One week ago today, Shawn Williams at Dallas South News broke the news that council member Vonciel Jones Hill sent Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway a memo telling him to stay the hell out of her district, which would be District 5. Caraway, chairman of the council's Public Safety Committee and the District 4 rep, and Pastor Frederick Haynes of Friendship-West Baptist Church, are planning a Stop the Violence rally at the beleagured Southern Skates on December 15. To which Hill said, Not in my district you don't. Williams wrote that Hill then followed up with a memo to Mayor Tom Leppert and City Manager Mary Suhm in which she said, "Please do not schedule, or permit to be scheduled, any meetings, of any nature, for any person, or organization, at any City of Dallas facility within Dallas City Council District 5 without my prior knowledge."
Hill is already unhappy with Caraway's effort to save Southern Skates, which the city has long considered selling (it's currently under the auspices of Park and Rec at the cost of around $150,000 annually). But this latest skirmish between the two council members prompted an item from Betty Culbreath on Monday, in which the current Dallas-Fort Worth International airport board member declares 14-1 "a giant failure." An unedited excerpt -- because I think she meant to write "senses," but "seances" works too:
Now, I realize Councilwoman Hill is very angry with Councilman Caraway and maybe she has good reason to be, but what in the world does that have to do with the resident of District 5. I live in District 5, we need all the help we can get. Council woman Hill has got to come back to her seances and put the people first. Councilwoman Hill is a Minister and she cannot allow the devil to overtake her, in the Council position ,the people get hurt,all District 5 hurt.The Chair of Public Safety is the Chair for all of Dallas, if he leaves District 5 out what are we to do? What gives any Council person the right to dictate who rents a public facility? Is this what 14-1 has come to.Councilwoman Hill had some strong community Leaders supporting her, I am calling on Rev.Zan Holmes to please speak with her,Demetris Sampson please speak with her you also live in District 5. I will pray and ask God to take this type of anger from her heart. I can not say who is right or wrong, what I can say is we only have 4 black people on the Council if two of them are fighting each other it leaves two to take care of business.As other Council member see this they know if the Southern sector Rep. are not on the same page nothing gets done.
