Stephen W. Stanley

Stephen Stanley was born in Dallas, Texas. Stanley earned a high school diploma from South Garland High School and an associate degree from Richland Community College in 1988.

His career experience includes working as a real estate professional. As of 2024, Stanley was affiliated with the Texas Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors, the National Exchange Club, the Texas District Exchange Club, and the Noon Exchange Club of Garland.[1]

Stanley was elected to serve on the Garland City Council.[2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Stephen Stanley and I was born and raised in the Garland, TX area and have lived, worked, played and participated in my community for most all my 59 years.

I graduated from South Garland High School in 1983 and went on and received my Associates of Arts & Applied Sciences in 1988 with primary focus in Real Estate.

Having attending Richland Community College at night my entire Senior year, I had completed the necessary courses to sit for my Real Estate exam my summer after graduating High School and have been licensed and practicing Real Estate for 40+ years in the North Texas area.

Having grown up in and around the Real Estate business, I began my career working with my father in both Commercial and Farm and Ranch Sales until his passing in July 1993.

In 1998 I was honored with the privilege of 1st being elected to the Sachse City Council then again in 2001. I also had the honor to serve on the Sachse Chamber of Commerce as well as the Sachse Youth Community Center.

Upon moving back to my hometown of Garland in 2012 I married my wife, Daphne Stanley, and a year later was elected to my first term 2013 to the Garland City Council and subsequently reelected in 2015.

I have participated in the Republican Party at the local, State and Federal level since my first Elected office in 1998. In 2000 I was elected to the State Rep. Executive Committee and served till 2022.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

One of my primary reasons to run for this State office is I would like a more directed effort at permanent reduction of property taxes which would lead to a total elimination of all property taxes. This has to be done in a way that there is no negative/adverse affects on the public education system and still allows adequate funding for local governmental entities for Cites, Counties and Public Hospitals.

After years of hard work and making payments on your home where you have your home paid for you should not have to worry that you can't afford the taxes after retirement and have the real possibility of losing your home due to our ever increasing property taxes.The elected leaders of Texas must come together to solve once and for all any and all election integrity issues that still remain.

I have worked at our polling locations for the last 2+ decades and I have heard from all voters that they dislike and distrust the newer county wide voting. They want their neighborhood voting precincts back.

Bring back the paper poll books for the voting precincts to eliminate the possibility of duplicate voting by one person. The electronic polling books have had issues the last few election cycles where they go down then come back up adding dozens to hundreds of checked in names. No one should think that is acceptable.

We need to do a better job of deleting old data from these poll books!! Having lived and grown up in this corner of Dallas County I know from multiple perspectives what needs our communities have and I have worked civically and politically over the past 25 years to help make the changes needed and necessary that we all know in many instances still need attention.

Sometimes it seems as Austin doesn't know what is needed at the local level as most have not worked at the local level before going to Austin. This is also an issue with many in DC tell the States what's best for them but like in Austin, DC has many elected leaders without that local or State leadership background.

I want to bring common sense leadership from Dallas County back to Austin and help solve todays problems.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1.

Over taxation

2.

School Choice/School Vouchers

3.

Appropriate School Funding

4.

Election Integrity

5.

Higher level of State & Federal Funding for Roads and Highways

6.

Addressing mental illness affecting many of our communities. Since funding was reduced and even eliminated in the 70’s & 80’s it has left 10’s of thousand without the resources necessary to survive and be a productive member of society today.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There are a number of community and political leaders that I respect and look to their persons and actions to help make me a better person and a better leader. I again choose to be my own man and not fall into the quagmire of being a follower and not the leader I am seeking to be once elected to this office.

I do greatly admire Ronald Reagan and my father. Reagan led the US and the world out of a Cold War and my father gave me the foundation I needed to become the man I am today. I wish I had his uncaning ability to read people as he did. In the first few minutes of talking with someone he could tell if they were genuine or if they were untrustworthy or had ill intent.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honest, open and accessible. Over the 10 years of elective office I have served in I have always been known to talk, work with any and all members of my community. The political partisanship that plays out daily in DC does nothing to help the people.

We have to get back to mutual respect for each other and each others ideas. Where I believe that the Conservative ideas and principals that have led this State for the last 20+ years have made Texas an economic engine and leader in the World. I honestly believe everyone has something to contribute to the conversation and policy's that lead now and that will continue to lead this area and State for many decades into the future.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

First and foremost I think I truly have a servants heart. I'm always looking for ways to help others. In many of my roles over the past 25 years whether in leadership or just one of the fold, I am usually one of the first to volunteer to help.

I feel that I am honest, open and always willing to hear other viewpoints. It never hurts to hear from others as it may give you a perspective you haven't thought of before.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

We all must have to have an open door and an open mind to listen to all of our constituents. Government is not always the answer to everyone's problems and those elected to lead must always have the honesty and integrity to always tell the truth and lead with servant's heart.

