5/10/07  Mayoral Candidates See Two Cities -- Not One Dallas!

For the past several years, 90% or more  of the city's resources have been focused on economic development in the "Southern Sector", although 90% or more of the city's tax base is in North Dallas.  The whole Trinity Project Bondoogle was sold as a unifier for the city, to pull the North and South together.  Right!

It's interesting that the North Dallas mayoral candidates, the Republican North Dallas mayoral candidates, have spent an extraordinary amount of their time and campaign funds trying to appeal to South Dallas voters, but one of the two Southern Sector mayoral candidates has done as much as he can to make it clear that North Dallas voters don't count to him.

I was really surprised that Max Wells would send out a flyer to only South Dallas with a picture of him posing with a confessed and convicted felon, Old Al Lipscomb.  See Wells & Pals.  It was insulting to South Dallas voters that Wells would expect them to be swayed by the endorsement of Old Al Lipscomb.  It indicated Max doesn't know any new Southern Sector community leaders, and that he is living in the past.

As bad as was the Wells flyer, it looks downright inclusive when compared to what Ed Oakley has mailed out to Southern Sector voters.  The Dallas Observer has copies of the flyer on their UnFairPark blog, but you can't read the text, Ed Oakley Sends South Dallas Voters a Campaign Flyer...For Don Hill? WTF? .  Here's a copy with larger type.

Why is Ed Oakley injecting partisan politics into a non-partisan election?  Not only is he dividing us by North and "Southern Dallas Voters", but now he is dividing us by Democrat and Republican.  That is so wrong!

I agree with Oakley's position on abolishing aging and rundown apartments.  Had he put out a citywide flyer with that promise, it would have been very effective.  There aren't many parts of Dallas where "run-down apartment complexes" aren't a problem and crime havens.  The carjacking on Park Lane and Webb Chapel by a 13 year old with a knife was just a few blocks from my home and right across the street from my neighborhood.  Of course, it happened in an overcrowded and aging apartment complex.  That's where most of the crime happens in our crime beat.

Oakley has a very effective TV commercial totally based on the problems caused all over the city by problem apartment complexes.  So, why would he not put out a mailer that appeals to the entire city, to unite potential voters behind him?  Why would he put out this divisive piece?

Ed Oakley Sends South Dallas Voters a Campaign Flyer...For Don Hill? WTF? Wed May 09, 2007 at 04:33:58 PM

This mailer, from Ed Oakley, has been making the rounds during the last couple of days; Mike Davis sent us his copy, but other politicos we've talked to the last couple of days have also been wondering what Oakley's trying to say with this piece o' campaign literature sent solely to voters in southern Dallas, in which he identifies himself and Don Hill as Democrats. And of Hill, Oakley says only that he "will work to bring more economic development and jobs to Southern Dallas." Yeah, that son of a bitch. OK, sure, Oakley's doing what Gary Griffith was doing when he suckled at the Rudy Giulani teet and what Sam Coats is doing by appealing to lefties who don't mind his smoky TXI ties. But, really, what is the point? And why only three candidates, including Max Wells and Tom Leppert? Clearly, Oakley doesn't take Jennifer Gale as seriously as he ought to. The best part of the mailer is after the jump, of course. Oh, and one more thing: We noticed on Dallas Blog that Ed Oakley's campaign-night watching party will be at Margaux’s, 150 Turtle Creek Blvd. We also noticed that of all the mayoral candidates, his is the only one that's invitation-only. Hey, Margaux's -- waitaminute, that's in the Dallas Design District. Jim, you got your invite, right? --Robert Wilonsky

And, why would Oakley promote Don Hill and blast Max Wells and Tom Leppert?  Ed knows full well that Don Hill is not going to make the runoff. 

I do not care for Max Wells.  As a councilman, he caved into ward politics rather than use his standing to publicize what was happening at City Hall.  Ward politics has hurt this city and divided this city.  14-1 was supposed to empower communities, but it has done just the opposite.  Communities have been split during redistricting, so much that an entire street has been disenfranchised and a city council candidate has been denied a right to run for office in District 7 where he has voted in two city council elections.  Max Wells not only did not raise his voice to challenge the ward politics that became the norm at City Hall, he embraced it.

