Jesse Diaz

10/15/07 Unfair Campaign Tactics by City Officials

Dallas LULAC Council 4496 is of the understanding Councilman Dave Neumann is hosting a forum for Mayor Tom Leppert at the Park in the Woods (6801 Mountain Creek Parkway) Recreation Center on Monday, October 29th from 7-9 p.m but is not including anyone from the Trinity Vote Yes campaign.

According to a current www.DallasArena.com posting, Councilman Neumann invited Councilwoman Angela Hunt to provide a debate team for the October 29th forum and she accepted. Councilman Neumann reportedly later advised her the forum had changed and it would only be Mayor Leppert.

While neither our council nor I have yet to take an official position on the Trinity River Referendum vote on November 6th, our council strongly opposes use of City of Dallas taxpayer funded facilities for one-sided forums that do not provide an equal level playing field to both sides on this issue. Furthermore, our council firmly believes hosting a political forum in a city owned recreation center without providing both point of views on this issue to the general public amounts to an illegal use of city property.

Our council would hope the forum at the Park in the Woods Recreation Center will provide both sides on this issue. Failure to do so may prompt civil rights organizations such as LULAC and other citizens to exercise their right to conduct protest pickets in front of this and other taxpayer funded facilities while their one-sided political forums take place.

With less than a month to go before the November 6th referendum vote, it does not take a rocket scientist to realize the potential harmful effects negative publicity of this type would have to those who would trample and disrespect Dallas' taxpayers.