Steve Salazar

The Race for Texas' New Congressional District Is Going To Be Very Interesting. And Crowded.

Let's just call it: Everyone in town is running for Congress. Okay, not everyone, but the race for the newly-created, much-argued-over Congressional District 33 has gotten very, very crowded, especially on the Democrats' side. Last night we watched as former Dallas city council member -- and may ... More >>

Theme of Today's Trinity Corridor Project Meeting: "Where's the Money Coming From?"

The Belleview Connector, which has no funding. Which doesn't stop Dallas.​Yesterday, we sneak-peeked a couple of the big-ticket items on the Trinity River Corridor Project Committee's agenda. Question is: How'd they sit with council members? First up, let's visit that Belleview Connector, the esti ... More >>

This Ain't Detroit: Ron Natinsky Goes After Mike Rawlings For His Union Endorsements

Via.Speaking of...too early? No. Never.​It'll be a shame to see this mayoral campaign season come to an end a week from Saturday now that it's getting so...campaigny. Take, for instance, this email that just arrived in the in-box with the all-caps subject header: "RAWLINGS PLEDGES TO SUPPORT THE R ... More >>

In Front of Dallas City Hall, Grabbing a Bite on The Living Plaza. "And It Only Took 30 Years."

Council member Jerry Allen tosses a Frisbee to Trinity Trust President Gail Thomas on the City Hall Plaza today at noon.​I'd intended to spend, oh, maybe half an hour in front of Dallas City Hall today, where, decades after William H. Whyte first proposed the idea of making that expanse of concret ... More >>

Why Did Council Just Approve $10.7 Million For New McDermott Bridge? Because "No One Remembers the Little Things We Do."

Photo by Sam MertenWe're not sure what the Margaret McDermott Bridge will look like, but this version's already been scrapped.​The city council by a 13-1 vote this morning approved a $10.7 million contract with architect Santiago Calatrava to design pedestrian and bicycle components for the pr ... More >>

Committee Approves Margaret McDermott Bridge Redesign That Pays Calatrava Eight Million Bucks But Costs the City Nada

Photo by Sam MertenCity Manager Mary Suhm answers questions at today's TRCP Committee meeting.​At the behest of City Manager Mary Suhm, the city council's Trinity River Corridor Project Committee this morning unanimously approved a revised $8 million contract with architect Santiago Calatrava ... More >>

Mayor Dwaine Caraway: Dallas "Praying for Hope and Strength" for Devastated Sendai, Our International Friendship City

Via.Then-Mayor Laura Miller arriving in Sendai in 2007​As the Japan-American Society of Dallas/Fort Worth's website points out, "Dallas and Sendai became International Friendship Cities in August 1997, when Mayor Ron Kirk and Mayor Hajimu Fujii signed a formal agreement in Sendai." Which is why, s ... More >>

At City Hall, Dr. Kenneth Cooper Declares the Health of Dallas Children a "Disaster"

Kenneth Cooper at Dallas City Hall this morning​For a good hour or so this morning, there was a parade of people to the briefing-room podium at Dallas City Hall to discuss the Mayor's Youth Fitness Initiative, funded with $1 million worth of seed money from Oncor. Among those on hand: Mike Rawling ... More >>

Caraway Wants to Make It Clear: "The Majority Has Spoken" About Beer, Wine Sales

​Dallas, at least as of this very moment, is all-wet when it comes to the off-premise sale of beer and wine. And as Rudy Bush noted this morning, there hasn't exactly been a rush to the Oak Cliff Municipal Center's permit office -- in large part because of the city and county's hoop-heavy permitti ... More >>

Sure, You Think Dallas is All-Wet. But Some on Council, And Attorney, Still Ain't Having It.

​I've been trying on and off throughout the afternoon to keep up with the city council's attempts to canvass the results of last week's election -- specifically, the votes overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 1 allowing for the off-premise sale of beer and wine citywide. About half an hour ago, ... More >>

At Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel's Topping Out Ceremony, Mayor Leppert Declares: "This Isn't the Dallas of J.R. Anymore"

Photos by Sam Merten​It seems like only yesterday that we were at the parking lot in front of the Dallas Convention Center to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new city-owned hotel, where Mayor Tom Leppert donned a bellhop's hat and twice shoveled dirt into a hole before a large "D" was pull ... More >>

Following the Money, Live at City Hall With the Trinity River Corridor Project Committee

Sam MertenDave Neumann and Rebecca Rasor chat before this morning's committee meeting.​We're here at City Hall for the Trinity River Corridor Project Committee's briefing about the recent setback in the city's rush to restore the Trinity River levees' 100-year flood protection before FEMA finalize ... More >>

Mayor Had to End Tax Hike Briefing Before It Began When He Found Himself Sans Quorum

Patrick MichelsTennell Atkins​Well, I was about to tell you to tune into the tax-hike briefing, which was about to get underway, like, five minutes ago. But then the damnedest thing happened: As the briefing was getting going, there was much giggling. Much guffawing. Then, the briefing stopped. Th ... More >>

The History Lesson Carolyn Davis Needed Before Telling the Mayor He Owes Her

Brian HarkinCarolyn Davis​As I said after Mayor Tom Leppert's huge convention center hotel victory, the man simply knows how to win. So that, combined with a sneak peek at Angela Hunt's thoughts, didn't make me fret about missing the big vote on the concessions at Dallas Love Field Airport. ... More >>

Belo Corp. Board Member, Convention Center Hotel Folks and Jerry Jones Top List of Mayor Tom Leppert's Fund-Raising Pals

Patrick MichelsThat hotel victory is the gift that keeps on giving.​While his political future remains unclear, Mayor Tom Leppert raised a combined $243,000 in donations in the first half of this year, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday. Meanwhile, his officeholder account a ... More >>

