“You gotta have faith” to bridge the gaps created by years of underserved communities in southwest Dallas says Zarin Gracey, the high-energy, newly elected District 3 Dallas City Council representative. And he might just be the man for the job.
Gracey spent 15 years wearing about a dozen different hats at Dallas City Hall then retired from municipal government two years ago to serve as executive pastor at Concord Missionary Baptist Church.
Gracey was elected in a runoff Saturday night, defeating radio talk show host Joe Tave with 63 percent of the vote.
His return to Marilla Street, bolstered by the endorsement of term-limited outgoing D3 Councilman Casey Thomas, just feels right, Gracey said Sunday in an exclusive interview with daltxrealestate.com.
“It sounds weird, but in my mind, it would almost be a sin not to, with my experience and my education, just my passion for change,” he said. “As a director working inside City Hall, I felt like I kind of reached my peak in terms of influence. This gives me another opportunity, understanding the perspectives of city staff and the struggles they were running into, to help them accomplish those things and sift through the political junk, to kind of serve as an interpreter. It’s natural; it’s the right thing to do.”
Gracey, 46, and his wife Erin moved to Dallas 21 years ago and adopted two sons, ages 13 and 11, when the boys were 1 and 3 years old. The newly elected councilman holds an executive certification in local government from the Harvard JFK School of Government, a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Luther Rice University and Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Gracey’s Take on Housing Issues
Gracey is accessible and easy to talk to — a rare quality in elected officials these days.
He doesn’t like titles and doesn’t want to be called “Pastor” or “Councilman.” He’s just Zarin.
“The biggest thing on my prayer list right now is … to have the same working relationship with the staff that I had before,” he said. “I don’t want them to think that I’m up to something. I’m truly hoping my authenticity and sincerity can continue without that awkward council-staff barrier.”
He worked in economic development and oversaw Dallas’ Business Inclusion Program, including the city’s Minority/Women Business Enterprise.
He was the first president of the Dallas Public Facility Corporation Board and served as a District 3 plan commissioner. He conducted the city’s availability and disparity study for the Office of Business Diversity and he worked in the controller’s office, managed the budget for the bond program, and oversaw banking investment relationships.
“I wanted to be the [chief financial officer], so I basically tried to work in every department that the CFO was over,” Gracey said.
When it comes to affordable housing, he shoots straight.
“Here’s the wish,” he said. “We’ve got to get used to — and this is the city as a whole — accepting that, one, we need more housing options and two, not all of those housing options are going to be half-a-million-dollar homes. This is a housing crisis from the homeless population to the high-income population. Right now it just seems like nobody wants anything but their old neighborhood. They don’t want apartments. They don’t even like the new deals because they’re not the same quality as the houses they got built in the ‘70s.”
District 3 has the landmass and the tools to meet the housing needs of the residents, Gracey said.
“We’ve just got to be a little more open-minded,” he said.
The councilman-elect said he’s disappointed he won’t be seated at the horseshoe for a vote on short-term rentals, a matter that could be decided as early as Wednesday after four years of debate.
“I really wanted to be a part of that,” Gracey said. “I’ve been on both sides of that. We stayed in an Airbnb and we had neighbors who were a little too extra, you know what I mean? We’ve got kids running around here. We’re not having a party. I’ve been on that side of it, but to read the stories of the nightmares some of the neighbors have had to deal with. It is something that we need to be very intentional about.”
It would be helpful, he added, if STR platforms like Airbnb would take complaints seriously and enforce their own guidelines.
What’s Next For District 3
Gracey is meeting with his predecessor Casey Thomas next week to discuss his transition back to City Hall. Thomas has mentored him along the campaign trail, Gracey said.
“Right now it’s been more campaign coaching than office running,” he said.
Gracey gets excited talking about his plans for mixed-use projects and long-neglected shopping centers in District 3. He said he hopes to meet with property owners and managers to unite the business community and find a way to give the properties “little facelifts.”
“That can go a very long way in terms of how people see southern Dallas,” he said. “I want to start there. That’s some low-hanging fruit. There are also a lot of opportunities with our parks. I think that’s what the community wants too.”
He has an intergenerational strategy called “Our District, Our Future” to engage neighborhoods that wouldn’t normally be talking to each other.
“You have a Singing Hills that would connect with a Kiestwood because Kiestwood was successful in solving this issue and Singing Hills has the same issue,” Gracey said. “It’s meant to be inclusive so everyone who is represented in the district is represented in this plan. I’m really excited about it and looking forward to rolling that out. I think Casey Thomas did a really good job of engaging the community, and this plan takes that to the next level. It builds shared accountability and moves us from a district to a community.”
