenders that ignore offers of assistance and show a blatant disregard for violations should be penalized – heavily!  That behavior diminishes our city.   The rest of us are all on the same side.

What do you think are Denton's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths: Our many festivals (Denton is the City of Festivals), UNT & TWU, our neighborhoods, the diversity of our people, the revitalized downtown and historic areas, our amazing music scene, the Denton Parks and Recreation Department, our commitment to the environment seen in our recycling program and the state-of-the-art landfill

Weaknesses: The City’s permitting and code enforcement process, insufficient infrastructure, and the temperature in August

What single thing makes your district awesome?

Single thing that makes D4 awesome- Eureka Playground at South Lakes Park! My family visits the playground and park weekly. My son wants to LIVE there. The park encourages a healthy lifestyle for Denton residents through a variety of attractions: walking/jogging trails, fishing, basketball and tennis courts, barbeque pits, and nature trails.  Combine all that with a pit stop at Mr. Frosty on the ride home and you have an experience worthy of a family tradition.

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton?

Through owning my two businesses and my volunteer endeavors, I feel that I am in the customer service business. Customer service involves the skill to truly listen, a deep respect for all people, ownership of mistakes, commitment to fixing those mistakes, a good work ethic, and an attitude of cooperation in doing whatever is needed to get the job done, regardless of whether it is “in my job description” or not.  As a Denton City Councilman, I look forward to adding my invaluable customer service expertise to great and varied assets of fellow Council members.

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

Nothing is better than taking someone to Casa Galaviz for the first time and introducing them to the carne guisada taco with the special verde salsa (made only when Joe, the inspired owner, wants to).

​​PHIL KREGEL

What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

The three important issues that affect the city would be: upholding the integrity of the city by not allowing a convention/hotel/conference center to be built; competing with other cities in the area for business and new residents; dealing with a severe lack of citizen participation in the local government process. 

What do you think are Denton's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Denton’s greatest strengths would be: Unique citizen perspective; the square/downtown; and being in a region that is experiencing great growth and change. Its weaknesses would be: poor roads; lack of leadership on the council; bottleneck on I-35; and our town has a label within the outside business community that it is difficult to do to business in Denton.

What single thing makes your district awesome?

Broad demographic spectrum

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton?

I would bring to the table a tenacious and input provoked from outside of the box type of thought process which I would hope to translate into more citizen input, increase in commerce, and an overall increase in quality of life for our residents.  

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

The best taco in town would have to be from Tortilleria La Sabrocita on Dallas Drive and breakfast tacos would have to be Casa Galaviz on Elm.

DISTRICT 3 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS

​DISTRICT 3

Yup, it's still politics week at WeDentonDoIt. We've been interviewing every person running for city council this year in numerical order by district. Yesterday we heard from District 2 candidates Dalton Gregory and Alfredo Sanchez. Apparently Alfredo's wife makes the best tacos in town. We're still waiting on our invitation to try them out. Gregory, however, prefers Frilly's fish tacos. 

Today, we hear from District 3 candidates, Jim Engelbrect (incumbent) and his opponents, Griffen Rice and Brendan Carroll. We asked them each the exact same questions, but received pretty different answers. If you live in District 3, or just want to see what's going on over there, read up and maybe be convinced by Brendan to try tofu in your tacos this weekend. Don't know which district you live in? Check out VoteDenton.org to find out! 

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​JIM ENGELBRECHT 

What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

 Remaining inclusive to the many diverse voices across the community.  Every issue is most important to someone.  Frequently those many divergent voices have some great ideas that will be missed if we do not listen.

Mobility – providing citizens the opportunity to safely move about the city on foot, by bicycle, or in a motor vehicle.

The issue we do not know about yet.  Example:  Last year we experienced an unprecedented outbreak of West Nile Virus. The City Council immediately raised the situation to a priority issue and made several decisions regarding appropriate response as the public health threat unfolded. I might add that the Council has had more than one after action review of our response to assess our actions and initiate changes to better address the issue in the future.

What do you think are Denton’s greatest strengths and weaknesses?

