Local Politics

Mayor Leppert Won't Say What Other Federal Agencies He Lashed Out Against Last Week; Suhm Calls Criticism "Not Very Harsh"

Sam MertenMayor Leppert giving his State of the City address last week.​As we mentioned last week, Mayor Tom Leppert spiced up his State of the City address with, among other things, some harsh comments directed toward the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Not only did he claim the corps is "not a ... More >>

City Manager Mary Suhm: Call for Tax Hike "Pretty Universal" at Budget Town Halls

Sam MertenMary Suhm​"Do a tax rate increase." That's how City Manager Mary Suhm sums up the feedback from Thursday night's budget meeting at Edna Rowe Elementary. "That's pretty universal when we're at town hall meetings," she says. Despite the overwhelming number of residents pleading for ... More >>

Angela "Swing Vote" Hunt Gives Us a Hint of What to Expect at Tomorrow's Love Field Airport Concessions Shindig

Angela Hunt's flickrWill this be the scene after tomorrow's council briefing?​Tomorrow, finally, the city council will be briefed once again on the concession contracts at Dallas Love Field Airport that has the council is split along racial lines. Mayor Tom Leppert failed to mention the racial ... More >>

SMU Professor Hired By Aranza Pens 24-Page Report Defending City Staff's Love Field Food and Beverage Contract Recommendations

Brandon ThibodeauxWhile the city council took a month off, concessionaire Gilbert Aranza hired one of the mayor's former consultants, who convinced him to pay an SMU associate professor to take a look-see at the controversial Love Field food and beverage contract.​After the city council on Jun ... More >>

At the Poor People's March, Davis and Caraway Demanded Tax Hike to Cover Budget Shortfall

Photos by Evan ClintonCarolyn Davis briefly joined John Fullinwider, left, at the Poor People's March in front of City Hall today.​About 75 people gathered outside Dallas City Hall today -- accompanied by a 20-foot banner that said, "To Redeem the Soul of America" -- and accused city leaders of wa ... More >>

Minority Council Members Blast Mayor For Not Supporting Love Field Contract Extensions

Photos by Sam Merten"Enough is truly enough," said Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway at today's press conference before explaining why he and Mayor Tom Leppert are on opposite sides.​The Dallas City Council's seven minority council members launched a counterattack this afternoon against Mayor Tom L ... More >>

The Battle Over Airport Contracts Opens a Rift Between the Mayor and Minority City Council Members.

As City Awaits Ruling in "Billion-Dollar Case," New Lawsuits Were Just Added to the Pile

Joe Betzel, one of the Dallas Fire-Rescue workers who filed suit against the city -- yet again -- today​Back in December we wrote a few items about the so-called "billion-dollar case" currently being considered by the Supreme Court of Texas. Very long story way too short: It stems from a 1979 refe ... More >>

Why Do The Powers That Be In Dallas Want To Regulate A South Dallas Scrap Metal Yard Out Of Existence?

So, If The Mayor's So Unhappy With Love Field Deal, What's He Gonna Do About It?

Tomorrow, the role of Laura Miller will be played by Tom Leppert.​So tomorrow's shaping up to be a very interesting Dallas City Council meeting: As Rudy Bush wrote yesterday, the mayor's mighty unhappy with the no-bid concession contracts being doled out to Dallas Love Field Joint Venture and Huds ... More >>

Mayor Pro Tem Caraway Wants to Make Sure Jim Gets His Quote Exactly Right

​Sometimes I feel that life is unfair. I have way too much fun. On occasion I think I should share some of it with others. In that spirit, I offer the following: In tomorrow's paper version of Unfair Park I will have a column dealing with efforts by Dallas city council member Dwaine Caraway to sh ... More >>

Take One Guess Why Council's Messing With Judicial Nominating Commission

​Interesting item on the Dallas City Council's agenda this morning: "Judicial Nominating Commission." (It's Action Item No. 5, for those playing along at home.) City Attorney Tom Perkins is offering the council three alternative ways to fix the body that vets candidates for municipal judgeships. S ... More >>

Mayor Leppert's Contributions Dry Up and Then His Big Fund-Raiser Becomes a Charity Event -- What Gives?

