...for City of Southlake news, business, and community happenings.
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- John Huffman
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Nothing tastes as good as a homecooked meal, and although it’s not mom’s signature dish, many Southlake residents cherish the main ingredient of Metroport Meals on Wheels – the love of service.
To get into the giving spirit this holiday season, Mayor John Huffman checked in with Mary King, the Executive Director of Metroport Meals on Wheels (MMOW) on this week’s episode of Minute with the Mayor. The partnership between the City of Southlake and Metroport Meals on Wheels has gone on for decades, beginning in the mid-1980s to provide meals and support to homebound and mobile senior citizens.
In 2023, Metroport Meals on Wheels has provided over 2,000 home-delivered meals to 14 Southlake residents, but it doesn’t stop there! Over 3,500 meals have been dished out at The Marq during their Monday luncheons this year alone.
“Some of the most meaningful times as Mayor are the days I get to go deliver with you guys,” said Mayor Huffman.
Although the program runs all year, the holidays prove to be a special time for the program and for the seniors they serve. “The holidays can be extremely lonely and isolating for homebound seniors,” said King.
“Our aim is to help these residents feel engaged and loved during the holidays, especially those that may not have family around or at all.”
To engage these seniors, Metroport Meals on Wheels is hosting a campaign called Stockings for Seniors this year. Stockings for Seniors encourages the community to remember these special neighbors and brighten their holidays. With this program, members of the Southlake community, and beyond, can sponsor stockings filled with practical gifts like clothes, towels, heated blankets, and more.
Stockings are available for adoption at Sadie’s, MMOW’s consignment and resale store, in Roanoke or through their online Amazon Wish List.
As the bells of the holiday season ring, the heartwarming message of the partnership also rings true. “MMOW is Neighbors Helping Neighbors to alleviate hunger, isolation, and loneliness in our communities, and to foster the independence, worth, and dignity of each individual we serve,” said the MMOW website.
If you’re interested in supporting homebound seniors this holiday season, check out MMOW’s Amazon Wish List or sponsor a stocking. Details can be found here.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below:
This week, Mayor John Huffman gets an update from Noor Mithwani, President of the Southlake Odyssey of the Mind Board, about their incredible successes since coming on the show in August.
In August 2022, Mayor John Huffman met with Noor Mithwani in the STEAM Lab at Carroll High to discuss the Odyssey of the Mind program and the yearly international competition. CISD has participated in Odyssey of the Mind for over a decade. Many schools nationwide and worldwide participate yearly in fun challenges encouraging team building, critical thinking skills, and having fun with peers
The last time we checked in with them, the Odyssey of the Mind group began its season, and they were looking for students to join. Mithwani says, “We started with 26 teams participating in our regional tournament at Carroll High School in Southlake. From then on, we have brought home 21 trophies — nine in first place, eight in second place, and four in third place.”
Twenty teams from CISD have advanced to the state tournament, where they will compete for one of two spots in the World Finals. Congratulations to the talented students in the Odyssey of the Mind program.
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below.
What better way to raise awareness and discuss the importance of safety and preparedness in case of an emergency than National Preparedness month which takes place every September!
On this week’s Minute with the Mayor, Mayor John Huffman discussed the City’s future plans for disaster recovery and the brand-new disaster debris removal services program with Emergency Manager, Amanda Meneses.
The program was recently approved by City Council at the September 6, Council meeting.
“We approved a brand-new disaster debris removal services program which allows us to get contractors in place and ready to go large-scale debris removal should a disaster strike here in Southlake,” Mayor Huffman said.
The City received a grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments and Texas Commission on Environmental Safety (TCEQ ) about a solid waste grant. Any funding received from the grant could be used for training, equipment, construction, and more.
“We had a professional contractor come in; they wrote us a disaster debris plan, and what that does for us is it allows us to remove disaster debris from communities, clear our streets for emergency response and that really facilitates public health and safety,” Emergency Manager, Amanda Meneses said.
This program will also allow the City’s primary contractor to respond quickly to a natural disaster within a 24-hour time frame.
“If some reason, they don’t get here within 24 hours, we have two secondary contractors that we can call to really facilitate that,” Meneses said.