 A major strength of this city is the cadre of citizens (school-age, college students, young professionals, families, retirees, new entrepreneurs, established small businesses, and corporate partners) who are involved, informed, energetic, and regularly express concern about the community and all its associated institutions, in the present and for the future.

A second strength lies with the many businesses and institutions that provide services at the local, regional, national and international level.  Collectively they provide employment, education, opportunities for recreation, services to the economically distressed, a variety of arts venues to all ages, and a wide range of faith alternatives to the community.

Other notable strengths include:  our first responders/emergency personnel who are very dedicated, well trained, and experienced;  the fact that we are a full-service city (operate our own electric utility, solid waste operation, water utility, etc.);  and, placing a high priority, along with many local institutions, on sustainability.

 Going forward we must constantly caution ourselves to not lose sight of the need to plan for the future while we manage the wide array of ongoing activities.

What single thing makes your district awesome?

The mix – District 3 has a varied and growing array of college students, young singles, families and retirees residing in a wide range of housing (historic, 50s/60s bungalows, 70s/80s tracks, retiree communities, and apartments of every age and marketed to every socio-economic level).  The District also contains many retail opportunities, commercial development in many forms, a growing airport, and a very large university.

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton?

I hope I have demonstrated my commitment over the past 30 years of engagement across the community:  two terms on the city council;  four-plus terms on the Planning and Zoning Commission;  and, years of service with a variety of local service organizations, including Friends of the Family, Habitat for Humanity, Denton Affordable Housing, Denton Community Food Room, Carter Blood Care, and the Denton Rotary Club.

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

It depends on my culinary desires at the moment.  I define a taco as anything served in a tortilla (hard or soft) and in Denton there appears to be no limit.  I must say that they are all always better when accompanied by a local brew.

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​GRIFFEN RICE 

​What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

-Environmental issues: These range from the notorious fracking issue to community gardens to waste management to renewable energy. We need to lead the pack in the green revolution.

-Economic issues: Like the rest of Texas, Denton has remained pretty insulated from the recent economic downturn, but there are still issues that always need to be addressed. Local businesses are always welcomed and we need to be able to entice people to settle here because of what we offer. Homelessness and food insecurity in public schools need work as well.

-Red tape/ Bureaucracy: No matter your political leanings nobody wants or needs unnecessary regulation. Denton has some archaic ordinances height restrictions on buildings that need to be updated or thrown away all together.

What do you think are Denton's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Denton’s greatest strength is its culture. To live in Denton is a unique experience. We are a small town, but we aren’t interchangeable with other small Texas towns. Our culture comes from our people who have defined Denton in wonderful ways from our schools to our local businesses, to our neighborhoods, and I would like to continue expanding and creating Denton culture.

Our greatest weakness is the relationship of our citizens to their local government. Like most cities our voter turnout for local offices is dreadful, which stems from a combination indifference, ignorance, and frustration. People don’t know to what extent local government affects them. They don’t know when/where/ how to vote. That is a shortcoming of many places, but part of my campaign is to get participation. I don’t want to simply win by a majority. I want to win by a majority with the other two candidates also having more votes than the last election. I want my victory to mean something. I want to represent my whole district, not just the 1% of constituents who normally vote.

What single thing makes your district awesome?

Our contribution to the city as a whole is what makes my district awesome. We helped to define Denton. Downtown may not be in District 3, but we are the patrons and owners of the square. District 3 is mostly neighborhoods, which means we are the life-blood of this town. We also have UNT, which is a huge contributor to our town’s culture, population, and general economic growth.

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton?

I see Denton being a greener city, both metaphorically and literally. Denton is well on its way to being a leader in environmentally friendly living. I would also like to ensure that the budgeting process is as efficient as it can be, and make sure that funds are allocated in ways that improve Denton.  Denton is going to grow, and we need to make sure that happens in a way that best uses the city’s resources and keeps Denton an attractive place to live. Roads are extremely important to any city’s infrastructure and education is always a good way to invest in human capital.

