1/17/08 -- Will a cut & pasted counterfeit letter bring down our house of cards?

A girl can't leave the country for a few days without the whole town going completely bonkers.  I tried to keep up a bit by reading the Dallas Managed News on line, but the cruise ship's internet was very slow in the Carribean.  Must have been the warm weather and sunshine.  Of course, the thousands of DMN pop ups could have been part of the problem.  Thank goodness for DallasObserver.com and DallasBlog.com.   (Notice how I subtly slipped in "cruise ship" and "warm weather and sunshine".)

We drove back as fast as possible from Galveston to watch the Cowboys last Sunday.  You know how that went.  While we were gone and couldn't watch a game, the Mavericks won all three games.  The first game we get to see on Monday night -- they lost. 

As disappointing as were those two losses, the stuff going on at DART, the DA's office and related matters inside and outside City Hall puts the losses in perspective.  Football and Basketball are games - games of chance, opportunity and skill.  Government should be about integrity, fiduciary responsibility and all that other stuff of myths.

Is DART trying to make sure the DISD scandals are pushed off the front page?

It was really shocking to read about Lynn Flint Shaw's problems in DA gets complaint about Dallas transit official by Jennifer Emily (DallasNews.com, 1/12/08).  May be the craziest mess I have ever heard about in all my years watching the movers and shakers in this town.  Mrs. Shaw is not a close friend, barely an acquaintance, but I hope it's not true. 

Her husband, Rufus Shaw, came to her defense in his column, The Politics of Destruction (DallasBlog.com, 1/13/08).  He really didn't help her cause or answer any questions.  He may have made things worse for her.  He certainly didn't convince Jim Schutze, who throws a big bucket of nasty stuff back at Rufus in his UnFairPark posting  Dallas City Council Grills DART Boss Over That Missing Billion :

There's been a long-standing feud between Rufus Shaw and Commissioner John Price.  I can't find a single comment from him about this kettle of stinky fish.  Rufus unsuccessfully tries to make his wife's problems appear to be the result of a conspiracy of his own political enemies against her for being his wife.  Without naming names, or saying anything specific, Rufus made even more people aware of his wife's problems.  He lumped together all who might have questions about the cut and pasted letter as "haters".   How would his "haters" know about Mrs. Shaw's debt or that missing money order?  Where's the stub for the missing money order?  Which of his "haters" does he think is responsible for this obvious frame up of the lovely Lynn Flint Shaw?  Inquiring minds want to know.

In her usual concise and clever style, political consultant and good citizen, Lorlee Bartos, sums it up best in her response to Rufus' column:

That's what makes the whole brouhaha so confusing, if not embarrassing.  Who was the idiot who copied the bail bondsman's signature on the fake letter?

Speaking of our criminal-loving DA, he has managed to get the Commissioners' Court stirred up against him by demanding back $1 million that his predecessor gave to the Commissioner's Court.  It's not his money.  It's our $1 million.  It's being used in County government -- not for anyone's private use.  And, what's with the DA needing 68 new prosecutors?  Is that so all the criminals will have their own personal lawyer to protect them from justice for their victims?

Maybe if Watkins had not forced out everyone with any experience, he would not need so many baby lawyers with no experience.  Oh, I forgot -- there were too many many pigmentally-challenged Asst. DA's on staff and Watkins wanted more diversity. 

$1 million between the County Commissioners' Court and the County DA seems pretty paltry when you realize DART is about $1 billion short of its needed funding.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Shaw is currently chairing the DART Board, so she has a lot of unpleasant stuff on her plate just now.  It's hard to imagine the DART Board letting her continue as Board President with all of her problems.

As I've complained for years, a huge hunk of the $1 billion shortfall is tied up in all the "art" that the elite require DART to provide at every station.  People like Lordi Palmer and her ilk forced through rules that any public construction must have include a percentage of its budget as art.  I can't remember the exact percentage, but it's a substantial amount.  Even the poor dogs at the pound are victimized by this rule.  Rather than putting the money into more space or equipment, the elite require "X" amount of make work for unemployed artists.

Back when Sandy Greyson was on the council, she raised a ruckus about the half million being spent to put "art work" in the tunnel between the garage and terminal at Love Field.  She thought the money would be better spent on connecting DART light rail to the terminal.  Princess Velvetta Lill was appalled that someone would challenge the necessity of an art experience for harried travelers trying to get from a parking garage to the terminal to catch their plane.  Don't know about you, but I always save time in my travel plans to stop and look at crappy public art when I'm hauling luggage and dodging other travelers.

I don't have the resources or time to find out exactly how much has been spent by DART on art work incorporated into the designs of their light rail stations.  It has to be upwards of $20-30 million.  The elite do not expect unemployed artists to work cheap on public projects.

I was one of several community people who helped determine the appearance of the Walnut Hill @ Denton Drive station that's coming for December, 2010.  It will be beautiful, but vandals and taggers will have their way in short time.  What would be wrong with a nice, uniform station without adornment?  The shells used by bus riders are not covered in art, other than graffiti that seems to be artistic expressions of the criminal element among us. 

This will be heresy to those who think we must continue to divert the lion's share of our tax revenue to Downtown, but getting rail out to Irving and Rowlett and Pleasant Grove should take precedence over a Downtown tunnel.  The fewer cars coming back into Dallas, the better.  People ride light rail - people who will not get on a bus.  Irving and Rowlett have been paying into DART and getting precious little back for their contribution, while DART has been spending millions providing make work for unemployed artists.

I know we have a city ordinance requiring the make work for unemployed artists, but change the stupid law!  We can't afford to humor the artistic needs of Princess Velveeta and her ilk.