Mayor Leppert at last year's "Giraffes, Monkeys and Lepperts" fund-raiser.​For the past two years, Mayor Tom Leppert's annual "Giraffes, Monkeys and Lepperts" event at the Dallas Zoo has served as a birthday bash for the mayor and fund-raiser for Friends of Tom Leppert, a committee formed to p ... More >>

Why Is It, All of the Sudden, That Today's Starting to Feel Like 2007 All Over Again?

​Doing some Trinity River research this week, I came across an item posted on Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert's Web page talking about how the outcome of the 2007 toll road election was a real kick in city council member Angela Hunt's ass. Hunt, of course, sponsored the unsuccessful referendum. "The vo ... More >>

Hodge Admits to Receiving More Than $30,000 From Potashniks, Using Campaign Contributions For "Personal Benefit"

Hodge landed herself quite a deal.​The indictment against Terri Hodge has always looked much more damning than the evidence facing the rest of the gang involved in the City Hall corruption case, and it turns out that, well, it's all true. Hodge admitted as much in her factual résumé, which s ... More >>

Buzz Gives '09 a One-Fingered Wave Goodbye

Betty Culbreath Sees Latest Brouhaha Between Caraway and Hill as Indictment of 14-1

Betty Culbreath​One week ago today, Shawn Williams at Dallas South News broke the news that council member Vonciel Jones Hill sent Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway a memo telling him to stay the hell out of her district, which would be District 5. Caraway, chairman of the council's Public Safety Commi ... More >>

If You Think Ethics Reform at City Hall Was All Mayor Tom's Idea, Pass That Pipe, Willya?

Patrick Michels​In an editorial today The Dallas Morning News gives all the credit for better ethics at City Hall to Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert because, "In the end, Tom Leppert didn't blink." They must have sent a greenhorn over to cover the city council's straw vote on ethics reform last week. An ... More >>

The Mayor’s Proposal for City Council Ethics Reform Misses its Target: the City Council

The Waters Are Murky as Dallas City Council Seeks Clarity Before Ethics Reform Vote

Sam MertenCouncil member Carolyn Davis talks to zoning lawyer Kirk Williams as Willie Cothrum (right) listens.If nothing else, the city council's hastily planned ethics reform briefing early this morning showed that this group is capable of a spirited debate. For the most part, Mayor Tom Leppert has ... More >>

Leppert Calls for Another Ethics Reform Briefing, Doesn't Want This "Petering Out"

​Chris Heinbaugh, Mayor Tom Leppert's chief of staff, tells Unfair Park this morning that the mayor still hopes to get those ethics reforms passed at Wednesday's regular city council meeting. (Good luck with all that.) We should have a better idea of what they actually look like later this evening ... More >>

Tooth Marks: The Brawl at City Hall Over Real Ethics Reform Is Only Just Beginning

Patrick MichelsDallas City Attorney Tom Perkins​Angela Hunt is putting the bite on the mayor today on the issue of ethics reform.The council is being briefed on possible new ethics rules growing out of the City Hall corruption case. Council member Hunt and four other members signed a letter a coup ... More >>

Angela Hunt Tells Council and City Manager of City's Permit Process: "I Hate to See the City Have a Hand in Shuttering Any Businesses."

In response to DMN'er Sherry Jacobson's story about the city's frustrating permit process and its effect on neighborhood farmers markets, council member Angela Hunt has requested the investigation of the permitting processes in other cities so the city council can consider changes as soon as possib ... More >>

Buzz: Dont Blame The System

The Mayor's Retainers | Up the Sleazy River | Buzz

Lesson learned from federal corruption trial: How to gain access to the portals of power at City Hall

As City Council Considers New Lobbying Rules, We Learn Carol Reed Banked $65,000 From Mayor's Back to School Fair

Brandon ThibodeauxIn case you missed it, Reed was profiled in December 2007 by former Observer-er Matt Pulle.In this week's paper version of Unfair Park, Schutze uses two of Mayor Tom Leppert's top political consultants -- Carol Reed and Mari Woodlief -- to explain why the mayor is hardly the "Angel ... More >>

Up the Sleazy River At the Dallas City Hall Corruption Trial

Up the Sleazy River At the Dallas City Hall Corruption Trial

And If City Council Members Stay for the Whole Meeting, They Get a Gold Star

​Two weeks ago, at the last minute Mayor Tom Leppert -- or was it City Secretary Deborah Watkins ... or Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway? -- added to the Dallas City Council's agenda several controversial rules changes that were tabled the night before they were to be discussed. One of those proposed ... More >>

Angela Hunt: "We Need to Be Making our City Hall More Transparent ... Not Less."

