Former McKinney Parks and Recreation Board of Directors chairperson Marta Gore has announced she is running for the city council at-large seat that will be up for election in May 2008.

Mayor Pro Tem Thad Helsley currently holds the seat and cannot run for re-election because of term limits.

Gore’s goal, if elected, will be to better link the various communities of the city, focus on traffic congestion, bring business to McKinney, and ensure the city has ample open space for the future.

“I want to work on road improvements to have a smoother traffic flow that is safe and efficient as the increase in traffic continues to build. We are one of the fastest-growing areas in Texas and our roads need to keep up with the growth,” Gore said. “We are in an excellent position, at this time, to take advantage of the state road bond proposal and county road bond proposal that just passed through partnerships with the county and state to get the roads McKinney needs to be on par with the growth.”

Now is the time to keep a watchful eye on the bond funds and make sure the city is being good stewards to its residents to deliver on the city’s transportation needs, Gore said.

Balancing the city’s residential growth while maintaining a hearty business core is something Gore would also like to work on. “Growth is a blessing in that we are attracting people to this area by the droves. The challenge is how do you keep them here in a cohesive, well-managed environment? We need to maximize on current businesses and aggressively attract newer businesses that would increase McKinney’s tax base and quality of life. It is imperative that we develop a diversified local economy with greater economic development opportunities, such as bringing in high tech businesses, high-end retail and more business parks,” Gore said.

Ensuring McKinney continues to have ample open space is also one of Gore’s passions.

“There is a need for integrating passive and active open space into the fabric of development, which is vital to preserve McKinney’s character. This cohabitation of nature and open space also connects and links neighborhoods, schools, parks, recreation fields and businesses together,” Gore said. “People didn’t move here to be in Dallas, London or New York. They came here because they were attracted to the area for its beauty and hometown feel, which still has big city services. A lot of neighboring cities are concrete jungles now,” Gore said.

The upbeat and optimistic Gore would also like to work closely with the newly created McKinney Convention and Visitors Bureau to develop a central place that collects and promotes all the information on restaurants, shopping centers, points of interest, destination spots, entertainment and special events, Gore said.

“I want to address some issues where people don’t feel connected to the city with the Convention and Visitors Bureau and use them as a big part to bridge the gap in McKinney. We’ve got great things going on here and people need to know about it,” Gore said.

Making sure the city moves forward with its Wayfinding, or sign placement program, which involves placing signs on major streets to direct the public to key points in the city, is important to Gore.

“I would like to move forward on the sign program throughout the city to promote the various points of interest and destination spots, such as the historic downtown, the McKinney Performing Arts Center, the Bridge Street Town Centre, the Adriatica, the Tournament Players Course Clubhouse, and Cooper Clinic,” Gore said.

Gore is currently the artistic director of Destiny’s Children Performing Arts Studio, which is a mobile creative dramatic arts program for children. She is married to Charles and they have three children: Jennifer, 23, who plans to attend law school; Jannelle, 10; and Ezra, who is 7. They have lived in McKinney more than eight years. The Gores attend the North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship Church in Richardson, where Gore is a Sunday School teacher, an Awana lead servant and a mentor in the church’s ambassador Leadership program.

Gore grew up in Philadelphia, Pa., where her father, George Washington, is a retired Philadelphia police officer and her mother, Phyllis, has held an elected office as a committee leader for more than 40 years.

Gore has a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in marketing from North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.

Gore was chair of the Parks and Recreation Board from 2006 and 2007; was a member of the citizens group that voluntarily contributed to the city’s comprehensive plan that was adopted in March 2004; served on McKinney ISD’s Redistribution of Student Population Committee in 2005; was co-chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation 2006 bond committee; and was a member of the city’s executive bond committee in 2006.

Gore is a new member of the North Collin County Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Directors; has been a member of the Stonebridge Ranch Home Owners Association’s Board of Directors since 2006; a board member of the McKinney Repertory Youth Theatre this year; and has been a member of the Wolford Elementary School’s PTA since 2002. She was also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s executive board from 2004 to 2006, and was a board member of the Hope Valley Farms HOA in Durham, N.C., from 1997 to 1999.

This article was provided by: Courier-Gazette
Written by: Brandi Hart