Pegasus News Election Survey: Max W. Wells, candidate for Dallas mayor

Pegasus: What is the one greatest thing that the Dallas City Council has achieved in the past year?

Wells: I would point to two issues - 1) the passage of the recent bond package, and 2) the repeal and revisions to the Wright Amendment

Pegasus: What is the single biggest improvement that the Dallas City Council needs?

Wells: The single most important issue confronting Dallas at this time is crime. This is why I'm supporting a city-wide Anti-Crime District which would create, upon voter approval, $100 million of dedicated funds to hire 600 more police officers, increase neighborhood patrol presence, and finally do some meaningful crime prevention and community policing. Every Dallasite has the right to feel safe at home.

Pegasus: What is the toughest problem that you have ever solved?

Wells: I chaired the DFW Airport Board in the period after 9/11. The airport, the largest economic engine for our North Texas, faced extraordinary challenges with the threatened bankruptcy of American Airlines, huge reductions in service from Delta and other airlines, and we had to make multi-million dollar decisions about the financing of Terminal D, the international terminal that had just broken ground.

I remember one early morning when the AA decision was imminent, driving to DFW and thinking that literally thousands of jobs were at stake with the decisions at issue before the board that I chaired. It was a tough and daunting job that involved hundreds of small decisions, many negotiation sessions with the airlines and our lenders, and our diverse board was not always in agreement. I am proud of the results we achieved during that tumultuous time. I am proud of the results we achieved during that tumultuous time. Our international airport remains a dynamic anchor for Dallas and the rest of the region.

Pegasus: If you are elected and can only achieve ONE quantifiable thing in your term, what would you want it to be?

Wells: Cut the crime rate - target a reduction of at least 40 percent over the next five years, and combining community policing with code enforcement teams.