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A Certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)
2008 Greater Irving-Las Colinas Ambassador of the Year
2007 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Blue Ribbon Award Winner
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The official publication of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
. An official publication of the City of Irving appears bi-weekly on page 3.
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Voters Return Incumbents to City Hall Gears, Meagher and Cannaday Reelected After one of the most contentious City elections in recent history, all three incumbents were returned to the City Council for three-year terms. Herbert Gears was reelected mayor, and Rose Cannaday and Allan Meagher retained their Council seats, Place 5 and Place 3, respectively. Immigration was one of the central issues of the campaign, some challengers vowing to enact stricter laws and enforcement than is currently in place. Because of the intensity of the election, Federal marshals monitored the balloting.
About one hundred people as well as local media went to City Hall to wait for the election results. The turnout for the election was the highest for a City Election since 2005: 9,837 voters (11.48%) went to the polls. The Early Voting results were posted about 7:00 p.m. however it was 8:15 p.m. before any numbers from the day’s polling locations were available. As it turned out, the final percentages were very close to those from the Early Vote. In the race for mayor, Herbert Gears was challenged by former Irving councilman and attorney Roland Jeter and Rigo Reza, a college instructor and former city employee. Jeter, who was the more serious challenger for the job, had called for much stronger immigration enforcement, a return to televising the Citizens Forum, and more transparency in many areas of city government. After the election, Mayor Gears expressed his conviction that the election results confirmed that Irving residents support the direction the city is moving and did not like the tone of the election. "I feel great that we made such a clear statement about a unified city and the moderation from which we approach sensitive issues. The proud citizens have declared that civic achievement will defeat fear and resentment in Irving." He added, "It is important that our leaders love our city." Allan Meagher easily defeated Nancy Rivera a college student at UTA. Perhaps the most rancorous race was for Place 5. Rose Cannaday was running for her first full three-year term after winning the seat in last year’s special election. Cannaday was elected to Place 5 after her husband, Lowell Cannaday, resigned to run for Dallas County Sheriff. During the campaign, opponent Sue Richardson campaigned in tandem with Mr. Jeter, also calling for stronger anti-immigrant enforcement and crediting her own efforts for creating the 24/7 CAP program, the current arrangement the Irving Police Department has with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for the deportation of illegal immigrants. The Place 5 race ultimately became very personal. In a campaign ad, Richardson blacked out Cannaday’s face, made an issue of her previous marriages, and claimed Ms. Cannaday discriminates against individuals with physical challenges. After the hard fought battle was over, Cannaday looked forward and said the election "tells me this city feels positive about its future and wants to continue in the current direction." She is "excited about all of the economic development going on in the Urban Center [I] am especially thrilled about the revitalization in South Irving. Our goal is to preserve its heritage and support its growth. It’s all up from here." Another Breakfast of Shining Stars For the 21st year, the Irving community and businesses gathered to honor graduating seniors of the Irving Independent School District (IISD) with scholarships through the Irving Schools Foundation (ISF). A total of $110,000 in scholarships was awarded to 77 students and two teachers at the annual Nissan Breakfast with the Stars, held on May 5 at the Four Seasons Resort & Club. This was Nissan’s fifth year as presenting sponsor.
Master of Ceremonies, WFAA anchor and Irving resident John McCaa with retiring school board member, Barbara Cardwell. Five new scholarships were also awarded including: David H. Brune Memorial Scholarship, Las Colinas Cancer Center Foundation Scholarship, Marilyn Polous Community Service Scholarship, Michael Sigurdson Memorial Scholarship, and Rebecca Gordon Memorial Scholarship. John McCaa, WFAA-Channel 8 News Anchor and Irving resident, again served as the presenter of the awards and introduced each recipient. ISF officials estimate the event grossed more than $100,000 in funds for the foundation including proceeds from donations, ticket sales, auctions, and raffles. Pamela Ducas, executive director of the ISF, described the value of the event: "The importance of our annual Breakfast with the Stars fundraising event is paramount to our mission of providing opportunities for higher education to many deserving high school seniors. We are so thankful for our business sponsors, Irving Independent School District personnel and individual donors for providing the financial support for this program." Student scholarships were limited to those who had not received a full scholarship from other sources. Recipients were selected by independent committees on the basis of grade point average, leadership and community and social service. At the end of the event, Jeff Edwards, VP Operations, Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation, and the Nissan representatives were gifted with a framed and signed photograph of their awardees. In addition to Nissan, there were more than 50 other businesses and individuals who provided sponsorships including: Big City Capital; Barbara and Joe McQuillan; Charter Builders, Ltd.; Four Seasons Resort and Club; Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce; SHW Group, Inc.; RBC Capital Markets; Allstate; Comerica; DART; DeVry University; Fidelity Investments; Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau; Time Warner Cable; Baylor Medical Center at Irving; CMW Financial, Inc.; hms; Las Colinas Medical Center; Plastronics; Mazon Associates, Inc.; Verizon; Vinson & Elkins LLP; Diana Pfaff; Jack Spurlock and Associates Realtors; and Burnell and Shirley Stehman. For more information regarding the Irving Schools Foundation, visit the website at www.irvingisd.net/foundation. Information for this article was provided by Matt MacVeigh, IISD PIO; and Pamela Ducas, executive director for the Irving Schools Foundation.