I don't know Tom Leppert.  I certainly don't like the idea of someone running for mayor who didn't live in the city limits until after the last mayoral election.  That said, Leppert does not appear to be a suckup!  I don't like the idea of him being the choice of Donna Halstead and Ron Kirk/Con Jerk, but I suspect he would be his own man if elected.  I also suspect that he would push the Trinity Agenda as hard as Mayor Miller or Ed Oakley.

I do know Don Hill.  He's smart and kicked Mayor Miller's trim butt during their debates, but I don't trust him.  If you've heard him conduct council meetings as Mayor Pro Tem, he is as unctuous as Mary Poss used to be.  Just unbearable to listen to him.  Others may think there's nothing to the FBI investigation because there are no indictments, but not me.  I firmly believe the main reason he is running for Mayor without any money to do a citywide campaign is to delay the inevitable indictment.  If the FBI were to announce an indictment before the election, he would scream it was political.  No, it would be judicial.

The thing about Ed's flyer that really disappoints me is that it was not necessary.  When we ran against each other for council in District 14, Oakley did not go negative until Craig McDaniel pulled some crap on him first.  He came out swinging.  Maybe I missed something, but I haven't seen anything negative from Wells or Leppert relating to Ed Oakley.  I know everyone is taking shots at Leppert because he's the ODB's annointed one, but why would Ed hit on Max Wells?

I don't want to pay more taxes because I think our tax dollars are wasted on bloated projects like the Trinity River Bondoogle.  Still, I would support (and did support) a special tax that is dedicated solely to police and fighting crime.

Try as I might, I can't help but love Ed Oakley.  Besides the fact that I think Darrell Jordan is more qualified than any of the candidates to be Mayor of Dallas, my biggest problem with Ed Oakley as Mayor is his obsession with the Trinity Bondoogle and his eagerness to dole out tax abatements to developers.  He should have recused himself from all discussions and votes on the Trinity River Project due to his personal real estate holdings, and he has even tried to influence the Plan Commission regarding rezoning the entire area.

I live in Northwest Dallas and haven't heard a thing from Ed Oakley to indicate to me he knows we exist up here, even though he represented us before he was drawn out of the district.  That would not have mattered had he put out a citywide flyer calling for demolition of rundown apartments.  That's not what he's done.

Ed has put out a flyer which pretty much says only someone from South Dallas will do stuff for South Dallas.  That is a big fat lie because North Dallas council members and Mayors have been falling all over themselves for 15-20 years to "do for South Dallas".  Ron Kirk was certainly not from South Dallas.

Taking the flyer in reverse, what will Ed Oakley or Don Hill do for North Dallas?  Ed Oakley didn't help us fight the topless bars on Northwest Highway when he represented our area.  I can't think of one thing Don Hill ever did to help us either.

Ed's South Dallas flyer is a very big mistake.  Since South Dallas did not vote heavily in the early voting, there's not much reason to expect a big turnout on Saturday.  See Rufus Shaw's commentary on www.DallasBlog.com, Political Overload.  All the big $$ spent on South Dallas consultants did not result in a "Super Sunday" at the polls during early voting.

I haven't heard any North Dallas candidate ask for our vote with the question of what will the two Southern Sector candidates do for North Dallas.  It probably would energize a lot of voters up here to have a candidate put us first for a change.  It would certainly outrage people in South Dallas if it happened.

It's hard to imagine voters in East Dallas or Oak Lawn would not be a little concerned to know Ed Oakley is apparently running to be the Mayor of South Dallas, rather than the Mayor of entire city.

If I were Tom Leppert or Max Wells, I would make thousands of copies of Ed's South Dallas flyer and hire kids to hand them out at every polling place in North Dallas, East Dallas and Oak Lawn on Saturday.

sb