CandysDirt.com Picks Top Newsmakers of 2022
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We can all agree that 2022 was jam-packed with real estate news. We saw big wins for neighborhoods, elected officials who spoke their minds, and influencers who showed up and showed out.
With some of these folks, there are too many stories to capture in one post. They are, after all, newsmakers. And one thing they have in common: When CandysDirt.com reporters reached out for a quote or background information, they answered. They made sure we had the facts. They took the time to keep us and our readers informed.
They’re part of the reason we’re the leading source of insider real estate and housing information in Dallas.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, here’s who made headlines this year. In no particular order, our CandysDirt.com Newsmakers of 2022:
Mark Melton — Crusader For The Unlawfully Evicted And Homeless
When rent-paying Dallas apartment tenants were being evicted in droves and rendered homeless this year, Mark Melton took action. The Dallas attorney and founder of the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center took a team of attorneys to Justice of the Peace courts and offered representation. He met with city officials. He found housing, food, and water for those who were displaced. He stood before the City Council and pleaded for new policies to address eviction and homelessness.
Read how Mark Melton fought for the homeless and unlawfully evicted.
Bob McCranie — A Realtor’s Quest for Equality
Agent broker Bob McCranie and the Realtors who work for Texas Pride Realty don’t hide that their business model is a little bit different. McCranie and his team pride themselves on being different and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.
McCranie’s efforts to help people migrate from red states even caught the attention of The Washington Post Magazine this year.
Read how Bob McCranie is fighting for equal protection.
Legacy Dallas Residents Who Stood up For Their Neighborhood
If I have a regret with my coverage of the Elm Thicket/Northpark rezoning, it was that I wrote “it was unclear whether anyone thought they won …” following the decision.
In the days that followed the October city council meeting, it became evident that longtime residents finally got a much-needed change to development standards. Although many spoke against the change and signed a petition to that effect, this was a classic David versus Goliath scenario, and the underdogs came out on top.
Read about how Elm Thicket/Northpark residents stood up to investors and developers gentrifying their neighborhood.
Sarah Nowak and Chauncey Pham — Influencers With a Passion
From hosting a social media training retreat to offering inspirational posts to others in the business, Chauncey Pham has made it clear she’s only in competition with herself.
Pham teamed up with expert stager Sarah Nowak, husband Derek Pham, and The Rehab Squad’s Ray Negrete, and the group landed a house-flipping reality show on A&E, coming soon to a television near you.
Read how Chauncey Pham, Sarah Nowak, Derek Pham, and Ray Negrete are going big on the small screen.
Tommy Wooten — Putting the ‘Woot! Woot!’ in Real Estate
Top Producer Tommy Wooten hosts his own video series and blog, but his real passion lies in helping people relocate to Dallas.
He’s been a leader in ensuring that Black families can realize their dreams of homeownership, even in the midst of a struggling market.
Read about how Realtor Tommy Wooten is helping people help themselves.
Chad West — The Man With a Plan
Longtime housing advocate and District 1 Dallas City Councilman Chad West swung for the fences this year, providing a voice of reason in debates over missing-middle housing, public facility corporations, and short-term rentals.
Perhaps the biggest feather in his cap this year was the passage of the West Oak Cliff Area Plan, a precedent-setting document that protects District 1 neighborhoods against gentrification and future incompatible development.
Phil Crone’s Leadership in The Dallas Permitting Debacle
Dallas Builders Association Executive Officer Phil Crone didn’t pull any punches when asked how he felt about the Development Services Department’s permitting backlog.
Crone served on an advisory committee and advocated for local builders at City Hall, tirelessly monitoring the situation as it progressed ever-so-slowly. We could always count on him to give credit where it’s due and provide an honest assessment. Phil Crone’s quote of the year: “That’s a lot of steak.”
Read about Phil Crone’s efforts to offer results-based solutions to the city’s permitting problem.
The Candy Montgomery ‘Murder House’
With Jessica Biel headlining Hulu’s “Candy” series, interest in the 1980 murder on Dogwood Drive in Wylie surged. We visited the house, watched the series, read the book, and wrote a few stories about it.
We even scored a big interview with architect Stephen Chambers, who designed the Fairview abode where Candy Montgomery lived.
Read about the Wylie home where Candy Montgomery killed her best friend Betty Gore in 1980.
Cindy O’Gorman — Representing The Seller to The Stars
She’s been on our radar for years, but agent Cindy O’Gorman shot to the top of our Newsmakers list when she represented the seller in a pretty tall transaction.
The Ebby Halliday agent was at the forefront of the sale that resulted in Shaquille O’Neal finding a new pad in Carrollton.
Read about Shaq’s new North Texas digs.
Jerry Mooty — A Very Big Year For @Properties Christie’s International Real Estate
CEO Jerry Mooty led the charge as @Properties Christie’s International Real Estate opened a new office in Frisco.
Mooty, a Texas businessman and nephew of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, said he’s had the Frisco office in mind ever since they launched @properties Christie’s last year. Since the brokerage’s launch in mid-2021, @properties Christie’s has grown from a start-up as Dallas’ newest real estate brokerage to a tech-focused, globally-recognized brand.
Read about Jerry Mooty and the new Frisco office.
