Thank You

As you all know by now, the election did not turn out the way we'd hoped. We lost by 6 points -- 47% to 53%. I know a lot of us, including myself, are saddened and frustrated by the results. But I hope that everyone involved in this effort, everyone who voted for proposition 1, is proud of what we have accomplished, regardless of the election results.

We shed light on one of the most important projects facing our city, the Trinity River Corridor Project, after it had been cloistered at City Hall for nearly a decade. More people are educated about this issue today than they were just six months ago. And most importantly, Dallas voters got the opportunity to have a voice in the future of this project.

To all of you who worked so hard to get this on the ballot: Even though the vote didn't go our way, be proud of the fact that we did something no grassroots campaign has done before.  We collected over 90,000 signatures to call a referendum so that Dallas voters -- not just those at City Hall -- could decide whether to put a toll road in our park.  Giving voters that opportunity and seeing democracy in action is a great accomplishment in and of itself.

But it takes time to change the political culture of a city. In the end, while I'm disappointed we lost, I'm glad that we gave the powers-that-be a run for their money (figuratively and literally). Think about who we took on: all the politicians, all the power brokers, the wealthy developers, the city's only newspaper. We put together an incredible grassroots campaign that's never been seen before in our city. And we secured 47% of the vote. Not bad.

The opposition made a lot of promises in this election. And we're going to hold them accountable for each and every one:

• They promised that trucks won't be allowed on this toll road.
• They promised that they wouldn't seek another dime of taxpayer dollars to pay for this toll road -- neither gas tax dollars nor property tax dollars.
• They promised the toll road would bring 36,000 permanent jobs to the Southern Sector.
• They promised the NTTA would spend $1M per mile on landscaping the toll road.
• They promised there wouldn't be eminent domain of any homes to construct this road.
• They promised the park location was the cheapest option at $1.3B.
• They promised this toll road would reduce air pollution.
• They promised this toll road would alleviate I-35/Mixmaster congestion.
• They promised the toll road wouldn't be privatized or sold to foreign companies.
• They promised they would not seek any waiver from the new safety and construction standards the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is developing.
• They promised that if we kept the toll road, we could move full speed ahead with the project and the dirt would start flying.
• They promised we would get a world-class park, despite the toll road.

After the dozens and dozens of debates over the last several months, I've heard these promises over and over again. I bet you have, too. So let's hold their feet to the fire. We'll be watching to make sure the city, the NTTA, and the Regional Transportation Commission follow through on their commitments so that we can create the best park possible under the circumstances.

It has been an honor to work with all of you. You are the heart and soul of our city. I am proud to know each and every one of you who worked so hard on this effort. You represent the very best Dallas has to offer -- the passion to stand up for what's right, the vision to create a better Dallas for our children, the determination to fight the good fight despite the odds. Thank you for all of your hard work and support.

We'll post comments on our blog in the coming days, but today I just want to say from my heart:  "THANK YOU."

--Angela