As oft-stated, District 1 is fortunate to have so many residents freely giving of their time and experience in service to the city and community. Quite a few more District 1 residents serve on the various boards, commissions, and committees of the city than any other district.
 
Chris Luna was recently appointed by the Dallas County Commissioners Court to the seven-member Board of Managers for the Dallas County Hospital District (Parkland). He will be stepping down from the Utility Advisory Board in a couple weeks.
 
The Parkland hospital system has more than 8,000 employs, a recent budget of $1.1 billion, and operates 11 community clinics. Additionally, Parkland has 720 inpatient adult beds and 90 neonatal intensive care beds, has one million patient visits each year, is the primary teaching hospital for UT Southwestern Medical School, and serves as the Dallas County Jail health system.
 
Chris has a unique background, having served on the Dallas City Council but has now lived in District 1 for several years.
 
While Chris won't be representing just Garland in his new position, we can have comfort knowing one of our own will be helping make the decisions!
 
After my election in 2006, my first choice to serve on the Community Multicultural Commission was Jaime Ornelas. Jaime served with distinction while continuing his many other community activities. He stepped down after a couple years but has once again agreed to resume his efforts on behalf of the CMC and Garland residents.
 
Four District 1 residents now serve on the commission, one selected by Mayor Ron Jones (Robert Smith), one by me (Deo Sookdeo), one by Council member Laura Cox (Jaime), and one by Council member Rick Williams (Jennifer Nguyen).
 
Jaime has been active in the community, having served as the president of GISD's BEST Foundation and as president of the Garland Association for Hispanic Affairs. He also spends volunteer time at Richardson's Eismann Center where Scarlett Ornelas is the assistant house manager. He is retired from Texas Instuments.
 
On behalf of District 1, I wanted to express my appreciation to Chris and Jaime for their numerous contributions to our community and the distinction that their service reflects on us all.
 
[A updated list of all District 1 residents serving on boards and commissions and other positions is available at that first link above.]