Betty Culbreath, chair of the City Plan Commission, seconds the emotion that Ann Lott's ouster as Dallas Housing Authority CEO has something to do with the city's wanting to sell Little Mexico to a private developer. (Michael Davis at DallasProgress pointed us in Culbreath's direction.) Indeed, she writes on her blog this morning:
"I know for a fact a Professional planning and zoning consultant was hired by the DHA.It's Alphonso Jackson, but whatever. (You know -- Lott's predecessor at DHA? Guy investigated for playing favorites in his position as Housing and Urban Development Secretary and later cleared of wrongdoing?) Well, let's say it's developing. Get it -- developing? Because it's land someone wants to develop? Oh, never mind.I wanted to know how a Planner could be hired for property that belong to a Public body that had no plans to develop it. Why pay for the re-zoning? Well just maybe some of the Board members wanted to save the Developer some money and then get some money after the deal was done. There should be an FBI investigation into their matter. Ms. Lott should not be fired because some rich guy wants that property. It is Public land there is a process that any buyer has to meet, since this action by the Board I am calling Alphonse Jackson tomorrow morning and asking for a stop to any transfers or sale of this property or I will file a lawsuit on behalf of the Taxpayers to protect the residents."
Anyway, Mayor Laura Miller, when reached last night by Unfair Park, promised us she would shed more light on developments at the DHA. "It's a long story," she wrote yesterday in an e-mail sent our way, explaining that on November 10, the DHA board actually voted to find a replacement for Lott. As we understand it, one's actually been found, and he's been described to us by a source as "very developer-friendly." Develo...well, ya know. --Robert Wilonsky
