Tennell Atkins

Dallas City Hall Explains How the New Trinity Forest Golf Course Will Save the World

The Great Trinity Forest, as Mayor Rawlings is fond of reminding people, is an underutilized jewel, a huge, relatively untrammeled swath of nature cutting through the city's southern half. As the country's largest urban hardwood forest in the country, it's already world-class, to borrow a phrase. Ye ... More >>

As Dallas Considers Fracking in Parkland and Floodplains, the Usual Suspects Speak Out

It was Dallas city council member Tennell Atkins who, during yesterday's discussion of the city's still-far-off gas-drilling regulations, posed the million-dollar question. "Do you think that it's safe to drill in the city of Dallas?" he asked task force chair Lois Finkelman. Finkelman was noncommi ... More >>

How Much "Public Financial Contribution" Sylvan Thirty Needs to Be "Feasible"

​The council's Economic Development Committee's being briefed this morning on two projects familiar to the Friends of Unfair Park -- Wynne/Jackson's redo of the old Dallas High School downtown, which we'll get to shortly, and Sylvan Thirty, which is first up.The reason the latter's on the agenda, ... More >>

Ending "Political Catfight," Council Votes to Help Uplift Sell Cheaper Bonds For Expansion

​The Dallas City Council council didn't waste much time getting 'round to the most eagerly awaited showdown of the day: Item No. 53 on its agenda, which creates that nonprofit that would allow Uplift Education to some $85 million in low-interest-rate bonds. As city Chief Financial Officer Jeanne C ... More >>

Vonciel Jones Hill Asks Fellow Council Members to "Catch the Vision" of Texas Horse Park

​In the end, the council's Economic Development Committee didn't want to talk about economic impact studies or debate the risk of sinking $12 million into a project where its partner fell millions short when it came to raising matching funds. In the end, most of its members wanted to make it clear ... More >>

What's the Hurry? Why Does Council Have to Vote on Helping Uplift Sell Bonds This Week?

​You know the cell phones must have been burning all weekend when the first city council committee briefing of the week at City Hall on Monday morning starts off with a rebuttal. Wait, rebuttal already? While those of us out here in the peanut gallery are still wiping the weekend from our eyes, co ... More >>

On Site of Old Herrera's on Maple, the New Home of Omni Hotels' Parent Company

That big muddy patch seen outside the bossman's window will be TRT Holdings' HQ at some point.​Someone asked yesterday if and when Omni's going to move its HQ to the city of Dallas. Well ... if you'll look at the council's agenda for today, it's right there: items No. 54 and 55. The first one's fo ... More >>

Suhm: Bond Package Is "Absolutely Critical Stuff." Some on Council Have Their Own Ideas.

​City Manager Mary Suhm reminded the council, again and again, by way of introduction: Today's presentation on the 2012 bond program is very, very, very, very preliminary. There will be many more meetings, including February confabs in every district. The numbers are rough, very rough -- guesstima ... More >>

"Trees Do Not Vote" and Other Highlights From Contentious Council Talk About a Walmart

​Speaking of Dwaine Caraway ...The city council just voted on that Walmart Supercenter proposed for Ledbetter and R.L. Thornton, and though it ultimately passed unanimously it was no simple thing -- far from. It was quite the discussion -- heated at times, thoughtful at others. On the surface it w ... More >>

City Council Will Not Trim Public Speakers' Time at the Mic From Three Minutes to One

Acting City Secretary Rosa Rios​Yesterday we noted that the city council would be briefed today on two minor changes to rules governing public speakers, chief among them a proposal from Acting City Secretary Rosa Rios's office that trims speakers' three minutes at the mic to a mere 60 seconds if t ... More >>

See, Changing a Street Name in Dallas Doesn't Always Have to Be a Contentious Process

The Lord's Missionary Baptist Church​Back in January, an online petition appeared asking that Bexar Street in South Dallas be renamed to Rev. Carlton Garrett Street in honor of the founding pastor of The Lord's Missionary Baptist Church. Six people signed it. But on August 19, council members Dwai ... More >>

Jerry Allen: City Hall Needs "A Clear Ethical Standard" to Remove Stench from Marilla