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

Anything of the breakfast variety has my vote. I frequent Fuzzy’s when I’m on the square with friends.

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​BRENDAN CARROLL

What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

From my perspective, the following three key issues are at the crux of each challenge faced by our City today, how to promote the well being of all members of our community, how to sustain development while maintaining quality city dynamics, and how to engage the community. Spawning new and innovative ideas from these old challenges will require a fresh approach.

What do you think are Denton's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

All that make up our community; people, schools, businesses, parks, libraries, festivals, neighborhoods, institutions, etc … are Denton’s greatest strengths. Our greatest weakness is our failure to unite as a polity more often. Together we make up both of Denton’s greatest weaknesses and Denton’s greatest strengths.

What single thing makes your district awesome?

District 3 is full of awesomeness. Places like; North Lakes Park, the University of North Texas, the Fry Street Area, Historic Neighborhoods and other great places and people, come together to make our District awesome. Without the sum of all of this, District 3 would be diminished, just as Denton would be diminished without District 3. The single thing that makes District 3 awesome is the collective awesome that makes District 3 so awesome!

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton

As a longtime resident with a strong commitment to Denton and its local institutes, I believe I can add balance and value to City government. I have both enthusiasm and perspective. I will give each issue the critical thought and attention it requires and work hard to be the most responsive member of your City government. Plus, I was really good at SimCity.

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

As a vegan, there are only a handful of taco options. Mi Casita makes a really tasty crispy bean taco and their guacamole is quite delicious too, but my absolute favorite taco is the Tofu Scramble Breakfast Taco made fresh by Denton Vegan Cooperative and served hot and nearly regularly at the Denton Community Market. Yummy!

DISTRICT 2 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS

DISTRICT 2

​It's politics week at WeDentonDoIt. We've been interviewing every person running for city council this year in numerical order by district. Yesterday we spoke with District 1 candidate Kevin Roden and learned quite a bit about tacos among other things. 

Today, we hear from District 2 candidates, Dalton Gregory (incumbent) and his opponent, Alfredo Sanchez. We asked them each the exact same questions, but received pretty different answers. If you live in district 2, or just want to know the types of people representing Denton, read on and get to know these fellas and email Alfredo Sanchez to see when you can stop by his house to try his wife's tacos. Don't know which district you live in? Check out VoteDenton.org to find out! 

​DALTON GREGORY

What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

1.  Growth and planning for it through the 2030 comprehensive planning process.  Those plans guide city staff and elected officials efforts, policies, and budgeting.  Much of what we enjoy about Denton today is the direct result of previous plans.  So if you want to impact the future of Denton get involved in the Denton 2030 project.  Then elect councilmembers who will honor the plan.

2.  Growth and accommodating it with our infrastructure such as water, electrical service, road maintenance.  We own our electric company and demand grows every year, which means that the system needs to be expanded to carry the load.  We have recently put more emphasis on repairing our roads by increasing that part of the budget by over 50% but we are going to need a lot more just to maintain them at the current level.  Denton has a 50-year water plan but the drought of the last two years makes it clear that we must do more to conserve water.

3.  Growth as it impacts the culture of the city.  Denton feels unique, independent, and authentic.  While one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. it still has a small town atmosphere.  We don’t have to demonize big box retailers, but we must support our local businesses so that they can help help keep Denton authentic and independent.

What do you think are Denton's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Our people are both our greatest strength and our greatest weakness.  We have a great group of folks who are active in Denton.  Through their work or volunteer efforts they have made Denton what it is today.  But too many folks are sitting on the sidelines.  They don’t get involved in things like the Denton 2030 planning process.  Too many don’t bother to get informed about local issues that have a direct impact on our quality of life or they only get involved when something impacts their particular neighborhood.  All of us working together can make Denton an even greater place to live, work, learn, and play.

What single thing makes your district awesome?

What makes my district awesome is that it is part of Denton.  Our charter calls for four single member districts to enhance the opportunity for the election of minorities to the council.  According to the council ethics policy all council members are to “decide what is best for the whole city.”  We don’t want to pit neighborhoods or districts against one another. 

