Adam Sharkey, a dedicated driver who logs between 1,000 to 1,500 miles weekly across North Texas, has become an unexpected champion for community repair after a frustrating encounter with city infrastructure.
In May, while navigating the streets of Dallas, Sharkey struck a curb that lacked reflective paint, resulting in a damaged tire on his 2024 Toyota Corolla.
This incident ignited a sense of civic responsibility in him, reminiscent of lessons learned during his upbringing in New Jersey post-9/11, where he was taught to ‘see something, say something’—a principle he believes applies not only to suspicious packages but also to community issues like potholes and damaged traffic signs.
Determined to tackle the problem, Sharkey downloaded the Dallas 311 app, convinced that frequent reporting would lead to quicker repairs.
He remarked, “With the amount of driving that I do, I’ve realized that, well, the more you report, the more gets fixed right.”
Sharkey took his commitment a step further by creating a Reddit thread in June dedicated to discussing 311-related issues and encouraging others to report their local concerns.
Over the past three months, he estimates that he has submitted more than 500 tickets addressing a range of issues, from potholes to low-hanging tree limbs obstructing road signs.
“I was waiting for the day my account was going to be suspended or something because of filing so many tickets,” he joked while driving NBC-5 reporters around southeast Dallas.
Daisy Fast, the director of the Dallas 311 customer service center, first learned of Sharkey’s extensive use of the app when the story was covered by the Dallas Observer.
She praised Sharkey’s enthusiasm, stating, “I love it. He’s kind of an ambassador for us right now, really promoting the app.”
Fast explained that Sharkey’s approach of filing individual reports helps inspectors identify new locations in need of repair.
This method is more effective than multiple people filing duplicate reports, which can lead to the closure of tickets before issues are adequately addressed.
A recent community survey revealed that while 60% of respondents rated the 311 service as “excellent” or “good,” only 38% had utilized the service in the last year, indicating room for improvement in public awareness.
Sharkey expressed a desire for more residents to recognize their power in bringing about change: “The only thing I wish is that more people knew that they have just as much power as I do to get this stuff done.”
He finds the 311 app to be user-friendly and appreciates the updates on his requests, allowing him to check back on reported issues.
This proactive engagement has transformed how Sharkey perceives the city he has called home for the past seven years.
He stated, “Once you realize, this is the system and this is how it works, it’s like well, Dallas really does fix stuff. They fix a lot of stuff, and they’ve fixed just about everything that I filed a ticket for, so yeah, I think I do see it differently.”
image source from：nbcdfw