Randy Skinner​OK, so maybe stench is too strong a word. (Schutze is shaking his head no.) This is actually what council member Jerry Allen said when kicking off today's meeting of the council's Budget, Finance and Audit Committee: There's an "image problem" at City Hall, which has been "tainted by ... More >>

Race to the Finish: After Ugly Redistricting Meeting, Council (Barely) Settles on Map

​Yesterday afternoon, around 5:30, as a tiny audience sat in the city council chambers, former Mayor Dwaine Caraway came by and declared to Unfair Park, "I think we got something." That's right. A final redistricting map. Finally.Caraway spoke about three hours too soon, though. Last night at 8:30 ... More >>

"A Moment of Truth for the City": Mayor Demands Council OK Flow Control. It Did.

​Brantley's been at Dallas City Hall for this morning's flow control vote, which began with that promised pre-game protest by the students of Paul Quinn College, who stood throughout the entire discussion that ran close to two hours. (Save for one protester, who fainted during the discussion, prom ... More >>

This Week in Council Memos: The State o' N. Central, Fire Trucks, Flow Control and More!

​Probably should have broken this week's stack into about 12 different items, seeing as how one of the docs is 178 pages (many redundant) just on flow control, which involves forcing all solid-waste collectors in the city to dump everything at the city's McCommas Bluff Landfill or other city trans ... More >>

Council Members Wrestle Over Park Clean-Up, Pothole Fixing and Cleaning Up After TxDOT

Scott Griggs and Jerry Allen at this morning's meeting​A little after 9 this morning, the city council just took up those budget amendments we mentioned Saturday morning. First up was the slam dunk: the en masse suggestion, led by Mayor Mike Rawlings, to eliminate one more city-worker furlough day ... More >>

This Week in Council Memos: Members' Budget Wish Lists, Flow Control and Looking Ahead

​Those in need of a little light reading this Saturday morning will find on the other side the stack of heads-ups sent to the city council last night, the highlight of which will probably the proposed budget amendments offered by council members before Monday morning's briefing and straw vote. And ... More >>

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 >>

After This Morning, the Perot Museum of Nature & Science Is $1 Million Richer

The sixth graders do their thing.​This morning at the Museum of Nature & Science in Fair Park, a group of very small people in oversized white lab coats were intently pulverizing strawberries in plastic bags. "Smash your strawberry into as fine a mess as you can," urged their instructor, a con ... More >>

It's Time For Another Mike Rawlings Ad

Like Sam said: Mike Rawlings has raised more than $1 million in his quest to become the next mayor of Dallas -- or "nearly three times the combined haul of Ron Natinksy and David Kunkle." And he's determined to spend that dough: Moments ago his campaign posted Rawlings's latest ad (the theme: "It's ... More >>

Candidate Mike Rawlings's Latest (and Rather Long) Video, Co-Starring Two Council Members

As Sam pointed out last week, it's clear that mayoral candidate Mike Rawlings is well funded -- so much so he's released what appears to be a web-only mini-doc shot, for the most part, at the Good Street Missionary Baptist Church on Bonnie View. It also features two current council members: Tennell ... More >>

At City Hall, the Slow Demise of the Citizens Council? Probably Not. But We Can Dream.

​There's a lot of shape-shifting going on below the media radar at City Hall, a sense that some kind of realignment is in the works. A lot of it has to do with the fraying and maybe dissolution of the traditional Citizens Council/South Dallas Deal. Mayor Tom Leppert has been the standard-bearer fo ... More >>

With Residential and Retail, Gold Metal Recyclers Promises to One Day Recycle Seven Blocks of South Lamar Street (With Video!)

Images Courtesy VAI Archictects/Gold Metal Recyclers​Previously scheduled plans precluded our attending Neil and Kenny Goldberg's late-called all-star wingding Sunday afternoon, during the so-called "Lamar-B-Q" held in front of the Goldbergs' Gold Metal Recyclers. Nevertheless, we did receive the ... More >>

At the Council's Transportation and Environment Committee Meeting, Where DART and Downtown Plan Are on the Menu

Among the recommendation in the downtown plan to be discussed shortly: Plant "glass box" retail downtown pronto!​It's dudes in suits on parade here at City Hall this afternoon, as the Transportation and Environment Committee Meeting -- which, in due time, will finally get 'round to the Downtown Da ... More >>