Residents, Businesses Participate in Irving Blvd. Enhancement Study The
official kick-off of the Irving Boulevard Enhancement Study
took place at City Hall on Thursday, April 17. More than 150
residents, business owners and interested parties attended
the reception, which was hosted by the Greater Irving-Las The study, Designs on the Boulevard, is focused on identifying opportunities to visually enhance the boulevard and foster new retail and commercial development. A team of consultants is assessing visual characteristics (signage, landscaping, lighting, gateway entries, etc.), along with traffic patterns, drainage systems and retail, commercial and residential developments, as they craft a vision for Irving Boulevard and make recommendations on future land use. "This is a great opportunity to reflect on the Boulevard’s history and purpose, while creating a new vision for the future that will bring to life this important gateway," said Paul Gooch, managing director of community services for the City of Irving. "Through this study, and with the community’s input, we will develop a roadmap to help transform this area into a more vibrant and inviting destination." Greening the Pathways Irving residents and business owners are encouraged to participate in the Designs on the Boulevard study. The City will host two additional public meetings, on Thursday, June 12, and Thursday, September 4, to solicit public input on the overall vision and recommendations as the study progresses. The community can also share its thoughts, concerns and ideas through the City of Irving’s web site.
Creating a Walkable City For more information on the Designs on the Boulevard study, or to provide your input on the project, please visit the City of Irving web site at www.cityofirving.org.
Stewart Elected Chair of ICVB Board The Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) board of directors elected Richard G. Stewart Jr. to serve as chair for the next year. His term as officer began immediately. Assistant General Counsel at Verizon, Stewart has been with the company (and its predecessor GTE Corp.) since 1994, following a distinguished Naval career. He was recognized by the Dallas Bar Foundation (DBF) for his outstanding service as the Foundation’s 2006 Fellows Chair. A past chairman of Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, Stewart is a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow and DBF Fellow, and has served on the Dallas Bar Association board of directors. In addition, he is past chairman of the City of Irving Planning and Zoning Commission and currently serves as vice chairman of the Las Colinas Medical Center board of directors. He has served on the ICVB board since 2002. The Irving City Council recently added two new voting positions to the ICVB board. An additional seat was designated for an Irving hotelier, as well as a spot for a hospitality industry-at-large representative. Appointed to those positions were Michael Vance, general manager of the Omni Mandalay Hotel, and Michael Barns, a longtime Irving resident and retired senior executive with AVW Audio Visual, Inc. Both Vance and Barns have previous experience on the ICVB board. Barns was a 1999 inductee to the Convention Industry Council Hall of Leaders, which recognizes hospitality industry leaders who have shaped the industry. Vance is president of the Hotel Association of Greater Dallas. In addition, the Irving City Council appointed residents James Cassels, Raymond "Ed" McCarty and Roy Santoscoy to fill board positions that had expired, and Chris Arrington to serve out the term of the late Jennings Smith. The ICVB board of directors, comprised of 11 voting and seven non-voting members, is a policy-making body that oversees bureau operations. Board members are appointed by the Irving City Council for up to three two-year renewable terms. |
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SAM Scribes & Designs, L.L.C. dba The Irving Journal Owner and Managing Editor: Jill Martinez The mission of The Irving Journal is to produce a respected, reliable community newspaper that:
The Irving Journal strives for excellence and is committed to meeting all deadlines. (214) 546-6346 l (972) 556-2568 (fax) Advertising information: (972) 504-6200 The Irving Journal l P.O. Box 630934 l Irving, TX l 75063-0934 For questions about billing or other business issues, contact: Jolayne Thompson, Business Manager
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As
part of the breakfast program, the Barbara Cardwell Future
of Education Scholarship was announced. Cardwell, retiring
after a 21-year tenure as an IISD Board Trustee, was honored
by friends and Trustees with the announcement of the
scholarship in her honor, the first of which is planned to
be awarded in 2009. Mrs. Cardwell has served as a trustee
longer than anyone in the history of the Irving ISD. She was
the first woman elected as a school board president in
Dallas County. Mrs. Cardwell and her late husband, Dr. Loye
Cardwell, raised five children in Irving—all of whom
attended IISD schools.
Colinas Chamber of Commerce. A presentation by the
consultant team and a Q&A session, 
moderated by Paul
Gooch, 