Minority Council Members Say Leppert "Mischaracterized" Their Support of Love Field Concession Contracts Delay in Campaign E-Mail

Sam MertenThe seven who claim the mayor needs to be clear when talking about their stance on the Love Field concession contracts (from left to right): Delia Jasso, Dwaine Caraway, Pauline Medrano, Carolyn Davis, Tennell Atkins, Vonciel Hill and Steve Salazar​On Monday, we told you about an e-m ... More >>

The Only Person Who Counts When It Comes to Counting Wet-Dry Petitions Is City Secretary

Daniel RodrigueMatt Spiller, owner of Eno's Pizza Tavern, signs the petition at the March 23 kick-off​I see here that Andy Siegel, an attorney at Shackelford, Melton & McKinley, is claiming that Progress Dallas has come up 5,555 signatures short of getting the dry parts of Dallas soaking wet i ... 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.

Carolyn Davis Does Her Best Angela Hunt Impression, But Not Before Doing Her Best Carolyn Davis Impression

Sam MertenRobert told me to get a pic of Dave Neumann, who had a conflict during today's floodplain ordinance presentation. So. Here. It. Is.​It was déjà vu at this morning's Trinity River Corridor Project Committee meeting as Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway preached about revitalizing the Ceda ... More >>

Trash and Culture on the Agenda at City Hall

​[Editor's note: Well, look who's returned to Unfair Park, none other than former Girl on Top Andrea Grimes. And, for some reason, she's decided to reintroduce herself with ... a liveblog from the Quality of Life Committee meeting at Dallas City Hall, where they're covering big changes in code com ... 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 >>

So Why Does the City Use Those False Trinity Drawings? It's All About the "Prime Real Estate," Duh.

Sam MertenCarolyn Davis to Jill Jordan: "Just tell it like it is."​Although the city council's Trinity River Corridor Project Committee didn't vote on a plan to transform Riverfront Boulevard into a not-really-a-"complete street," committee members voiced support of the $54.5 million project, ... More >>

Amidst Poorly Run Trinity Committee Meeting, We Learn the City is TxDOT's Contingency Fund for the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

Patrick MichelsDave Neumann​Dave Neumann kicked off the city council's Trinity River Corridor Project Committee meeting this morning by revisiting last week's decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which approved levee remediation plans regarding construction of the Margaret Hunt Hill B ... More >>

Several Council Members Say That, You Know, a Teensy-Tiny Tax Hike Ain't a Bad Idea

​Speaking of the council and the budget and fees versus taxes ...As we mentioned yesterday, Tennell Atkins's budget amendment called for a 1-cent property tax increase -- which I didn't think would get terribly far, given council members, the mayor and the city manager's oft-repeated vows not to r ... More >>

Turns Out Jury in City Hall Corruption Trial Isn't the Only Ones Learning About CHDOs

It's good to know CHDOs are doing some good 'cause the City Hall corruption trial is teaching us that they're naughty.Among the dozens of acronyms we've grown accustomed to hearing throughout the City Hall corruption trial is CHDO -- Community Housing Development Organization -- which is why yester ... More >>

Finance Reports Confirm What You Already Knew: Harlan Crow and Ray Hunt Are Loaded

Sam MertenWhat recession? As Harlan Crow told us right after the losing the election and more than $5 million: "I'll get over it before I get home."The spending gap between the two convention center hotel campaigns predictably didn't mimic the narrow margin at the polls, as Harlan Crow's $5.2 milli ... More >>

S'ump, Y'all?

Click to expand the image from the council's 2008 briefing concerning the Able Pump StationSeveral Friends of Unfair Park have asked where the city's getting the $29 million needed to cover the costs of further Trinity River floodway study, which, as we noted last week, pushes back the construction ... More >>

South Side Story

Tiffinni Young Sets Record Straight on Ties to Caraway, Endorses LeVar Thomas

Three weeks ago, we briefly mentioned Tiffinni Young's name in a story about Mayor Tom's potential bid to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison if she decides to run for governor. If Leppert leaves office early, the mayor pro tem would take his place, with either Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway or Voncie ... More >>

Smoke! Smoke! Smoke That Cigarette! Because, Come April, Well ...

Sam Merten Chief Ozumba Lnuk-X addresses the council today in opposition to the smoking ordinance. Hey, Adam Woods -- his real moniker -- totally stole our name! After more than three hours of tedious discussion and debate, the council voted today 10-5 to prohibit smoking in bars, pool halls and w ... More >>

Is there Natural Gas Beneath Dallas County?

Drillers—and cities—are betting Barnett Shale riches are headed Dallas' way.

Caraway Gets a Little Carried Away Recalling His Role in Chavez Dispute

As Far As Some on the Council Are Concerned, We've Already Voted For the Convention Center Hotel

Ross for Mess: How We Got Into This Renaming Thing in the First Place

Ross for Less

Oh, God, Make It Stop; And Other More Important Notes From Street Level

Everyone Knows That Hotel's a "Risk." Which Ain't Stopping Anyone.

Tom Leppert: Predictable and Classy

The Unholy Trinity: Kirk, Miller and Leppert

The Colonel Gets Fried

It took time and 90,000 signatures, but Dallas finally joins the 21st century

No Homes for the Homeless, Again

Dean Writes Own Deal, Deal?

Rasansky Wants a Do-Over

At the Crossroads

Let the Chips Fall

Texas' Kickapoo Indians once lived in squalor under a bridge and worked as migrant laborers. Now things are looking up, thanks to a new Native American tradition: casino gambling.

Buzz

Welcome to our world; Service with a smile; Working for a living

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.

Cursed are the peacemakers

Councilwoman Laura Miller steps right into the line of fire--and ends up wounded--in a neighborhood war over a parking lot

Events for the week