But if you press me, then here is a partial list of what I love about district 2: the people, the neighborhoods, the parks, the schools, the north side of the historic downtown square, Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center, Water-Works Park, the natatorium, the Elm Fork Green Belt, the wide shoulders on Sherman Dr. north of the waterpark which makes for great road bike rides out into the countryside.

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton?

Since past performance is the best predictor of future performance let me answer by listing some policies I have helped pass that make Denton a better place: 

Improve opportunities for citizens to be heard by the city,

The “safe passing ordinance” requires motorist to give room for bicyclists, pedestrians, stranded motorists, road crews, persons in wheel chairs, and other vulnerable road users. 

We approved a new Bike and Pedestrian Plan that will improve conditions for active transportation. 

We funded the plan and have started adding bike lanes. 

We now allow food trucks (mobile food units). 

We improved our gas well drilling ordinance to provide more protection for people, neighborhoods, and property values. 

We passed a more comprehensive smoking ban.

We approved construction for a new animal adoption center.

We added 26 acres to North Lakes Park

We have placed restrictions on predatory lenders.

We’ve increased the road repair budget by over 50% in the past four years.

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

How does an amateur politician answer this one?  For breakfast tacos I’d have to go with Mi Casita.  They are good by themselves but their salsa takes it to another level that can keep you smiling all day.  Frilly’s fish tacos are another favorite.  They are spicy, light, tasty, and oh so satisfying. 

​ALFREDO SANCHEZ 

What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

1). Getting the 2030 Plan right.  The 2030 Plan is the blue print for Denton planning for the next 15 years.

2). It is important that we bring Denton’s diverse community into the City’s leadership.  Denton’s strength is with its diverse community.  I feel that leadership is concentrated among a few individuals.  These few individuals service on multiple boards and committees.  It is time to limit how many boards anyone person can serve on and give others an opportunity to be heard.  

3). Denton has a reputation as not being friendly to the business community.  Citizens and the business community should feel that they are invested in the community and not looked as a threat.

What do you think are Denton's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Denton’s greatest strength is that there are two major universities located in this community.   There is also a Junior college just a few miles away.  This makes it relatively easy for residents to pursue a higher education.  Denton is a relatively small city with a large population of students this gives Denton a unique personality.

Denton’s greatest weakness is that city management has not realized what great resource Denton has with student young minds at the Universities.  Businesses need to partner more with the Universities to make the Universities more attractive to potential students..   

What single thing makes your district awesome?

It is very diverse.  The diversity of the neighborhoods makes my district awesome.   The district is very middle class.

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton?

I do like to solve problems by thinking outside the box.  I think my contribution is that I will bring in new solutions to old problems.  I worked as a Wildlife Biologist for 26 years so I have a different prospective to solving problems. 

I believe a single new council member can have some effect on the overall policies adopted by council members.  What is exciting about this election is that there are several young candidates with new ideas.  I believe we could make a difference if we can bring more than one new councilman on board. 

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

My wife’s tacos. 

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UNT/TWU ANNOUNCE COLLEGIATE MERGER

​The UNTWU Pioneagles new mascot. 

​The University of North Texas and Texas Women's University made a joint announcement Monday morning that they would be merging their two colleges together in the coming months. 

The merger happened after the natural gas drilling giant, Chesapeake Energy, slowly infiltrated the boards of both schools over the course of the past five years. The announcement was met with proclamations of both corruption and thievery.  

​In addition to turning all of the land in between the two (currently separated schools) into a parking lot through eminent domain, there are also plans to get Apogee Stadium running completely on clean coal as soon as next year's newly coed football season begins. ​You can purchase your UNTWU Pioneagles sweatshirts starting next week at Voertman's and at the UNTWU bookstores. 

DISTRICT 1 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE INTERVIEW

DISTRICT 1 ​

​In the first of our week-long series of brief interviews with city council candidates, we sent five questions to Kevin Roden. Roden is running uncontested for his second term, however, he didn't let that fact deter him from giving us detailed responses to each of our questions. 

