We Know Nuuuthink….

Although the mayor’s race is apparently a dead heat, in a few days after next Saturday’s election, commentators will trot out authoritative explanations on why the winning candidate prevailed, as if they knew what would happen all along. It’s an age-old convention of political journalism. In the wake of a…

Trammell’s Little Girl Goes Both Ways

So, I just read this over at Dallas Blog: …A small group of influential women who work across the political spectrum raised money for Ed Oakley at a coffee Tuesday at the home of Lucy Billingsley, where Oakley said his polls show him two points ahead… And then I read…

Dallas, Together We Can Be Grande

Tom Leppert’s got a new spot appearing on yer local affiliates — and on his Web site too — and it turns out his vision for Dallas includes…a Starbucks on every corner. That is so The Onion, circa 1998. My vision for Dallas? It’s a Dallas that’s the safest city…

Gosh, Can’t They Both Be Mayor?

Um, is the answer “no,” or is this a trick question? Some random mayoral musings this a.m… In the Houston Chronicle this morning, our old pal and colleague Tom Korosec blames all those “Ed Oakley is gay” articles on TIme magazine. He also discovers that Texas Eagle Forum’s Cathie Adams…

And the Campaign Just Got Uglier…

OK, so you don’t believe Don Hill when he says he didn’t ask Tom Leppert for dough in exchange for his endorsement. But do you believe Leppert, when he says he has nothing to do with those hateful calls being placed by the the ultra-conservative Heritage Alliance Political Action Committee?…

Don Hill Responds

There appeared in the Dallas Voice yesterday a story in which attorney John Barr — who was, till recently, Don Hill’s campaign treasurer — backs up Ed Oakley’s claims that Hill offered his endorsement to Oakley in exchange for his hiring Hill’s campaign staff. Two of Hill’s chief campaign staffers…

It Must Be the Money?

Yesterday evening, we heard from Ken Carter, one of Don Hill’s closest campaign advisors back when 43 people were running for mayor. Carter denied Ed Oakley’s allegations — which he made again to our own Matt Pulle last night — that Hill’s people went to Oakley and Tom Leppert to…

Do We Still Have to Vote Next Week?

Well, he did it again. Last night at a mayoral forum at Paul Quinn College, Ed Oakley boasted that his campaign has such a broad range of support that both the NAACP and Harlan Crow have endorsed him. And this time, Oakley was half right. Setting up the most awkward…

Show Us the Money!

So, if you don’t endorse Ed Oakley, you’re taking money from Tom Leppert. At least, that’s the impression you get from reading the daily and its Bold Types blog today. Says it right here: Mr. Oakley also said members of Mr. Hill’s former mayoral campaign approached him last month and…

Leppert’s Running Up That Hill

If Don Hill can’t be No. 1, he figures it’s time for Tom Leppert to take the title. Ed Oakley, of course, feels betrayed. Don Hill called Ed Oakley minutes before his 2 p.m. press conference to give him the devastating news: Oakley’s longtime political ally and the mayor pro…

And Don Hill Endorses…?

Surprise, surprise, surprise: Don Hill is moments away from holding a press conference at City Hall, where he is about to endorse…wait for it…wait for it… Tom Leppert? Yup. More TK from Matt Pulle, who’s on his way this very second to the 2 p.m. eff-you to Hill’s former city…

The Two-Fer Tuesday

Several Friends of Unfair Park have e-mailed me wondering why we haven’t posted Ed Oakley’s Tom-Tom-pounding ad; a few seem to think we’re Leppert lovers, whatever. Only one’s wondered where Leppert’s repsonse is. Me, I just miss Sam Coats’ ads; at least they were clever and folksy, as opposed to…

Jon Stewart Buzzed on Ron Paul

Who knew so many of our Friends were fans of the Ron Paul? (And by so many, I mean 11. Ish.) Well, you know who else loves the sole Texan running for president? Yup — Jon Stewart, who last night had the Gulf Coast Congressman on The Daily Show and…

Tom Leppert’s New Ad: “We Deserve Better.” No Kiddin’.

Over at Tom Leppert’s Web site, the mayoral wannabe has just posted a response to Ed Oakley’s “Truth”-telling ad — ya know, the one that makes Leppert look like a jaundiced spastic. Leppert doesn’t really attack the attack. Instead, he just says things like, “Negative attack ads won’t fight crime,…

Tracy Rowlett for Mayor

If you missed last night’s debate twixt Tom Leppert and Ed Oakley — and you did — you can watch it again its entirety right here, courtesy KTVT-Channel 11. Or you can watch it in segments, as Channel 11 has kindly broken it down into DVD-ready scene selections that have…

Mr. Nixon, Please Hold for Mr. Dubya

Perhaps you missed this in today’s Dallas Morning News; among those who did not were Think Progress and Salon’s “War Room” reporter Tim Grieve. And by this, I mean a syndicated column from Universal Press Syndicate’s 40-year veteran Georgie Anne Geyer, who writes about a visit President Bush recently received…

The Truth About “The Truth About Tom”

Ed Oakley’s launched a new Web site aiming to take down Tom Leppert. Hoping to make someone, anyone pay attention to the mayoral runoff, Ed Oakley has launched The Truth About Tom, a dumb and clumsy Web site largely dedicated to exposing Tom Leppert’s record as CEO of Turner Construction…

Oh, Yeah, We Still Need a New Mayor

A Friend of Unfair Park sends his take on this morning’s Ed Oakley-Tom Leppert forum at the North Dallas Chamber. Highlights are after the jump — and, no, we don’t have any idea who our Friend is voting for. But we can guess… Nonetheless, says our Friend, ” Both were…

Ron Paul: The Spoiler?

Ron Paul fascinates us. No idea why, unless it’s just that his brand of crazy sounds relatively sane. That, or we’re just amused by guys with two first names. Last year, I wrote a cover story about Bruce Bartlett’s being fired from the North Dallas-based right-wing think tank National Center…

Leppert and Oakley: Let’s Get It On

Tom Leppert and Ed Oakley, meet your worst nightmare: Tracy Rowlett. OK, I dunno about all that, but the KTVT-Channel 11 anchor-on-his-way-out will, a week from tonight, moderate a half-hour debate (really, that’s all — the length of an episode of According to Jim?) twixt the two mayoral candidates. It’ll…

Dallas-Area Man Loves Him Some Al Gore

Al Gore was out in Marin County, California, yesterday signing copies of his new book, The Assault on Reason and 1,001 Other Summertime Smoothie Recipes, and, of course, he was greeted by some 2,000 peeps all begging him to run, Al, run. Among the throngs, reports the Marin Independent Journal,…