Paula C. Blackmon is a lifelong Texan and has been a resident of East Dallas for over 28 years. Paula grew up in a small west Texas town of Snyder and has spent her career in Texas public service. She is a loyal Red Raider and a graduate of Texas Tech University where she earned her bachelor's degree in International Economics.
Paula and her husband Barry, a Dallas architect, have three boys: Aaron is a Texas Tech graduate, coaches Saint Thomas Aquinas JV football and works for Lockheed Martin; Evan is a graduate of Woodrow Wilson and currently attends school and plays basketball in Ireland; and Reid recently graduated from Woodrow Wilson this past May and is a freshman at the University of Arkansas.
Paula is currently is completing her third term on the Dallas City Council, serving as Chair of the Environmental and Sustainable Committee. As the Chair, Paula has led the committee in accomplishing it's 2022 priorities. The committee has reviewed policies and procedures to prevent environmental threats, reform bulk-and-brush trash pickup program, implement the Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP), and discussing restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers, to name a few. She also sits on Housing & Homelessness Solutions; Quality of Life, Arts, & Culture; Workforce, Education, Equity and Ad Hoc Committee on General Investigating & Ethics & Ad Hoc Committee on Sports Recruitment and Retention.
Paula's experience in Dallas politics positions her well to represent the interest of her district. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Chief of Staff to Mayor Mike Rawlings as well as senior advisor for Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles. In her DISD role, Paula also oversaw Parent and Family engagement, Volunteer and Partnerships, and Community and Intergovernmental Relations. She also worked as a legislative aide to former State Representative Dale Tillery, and State Representative Harryette Ehrhardt.
Her contributions to Dallas are numerous, under Paula 's leadership as the Director of Public Affairs with The Real Estate Council, she secured the initial funding for the deck Park over Woodall Rodgers freeway, which eventually became Klyde Warren Park. Currently she has advocated for Federal and State dollars to dredge White Rock Lake.
Over the last 4 years, she has raised the senior tax exemption, reduced property taxes, led the charge to fix the City's residential permitting process, restored transparency to the Dallas City Council, executed the Dallas Urban Forest Master Plan, commissioned for the White Rock Lake Feasibility Dredge Study, supported the plan for a new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center which will return millions of dollars on the investment as well as taking the lead and executed the Period Access Dallas (PAD) program.
Most recently Paula has been working on the Hensley Field cleanup that will eventually lead to a master plan development project and Fentanyl Strike Force.