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​KEVIN RODEN 

What are the three most important issues facing the city today?

BUILDING OUR LOCAL ECONOMY – Denton is in the admirable position of being a city where smart, creative, and ambitious young people want to live. We must be about the business of figuring out how we can keep them here and substantially employed. First, it is time to expand our economic development strategy to grow our innovation/creative/tech sector. Along those lines, I advocate the development of a downtown Innovation District in order to foster an environment for start-ups and established innovation leaders. Second, we should add “economic gardening” to our business development toolbox and partner with existing resources, including our universities, to incubate and accelerate local businesses who demonstrate the potential to scale. Third, as a community we should identify and work toward developing key amenities necessary to attracting employers and retaining our growing creative class.

STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODS – Just beyond the family, one’s own neighborhood is the foundation of a healthy local democracy. Investing in our neighborhoods also improves our local economy. First, develop a neighborhood improvement program aimed at the first and second ring of downtown single family neighborhoods (including Austin Street area, PECAN area, Stroud area, SE Denton, etc.). What were once written off as places for landlords to invest in rental properties for college students are becoming the most sought after houses in the city, thanks, in part, to their proximity to downtown and the limited stock of early-century homes.  Second, encourage the development of neighborhood “branding” and begin the development of multiple, distinct districts throughout the city. Third, with attitudes toward density and mixed-use development shifting, the city should reevaluate development policies and goals, particularly as they relate to neighborhoods in the core.

FIXING LOCAL DEMOCRACY – A mere 4-7% of registered voters participate in local elections. I have made it one of my main priorities over the course of my first term to better engage the citizenry and widen the paths of meaningful public discourse and engagement. I agree with Alexis de Tocqueville who wrote that the health of a national democracy was dependent on the robustness of democracy in the cities, for at this most concrete level is where we learn just how to be democratic citizens. I plan on continuing my work in this direction.

What do you think are Denton's greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Our citizenry is our greatest strength. The amount of education, creativity, ambition, and community-mindedness is remarkable for a city our size. Add to this the collaborative spirit that exists and is growing among our most important institutions and there really isn’t a problem within our city that can’t be fixed with the ingredients already present in our city. Other strengths include: our unique identity, our sense of place, our commitment to the environment, our world-class musical and artistic landscape, and Midway Mart.

Our biggest weakness: we just care too much.

What single thing makes your district awesome?

An impossible question for a district which contains the likes of: downtown, all the music venues, the Taco Mile [sic - he means East McKinney Taco Corridor], the courthouse, both train stations, beautiful Southeast Denton, TWU, just about the entirety of the rail trail, 35 Denton, the Denton Community Market, 3 of the Midlake boys and their bar, Quakertown Park, and the Loop 288 Walmart.

But to narrow it down to a single thing, I’d like to point to a quote from famed Texas architect O’Neil Ford, who once said this about the influence our courthouse had on his creative pursuits: “I used to just stand there, wondering how they ever got it up .... I was in Denton just the other day ... so I went over to look at the courthouse again and still don't know how they ever did that blasted, blessed thing."  The greatness of that courthouse, standing in the heart of District 1, is contagious. Greatness begets greatness. Beauty begets beauty. No wonder a thousand great and beautiful things can be found in its shadow here in District 1.

How do you see your possible councilman-ship positively affecting Denton?

I am proud to have brought several new ideas and initiatives during my first two years in office. Among them:

• The first council member to maintain a regularly-updated website complete with council meeting previews and information on how to get involved.
• The first council member to fully utilize social media to stay connected with the citizens.
• I created a Youth Council to advise me during my first year in office.
• I initiated and now chair the new Council Committee on Citizen Engagement.
• I launched the Creative Economy Initiative, hosted the first Denton Creatives Mixer, and watched as many initiatives grew from that, including CreateDenton.com.
• I’ve been a strong advocate of public transportation and directly involved in the push to expand night and weekend train service.
• I brought Denton it’s first Food Truck Fest, in collaboration with DCTA, Denton CVB, and the City of Denton.
• I was proud to help lead the council efforts on Payday Lender reform in Denton, making Denton the first mid-size city in Texas to regulate these businesses.

