Deborah Morris moved to Garland with her husband and young children in 1985, and quickly learned why people who lived there loved it! But soon after settling into their home in Northlake Estates, they were shocked to learn that the lush greenbelt and creek directly behind their neighborhood was about to be bulldozed. Deborah investigated and discovered that the wooded acreage recently donated to the City for use as parkland had been quietly "repurposed" by the City Council to build a 6-lane divided highway.
Her neighbors turned to Deborah for help. They asked her to challenge the City on their behalf, organizing a neighborhood association and electing her president. Deborah successfully led the citizen effort to realign the highway onto nearby open space, saving both the parkland and millions in tax dollars--a solution the city engineer declared a "win-win".
That mature greenbelt is, today, a highly valued part of the celebrated Rowlett Creek Preserve and trail system in North Garland.
Working from her home in Garland, Deborah grew her professional career as one of America's leading writers of real-life rescue and survival stories, with her work eventually going international and being translated into as many as 10 languages. Her popular book series, Real Kids Real Adventures, was adapted in 1997 as an Emmy-nominated TV series on the Discovery Channel. She also co-produced two other reality-based TV movies: "Dancing in the Dark" (Lifetime) and "Angel Flight Down" (ABC).
Meanwhile she quietly served here at home as a volunteer Red Cross Disaster Team Leader (recognized in 2000 as "Volunteer of the Year" by the Dallas Area Red Cross), served on the Garland Building and Fire Codes Board, did reading motivation programs in GISD schools, served on the First Aid Team with the Christian Motorcyclists Association, and served as the volunteer youth group leader at Springcreek Community Church.
Then, in 2017, Deborah was once again asked to intervene on behalf of hundreds of distressed Garland residents who felt they'd been ignored in an important local decision. She successfully led a recall effort that resulted in the resignation of the council member involved. She was asked afterward to run for a seat on the Garland City Council.
Deborah ran for election in 2018 to represent District 2, the city's largest district which includes the Historic Downtown Business District as well as over 32,000 residents. Her theme was: "Your Voice Counts. Talk to Me", and her straightforward message resounded with Garland voters. She insisted that the City Council’s job was to humbly serve the people, not to dictate to them, and pointed to the City’s own organizational chart where the Citizens of Garland are clearly positioned at the top.
While some on council maintained that the org chart simply indicated that voters got to elect a representative every two years, Deborah disagreed. She didn't believe that citizens were handing their representative a blank check to think and act for them without respecting their ongoing input. Deborah insisted that everyday citizens' voices need to be heard and heeded by elected officials throughout their terms of service--not just during elections.
She was elected to the City Council on May 5, 2018 with over 80% of the vote.
From the start Deborah invited Garland citizens to talk to her, and they took her at her word. Over the next two years she successfully partnered with numerous residents, neighborhoods and businesses in her district to identify concerns, find solutions, and make positive changes happen.
Her years of experience as an interviewer and community leader made it easy for her to engage with people, and her approach--deliberately including her constituents in the regular decision-making process at City Hall--led to a rising confidence and optimism among residents in her district.
Deborah helped them find their voice. She easily won reelection in 2020 and 2022, and was chosen by her Council colleagues to serve as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, then as Mayor Pro Tem.
Deborah modeled listening to constituents, not dictating to them. Her trademark question, "How can I help you?" regularly opened the door to important conversations and creative solutions. Deborah quickly earned a reputation for getting things done.
That included her responses to the challenges brought by the 2019 tornado, the 2020 pandemic, and the 2021 Texas power grid failure. Her past experience managing disaster relief efforts uniquely equipped her to respond skillfully in each case, quickly mobilizing practical assistance and providing timely communication and guidance to distressed citizens.
Deborah has consistently put people's needs ahead of political rhetoric. She believes that a crisis is no time to try to "score points".
Political Ad Paid for by Deborah Morris Campaign
Copyright © 2023 Deborah Morris