Dallas Citizens Council

In the War to Reform Dallas ISD, Tonight's Battle Might Be the Bloodiest Yet

Today is a key moment in the battle for school reform in Dallas, as a list of school principals to be fired goes before the school board. (Check back tonight for the body count.) The main opposition to the reform effort has come from southern Dallas black leadership allied with the district employee ... More >>

How Mary Suhm's Departure Could Help Usher in a New and Improved Dallas

Tons of talk already, of course, about this morning's announcement that City Manager Mary Suhm is stepping down. I tend to go with the end of the spectrum that's viewing it as ushering in the End Times. But I would. Oh, not my End Times. Their End Times! The Citizens Council! I'm talking about the ... More >>

Getcher Program Here: An Inside Baseball Report on Maneuvering Behind the Trinity Road

Well thank goodness Friday has finally arrived so we can have a little privacy here on the lawn, without all those damned readers butting in. Normally when they're around I don't like to do inside baseball, because, you know, it just makes them get all anxious and nattery. Then that guy who uses my ... More >>

Citizen Council PAC Paves Way for Trinity Toll Road

City council members grilled over whethere they support a boondoggle

Southern Dallas' Empire of Failure Wasn't Built by Democrats

A signed essay in Sunday's Dallas Morning News by editorial writer Tod Robberson suggested the historical lock-step loyalty of black southern Dallas voters to the Democratic Party has done them little good. It's safe to say something has done southern Dallas little good. In recent decades the ove ... More >>

Mary Suhm's Secret Drilling Deal Proves That the City Manager System Doesn't Work

Don't think about this: your city manager, the CEO of Dallas City Hall, signed a secret deal five years ago promising to help a gas company set up drilling rigs and processing plants in city parks. Think about this instead: the city manager did not sign a secret agreement with drilling opponents to ... More >>

The White Rock Lake Boathouse is Just the Latest Attack on Inner-City Dallas

The lesson of the Highland Park Party Barge is the lesson of Winfrey Point is the lesson of 30 years of history in East Dallas. At key rubber-meets-the-road moments, City Hall becomes the single worst enemy that inner city neighborhoods can confront. Forgive the Parkies, for they know not how goof ... More >>

A Video That Actually Sells Dallas, In This Case to Foreign Investors. Y'all Come Now, Y'Hear?

​In recent days we've seen a video in which the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau sells the city to conventioneers and tourists, and a short film in which the Dallas Citizens Council sells the city to ... um, the citizens council? But after the jump, here's a real, honest-to-God pitch -- a fre ... More >>

Says the Citizens Council, "Advantage: Dallas"

Rudy got to this before I could, but no matter: What you see above was made for the Dallas Citizens Council, which had a dinner this week to which I am sure Schutze's invite was lost in the mail. Long story short: Dallas is kickin' ass. We have "attitude." We're "aggressive." We're all about "achiev ... More >>

Cut Out the Middlemen

Tribal politics at the heart of Dallas' corruption problems.

Dancing With Myself: A Correction and a Call for Dallas City Council Pay Raises (No, Really)

​What I like to say is I told you so. What I do not like to say is I'm full of it. I am not saying I am full of it. But I guess I might be at about a quarter tank. Possibly a third. Yesterday I talked about how Dallas is run by the Dallas Citizens Council, and they all live in the Park Cities ... More >>

Redistricting Commission Nixes Halstead's Map But Praises the Work of One Sam Merten

Photo by Anna MerlanAt right, a former Unfair Park-er makes the case for his map to the Redistricting Commission last night.​At last, an interesting Redistricting Commission meeting. And a vaguely star-studded one too. Among those in attendance at last night's meeting: council members Dwaine Caraw ... More >>

Fun With Redistricting, or: Well, Look Who Done Submitted a Map to the Commission

Map by Sam MertenClick to embiggen a former Unfair Park-er's proposed redistricting map​Steve Thompson beat me to it, but no matter. Because, see, in advance of this evening's meeting of the city's Redistricting Commission, some of us were sneak-peeking the public's submissions made to the commiss ... More >>

Kunkle's Not Ready To Concede. But ... (Update: Former Chief Calls Mike Rawlings to Concede.)

​David Kunkle's once again at the San Francisco Rose watching election returns he'd probably like to return right now, given Mike Rawlings's commanding lead at the moment: 26,427 to 19,856. That said, the former Dallas Police chief isn't ready to give up just yet: "You fight the good fight, you do ... More >>

Sorry, Belo, But I Can't Sign Off On Your Stance That Dallas Needs Another "Signature" Bridge

​OK, wait, wait, wait. Sorry. I don't get it. I need a little catch-up here. The second Calatrava fake suspension "signature bridge" across the Trinity is going to be a bicycle bridge? A bicycle bridge? We're going to spend more than $100 million in tax money to build a make-believe suspension bri ... More >>

Mike Rawlings Clobbers Ron Natinsky and David Kunkle in Mayoral Fund-Raising Effort

Photos by Sam MertenWe're guessing this was Rawlings's reaction when he received bills from his consultants.​Former TracyLocke CEO Mike Rawlings easily outpaced the field of mayoral candidates by raising a whopping $1.03 million -- nearly three times the combined haul of Ron Natinksy and David ... More >>

The Dallas Morning News Wants to Break Up District 14. Wow, What a Surprise.

