One month ago, Jim broke down exactly how Kathy Nealy spent the $270,000 paid her by Mike Rawlings’s campaign: $50,000 to phone-bank workers, $15,000 on “religious outreach,” $65,000 on the so-called “walk program” and so on. A few days later it was revealed that Rawlings, whose campaign offices were visited…
Early last month, Leslie dropped by the Landmark Commission’s Fair Park Task Force meeting during which Friends of Fair Park President Craig Holcomb introduced us to the cell-phone tour signs that’ll be planted around Fair Park — 60 of ’em, looks like. That’s from the Landmark Commission’s agenda for today’s…
Back in April Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm warned the city council that the state’s $27 billion budget shortfall would end up having significant impact on the city’s coffers. On Wednesday, Assistant City Attorney Larry Casto, the city’s Director of Legislative Affairs, will outline to the council exactly how it…
Still having a hard time figuring how Mayor Mike or his staff could schedule a dinner with the council tomorrow night — the same night as one of only two gas drilling task force public hearings. A couple of council reps think it’s important enough to mention to their constituents…
The city council returns to the city’s business on Wednesday … or is that Tuesday? But till mid-September, at the earliest, committee meetings are canceled: Mayor Mike’s asked the chairs to scratch meetings till at least mid-September, when he’ll reshuffle the deck chairs — and we’ll find out whether he’s…
For folks with a direct line to God, the prayer warriors behind Rick Perry’s rapidly approaching Houston prayer rally are some shitty communicators. Calls and emails to the event’s leadership team go unanswered, messages go unreturned. If you do get someone on the phone, they can’t get you off fast…
We told you it was getting weird in there: At last night’s meeting of the city’s Redistricting Commission, the most important person in the room wasn’t even in the room. That would be Sandra Crenshaw, cactus juice addict, Schutze co-star and, increasingly, the commission’s biggest headache.Crenshaw was scheduled to appear…
Hey, that’s not me bestowing that particular appellation upon Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Eddie Burns — that’s from last year’s round-up of America’s Worst Bosses, where Burns ranked No. 1. You probably know why — all those sexual harassment and discrimination suits piled up at Burns’s feet, which have cost the…
Back in mid-June we attempted to make an offer on a Bell 407 helicopter, which was being auctioned off by the city. But the bids piled up, and after 60 the $985,000 starting price climbed to $1,467,500, which was $1,467,500 out of our price range. And, besides, the Dallas Police…
A Friend of Unfair Park who lives near the Majestic Theater (lucky!) wonders what’s going on inside the historic venue, which, earlier this year, had its roof replaced and new air-conditioning unit installed (lucky!) courtesy some ’06 bond money set aside for much-needed improvements. So happens that today the city’s…
It must be Christmas in July or Unfair Park’s birthday or something, because there are two Redistricting Commission meetings this week. The second one is tonight, and the main event will probably be Sandra Crenshaw’s presentation of her two proposed maps. We suspect she may follow that up by expanding…
A couple of times, including this morning, we’ve noted that Mayor Mike Rawlings has scheduled a dinner with the entire city council on Tuesday, which has prompted a few Friends of Unfair Park to wonder: Like, isn’t that a violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act? Technically, no. Says the…
We already know who won’t be attending the gas drilling task force’s public hearing on Tuesday night: Mayor Mike and the city council, who at that time will be breaking bread at Rawlings’s request — maybe some dogs and a beer, or perhaps just a slice? Anyway. City Hall says…
A few tree-hugging Friends of Unfair Park sent word earlier today that someone from Park and Rec was out clearcutting trees in the Great Trinity Forest, which seemed a bit … odd. Wrote one, the guy was using a chainsaw in Gateway Park to cut down Red Oaks, Possumhaw Hollies,…
Last we looked, the council tabled till after its summer vacation a proposal from Marys Suhm and Nix to force all the solid-waste haulers in the city to dump their trash at the McCommas Bluff Landfill rather than one of the dozen other sites in the region. The city manager…
OK, no one has actually studied the effects of redistricting on the human body, but after last night it seems safe to say that the longer a redistricting process goes on, the grouchier everybody gets. At the county level, we have Maurine Dickey’s temper tantrum as evidence. And last night’s meeting…
After we broke the story about the Dallas City Attorney’s Office going after The Playground, a Harry Hines swingers club operating with a house-o’-worship certificate of occupancy, Glenn Hudson or someone working for him had some of the club’s websites taken down, among them the one featuring interior photos while…
Mayor Mike Rawlings’s office confirms: From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on August 2 he’s throwing a dinner for the city council — a sort-of get-to-know-me BBQ-flavored wingding in advance of the council getting back to work. Problem is, that conflicts with one of only two public hearings on the gas…
Like I said Friday, when we looked at Dwaine Caraway and Carolyn Davis’s messed-up maps, Anna’s heading to that Redistricting Commission meeting this evening at City Hall — sooooo lucky. (Tell Sandra Crenshaw that Schutze sends his warmest regards.) In advance of that wingding, I went to the commission’s site…
No doubt you remember well the glory days of December 2007, which is when the city of Dallas convened its Green Building Task Force consisting of real estaters (including The Real Estate Council) and city staffers with the intention of rewriting the City Code to pave the way for happier,…
At this late date I won’t detail the case pitting Highland Park developer Hiram Walker Royall against author Carla Main, which we’ve been following for the past three years. Let’s just put it like this: Royall, who was involved in an eminent domain case down in Freeport, became the subject…
In hotels all across the country this morning, folks are rising and shining to that bit of advice courtesy this state of the state, which, like everyone else, is just waiting for Rick Perry to jump into the pool of GOP candidates and begin talking about how The Great State…
