Dave Cook

Reliving the Trinity River Toll Road Campaign With Mayoral Candidate Ron Natinsky

Photo by Sam MertenRon Natinsky​In our cover story about the mayoral race, perhaps you read the section about council member Ron Natinsky and noticed a glossing over of sorts when it came to his public comments during the contentious 2007 Trinity River toll road referendum. As is often the ca ... More >>

Amazing But True: City's Not Giving Up On, Um, "Problematic" Bama Pie Project

This is what the Bama Pie building looked like when I drove by it on New Year's Day of this year.​Longtime Friends of Unfair Park probably don't need a recap concerning the tragicomic goings-on at the former Bama Pie Co. building across the street from Fair Park. This blog is littered with stories ... More >>

Is the City Finally Taking Legal Action Over that Failed Bama Pie Motor Sports Museum?

​It may be a few weeks before we know for sure, but after years of wondering what to do about the Bama Pie mess, the city's inching closer to filing a lawsuit over the empty building in South Dallas. Oh, right -- what Bama Pie building? Longtime Friends of Unfair Park know the whole sordid story. ... More >>

With City's First Municipal Management District Official, Let the Self-Taxing Begin!

Sam MertenThe board of directors of the Cypress Waters Municipal Management District take their oaths today at One Arts Plaza.​The Cypress Waters Municipal Management District officially became the city's first such district -- that is, one with the power to levy taxes and issue bonds -- this ... More >>

City's CFO Dave Cook Retires. Oh, Well. We'll Always Have the Convention Center Hotel.

Sam MertenCook (pointing) leads a group of citizens attempting to find budget cuts at the White Rock Lake budget forum in June.​While the city's chief financial officer began his career 28 years ago as a computer programmer in the Dallas Water Utilities Department, somehow he didn't find his w ... More >>

National League of Cities: If You Think Dallas's '09-'10 Budget Looks Bad, Wait Till Next Year

Sam MertenCity Manager Mary Suhm debuting her 2009-'10 budget to the media three weeks ago​On August 10, when the Dallas City Council met to discuss City Manager Mary Suhm's budget proposal that gut services and employees to make room for a $190-million budget shortfall, the city's chief financial ... More >>

After First Claiming It Couldn't Without Trinity Parkway, City Prepped to Do the Wright Thing

Once more, a proposed S.M. Wright realignment, which you'll need to click to enlarge​Here's another early peek at the Dallas City Council's briefing agenda -- this one concerning the list of projects, major and minor, the City Manager's Office is proposing to pay for out of the bond sale scheduled ... More >>

City Lands Low Interest Yield On Convention Center Hotel Bonds, But CFO Reveals Trickery Used to Push Project Forward

Sam MertenFirst Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans (left) and Frank Poe (right), the city's director of convention and event services, sign the financial documents finalizing the convention center hotel project. Evans and Poe are president and vice president of the Dallas Convention Center Hotel Dev ... More >>

Rounding Up the Urban Rodeos (Again)

Rio Rodeo is the only one of four urban rodeos operating under the city's existing guidelines.​Now that everyone on the Dallas City Council's more or less okee-doke with Mary Suhm's proposed budget -- Suhm and city CFO Dave Cook were damn near feted during yesterday's briefing -- it's apparently b ... More >>

Must-See TV: Watch the Budget Briefing

​At this very moment, the Dallas City Council is being briefed by Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm, chief financial officer Dave Cook and others on the proposed FY2009-1010 budget, which the council will approve on September 23. But before Suhm and Cook took control of the meeting, Mayor Tom Leppert ... More >>

Dot Games Highlight Exercise in Futility at White Rock Lake Last Night as Residents Offer Little to Help Solve City's Budget Crisis

Sam MertenYippee! Red and green stickers!It was standing room only last night as approximately 200 folks battled the heat at White Rock Lake's Winfrey Point for the final of four community budget forums, where several city staffers were on hand to get input on how best to address the city's $190 mi ... More >>

Why Nearly 800 City Employees Are Getting Pink Slips Before Council Gives the OK

Dave Cook, the city's chief financial officer, revealed at Wednesday's city council budget briefing that more than 700 layoffs included in City Manager Mary Suhm's cost-cutting recommendations would begin sometime in August. Yet the affected employees' jobs are intact until the council votes Septemb ... More >>

Build, America: City Plans to Use Stimulus Dough to Help Fund Convention Center Hotel

Patrick MichelsMayor Tom Leppert shows us how much federal funding will be used to build the convention center hotel.Council members at this morning's special called meeting are expected to authorize a bond issuance of up to $514 million for the convention center hotel project. The agenda item rest ... More >>

Rasansky Calls Budget "Non-Transparent," Says Increased Fees Are a Tax Increase and Introduces $21.7 Million in Savings

Sam MertenMitchell Rasansky and Linda Koop celebrate the end of his eight years on the council and her birthday with glasses of grape cider. Rasansky later crushed the plastic glass with his foot and yelled, "Mazel tov!"City Manager Mary Suhm, Mayor Tom Leppert and CFO Dave Cook all stressed this mo ... More >>

Angela Hunt on City's Budget Crisis: "We're Cutting Muscle; We're Cutting Bone."

Hey, at least Dallas doesn't have budget problems like Conan is facing out West. So we've got that going for us, which is nice.As we mentioned yesterday, the city council's Quality of Life & Government Services Committee got a look-see Monday afternoon at some of the proposed budget cuts before the ... More >>

Will the Issuance of Bonds for the Convention Center Hotel Affect the City's Credit? We're Going With Maybe.

Patrick MichelsMayor Leppert is this close to landing the interest rate he wants for the hotel.When Mayor Tom Leppert testified last week on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he conveniently failed to mention his own agenda while lobbying the U.S. House Financial Services Committee to loosen ... More >>

Council Doesn't Want to Raise Taxes, Cut Key Services to Trim Budget. Good Luck With That.

Sam MertenThe city's budget is $190 million in the hole because of "revenue erosion," according to CFO Dave Cook.The Dallas City Council yesterday afternoon wrapped up a lengthy discussion on how best to tackle the city's $190-million budget deficit by agreeing that a tax increase and making cuts to ... More >>

Mayor Leppert on City's Budget Woes: "We Just Gotta Deal With it and Move Forward."

Mayor Tom Leppert kicked off today's budget briefing by acknowledging that "the challenges will be significant" as the Dallas City Council finds ways to eliminate a $190-million deficit. He stressed that national and international issues are the cause of the shortfall, and the mayor likened it to th ... More >>

Reserve Fund May Not Protect Taxpayers If Trouble Finds Dallas' Convention Center Hotel

Just how safe are taxpayers in the convention center hotel deal? Good question.

A Peek Inside the Ugly Convention Center Hotel Bidding Process

The City's Running a Little Light on Dough -- Got $50 Mil to Spare?

Demanding Answers as the Dallas Convention Center Hotel Moves Forward

As Mayor Tom Leppert pushes for a convention center hotel, critics demand more details and less tax money. At least, those who haven't been silenced do.

Headache Hotel and Other Dallas City Council SUPs and WTFs

Look, You Don't Need to Know Jack Squat About the Convention Center Hotel, K?

Dallas to Get in the Hotel Biz -- And Turndown Service Won't Be an Option

Busted

Even in these boom times, Dallas is broke, thanks to a city council that has been giving away the store