David Kunkle

Remembering Thabiti Olatunji, Fighter for Hope and Law in a Crime-Ridden Neighborhood

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 >>

Dallas Has a New Mayor: Mike Rawlings

Photo by Anna Merlan​Mike Rawlings is the new mayor of the city of Dallas, besting David Kunkle by some 7,000 votes: 30,487 to 23,853 with all but a few precincts having reported in. Anna Merlan, one of crack newcomers, is at the Meddlesome Moth. She files this:Rawlings said he just got off the ph ... More >>

The Day Before Election, Kunkle Makes a Last-Minute Appeal to a Very Specific Audience

​Much has been made about how former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle has raised and spent pennies on the dollar compared to Multi-Millions Mike Rawlings, and most recent docs filed with the City Secretary's Office show that in the days leading up tomorrow's run-off election, Kunkle has spent just ... More >>

Mayoral Candidates Go For Bike Ride. That May Not Be Enough to Get Voters to the Polls.

Photos by Andrea RobertsClick to embiggen​Oh, right -- there's a runoff Saturday, or did you already forget? Apparently you did: Toni Pippins-Poole, Interim Dallas County Elections Administrator, tells Unfair Park this afternoon that as of Sunday, 15,451 people have cast their ballots in early vot ... More >>

Rawlings Says "Scrape, Beg, Borrow, Steal" for Trinity Project; Kunkle Says He Can "Say No"

Patrick MichelsDavid Kunkle and Mike Rawlings illustrate the tremendous ideological rift between them. In the comments earlier today on Unfair Park, there was no shortage of speculation as to what the two mayoral hopefuls would cover in their next debate: City Manager Mary Suhm's job security, dead ... More >>

Biking for Mayor: Ride Along as Bike Friendly Oak Cliff Q&A's David Kunkle, Mike Rawlings

​At this late date we've heard mayoral wannabes David Kunkle and Mike Rawlings address myriad issues -- everything from DISD to LGBT. But, at last, a new wrinkle: Bike Friendly Oak Cliff has rounded up the runoff-ers for a question-and-answer session aimed at the hike-n-bike crowd wondering where ... More >>

Kunkle Steps Out on a Limb, Calling for Transparency on the Trinity

​As you saw here yesterday, Dallas mayoral candidate David Kunkle has made releasing financial data on the Trinity River Project a plank in his platform -- well, a stick, anyway -- in part in response to stories he has seen here about it. Kunkle is making ethics a theme in his run-off campaig ... More >>

Alone, Together: David Kunkle and Mike Rawlings Square Off in Mayoral Debate

Photos by Patrick MichelsMike Rawlings introduces himself to the Dallas business community.​After Mike Rawlings wrapped Ron Natinsky's endorsement this morning at the Adolphus, he joined fellow Dallas mayoral hopeful David Kunkle for lunch with the Dallas Regional Chamber and paying guests from Te ... More >>

Kunkle: Free The Trinity Docs! And Other City Hall Ethics Proposals Unveiled This Morning.

Patrick MichelsMayoral hopeful David Kunkle, backed by his squadron of crime-fighting supporters. Backed by a new group of law-enforcing backers calling themselves "Crime Fighters for Kunkle," former Dallas police chief and mayoral hopeful David Kunkle took a minute this morning to cast himself as ... More >>

It's Still Very, Very Early, But Scott Griggs Has To Be Feeling Good Right About Now

Back in the day, the former Pizza Hut CEO used to refer to his stache as the "Saturday Night Special." Seems fitting in retrospect.​Back when we covered the '07 mayoral election we had a small army of writers out and about, because who doesn't like drinking at a watch party and calling it "work." ... More >>

Kunkle Widens Lead Over Natinsky, While Griggs Still Dominates Dave

Scott Griggs really needs a mustache.​If you care at all about the latest vote counts in the Dallas mayoral and council races, you're either refreshing the DalCo Elections site or at a candidate's watch party. So this'll be the last update till the final numbers are in -- and we know for sure whet ... More >>

