Duncanville, Let's Talk! A Community Conversation

206 James Collins Boulevard,Duncanville TX 75116

18 February, 2023

Description

Cities transition. They change. We change. Cities are living, breathing organisms that need to be nurtured, fed and led and they have life cycles. Duncanville is an old city, the oldest in the BSW and is a city in transition. Planning for transition while recognizing and sustaining tradition is a delicate balancing act but is key to every city's vitality and health. Renee Penn McNeely and I and others served and helped lead our school district and city through some turbulent times and now there are emerging leaders and new residents and new faces around the table and leaders ready to lead. So, we thought, let's invite the community, share food and coffee and conversation and talk about where we've been as a city, where we are and how we as a community grow and transition well. We are personally inviting our city council and Mayor and school board and Superintendent and civic organizations and faith leaders, business leaders to listen and participate too. Neither Renee nor I are running for any office. We've been there, done that. But we and others share the concerns of many and understand, each of us having served, the growing tensions between the old and new, young and old, "sides" and concerns. These are not alarming but germane to older, changing cities. The key is planning well to transition well. Duncanville has always been and is still a unique community and now a more wonderfully diverse community in many ways. We are a city of champions and champions always plan for next. If you live in Duncanville or own a business in Duncanville, please join us for this unique opportunity to come together. This has not been done before and we expect it to be great because we are a great city. No politics. No sides. No elected officials giving speeches. This is about an older city coming together in community to talk about where we've been, where we are, and how as an increasingly diverse city, in a fast-changing, new normal world, we move forward. It is going to take us all. Come prepared to talk (no griping, sniping, name-calling, politicking), meet new people, see old friends, share coffee, food, and learn how you can get involved and connected. We have planned for tables of 8 so that people won't be bunched up and the capacity is 128. RSVP early to get a seat. We want people to be comfortable and reasonably spaced. Vision and planning are key to healthy growth, transition and vibrancy and it will take us all, in community, to get there well. We hope to see you on the 18th!