​Whether you like it or not, you are stuck with me for two more years. It is my honor and pleasure to serve this great city and I plan on adding to these initiatives during my second term.

In your opinion, what is the best taco in Denton?

It depends on the time of day. For breakfast, it is a toss-up between a chorizo, potato, egg, and cheese taco at Casa Galaviz (with their frequently intense salsa) or a potato, egg, chorizo, bean, and cheese taco at Mi Casita.  For lunch, if I want a carne asada taco, I go to Taqueria Guanajuato and insist on a side of the roasted tomato salsa sitting in the vat beside the cash register. If I’m leaning the al Pastor route, I head over to Taqueria Sabrocita on Dallas Drive. La Mexicana is a great stop for dinner, partly due to their ample seating and the availability of beer.  There I will typically order an asada plate.  There is no other choice for late night tacos but La Estrella. Not only do you get great tacos, you often can pair them with live music from the Super Estrellas and a hug from Gracie.  All of these establishments, I might add, reside in District 1.

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WHY POLITICS WEEK?

It’s politics week here at We Denton Do It. While we normally attempt to highlight the more artistic side of Denton, we also know that there are certain powers-that-be that can help or not help that side of our town. We think you should, too. This May, the city will have our next election and several spots are up for battle. We’ve chosen to highlight the various city council candidates. We highly encourage you to go out and research other positions (such as the DISD school board positions) on your own. We’ve gone ahead and carefully thought out five questions that we asked to every single candidate running for election. The majority of them got back to us. Some of them, however, didn’t.

We’ll be posting those interviews in numerical order starting today with district 1’s uncontested candidate, Kevin Roden and ending with district 5 on Friday. In addition, we have a couple other politics-related posts we’ll be running this week. In the meantime, make sure you check out VoteDenton.org and we strongly encourage you to vote in the election on May 11th (if you don’t vote early). Local elections allow you to make actual change that you can see and feel. If you care about Denton in any way, shape or form, make sure to educate yourself: find out what district you live in and figure out which candidate you want to vote for and why. And don't forget, voting registration ends April 11th. Click here to find out if you're registered or not. 

DIME STORE PREVIEW

​Photos by Dave Koen

We Denton Do It had the chance to catch up with our friends over at DIME (Denton Independent Maker Exchange) before their big store opening next week. Owner Rachel Aughtry answered lots of our questions about creativity, local business ownership and Denton in general. Read on for more!

Tell us a little more about DIME (Denton Independent Maker Exchange).

DIME is all about building the community of local handmade artists through connections—both with folks that want to buy their work and with other artists. The social aspect between maker and buyer, as well as maker and maker, is totally inspiring and encouraging. We want the store to give more consistency and presence to that community.​

How has Denton helped influence you creatively?

Denton really gave me the courage to pursue my own art as a full time career. I moved to Denton with every intention to go to school, get my degree, and move away to work for a corporate company, hopefully doing something design related. When I was a little UNT freshman, I put a few of my handmade bags for sale at Art Six – Tommy called me three days later and asked me to bring more because they were selling so well. The positive feedback I got from Denton folks at that little coffee shop gave me the confidence to start an Etsy shop, do the Denton Community Market, apply to big, prestigious craft fairs in Dallas and Austin, start Etsy Denton, and make my creative work my full-time job post graduation. (Hey thanks, Dentonites!)

You were a big part of starting the Etsy Denton Craft Fairs – tell us about how that got started, and how it lead you to creating DIME.

For sure! I never get tired of this question, as it is a true testament to the awesome creative community and spirit in Denton. When the Denton Community Market started in 2010, it was just once a month, so the same vendors were there each month and became a little family. Myself and Shelley Christner were among those vendors. We had done a few creative projects together prior selling our creative wares at the Market, but our friendship really grew that first market season.