The Disaster Debris Removal Services Program works hand in hand with the Public Works’ Rapid Response Team trailer, which is a team that consists of essential public works and parks personnel who can assist in responding to emergency matters at a moment’s notice.
For more information on Emergency Preparedness, please visit www.ProtectSouthlake.com.
Mayor-elect John Huffman and councilmember-elects Randy Robbins and Amy Torres-Lepp are scheduled to take the oath of office as City of Southlake elected officials at 5:30 p.m., May 11 at Southlake Town Hall. Can’t be at the meeting? Watch the livestream or recorded video.
John Huffman – Mayor
In 2015, John Huffman was elected as the City of Southlake councilmember representing Place 5. Since 2019, he has served as the Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. He was on the Southlake 2035 Corridor Committee, Southlake Parks Development Corporation and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone while on the Council. Prior to that, he served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Huffman will now serve as mayor of the City of Southlake.
Dr. Randy Robbins – Place 2
Dr. Randy Robbins will serve as the councilmember for Place 2. He has lived in Southlake for more than 17 years. He previously served on the City of Southlake Community Engagement Committee from 2014 – 2017 and the GRACE board of directors.
Amy Torres-Lepp – Place 5
Amy Torres-Lepp will serve as the councilmember for Place 5. She previously served on the City of Southlake Planning and Zoning Commission from 2019 – 2021. Torres-Lepp is a graduate of Leadership Southlake, Citizens Academy and CLASS. She is also an active member of the Southlake Chamber of Commerce and has volunteered for GRACE Feed the Kids and Carroll ISD.
Outgoing Mayor Laura Hill and Councilmember Shawn McCaskill will attend their last meeting for their respective offices. Both had reached their term limits.
Laura Hill – Mayor
Southlake Mayor Laura Hill, Southlake’s first female mayor, was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2018. She served on the Southlake City Council beginning in 2004. As mayor, she founded the Mayor’s Alliance for Unity and Culture in 2018 and Southlake Kids Interested in Leadership in 2015.
Her priorities have been youth, community, safety and security, partnerships and high-value public services. She regularly invited children to visit Town Hall as part of the Mayor for a Day program. In 2017, she helped launch Celebrate Southlake, an annual gathering to celebrate culture. She has been a strong supporter of the Southlake Police and Fire Departments and formed a safety task force following multiple school shootings, as well as using a school resource officer at every Carroll ISD school. She is an active member of the Metroport Cities Partnership and worked to have Southlake collaborate with professional colleagues. She has worked to provide excellent City services at reasonable costs to the community, helping to approve 10 tax relief measures since 2009, while also pursuing ideas to improve the quality of life for residents.
Shawn McCaskill – Place 2
Shawn McCaskill was elected to the Southlake City Council for Place 2 in 2015. He served as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem from 2016 – 2019 and Mayor Pro Tem since 2019. While on the Council, he served on the Southlake Parks Development Corporation, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, Youth Sports Association Task Force, Bob Jones Nature Center Board of Directors, Corridor Planning Committee and the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force. Prior to being elected as a councilmember, he served on the Planning and Zoning Commission, Southlake 2030 Committee and the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Dads & Brew: Building a Stronger, More Unified Community takes place Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. at The Ginger Man, 1512 E. Southlake Boulevard.
Southlake Dads are invited to join Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Shawn McCaskill, Councilmember John Huffman and Zoning Board of Adjustment Vice Chairman Ronell Smith to “continue the conversation over a different kind of brew.”
In a post recently published to Councilmember Huffman’s Facebook page, Huffman said, “We believe communities are stronger, more vibrant and more together when we take the time to get to know one another in a genuine, sincere way. Let’s do our part, as men in this community, to ensure we’re together, connected and committed to seeing Southlake become an even more welcoming, inclusive and supportive community.”
The community discussions, including Coffee and Conversation hosted by Mayor Laura Hill, Carroll ISD School Board President Sheri Mills, and Carroll ISD School Board Vice President Michelle Moore, started after a video posted on social media showed teenagers chanting a racist word to the camera.
Look for more information in the coming weeks and months on the City’s and Mayor Hill’s social media accounts and My Southlake News about creating meaningful change in Southlake including the second annual Celebrate Southlake.