Duncanville, TX – On Thursday, January 19, 2023, the City of Duncanville partnered with the Duncanville Chamber of Commerce for the annual Celebrate Duncanville held at the Hilton Garden Inn Dallas/Duncanville (800 N. Main St., Duncanville, TX 75116). The annual tradition, which is organized by the Chamber, brings together the Mayor, City Council, City staff, the local business community, residents, and stakeholders for an evening that applauds partnerships and the prior year’s accomplishments. It is also known as the occasion for the Mayor of Duncanville to recognize local businesses and debut the prior year’s State of the City.
Mayor Barry L. Gordon had recently returned from attending the Inauguration of Governor Greg Abbott. He had been in Austin to support the Pelican House, the local restaurant selected to represent the region at the event. As Mayor Gordon addressed the large gathering, he began with congratulations to Pelican House owner, Louis Rainey III.
“I am always appreciative of the Celebrate Duncanville event,” Mayor Gordon continued. “Because I see it as a punctuation to the celebrations of the prior holiday season.”
The annual Celebrate Duncanville event is an opportunity to applaud the prior year’s accomplishments through recognitions and awards presented by both the Duncanville Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor of the City of Duncanville. The Mayor’s Award of Excellence for a small business went to Red Bird Lanes (1114 S. Main St., Duncanville, TX 75137), owned by Lauren and Billy Joe Cathey, who also took home the Chamber’s Pioneer Award. Louis Thibodeaux, owner of Thibodeaux’s Cajun Cooking (107 N. Cedar Ridge Dr., #106, Duncanville, TX 75116) accepted the Award of Excellence for a large business.
Prior to the awards ceremony, the mayor took to the stage to deliver remarks and debut the 2022 State of the Cityvideo. He congratulated the Duncanville Panthers on their State Championship, acknowledged the members of the City Council, and offered praise to City Management and staff for their hard work and accomplishments during the last year. Before starting the video, he said, “I invite each of you to challenge yourself to learn from our Championship football team and do more in the coming year.”
With the 2022 State of the City, Mayor Gordon had an opportunity to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Charles P. Nance, the community’s first postmaster, giving Duncanville its name. He said, “What was once a small town with wooden sidewalks has grown to be a vibrant and diverse community of over 40,000 strong!”
The 2022 State of the City reflects upon the challenges faced in the previous year, as well as the achievements of the City Council and staff. The city, along with the Duncanville Community and Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) distributed $456,250 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to 41 local businesses that were directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The City Council and the DCEDC also partnered with Options Real Estate to acquire Wheatland Plaza. In the 2022 State of the City video, Mayor Gordon said, “Over the years Wheatland Plaza declined from an important Duncanville shopping destination into blight. We’d known for some time that this property needed attention if it was to meet the Council’s vision for our city.”
Also in the video, Mayor Gordon introduces Duncanville residents to the Council’s Strategic Pillars. “These Strategic Pillars are the principles that guide city management and staff as they perform their daily duties managing our city and developing plans for our city’s future,” he said. They are:
- Re-Imagine High Quality of Life
- Emphasize Government Accountability, Customer Service, Efficiency, and Process Improvement
- Promote Innovative Ideas for Development and Redevelopment
- Develop an Infrastructure Improvement Strategy; and
- Advance Marketing Strategy of the City and Community Engagement Plan
Already, residents can see these Pillars impacting the day-to-day operations at City Hall in tangible ways. One example is the new resident concern reporting app, OurDuncanville, which is available on Google Play and the App Store. City Hall also has a new customer advocacy desk where visitors are greeted and helped by staff.
Members of the community are also invited to participate in their local government by joining the city’s Boards and Commissions or by visiting DuncanvilleTX.gov and reading the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR), described by the mayor as “a reader-friendly version of the more detailed Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).”
Residents, businesses, and stakeholders can watch the Mayor’s 2022 State of the City at the City of Duncanville YouTube here:
During Celebrate Duncanville Mayor Gordon added, “As you watch the 2022 State of the City, where I highlight several of our achievements over the past year, I hope you will reflect on your contributions over the past year to help make our Duncanville a great place to live, to work and to play.”
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