Dwaine Caraway Calls It "Narrowing." You Might Call It "Chopping."

Businessman, former mayoral candidate and very brief candidate for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board Edward Okpa complained last week that former city council member Al Lipscomb might have scotched his chances for a board seat by bad-mouthing him at last week’s city council meeting. Okpa said Lipscomb, who was...

By Robert Wilonsky

June 2, 2008

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Businessman, former mayoral candidate and very brief candidate for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board Edward Okpa complained last week that former city council member Al Lipscomb might have scotched his chances for a board seat by bad-mouthing him at last week’s city council meeting. Okpa said Lipscomb, who was in the audience, “made a comment that he has a problem with me being a 'NIGERIAN.'”

I only mention this because I posted Okpa’s complaint here last week, and it elicited an outpouring of comments from people who admire Okpa and were mad at Lipscomb for messing up his chances. The truth? Lipscomb’s comments notwithstanding, Okpa never had a chance.

Councilman and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, who had nominated Okpa for the DART seat, slit his throat. The day before last week’s city council meeting Caraway sent a memo to the city secretary withdrawing Okpa’s name. Wanna see it? OK, then.

After nominating Okpa, Caraway had nominated a second man -- one Dr. Claude R. Wiliams, a political neophyte who appears to be intensely uncomfortable in large groups of people. Maybe even small groups.

I asked Caraway Friday why he had chopped Okpa the previous Tuesday. He said, “I had to narrow it down.”

And he did just that. --Jim Schutze

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