We must always be ready to help those we can and assist all we can and refer those we can't to where they can and need to go to get the answers or services they need.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To be known as a man that was thoughtful of others and that I always honest with everyone no matter your station in life or even others may have wronged me in some way.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Just after moving back into Garland in 1976 I remember the Bicentennial events that year, especially the Garland Labor Day Parade and activities in the community revolving around the event.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Having grown up in and around the Real Estate business my father wanted me to learn the home building industry and got me a job with the electrical contractor, as an electricians helper, that he had used when he was building homes in the Sachse & Wylie areas in the early 70's

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

George Bailey!!!

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Over the last 25 years I watched 3 different Governors work during legislative Sessions. I personally prefer Gov. Perry's style where he would go to the Capital and talk with members to work on items that were important to him. It gave members some one on one time to discuss issues on specific Bills and make changes that the members could agree with and that were acceptable to the Governor as well.

It should remain more of a partnership than someone from the Executive Branch telling the Legislative Branch what to do. An even flow of ideas works best for everyone.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The illegal migration allowed into the United States by the Federal Government is starting to financially impact Texas and in many instances around the US are starting to bankrupt Cities and some States.

When you have 25 Governors from around the US standing with the Texas Governor demanding that the US uphold their Constitutional responsibilities and shut down the open border. Get back to actual ports of entries for those claiming asylum and not allow anyone to come across illegally at any other port as our current US laws state.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

This is a difficult one as prior experience doesn't mean competence but it should give some level of familiarity with all the levers of government. There have been issues over the last 25 years that have been brought forward by those in Austin and you just have to shake your head.

Other times there will be issues or concerns within one City, County or region and Austin's answer is a one size fits all and time and experience almost always proves that wrong.

Most of this whether it's in your home, church, community/civic organization or even in the business world, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up.

That being said there are a number of instances that someone's business/real world experiences lend extremely well in the transition into Government be it in Austin or where you live.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

One needs friendships on all sides. Their thoughts and views can help you make a better decisions on many issues or even solidify your position on any particular issue.

As one member in a body of 150 it can be extremely difficult to educate everyone on an idea or piece of legislation you want to move forward and with friends on any issue, it can help move it to passage the more know and trust your opinions and views.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I like a number of current and past legislators. Sen Bryan Hughes & Sen Bob Hall, former Sen Eddie Lucio always have very detailed and thought out positions on any Bills they bring forward as well so did Rep Cindy Burkett, Rep Joe Pickett, Rep Angie Button & former Rep Linda Harper-Brown & Rep Joe Driver.

These are just a few I have worked with over the years and there are members from both sides and I feel I have learned a tremendous amount over the years.

Once elected I plan on being my own man and not model myself after anyone but will take what I have learned to be the best Legislator I can be.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. Once elected here I plan on being here as long as District 113 voters feel I am doing the real work on their behalf as I love my community and appreciate all the time I have with my family, friends and community.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

There is not enough space here to tell those kinds of stories as I had the unenviable position of Garland City Councilman December 26, 2015 when an F4 Tornado hit my District and damaged or destroyed over 650 homes and businesses.

I was out on the ground withing 30 minutes of the tornado hitting and with my wife we assisted however possible for the next 4-5 hours to assist our great First Responders as we had Fire, EMS, Police from around North Texas coming out to render aid to all those that were in the path of the tornado.

By 11:00am the next morning my wife, a high school friend and I were at a restaurant supply company in Richardson purchasing items for "Operation BBQ Relief" needed to get started cooking meals for all those affected families and 1st responders. After 7 days of around the clock cooking and going out into the damaged areas of Garland and Rowlett we helped Operation BBQ Relief cook, box up and deliver into the field over 32,000 meals.

I will never forget the 10's of thousand of clothes, food, household items that were donated over the first couple of weeks to the makeshift donation center at Garland's Central Parks Granger Center and it's Annex and several large rented tents to house everything.

This was then and will always be the real life story of who we are as Garland and the surrounding area residents really were then and still are today! They all have a heart as big as TEXAS!!!

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes! This was something I worked on while I served on the SREC for the Republican Party of Texas. One person should never be allowed to wield that amount of power and authority. I helped work on the City of Sachse's Emergency Management Manual when I was first elected in 1998 so I was familiar with the process and how the chain of command was supposed to work.

Many thought during the Covid shutdowns and subsequent restrictions that the Legislature should have been convened to address those issues as there are 181 individuals elected in their respected areas and should have had an official say in how we all should have moved forward.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Honestly I think the first thing I would like to address would relate to working on the reduction of property taxes and/or a way to increase the actual basic allotment to our School Districts around the State.

What committees interest you?

Business & Industry

Agriculture & Livestock

Calendars

Elections

Homeland Security & Public Safety

Public Education

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Having served on the Garland City Council I was always extremely proud of the Councils transparency and the City's Finance Department annual awards and recognition for their accounting practices and presentation.

To many times governmental entities like to play around with the numbers and if you know how to present information, the public will have no idea if you're presenting facts and just putting up a smoke screen to hid the real facts and figures.

Stephen Stanley did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

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Stephen Stanley did not complete the candidate survey.