Know Your Numbers
If you are a citizen of Garland you are living in a district with a number. That district is represented by a member of the Garland City Council. That council member is your representative, and is there to serve you . The city map is divided into 8 districts, and it can be found on the City of Garland’s website. You will also find the name and contact information for your representative. On May 15, 2018 2 new members of the council were sworn in for Districts 2 and 4. Also sworn in at that time was our new mayor, Lori Dodson. She is the second female ever to serve as Mayor of the City of Garland. She leads the council and represents the tie breaking vote. Mayor Dodson represents the citizens of the city at large.
The Garland City Council meets in City Hall at 7:00 PM on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Citizens are invited to address the council at the end of every meeting. Meetings are televised and can be accessed digitally by clicking on the link on the City of Garland website. On the website you can also find the meeting’s agenda, which is posted well in advance. Current council members are as follows:
District 1…David Gibbons
District 2…Deborah Morris
District 3…Jerry Nickerson
District 4…Jim Bookout
District 5…Rich Aubin
District 6…Robert Vera
District 7…Scott LeMay
District 8…Robert A. Smith
For their invaluable service council members are paid a stipend of $400 a month, no car, no perks. The mayor receives a stipend of $800 a month, and again, no car, no perks. The only individuals who can afford to stepup and serve in these capacities are those who have a full time job, or are living on a retirement income. One assumes this system of compensation was implemented long before each council district numbered more than twenty thousand constituents. Mayor Dodson represents a city with a population of 238,000 citizens.
The City of Garland employs over 2,000 individuals and the day to day business of overseen by a City Manager, who is compensated appropriately, with plenty of perks and a very generous retirement package. The city manager also attends all counsel meetings, as does the City secretary and City attorney.
There is also a number to call in order to contact your NPO (Neighborhood Patrol Officer), for non(emergency purposes, such as suspicious activities, or other concerns you may have that may require police attention/protection.The name and contact information for that individual can also be found of the City of Garland website.
Nancy Shirla
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