Shacklett declined to comment or answer questions for the Observer, but she has a list of criticisms for the District 13 incumbent listed on her campaign website. Her site says she has experience in accounting, managing budgets for a multi-billion dollar corporation, that she worked as a real estate agent for 12 years and that she's familiar with the city’s permitting process.
Shacklett takes jabs at the district’s public safety track record under Willis’ leadership by stating the crime rate and number of murders in the area has increased since last year. The campaign website also lists and links to reports of several crimes that have occurred in the district while Willis has represented it. She also claims Willis hasn’t done enough to support the Dallas Police Department.
“Right now District 13 residents are very concerned about accelerated crime levels especially over the past two years,” Shacklett told Preston Hollow People. She also told the publication that if she’s elected she’ll allocate funds to DPD so the department can meet the paygrade of other cities, and provide sign-on and retention bonuses. She also thinks school safety and removing the homeless from the streets needs to be more of a priority in District 13, and that panhandling should be illegal.“People made their investment in their homes not expecting to be living next door to a hotel and essentially that’s what an STR is." – Gay Donnell Willis, Dallas City Council
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Additionally, Shacklett says Willis doesn’t listen to her residents and that she hasn’t stood up to short-term rentals.
Before her election in 2021, Willis served on city of Dallas and Dallas Independent School District bond committees, and was a member of the Vickery Meadow Tax Increment Financing district board of directors. Willis is also a former president and CEO of the Turtle Creek Conservancy, which works to preserve green space in the city.
During her time on the City Council, Willis said she has voted to fully fund DPD and Dallas-Fire Rescue, and approved millions of dollars in new road and alley construction in the district. On crime, Willis said that parts of her district have a lot of low-income, high-density, aging apartment complexes that weren’t built with various crime deterrents used today, such as adequate lighting and security cameras. Bringing these places up to snuff with help from DPD should reduce crime there and the district overall, she said.
Willis said her office, city staff and DPD have organized meetings with owners of apartment complexes to let them know about different code requirements, crime deterrents and the penalties for habitual nuisances on their properties.
She’s proud to say that District 13 has continued to be one of the safest parts of Dallas under her leadership. She also pointed out that she’s been endorsed by the Dallas Police Association, the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas, the Dallas Fire Fighters Association and the Dallas Black Firefighters Association.
Echoing recent comments by DPD Chief Eddie Garcia, Willis said “You can’t take your foot off the gas with regard to public safety. So, maintaining that role as one of the safest districts in the city is certainly something that will always have my attention.”
On short-term rentals, Willis said some people are concerned that regulating them could diminish people’s property rights. But she said she doesn’t think they should be allowed in single-family neighborhoods. She’s gotten complaints from residents about short-term rentals who say living next to one is like being neighbors with a ticking time bomb.“Right now District 13 residents are very concerned about accelerated crime levels especially over the past two years." – Priscilla Shacklett, Dallas City Council candidate
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“People made their investment in their homes not expecting to be living next door to a hotel and essentially that’s what an STR is,” Willis said. “It begins to erode what the essence of a neighborhood is about.” She said some exceptions could be made if a neighborhood wanted to allow short-term rentals, or if an onsite homeowner wants to rent their place out for 30 days or more.
She said she’s been pressing for a vote on short-term rentals, and that the council will be briefed on a new set of regulations for them in early June. She expects a vote the following month.
Polls on election day for the Dallas City Council race will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 6.