Allie Beth Allman — The Legend
The CandysDirt.com archives are full of references to Allie Beth Allman & Associates, known as one of the most productive residential real estate firm in Dallas.
The woman behind the agency is just as spectacular as the firm itself.
Will Koberg — Quite Possibly The Most Enthusiastic Realtor in Dallas
Most Realtors are positive and energetic but Keller Williams agent Will Koberg takes it to another level.
Now starring in “Walker,” a TV series reimagined after Chuck Norris’ iconic “Walker, Texas Ranger,” Koberg still manages to share his faith, spend time with his beloved family, and sell some homes.
Read about Realtor Will Koberg’s role of a lifetime.
Andrew Espinoza — Steering The Ship in Troubled Waters
Dallas Chief Building Official Andrew Espinoza knew what he was up against when he accepted the job of untangling the city’s permitting debacle.
He’s been consistently responsive, helpful, and positive throughout the criticism. The problems aren’t quite solved, but his efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Read about Andrew Espinoza’s steady efforts to fix the broken permitting process.
Doris Jacobs — The Loyal Grande Dame
It was big news when the “Queen of Beverly Drive” migrated to Douglas Elliman after 35 years with Allie Beth Allman & Associates.
Doris Jacobs’ reputation of loyalty and determination hasn’t gone anywhere, and her family team, which includes daughters Teffy and Kim, remain a packaged item. And the legendary team decided to stay put at Allie Beth Allman after all.
Read about The Doris Jacobs Group migrating to Douglas Elliman and then back to Allie Beth Allman & Associates.
Junior Desinor — Showing The Sharks How It’s Done
When Dallas entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” alum was featured in Men’s Journal, we were cheering right alongside him.
Desinor has built a $100 million real estate investment profile, and he’s just getting started.
Read about Junior Desinor’s quest to be the best.
Cara Mendelsohn — Standing up For District 12 & Dallas, Often as ‘The Lone Dissenting Vote’
Cara Mendelsohn is one of the few CMs sitting at the city’s horseshoe who actually thinks about fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars (and leaving a city without mountains of debt for our grandchildren to inherit) as she votes. Employed for years as the director of a homeless shelter, she knows more than anyone on council about the un-homed. Which is why she pushed for the city’s $6 million purchase of a 50-unit hotel for District 12 families without a roof over their head.
The woman is not afraid to call a spade a spade. This year, she cast the lone dissenting vote against putting Proposition A on the ballot because she said it only estimated financials based on national construction costs without any due diligence on the actual project or participation from adjacent landowners in paying off the existing convention center debt, all of whom will see a tremendous windfall as the convention center is rebuilt. She also was the lone vote against the racial equity plan the city adopted in August, because most of the items in the plan are actually basic functions a city should be providing. For everyone. The deficiencies the plan addressed, she says, are in City Hall leadership.
“We have one of the highest poverty rates in the country for a major city, and this should be our urgent priority for the entire council and our city,” she said. “This racial equity plan is not the right plan for us in my opinion. What I think we really need is a master plan for southern Dallas. What we’re doing is continuing to keep our city segregated. If we had a master plan for southern Dallas, it would also address environmental justice.”
She is one of the few — very, very few — who understands the role of a CM is to represent your district AND act in the best interest of the city.
“If we were serious about what we were doing in southern Dallas, we would all commit to subsidizing only development in southern Dallas,” Mendelsohn says, which would then grab the attention of developers. Case in point: Ray Washburne, co-owner of Highland Park Village, bought the shopping center on the northwest corner of Singleton Boulevard and Hampton Road in 2019. After a new grocery store opened there six months later, one billion in development has now come into the area.
Mendelsohn also had the guts to say the plan takes properties off the tax rolls for 75 years with little oversight and was poorly drafted. She recorded the only “nay” against Public Facility Corporation projects. And she voted the sole no on the $1000 a month car allowance for council members, which was passed immediately as gasoline prices exploded but not rescinded when they fell, making many of us wonder if it was really a hidden pay-raise: CMs can already turn in travel and car expenses for reimbursement.
And a recent example: The Dallas City Council voted last week to forgo the home insurance requirement for a neighborhood revitalization program called the West Dallas Targeted Rehab Program, a city of Dallas neighborhood revitalization effort funded with $2 million in unused city bond dollars — tax dollars — designed to provide financial assistance for home repairs to the low-income. Nearly half of program applicants lacked home insurance (which the city had required) and could not afford to pay for home repairs, meaning they could not access the funds. Removing the insurance requirement made it easier to get those repairs, but Mendelsohn was the only CM to pointed out reality: if the house burns after being renovated, that investment is a total loss.
“To not have insurance is to possibly invest it and literally see it go up in smoke,” she insisted. “This is the cost of home ownership.”
Cara is Her District & Real Estate’s Darling
Mendelsohn won 81% of her districts’ vote, and her constituency sang her praises loudly during the public comments portion of a Dec. 14 council meeting. She also scored the Dallas Builders Association, Dallas Police Association, Dallas Firefighters Association, Metrotex Association of Realtors, and Apartment Association of Greater Dallas endorsements for her May re-election campaign months in advance, which is unprecedented. Anyone in real estate loves her —
Read about Cara Mendelsohn’s comfort level with the word “no.”
