Profile: Cedar Hill Place 2 Council Member Daniel Haydin

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Daniel Haydin headshot
Photo credit City of Cedar Hill

Focus Daily News: What elected official seat do you sit in and for how long?

Daniel Haydin: All of the Cedar Hill City Council and Mayor are elected at-large, which means everyone votes for the one they want to choose. However, there are six places – two places where the candidates live on the west of Hwy 67, two places where they have to live east of Hwy 67, and places at-large (meaning they can live anywhere in the city). The Mayor is an at-large position.  I sit in Place 2 and live west of Hwy 67.  I am currently serving my 22nd year on the council.

 

FDN: What is your main goal as a city council member during this term?

DH: The Mayor and council have set a really aggressive schedule of priorities for the next couple of years and beyond. I have one-and-a-half years remaining in my current term. My goal as a team member of our council is to be heavily involved and active as needed to help accomplish our goals. Cedar Hill has an extreme amount of development in the pipeline with a lot knocking on the door.

 

FDN: What made you decide to get into politics?

DH: I have always been involved in a lot of activities in our community. This is where I live, and I enjoyed being involved and having the opportunity to help make our community what it is today.  Because of my community involvement I was asked to serve. I am not a politician, I am a servant leader trying to respond to what the citizens as a whole want Cedar Hill to be. I think it is an honor and a privilege to be asked to serve.

 

FDN: What have been your challenges?

DH: I think some of the challenges over my time on the council have been addressing the concerns of the citizens when there is going to be development close to them or they feel the project overall isn’t in the best interest for the city.  The citizens have elected us to make those decisions.  The councils during my time have always listened to the citizens,  incorporated their feedback, and mitigated their concerns to get to the best possible outcome. I have many examples of times when the decisions that we made ended up as win-win situations for the city and the citizens. They can look back and see the city and the citizens have greatly benefited from those decisions, even though they didn’t think so at the time. Hillside Village retail center is one of those many examples.

 

FDN: Where do you see the city going in the next few years and who will you contribute to that?

DH: Cedar Hill is really set for a very dramatic and responsible growth pattern. We want the kind of development which maintains the character of our city and capitalizes on our green space while maintaining the proper balance of commercial and residential development.  My contribution to the future is to continue to be an active city council team member and help move the city in the direction the citizens want and expect.