Vandivort, incidentally, is a certified public accountant who chairs the Dallas Central Appraisal District's board of directors. It's a position he's held since 2003--when he was appointed by council member Bill Blaydes, who went to China to push the NAFTA Trade Corridor this summer with Ron Natinsky and Ed Oakley. It was Blaydes who took Miller's questions concerning Dean's price tag quite personally on Wednesday. In his original memo to the mayor and the council in which he nominated Vandivort, Blaydes wrote, "Although I have known Bill for many years, his record speaks for itself." Two years later, in a renomination memo, Blaydes added that "Bill...brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will prove beneficial to the board's existence."
Just after she got the records request, Mayor Miller told Unfair Park, "I think that the lobbyist and the council member he travels with most are responding to the questions about his contract and how he spends money by trying to criticize the people asking the questions, including me. Now he wants to see everything I've been doing. Well, I can tell you one thing I haven't been doing: drinking Jack Daniels all over the country, unlike his employees. At least one likes it a lot, according to the receipts they've given the city to pay. It's unbelievable. I thought this guy [Vandivort] was supposed to spend his time getting the appraisals down on our citizens' homes, not investigating the mayor."
In short, Dean filed the request because, apparently, he doesn't get enough from the city. --Robert Wilonsky
October 12, 2006
RE: Dallas Council meeting of October 11, 2006 — Agenda Item; Dean International, Inc. contract Dallas Mayor Laura Miller Dallas City Hall Office of the Mayor 1500 Marilla Dallas, TX 75201
Dear Dallas Mayor Laura Miller,
SUBJECT: OPEN RECORDS REQUEST
This Open Records Request concerns allegations made by Mayor Laura Miller during the public meeting of the Dallas City Council on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 and broadcast on radio station WRR.
Mayor Miller alleged the following:
� Collusion between elected City Officials, City staff, David Dean personally and Dean International, Inc. � The City Manager and staff failed to follow internal controls for the review and approval of Dean International Inc. expense reimbursement requests. � That Dean International Inc. failed to file timely expense reimbursement requests. � That "What ever David Dean dreams, he spends" � That "There's no accountability with this situation." � That Dallas could be creating financial problems similar to the credit card issues at DISD.
Documents requested for review:
� All memorandum, notes, emails or other form of written communications from the Mayor or Office of the Mayor concerning her allegations to any current Dallas Council member, any prior Dallas Council member that was on the Dallas Council from May 2003 to the end of their term, the Dallas City Manager, the City Auditor, and the City Attorney. � All personal notes keep by the Mayor or the Mayor's staff concerning the allegations including notes made during conversations with any current Council member � The Mayor calendar from May 2003 to the present � All telephone logs maintained by the Mayor or the Mayor's staff from May 2003 to the present � All documentation maintained or under the control of the Mayor, the Office of the Mayor and the Mayor's staff concerning the allegations.
Respectfully,
W. B. (Bill) Vandivort II
Enclosure (1) cc: Councilman Bill Blaydes Manager Mary Suhm Mr. David Dean Mr. Dave Levinthal, The Dallas Morning News