As the season ended, all the vendors were a little sad to lose this great community we had developed, so Shelley and I formed Etsy Denton to continue and expand that community. We originally intended Etsy Denton to just be about  local Etsy sellers being friends and hanging out, but at our first event we ended up sitting around and talking about how we should all do a craft show together. A few months later we did a barn sale in Shelley’s barn. Much to our surprise, people actually came to it. And they bought things. It was weird. After that, we started renting out the Center for Visual Arts for our now-massive Summer Bazaar and Handmade Harvest.

Last fall, Shelley and I decided that, due to the success of the shows, it was time to open up some sort of space for Etsy Denton. We changed the name to DIME (the Denton Independent Maker Exchange) to create our own identity (and to not infringe upon the Etsy trademark), and set about finding a space to house the DIME Store.

Have you felt like you’ve found a pretty creative support system in Denton? Is having a creative community something you place importance on?

Our creative community is everything. And what Etsy Denton/DIME has done in a mere three years could not have happened in a less awesome community. Every time we do any sort of event, so many of our artists email us asking what they can do to help us. And when we announced the opening of the DIME Store, pretty much all of our artists asked what they could do to help or let us know that if we ever needed an extra person working the counter, they would be there 100%.  And it’s not just our amazing, talented artists, either.

What we do wouldn’t be possible without the 2500+ Denton folks that come shop at our shows and buy from Denton artists. When we were planning the Handmade Harvest last year, we actually had to turn volunteers away because we had so many people offer to help make the day a success. The community of both artists and their supports is just absolutely amazing.

Did you have any trouble getting DIME open? ​

Anyone who owns a business in Denton will be the first to tell you that there are some silly rules on the books, whether at the federal, state, or city level. Making sure all the legal ducks are in their rows so that you can put all the fun ducks in their rows is crazy time consuming, but it’s going to make the store awesome and successful, so it’s all worth it.​​

Was proximity to downtown something you took into account?

Absolutely. The growth of downtown Denton in the past few years is just totally amazing, and we wanted to add to the arts community that is an integral part of that growth. We’ve already talked to some other downtown-but-off-the-square businesses about expanding the idea of “downtown” to more than just the square. The next few year are going to be way exciting for this little town.

What sorts of things are inspiring to you right now? 

I love looking at textiles—clothing, rugs, vintage needlepoint pillows, medieval weavings, everything. Fabric is totally fascinating. Maybe that’s why I majored in Fiber Art. I’ll let the cat out of the bag here, just for you guys—I’m hoping to start designing a line of fabric based on vintage fabric techniques and then use it on my bags. But I’m also opening a store in two weeks, so… it might take me a bit to make that happen.​

What kinds of events will you guys be hosting at your store?

Part of the store is our “Workshop” that is store square footage but can also transform into a classroom for art classes, creative business classes, open workshop days where our artists can come hang out and work, and hopefully so much more. We’ll still be doing the big shows at the Center for Visual Arts, but we’re also hoping we can do some smaller fairs and trunk shows at the store.

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The DIME store will be celebrating their Grand Opening Party on Friday, April 5th and 6th (wine + cheese Friday night, BBQ Saturday, and live letterpress printing all weekend). The store is located at 510 S. Locust. It’s about three blocks south of the square in a converted 1950s house. After that weekend, normal store hours will be Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am-6:00pm, closed Sundays and Mondays.

DIME on ​Facebook / Etsy

APPLIFICATION

​Brainwash Inc.'s Keep Denton Beard app putting a beard on the courthouse. 

The term “Creative Class” gets thrown around a lot. We constantly hear about how Denton is chock-full of not-only artists, but technical creative types who are chomping at the bit to create for cheap. C’mon industry! Move here! Cheap labor! But where are they and what are they actually doing?

We decided to take a quick look and see what, if anything, was going on in a specific area of technical creativity that is currently booming: the mobile app industry.

A quick Google search tells us that there are quite a few app developers based out of Denton. Some spend their time developing apps for larger-scale companies such as Living Social, while others run full-fledge app development companies in town. Heck, one of ‘em even wrote a book on it.