Why not let the elite and wealthy buy a station?  You pay for the artwork, from design to completion and you can permanently name the station.  Like a sports facility.  Of course, you will need to establish a trust to provide for maintenance and repair because the criminal element among us will play havoc with your artistic sensibilities.  Remember, there's $$ to be made from breaking and stealing metal off public and private structures.  If something can be put on (like rails and fencing), the criminal element can get it off and sell it for pennies of the thousands it originally cost to manufacture and install.

Still, I am loving watching the construction of the Green line along Denton Drive.  I use that road daily coming home from work.  The progress DART is making is phenomenal.  You can feel the energy and see the private sector getting ready for the line to open.  There are several new centers for retail/wholesale warehouse sales between Harry Hines and Denton Drive.  The Asian Chamber is already making plans for shuttles to move shoppers from the light rail stations at Northwest Highway, Walnut Hill and Royal Lane to the thousands of shops and stores along Harry Hines. 

See, I can be positive - but we were talking about the New Year's chaos.

Some are blaming Lynn Flint Shaw's problems on Joyce Foreman or her supporters.  I doubt Joyce had anything to do with this disaster; although she's probably got a fixed grin on her face because she feels the council treated her badly when she was not reappointed to the DART Board.  At the time, I said all board and commission appointments are political honors and not entitlements.  Still, there's such a learning curve for board members.  It's hard on staff to work with new board members who don't really understand the scope of their authority.  The reverse side to the coin is that long-time board members can get too cozy with staff and begin to rubber stamp staff recommendations without ever questioning.  Worse, board members can ignore obvious problems to protect incompetent staff members who have become their personal friends.

All too often, board members start loving the power and attention they get. 

During the last redistricting fight, Neil Emmons pulled one of the lowest stunts possible as the President of the Oak Lawn Committee to endear himself to Princess Velveeta Lill.  The drama queen wanted to keep the artsy-fartsy rich folks on Turtle Creek in her District 14, but most community leaders in Oak Lawn wanted to be separated from East Dallas.  District 2 and 14 should be split at Central, with one covering Oak Lawn and the other covering East Dallas.  By outright lying at an OLC meeting, then President Neil Emmons was able to thwart a resolution that passed easily requesting an Oak Lawn only district.  The resolution would have embarrassed Princess Velveeta.  She repaid Neil Emmons for his underhandedness by appointing him to the Plan Commission.

Neil Emmons has been horrible on the Plan Commission.  He lies to people, like the Woodard family (Woodard Paint & Body).  He bullies people (like the Rodriguez family with holdings on McKennon near the Azure).  He insults people speaking before the Plan Commission if they are not on his team.  For some reason, Councilwoman Angela Hunt keeps him on, despite the hundreds of complaints about his shenanigans.  People talk about how much time he spends on P&Z matters.  Of course, he does -- he doesn't have anything else to do -- like a job.  It's the only place where anyone takes him seriously -- at least it's the only place where he thinks anyone takes him seriously.

Speaking of Councilwoman Hunt, her plan for a trolley service Downtown would have worked several years ago.  It might even work now, but not at the expense of the rest of the city. 

When I lived in Oak Lawn and worked Downtown, I was very passionate about its restoration.  There had not been that many years since it went from a prosperous retail/office area to a street bum haven.  (Thanks to First Presbyterian's misplaced benevolence.)  As a Plan Commissioner, I was totally committed to every new scheme to turn around Downtown.  We are talking about millions and millions in tax abatements and public improvements.  Since the city owns a large percentage of all land Downtown (including streets), you and I got taxed just like the private property owners of the big fancy - empty buildings.

Things are some better -- but not considering the millions in tax dollars, if not billions, spent Downtown in the last 15 years to the detriment of other areas of Dallas that go begging for needed attention.  We are building at least 3 multi-million dollar parks Downtown, for a comparitively small number of people.  It's going to be great for the street bums to have new fancy parks, but Northwest Dallas taxpayers have to use nasty, portable toilets at Bachman Lake because no Park Department employees will clean the permanent restrooms.  Who can blame them?

But -- who's going to clean the restrooms at the Downtown parks?  The parks may be intended for the beautiful people, but street bums will use them, too.  Without public toilets, the bums will poop in the bushes.  If there are public toilets, someone has to clean them and it won't be the beautiful people or the street bums.

As I said, Councilwoman Hunt's trolleys would have worked several years ago, just like the Hop-A-Bus.

Enough of our precious public $$ have been diverted to Downtown.  The Harry Hines retail area between Northwest Highway and Forest Lane needs a trolley service, too.  The area generates a huge amount of sales tax to our city budget.  I mean a HUGE amount.  Councilman Steve Salazar gets all animated when he talks about it.  Those businessmen and women in the area do not ask for tax abatements or tax incentives.  They just get out there, work hard and get it done.  Several years ago, I talked about the success of Sam Moon.  On any given day (except Sunday), his center at LBJ and Harry Hines is bustling.  It's a tourist magnet.  No tax abatements, no incentives -- not much assistance from City Hall at all.

Of course, the city will not pay for a trolley service where it's needed to supplement DART light rail on Denton Drive.  The area businesses will have to pay for it themselves -- JUST LIKE THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES SHOULD DO.

Of course, no elected officials will change the stupid laws requiring make work for unemployed artists on all public construction projects.  We could spend that wasted money on constructing rail lines and sell naming rights to fund arts projects.  Too sensible.

Of course, the Dallas City Council will insist DART spend more $$ Downtown rather than keep its promises to Rowlett and Irving or even Dallas citizens in Pleasant Grove.

Those are important matters, but today's real issue is who cut and pasted our criminal-loving DA's signature on a fake letter in an attempt to frame Lynn Flint Shaw and embarrass the Mayor?  When we get to the bottom of that moronic stunt, everything may fall into place -- or fall apart.

Isn't it amazing how petty little stuff can bring down a house of cards?

sb