This Just In: Eight Council Members Tell Mary Suhm They Want a 4.91-Cent Tax Hike

Do not expect a repeat of this scene any time soon, at least when it comes to the FY2010-11 budget.​Moments ago I received from council member Angela Hunt's office a memo that follows, in which Hunt and seven of her colleagues (Delia Jasso, Vonciel Hill, Steve Salazar, Carolyn Davis, Pauline Medra ... More >>

Camped Out at City Hall for the Latest Briefing on Permanent Supportive Housing

​Now that Steve Salazar's run the City Council's Public Safety Committee out of the briefing room, his Housing Committee is powering through the afternoon in here for a look at the latest on efforts to place homeless folks into permanent supportive housing. With bullet-pointed stats presented in s ... 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 >>

Council Committee Approves New "Prairie Look" For Central Expressway

​Two years after Texas Department of Transportation officials told Dallas that they could no longer afford to cough up the cash needed to maintain the plant life in the medians and window boxes along the stretch of Central Expressway between Woodall Rodgers and LBJ Freeways, the city council's Tra ... More >>

Cesar Chavez Street Signs Debuted Today At City Hall, Along Cesar Chavez Blvd.

Photos by Patrick MichelsMayor Tom Leppert injected some pomp into the street sign changeover, along with city council members Steve Salazar, Delia Jasso and Tennell Atkins.​Two years and a million misfires ago, local Latino groups began a push to rename a street in Dallas in honor of Cesar Chavez ... 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 >>

Outside City Hall, Marching to the Respectful Beat of Dallas's Top Drumlines

Of council members Dwaine Caraway, Jerry Allen or Tennell Atkins, we're not sure who's a bigger fan of the high school drumline, but this morning in the plaza outside City Hall, the three city officials sure looked ready to wrestle for it.Speaking to a few rows of guests and flanked by four high sch ... More >>

The Big Red Glove Offers Updates on Fair Park's "Major Dallas Event" (Or Not) and City Council's Request for a Briefing From Oncor

Harry WilonskyAn advertisement for the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium scheduled for March 13​Still no word on what will "ROCK" Fair Park -- though White Rock Marathon chairman Phil Baker swears his organization isn't up and leaving Victory Park as the starting point and fin ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

See, That Wasn't So Hard: Council Committee Comes Up With Parking Boot Ordinance

​After months of discussion and debate and occasionally contentious meetings with parking lot operators and downtown business owners, the members of the city council's Transportation and Environment Committee appeared today more than ready to bring to a close the saga of the parking boot. And so, ... More >>

Got Something to Say About the City's Budget? Then Let City Council Hear From You.

Mary Suhm and Tom Leppert, from yesterday's Dallas Zoo briefing​By no later than tomorrow, we should get our first look at City Manager Mary Suhm's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year -- specifically, what stays and what goes to clear out the $190 million shortfall. (Suhm had told Unfair Pa ... 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 >>

Jerry Allen and the Former Dallas City Council ... All-Stars? Sure. Go With That.

Bill Blayes, Alan Walne and Donna Halstead -- The Ex-Council Members out of costume!Few days back we peeked at Carolyn Davis and Dwaine Caraway's what-updates as served up on Dallas Delivers, the city's riotous no-holds-barred talk show served up on Time Warner Cable Channel 16. Alas, some of us don ... More >>

Al Lipscomb's grandson LeVar “LD” Thomas seeks council seat

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 >>

Before Council Votes to Ban Smoking, a Lot of Smoke is Blown at City Hall

After nearly three hours of discussion, the city council wrapped up yesterday's briefing on the proposed strengthened smoking ordinance seemingly prepared to vote on the item at next week's agenda meeting. Council members appear poised to approve a ban on smoking in bars, pool halls and within 15 fe ... More >>

Dallas Has a New Friend: South Africa. Also: The Fiscal Year That Was!

A Really Long Post About Last Week’s Council Meeting. Worth Reading, Though. Swear.

Mayor Tom and Friends Really Would Like You Stop Asking About That Hotel

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

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

Tom Leppert: Same As He Ever Was

Tom Leppert: Predictable and Classy

And How About Them Council Races?