After approving in February 2008 the expenditure of $170,000 for a feasibility study to refinance the $260 million debt on the Dallas Convention Center, the city in October announced it would use $40 million of the refinancing to expand, upgrade and renovate the convention center. Additionally, the debt savings would…
Time magazine wonders this morning: “What’s All That Secession Ruckus in Texas?” Um, Governor Rick Perry, maybe? And, natch, his very vocal support for House Concurrent Resolution No. 50, which, as we pointed out in February, states that the “81st Legislature of the State of Texas hereby claim[s] sovereignty under…
A supporter of Casey Thomas filed an ethics complaint Monday against Dave Neumann, who’s being challenged by Thomas for his District 3 city council seat, claiming he violated the Dallas City Code. Brian Wesley alleges Neumann accepted $27,925 in contributions that exceed the allowable $1,000 donation per individual in each…
A crowd of approximately 75 Vote No’ers gathered in front of City Hall this afternoon in support of Mayor Tom Leppert and the convention center hotel; among them were Dr. Frederick Haynes of Friendship-West Baptist Church, former council member Ed Oakley, county commissioner John Wiley Price and Deputy Mayor Pro…
In front of Dallas City Hall, radio host and Dallas Tea Party co-planner Mark Davis poured the first cup of tea with a joke: “Those who oppose big government actually have jobs.” To which the crowd of guestimated thousands responded with chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.” The scene at the…
Driving down Eldorado Parkway in McKinney last night I happened upon a slew of sign-holding, flag-waving folks staging themselves a protest thinly disguised as a “tea party.” Embarrassingly lame. “Bailouts Steal Our Children!” read one sign. “You Can’t Multiply Wealth By Dividing It!” screamed another. And my personal fave: “Obama…
Till then, though, today we get this ad from the Citizens Against the Taxpayer-Owned Hotel — the group’s fourth, for those keeping score at home. But if it looks familiar, well, it is. Because, see, first there was this CATOH ad that debuted a month ago starring some dude in…
As we mentioned last week, the Tea Parties are here, the Tea Parties are here! So those not prepared to protest with the likes of Mark Davis, “Dave-from-London” and “Lance Hurley as Patrick Henry” at the Dallas tea’d-off affair had best steer clear of City Hall starting at 4:30 p.m…
Tennell Atkins and LeVar Thomas debated for an hour last night at Paul Quinn College in South Dallas, as the two candidates in the District 8 city council race offered opposing views regarding the inland port, the convention center hotel and giving more power to Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle…
We reported March 30 that two South Dallas churches were potentially jeopardizing their tax-exempt status by allowing Mayor Tom Leppert to advocate positions regarding the two upcoming propositions on the May 9 ballot. Although an update in the story included quotes from a customer service representative with the Internal Revenue…
After taking care of some bidness near DPD headquarters last week, I popped in on my favorite pro-hotel’er, Jack Matthews, whose office is across the street. Matthews, who is developing the convention center hotel for the city, assured me construction has not begun on the project even though work is…
This just in from The New York Times: George W. Bush is throwing a reunion in Dallas next week … and you’re not invited. Alas, this is what the guest list looks like as the former president gets the gang back together for a dinner at the house on Monday…
While it’s admittedly wonkish, we elaborated yesterday on an important issue in the convention center hotel debate raised by Mayor Tom Leppert and the Vote No! crowd: The charter amendment written by attorneys from the anti-hotel group could jeopardize the use of economic development tools on other hotel projects. Sure,…
Speaking of Proposition 2, as we were this morning, and Proposition 1, as we were yesterday, on Thursday the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum at Jack’s Backyard, where both props were on the table. And it was an all-star cast: Harlan Crow’s second-in-command Anne Raymond and Phillip…
If nothing else, State Rep. Betty Brown has kept the Internets busy. Hours after the Terrell Republican suggested that it might “behoove” Asians “to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here,” the Asian American Democrats of Texas popped up a petition demanding a public apology, as…
Mayor Tom Leppert made two stops on his tireless convention center hotel campaign tour Tuesday as he dropped by for “coffee and conversation” with the Dallas County Council of Republican Women shortly before squaring off with anti-hotel group leader Anne Raymond at the Westin Galleria. Leppert addressed the recent TV…
The Houston Chronicle has the story: Republican State Rep. Betty Brown, who reps Henderson and Kaufman counties, on Tuesday suggested during a House Elections Committee wingding that Asians might oughta “adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here.” And KXAN-Channel 36 down in Austin has the video…
Last night’s Passover seder no doubt kept some of you from attending the Dallas Tea Party planning session in advance of next Wednesday’s rally in front of Dallas City Hall, scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. — and, do note, the time’s been changed as the group says it’s “been…
I’ll leave it to Dr. Merten to comment on the content of Vote No!’s brand spankin’ new ad, which the pro-hotel campaign just posted to the series of tubes interconnected to each other, and instead just let you watch as God and Tom Leppert intended. Because it’s mighty meta and…
A Friend of Unfair Park’s got big plans for April 11: taking part in the “A New Way Forward” break-up-the-banks nationwide protest. The Dallas shindig’s scheduled to take place in front of the AIG building on Walnut Hill Lane off North Central Expressway. Thus far, 90 folks have RSVP’d for…
For those willing to fight through the poor video quality, I condensed my footage from yesterday’s city council meeting, where Angela Hunt and Mayor Tom Leppert had different ideas about how the report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers affects the city’s plans to jam a toll road in…
The ad above began airing on local television stations this morning and represents the third installment from the anti-hotel group in what has become an extremely pricey effort funded largely by Harlan Crow to thwart the city’s plans to build a publicly owned convention center hotel. It features the recent…