Mayoral Race Now In Overtime as Mike Rawlings, David Kunkle Go to Runoff

David Kunkle and wife Sarah Dodd at the San Francisco Rose tonight, after it became clear he was headd to the runoff against Mike Rawlings​It's all over but the drinking: Mike Rawlings, who will wind up with around 41 percent of the vote, and David Kunkle, who will claim around 32 percent, will fa ... More >>

Kunkle and Rawlings Say That As Mayor, They'd Push for Gas Drilling Moratorium

Photos by Patrick MichelsDistrict 3 City Council candidates Dave Neumann and Scott Griggs joined all four mayoral candidates in a forum with Mountain Creek neighbors last night at Harmony School of Nature and Athletics.At a campaign forum in far western Oak Cliff's Mountain Creek neighborhood last n ... More >>

I Ask the Candidates: What Do You Think of People Who Keep Chickens in Their Backyards?

​Last night Wilonsky and I co-moderated the GLBT Chamber's mayoral debate forum, a rather tony affair, as these things go, at the Cityplace Conference and Event Center. It so happened the day before I had attended the "A Peep at the Coops" tour in East Dallas, so I had chickens on my mind. Confess ... More >>

Mayoral Candidate David Kunkle Explains Why He's No Longer Fan of Verified Response After Advocating For It as Dallas Police Chief

Photo by Sam MertenDavid Kunkle​Repealing verified response quickly rose to the top of Tom Leppert's to-do list shortly after he become mayor in June 2007. The controversial program required business owners to have someone at the scene of a burglar alarm to verify that a break-in had actually ... More >>

Dallas's Mayoral Candidates Give Love to the Arts, But How Will They Fund Them?

The latest addition to the Nasher's collection. The artist calls it Platitude Adjustment.​The four candidates for Dallas mayor took the stage at the Nasher Sculpture Center last night for what had to be the most relaxing forum of campaign season: a debate on the role of arts and culture in Dallas. ... More >>

We Are the World: If We Want Dallas to Be "Truly Great," We Must Begin at the Bottom

​Isn't it interesting? The one question that seems to bubble back to the top time and time again in the ongoing mayor's race is the world-class city thing. Why? Maybe it's just semantics. Maybe what we really mean, when we use that embarrassingly pretentious, transparently insecure term, is ... 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 >>

Dallas' Next Mayor Will Face Tough Budget Choices. Too Bad The Candidates Won't Talk About Them.

Welcome To The Dull House

Kunkle Wants Dallas to Become "No-Kill City"

Mark GrahamLieutenant Scott Walton, interim division manager at Dallas Animal Services​The myriad issues with the Dallas Animal Services have been well chronicled, especially in our January cover story on the shelter, which described the conflicting mindsets there thusly: "The old dog catcher ment ... More >>

David Kunkle Says He's Not Hiding Laura Miller's Support Because He Doesn't Have It Yet

Patrick MichelsFormer Mayor Laura Miller praises then-Police Chief David Kunkle in November 2009 after he announced he was calling it quits​She spoke at former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle's retirement press conference. She appointed Mike Rawlings to be the city's homeless czar. She was ma ... More >>

At Last Night's Debate, David Kunkle Wasn't About to Let Mike Rawlings Steal His Script

Photo by Sam MertenLeft to right: Mayoral candidates Mike Rawlings, Edward Okpa, Ron Natinsky and David Kunkle​Former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle came out swinging at Tuesday evening's mayoral debate at the Fairmont Hotel, with most of his barbs aimed at ex-Pizza Hut CEO Mike Rawlings. Th ... More >>

Mayoral Candidates Address Issues of Hunger

Forthcoming in moments, Sam's recap of this morning's ballot-place-picking procedure at Dallas City Hall. But two days ago we listened in as the four candidates for Dallas mayor -- Mike Rawlings and David Kunkle especially -- debated the root cause of domestic violence at the North Texas Food Bank's ... More >>

Mayoral Candidates David Kunkle, Edward Okpa and Mike Rawlings Talk Neighborhoods and Economic Development in Pleasant Grove

Photos by Sam MertenWhile this looks shady, Mike Rawlings is actually handing out a business card.​All four mayoral candidates are running on similar platforms to improve neighborhoods and boost economic development. But underdog Edward Okpa sought to set himself apart from the field this afte ... More >>

