4/17/07		A Trinity Analogy
David Tuthill

The other night, I went out to dinner at the “City of Dallas Café” Downtown.  After looking at the menu, I decided to try the “Trinity River Special”, billed as a nice steak with lobster tail and potatoes and vegetable.  

The price was rather steep, but I thought I deserved the best.  After reading the description, my mouth was watering with anticipation.  I could not resist it!  After what seemed a very long period of time, my entrée was brought to me.  When the  waiter uncovered it, what I was served looked like day old meat loaf with fish sticks and some sort of slimy vegetable surprise.  

When I told the waiter it was not what I ordered and I wanted the “Trinity River Special” that the menu advertised (and the picture it painted), he told me it was the “Trinity River Special”.  By the way, it cost more than was listed on the menu – a whole lot more.

When I continued to complain, 12 of the server/waiter persons and the owner Chef Miller told me it was what I ordered.  That it was better for me health wise.  And, I should be happy with it and not complain.  They pointed to the menu and said the described steak accurately depicted the meat loaf on the plate and the fish sticks really were the described lobster.  They insisted I pay for the meal, even though it was blatantly not what I ordered and more expensive.  They all agreed about my dinner, except for one sever who sided with my assertion that the “Trinity River Special” was not accurately nor truthfully described to their dining patrons by the menu.

I disagreed with the chef and servers.  That is one reason why I will never go back there again.

I am reminded of a national politician stating:

“you answer the question that you wish you had been asked instead of the actual question that was put before you”.

The Dallas City Council’s response to the request of concerned citizens to allow a reaffirmation of the Trinity River Parks AND the addition of a proposed toll road shows a lack of confidence on their part that voters would again support a toll road not present in the original concepts describing the Trinity River Park and resulting bonds that fund it.  Their toll road and its
merits stand on swampy flooded ground.  The 1998 bond election measure narrowly passed.  The interjection of the toll road in the 2003 “Balanced Vision Plan” post dates the original 1998 proposition.  It was not voter approved but approved only by the city council.

What we voted on in 1998 was originally a park proposal not a downtown highway mixmaster fix proposal.

I seem to recall during the city’s grappling with the cost overrun of 3 “must have” designer suspension bridges that funds planned for addressing congestion on the mixmaster had been diverted to the bridges.

The mayor and city council are focused on meatloaf and fish sticks they want to serve us instead of the steak and lobster promised on the menu (toll road vs park respectively).  This is one reason why I did not vote last year for any of the bond proposals –- the city's history of an inability to prioritize needs, misrepresenting cost and content of projects, as well as follow through on past projects.

If you go to the “City of Dallas Café”, skip dinner and only order desert.  The city council only focuses on desert, not basic needs, but fluff projects.

We have record high crime here in the city of Dallas over the last several years.  Rather than prioritizing the city’s needs to address this problem and other basic issues, we have gotten over budget suspension bridges and are covering Woodall Rodgers Freeway.

In last year’s bond proposal, the city misled residents’ tax cost at townhall meetings by omitting the factor of rapid increase in residential appraisals on our homes.  A factor local governments use to meet their increased over budget spending.  When I brought the “appraisal/tax creep” factor omission to the attention of one of the city's financial gurus,  he hemmed and hawed about it.  They surely did not want taxpayers to know it would cost them more than advertised.  Only one council member commented on this oversight and was going to advise their district about this factor’s impact on them and their tax bills.

Long-term stakeholders/residents of Dallas will remember the faded vision that was to be the Reunion complex - the hotel, train station and the arena.  It was to be the starting point of a Downtown revitalization and rebirth.  Perhaps its failure was due to not having enough developers' thumbs in the pie for them to profit from it.  Lack of planning and follow through. Well, it was only TAXPAYERS' money that was wasted — nothing that more abatements to developers won’t solve.

This Saturday, taxpayers will get notices from the appraisal district advising you of your portion of the tab from the “City of Dallas Café” for your meal!   Bon Appetite!

David W. Tuthill