Abilene mayor candidate Dasi Reddy explains why 'We need change'
Dayaker Dasi Reddy - who goes by just Reddy - has a three-word campaign motto: "We need change."
One of three qualified candidates for mayor, Reddy defines change as city leaders and government personnel working for residents, not serving as their bosses. Wiser spending of money.
With a background in hotel construction and hotel sales, he said he could build the downtown hotel for $20 million to $25 million. The price tag for the DoubleTree by Hilton is north of $80 million.
And, he said, it seems that those who are elected gain financially.
Turning 50 last year, he liquidated his assets in New York, New Jersey, Indiana and Philadelphia. Locally, he owns Spicy India, a restaurant that is located on Interstate 20 near West Lake Road.
Reddy faces two other candidates listed as qualified - Weldon Hurt, the current Place 4 councilman, and Realtor/pastor Ryan Goodwin. Another candidate, Chad Clark, is listed as a write-in candidate.
Election Day is May 6; early voting begins April 24.
Reddy's resume
Reddy was born in Hyderabad, India, the capital and largest city of the southern Telangana state. He is the middle of three brothers - one has a software company in Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. His younger brother remains in India. His mother adopted three daughters.
"And she educated seven other cousins in the same house," he said of his mother.
He called his father a "scientific officer."
Reddy attained a bachelor's degree in computer science in April 1992.
"I always had a dream that I do business," he said. With his father's help, he started a computer training center two months later. In five years, he had franchised 160 Soft-Tech Computers locations in his country.
"I made good money in it," he said. That gave him capital to invest in the movie industry, both Hollywood and Bollywood (Hindi cinema)
He married in 1997, a marriage arranged by his parents. Though he met his wife for the first time at their wedding, Reddy has been married to Prameela for 26 years. They have a grown son who helps his father in business and a daughter who currently is a junior at Wylie High School.
"She wants to be a child cancer specialist," he said.
Reddy had a career choice to make.
"I quit the movie life and went with the marriage life," he said, taking his father's advice. "I changed my profession to interior designing, commercial TV ads and construction.
His business ventures spread to Singapore and Australia.
One of his sisters is an entrepreneur in New York. She owns hotels and restaurants.
She suggested that he expand to New York. He had invested in construction of a Comfort Suites and expected to see work done. After talking to his architect, he learned "it would take more than a year to get permissions."
Off to Abilene
He wanted to go back home but his sister encouraged him to stay put. She had the Comfort Suites on Danville Drive, near Southwest Drive, in Abilene and offered it for sale.
"I don't feel comfortable in New York because it's a huge crowd. So that was the first time I came to Abilene," he said. "I felt very comfortable here so I bring my wife and kids here in 2008."
That same year, he bought Civic Plaza Hotel. Later, he turned the former Kiva Inn into a Howard Johnson's. He also has had rental homes here.
He built a Comfort Inn in New York and took the La Quinta franchise there as well, he said. He had businesses in New Jersey and Indiana, "and four townhouses in Philadelphia," he said.
"So, I work very hard," he said. He has chosen not to have partners. That means 14-hour days since 2007, with a goal of retiring when he was 50. That was last year, and he has sold his out-of-state properties.
"I kept a few because my son wanted to take care of it," Reddy said.
In addition to Spicy India, he would like to build a shopping area on Clack Street.
"I did 15 years business in Abilene. I will do 15 years social service in Abilene," he said.
"That is my plan, and that is why I am running for mayor. Whether I win or not, I will be in the race for 15 years."
Why Abilene needs change
"The city has to change the meaning of what they need to do," Reddy said. "The city has completely forgot what it needs to do for the people. We are elected from the people to do the service to the people. But until now, what I have seen, the people we are electing are sitting on the chair and they become boss to us.
"We need that change. We are the servant of the public, you know."
Getting elected to office seems to bring the person economic benefit, he said.
"Before, it was different. After coming to council, their business has grown up. Directly or indirectly, they are taking advantage of situations," he said. "They are doing for themselves.
"If you have seen after 13 years where mayor is, you will understand. After running two terms, you will understand," Reddy said, referring to former mayor Norm Archibald and current mayor Anthony Williams, who is not seeking a third term.
"I think that is wrong, sitting in a big position here and taking the positions that will bring so many doubts," he said. "If they are taking the favors and doing the favors, that is illegal.
"That is why we need change."
Reddy said he would be a full-time mayor.
"I will be on every street looking at roads. We need to fix it," he said. "I have clear things of what city has to do."
He named road maintenance, sanitation, manage our health, hospitals and schools.
"Everything they neglected," he said.
Abilene relies on a private hospital but Reddy believes the city should provide a healthcare facility "for the people. We need community clinics. We need community clinics for animals, too.
"We need to have a good shelter for the animals, treat them well and let the people adopt it. Put on website each and every animal and ask for the people to adopt it. That is where we can cut down the cost."
He suggested the city have doctors on staff where residents gets shots (Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District). Otherwise, those who are sick must wait days for treatment.
"You go to emergency and pay a lot of money for it. The city is encouraging you to go to emergency because the hospitals can make money.
"City needs to provide hospital, not hotel."
Reddy continued, "And they don't know the meaning of sanitation When they take the trash, they need to sanitize inside the trash can. Surrounding areas they also need to sanitize. The bacteria, that is why a lot of people are getting sick."
Budget will be back in the black under Mayor Reddy
"When you see the budget, they always show it a minus," Reddy said. "You know why where they're wasting money? They're wasting money on giving the contracts. Three, four times more than what it costs."
Reddy said the new Holiday Inn Express, with 120 rooms, along Interstate 20 cost $15 million. It has a conference room, restaurant and bar.
Compare that with the DoubleTree, he said.
"I should have built many room seven to eight more hotels, eight times more revenue," he said.
Spending $88 million is a waste, he said.
"Is this a lack of knowledge? Who is managing the office? The manager doesn't know?" Reddy said. "Or else give and take with the construction people. They are having a partnership with the construction people. We need to be in other cities. We need to get a competitive price.
"In this town, you have only two people who want to do it. I built the same Comfort Inn they are building here for $12 million and 84 rooms. And in New York, the land is expensive. Here, the land is free.
"This is the way they are wasting your money."
Reddy gave another example of a proposal to build a cafe at the zoo. He cited the cost at $9.5 million, money that could come from a bond.
"Who is going to pay? Donors and we," he said.
"$9.5 million cafeteria? Is that a joke?" This is something going fishy there. When you see all the circumstances, I am seeing some doubts."
If elected mayor, Reddy promised, "the budget never be in the minus. You can see open brackets everywhere. Thirty years I am doing business, I know where to cut it, how to get a competitive price and I am not a yes-man to any corporations. I am yes-man to the public."
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene mayor candidate Dasi Reddy explains why 'We need change'