​Oh, so now it starts. Here it comes. Camouflaged in a lot of pompous blather about a fair city council redistricting process, The Dallas Morning News is already waving the banner for chopping up the East Dallas city council district. Should have seen that one coming. East Dallas is a sharp t ... More >>

Mike Rawlings Taps Captain America For Tomorrow's Official Campaign Kick-Off

​As Sam pointed out in February 2007, when he covered Tom Leppert's mayoral campaign kick-off at St. Philip's School in South Dallas, Roger Staubach served as his campaign co-chair alongside Elaine Agather. But Staubach couldn't make it four years back; he was "not in attendance." He is expected a ... More >>

Much More From Angela Hunt, Who Says Tom Leppert Hasn't Been a Good Mayor

Will Hunt back Kunkle? Find out after the jump.​Earlier this afternoon, we broke the news that Angela Hunt won't be running for mayor. She told us that she believes she can accomplish more as a council member and doesn't think the next mayor should be anyone who's on the current council. As it ... More >>

Dallas Citizens Council will once again try to anoint our next mayor: There are good reasons to give a damn.

Harlan Crow to "Stay Out" of Mayor's Race

Brian HarkinHarlan Crow​Now that the city's worst-kept secret is out in the open as Far North Dallas council member Ron Natinsky expressed his desire to replace Mayor Tom Leppert, we probed millionaire businessman Harlan Crow to get a read on whom he sees as the favorite contender among wealth ... More >>

The Billion-Dollar Question: If Mayor Tom Leppert's Really About to Ditch, Why?

Mayor Tom and Ron Natinsky​Gromer Jeffers is saying this afternoon it's "all but certain" Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert won't run for reelection in May, although he doesn't quite say how he's so certain. I certainly have been picking up a lot of ground clutter in the last week, mainly about various hop ... More >>

Ron Natinsky is the Chosen One? What's Our Second Choice, Then?

Why, I've Got a Much Better Idea Than This Half-Baked Call for Rolling Back Dallas's Taxes

Zazzle​You may or may not be familiar with Allen Gwinn -- the blogger-provocateur who keeps watch over the public school system and other matters. He has a new website going called taxrollback.org calling for a local version of the California legislation that has helped reduce that state to ruin - ... More >>

The Latest Stack o' Council Memos: No-Bid Contracts, Policing the Protesters and More Retiring City Employees

Brian HarkinIn May, Vonciel Hill voted to keep concessions at Love Field in the hands of one company, whose CEO contributed to her campaign. ​Every so often I like to post the pack of memos Frank Librio sends to council and media at the end of every week; below are the ones that went out late Frid ... More >>

Transportation Committee Minorities Favor Concession Monopoly at Love Field; Booting Ordinance Briefing Delayed

Brian HarkinVonciel Hill wants concessions at Love Field to remain in the hands of one company, whose CEO is a director for the Citizens Council and contributed to her campaign. The city council's Transportation and Environment Committee yesterday afternoon met for 90 minutes in executive session a ... More >>

Why Corporate America Loves Dallas

The short film below, posted to YouTube by Frank Librio at Dallas City Hall, isn't actually a city-made production. Rather, Librio tells Unfair Park, Destination Dallas is a Quin Matthews Films production made for the Dallas Citizens Council, which touted corporate relocations to the city during a r ... More >>

For Better or Best, Dallas Citizens Council Opens the Book on Its Past

Heavenly Bottoms?

Mayor Tom's All For A Tough Code of Ethics. For Everyone Else.

Dallas Flashes Back to 1997

A Trinity River vote, the return of the Citizens Council, a corruption case at City Hall. Buzz is confused. Was this 2007 or 1997?

Making a Fortune With Dallas' Investing Whiz, Susan Byrne

Truckin' Up the Trinity River

Nov. 6? Yeah, We Can Clear the Day.

Playing Land Grab-Ass

Laura's Goons

Some of her "blockers" barely rose to the task

Matt Pulle Still Doesn't Give Jennifer Gale a Chance. That's a Shame.

Catfight! Or At Least, That's How Jim Imagines the Battle Over the Trinity Toll Road

Shoe One

...was the FBI. Watch out, City Hall. Shoe Two's comin'.

Grab for Privates

Should we turn local government over to a corporation?

Buzz

They the people; Free stuff

Attack of the suits

And the business community wants to take over the Dallas school system exactly why?

Buzz

Spanish flyways; Friends in low places; So long, friend

Art Attack

A nosy questionnaire about how well Dallas arts groups run their businesses touches off a revolt against the Dallas Business Committee for the Arts

Taking It to the Street

Want to get elected to city council in southern Dallas? Forget the race card and patch that pothole.

Truth hurts

Think Dallas' Olympic bid won't cost taxpayers anything? Take a look at Plan B.

Peep-hole power

It's a scary world out there, but someone's gotta keep it under control. Jim Schutze uncovers the secret agony of the Dallas Citizens Council.

Going for the gold

If Dallas taxpayers think they will get a free ride as the city pursues the Olympics, they might want to think again

Saint Al

Will he die in prison for the sins of the plantation?