Trifecta of Dallas Mayoral Candidates Offers Little Substance at First Forum

Photos by Sam MertenThe three announced mayoral candidates -- Ron Natinsky, Mike Rawlings and David Kunkle -- squared off for the first time last night in North Oak Cliff.​Although he typically exhibits a dry temperament, former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle nabbed some much-needed laughs f ... More >>

Natinsky Gets Dallas Police Association Nod

Peter CalvinGlenn White​It's probably not the most surprising press release of the week: "Dallas Police Association PAC Unanimously Votes to Support Ron Natinsky For Dallas Mayor." After all, as we noted way back in September 2004 -- two months into David Kunkle's tenure as Dallas Police Departmen ... More >>

Thursday-Morning Rewind: Kunkle Talks Ticket

​I caught the tail end of former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle's chitchat with The Ticket's Hardline, which aired a little past the 6 p.m. hour yesterday. During it, Kunkle talked, of course, about his maybe-sorta-more-n-likely run for Dallas mayor, which he said he'll nail down publicly once t ... More >>

Caraway Tells DPD, Maybe It's Time We "Camera-Up the City" to Prevent Crime

Daniel Rodrigue​So, yes, I did indeed head over to 1500 Marilla for today's Public Safety Committee meeting, where the highlights had very little to do with crime-stat bookkeeping. Instead, I filed my notepad with excerpts from one of Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway regularly scheduled sermons, this ... More >>

What's Not Good for Morale? Money Missing from the Dallas PD's Employee Morale Fund.

​For me, a good City Hall audit report is better reading than a John Grisham novel. You just have to know how to read it (upside down, holding it up to the mirror, between the lines). Today's offering is the City Auditor's report on the police department's Employee Morale Fund, for which the sub-h ... More >>

Buzz Gives '09 a One-Fingered Wave Goodbye

Data Collector Quoted in DMN Crime-Stats Story Now Says "I'll Take Kunkle's Side"

Patrick MichelsIs Kunkle a numbers-fudger or simply exercising good judgment in dealing with confusing federal guidelines?​Another front-page story last week in The Dallas Morning News criticizing the Dallas Police Department's crime-reporting methods had the paper in a self-congratulatory mo ... More >>

Wherein DPD Chief Kunkle Tells Schutze Why He Didn't Talk to News for Crime-Stats Story

Patrick MichelsDPD Chief David Kunkle at his retirement press conference on November 12​As Unfair Park already noted earlier this morning, The Dallas Morning News has a hell of a story this morning about the Dallas Police Department and the feeling of some experts and involved citizens that it has ... More >>

Angela Hunt Wasn't Pleased to Find Out About Chief Kunkle's Adios from Media, But Does Want Mary Suhm to Conduct National Search

Chief Kunkle and Angela Hunt at the Katy Trail lighting ceremony last year​Several members of the Dallas City Council are in San Antonio at a National League of Cities conference. Angela Hunt is not, which is why, like most of the city, she found out that DPD Chief David Kunkle was retiring by tur ... More >>

Kunkle's Retirement Press Conference Was More Like a Melancholy Family Farewell

Photos by Patrick MichelsChief David Kunkle at his retirement press conference today; standing next to him, wife Sarah Dodd​When a big-city police chief announces a sudden early retirement, you expect a lot questions -- most of which begin with "Why ...". Apparently, they were all answered las ... More >>

Towing the Line at City Hall

The Source of Love

Cheese Holes

Finally I get why nothing City Hall says to me makes sense

Schutze Defends Kunkle, and That's No Crime

Fifth Time's the Charm

Till, like, whenever do us part

Reporter Envy

Top Chief

Call and No Response

Busted

It's not just us; two state legislative committees find a culture of corruption at City Hall.

Better Homes

Plus: We Screwed Up and Reluctant Patient

After the Flood

Plus: Still Living, Wrist Slap, We Screwed Up

Rent a Cop

Or else

Weird City

Chief Kunkle and a black neighborhood work together on the rule of law

Color Code

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle's honeymoon is about to end, if white, black and Latino officers have anything to say about it

Please, Not a Nut

Oh, it's so scary when they name a new chief