Just last Thursday, Dallas Morning News City Hall co-reporter Dave Levinthal said his official adios: Sooner than later, he wrote, he'd be leaving Dallas for Washington, D.C., where his fiancée is taking a position at the National Institute of Health. "No good-byes, thank-yous or anything of the sort now," Dave wrote, "particularly since I'm not planning to leave for a while." Only, well ...
Levinthal tells Unfair Park that he's actually leaving the paper on July 3 to take the communications director position at the Center for Responsive Politics, where he'll oversee a handful of reporters, as well as edit and contribute to the Capital Eye Blog; he says he will also serve as the nonprofit watchdog's spokesman.
"It came about pretty quickly," Levinthal says. "Especially in this job market, I am pretty lucky. ... It's a great opportunity to go to Washington and hit the ground running with something I care about as much as campaign finance issues."
The paper hasn't said yet whether it will replace Levinthal, but for now Rudy Bush will have to cover City Hall all by his lonesome -- the very definition of a long, hot summer as the city wrestles with an ever-expanding budget deficit.
"It's going to be really sad to leave Dallas, especially since it's one of the
best beats a guy could work, Dallas City Hall, and I've sure had an absolute blast doing this the last six years," Levinthal says. "But I'm a landowner, so I suspect I will be visiting" frequently.
Speaking of, anyone interested in renting out a condo in the Cedars should let Dave know: "It's a real cool place ... big loft, huge windows, great view of downtown."
Geez, first Kent Fischer. Now Dave.