If you’re even slightly observant, you’ve probably even seen some of them hard at work. Ever peered into the windows of the bank building on Locust St.? That’s Jovian Minds down there with their cool lava lamp and untucked shirts. They’re most likely hard at work developing an app for a company like American Airlines or developing one of their own flash games like Trouble in Tin Town. They moved their business here ‘cause they enjoy our funky flavor, just like Richard Florida said they would.

There are a few other non-one-off companies with big ties to Denton (we’re looking at you, Brainwash, Inc.), but not as many as you’d hope. A quick LinkedIn search finds plenty of web and app developers residing in Denton looking for work, but when looking for actual jobs that fit their skills, you’d be hard-pressed to find even a solitary gig. There’s plenty in Fort Worth, Dallas and even the lamer towns like Grapevine and Flower Mound, but creative technology jobs in Denton? Nope. Not yet, at least.

That doesn’t appear to be stopping Dentonites, though. App developers still move here all the time and end up working from home or telecommuting. Will this inevitably bring companies to town? Will some of these people team up and create successful companies themselves? Projects such as the recent Denton Startup Weekend and the creatives mixers are definitely a step in the right direction if tech-centric cities such as San Francisco are any indication.

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Adding a tip in the Denton Police Department's app is super easy. ​

In the meantime, enjoy having enough parking spots and search the word “Denton” in your app store of choice.

Some of the Denton-related Apps in the iOS app store and Google Play are what you’d expect and some we found kind of surprising. Of course, UNT has an application that allows you to see just how badly you’re failing your Business Calculus class while you’re out drinking. The library also has a great app that not only helps you check out your library queue, but even helps you rent free audiobooks through Overdrive. You can even narc out your family and friends through the Denton Police Department’s app. Denton Square Donuts will allow you to order one of their “pastries” online. And on the stranger side of things, Brainwash Inc. has an app that allows you to “Keep Denton Beard” and throw a beard on the subject of your choice and then share it with various social networks. We’re still waiting for the app that allows us to talk through Jim Matheson’s mouth. Get on it, y’all. We peeked over your shoulder and saw Youtube, not Rails.

EDUCATED - 6TH GRADERS GET IT

One dark and stormy morning a few weeks ago, a few brave souls ventured into the rain to accompany 145 middle school students from Calhoun Middle School, a local Title 1 school, to the new Perot Museum of Science and Nature in Dallas.

One of these chaperones was We Denton Do It's own Glen Farris. Farris even went as far as to sleep in his chaperone T-shirt the night before to prepare for the event. Pajamas be darned! There were kids to accompany! Denton City Councilman, Kevin Roden, also played the part of chaperone that day. He biked from his house to Calhoun Middle School. Talk about setting an example, an appropriate one at that. Not only were these 6th graders making a trek from Denton to Dallas (many of whom had never even traveled out of Denton County Lines), but they would be using exclusively public transportation and their own beat-up Air Jordans to do so.

The trip was made possible by 6th grade science teacher Nick Amendola, who utilized a grant from the Denton Public Schools Foundation, donated train tickets from DCTA/DART and donations from several local small businesses in order to fund the event.

It took the cooperation of teachers, administrators, parents, business owners and involved citizens, but the day went off without a hitch. All of the students came back unharmed, in one piece, and a little more knowledgeable about dinosaurs and space. 

We were pleased to have our favorite videographer, WDDI's own Jordan Smith, able to tag along to capture all of the magic on video. These are the kinds of things happening in our community that we here at We Denton Do It love to see – different parts of our city coming together to collaborate and educate. 

​Check out the video above and then plan your trip to the Perot via public transit if you haven't already done so. 

This trip was made possible with the help of: ​

DCTA  I  DART  I  DENTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

DAN'S SLIVERLEAF  I  DENTON PRESBYTERIAN  I  LITTLE GUYS MOVERS​

PRINTED THREADS  I  SPUNE PRODUCTIONS  I  WE DENTON DO IT ​

The song for the video was graciously gifted by our talented friends to the south - Air Review. Their song "America's Son" can be purchased on itunes here.​