Zazzle​Angela Hunt's been on a bit of a tear today, having posted to her Web site three items: one concerning the proposed rules changes for council meetings; one about the city's turning over the keys to the Dallas Zoo to the Dallas Zoological Society; and one concerning the city budget. Since th ... More >>

Once Again, the Mayor Had the City Attorney Rewrite Rules for Council, Public Speakers

Natalie Dee​I see Rudy's already posted his item about tomorrow's vote on Dallas City Council rules changes, which showed up earlier this week on the addendum for tomorrow's meeting. (It's Item No. 2.) But what he doesn't get into is why the council will vote on reducing and, in some cases, elimin ... More >>

Much, Much More About That Controversial Agenda Item the Dallas City Council Now Won't Even Talk About Tomorrow

Some call 'em "orbs"; others, "balls."​Late this afternoon, Chris Heinbaugh, Mayor Tom Leppert's chief of staff, called to discuss those proposed changes to council meetings, which would put stricter limits on public speakers at City Hall and put a deadline on when council members can remove conse ... More >>

Mitchell Rasansky Speaks Up About Mayor Tom and the Trinity a Little Too Late

Rasansky Says Supporting Leppert Was His Biggest Regret, Explains Support of Trinity River Toll Road And Much, Much More

Sam MertenAfter serving eight years as a city plan commissioner and another eight as a council member representing some of North Dallas's more upscale neighborhoods, 72-year-old Mitchell Rasansky is no longer roaming City Hall when he's most needed. Replaced last month by Ann Margolin because of ter ... More >>

Mayor's New Pro-Hotel Pal Can't Defend Leppert's Promises During Trinity Campaign and Advocacy of Inland Port Delay

Sam MertenEd Oakley ran a below-the-belt ad attacking Tom Leppert in his attempt to beat him in the mayoral runoff. Now he's joined a group formed to defend Leppert against the negative attacks from the anti-hotel group. Got it?As mentioned in this week's cover story, one of the reasons former coun ... More >>

The Convention Center Hotel Vote is Not Just About a Building. It’s About a Mayor.

DFW Airport Board Member Ousted Because of Opposition to Trinity River Toll Road

Brian HarkinMayor Pro Tem Dr. Elba Garcia admits she helped remove John Loza from the DFW Airport board based on his position on the Trinity River toll road referendum.When the Dallas City Council last week replaced former council member John Loza on the DFW Airport board with Brenda Reyes, we were ... More >>

Mayor Tom Will Do "Everything" He Can To Ensure DISD's Success. OK. Like What, Then?

Patrick MichelsTom Leppert meets and greets the kids at last night's town hall meeting. Because, after all, someone has to think about the children.You know, maybe instead of a lot of wood-chopping by yours truly, I should just put this log out there and let you whup on it yourself for a while. I'm ... More >>

Oh, So Now Tom Leppert's the "Education Mayor." Right.

Alexander FloresIf Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert doesn't mention his ideas for taking over the Dallas school system at his town hall meeting Thursday at Harold Wendell Lang Sr. Middle School, you can bet somebody in the audience will bring it up. In fact, it sounds to me like people will be there at 6:30 ... More >>

Buzz Reviews the News of 2008: Yes. It Was All Bad.

Sex clubs in the 'burbs, teacher layoffs in the district, black holes in the commissioners court—Buzz makes perfect sense of 2008

Leppert to Public: Shush!

The Long Arm of the Law: Constable Jaime Cortes Talks Cesar Chavez

What's in a Nombre?

Diversity be damned. You want to rename Industrial Boulevard, it better "market" the city.

Sam Coats Adds Name to List of Folks Gunning For Jim Foster's Job

Dwaine Caraway Calls It "Narrowing." You Might Call It "Chopping."

What's Good For Mayor Tom and the DART Board Is Bad for Dallas

A Diddle for the Middle As the City Council Tries to Fill the DART Board

Leppert Throws DART Board Appointments Under the Bus Today