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03/13/06 And other
modern evils.
Last week, I was listening to (suffering through) the
Dallas Council meeting. A couple of comments and one case caught my attention.
Although
I missed most of the discussion on one project, I perked up when the FBI's Favorite Target
Don Hill added to the discussion (or took away from the discussion). He said whatever they had been talking
about was proof of the success of 14-1. 'People in North Dallas
vote for projects in South Dallas; people in South Dallas vote for
projects in North Dallas.' I remember thinking "how is that a new day at
City Hall?" Council members have always voted on every case -- for and
against -- regardless of the location in the city limits.
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I'm going to say right here -- nothing good has come from 14-1.
Having Don Hill speak in favor of 14-1 only reinforces my opinion that it's bad
for Dallas. Our
city has been chopped up and neighborhoods dismembered and disempowered.
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3/13/06 Paul
Patterson:
Under no circumstances should Dallas return to the 10-4-1
scam. A four
Super-District plan would be four Mob like
bosses controlled by the Downtown/North Dallas mafia. Minorities would
have no voice at city hall. Besides,
the term "Ward Politics" is used by white people when
minorities demand equal access to city resources. |
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Under 14-1, we have had more corruption at City Hall than anyone who originally opposed it could have possibly imagined.
A whole bunch of people out there greet each new City Hall scandal
with "told you so". They correctly warned what was coming with 14-1.
One of the first travesties under 14-1 was the rape of Junius
Heights in East Dallas. Then District 14 Council Rep Craig McDaniel owned
some slum apartments in an otherwise single-family neighborhood. By
swapping votes, McDaniel got the neighborhood rezoned to protect his apartments,
which he promptly sold for a big profit after the rezoning. Over 70% of the neighborhood opposed the
rezoning, which forced the council to a 3/4th vote to approve the rezoning.
Since McDaniel had a conflict of interest and could not vote, the neighborhood
should have been safe because it would take 12 votes to override that 70%+
opposition. Every person on that council knew what McDaniel
wanted them to do, and Chris Luna carried his water in that zoning case.
When two leaders of the opposition to rezoning Junius Heights (Marsha and Jim
Drebelbis) met with then Councilman Max Wells (now planning a mayoral race), he
dismissed their concerns and called them Sharon Boyd's robotons. They
barely knew me then, and Max Wells inadvertently pushed us into a great
friendship. Of course, Max Wells voted the way Craig McDaniel wanted
because he didn't want McDaniel and his clique on the council causing him
future problems with cases in his district. You can bet Marshal and Jim Drebelbis
will not support Max Wells.
I told you about that incident from the 90's because a minority of Junius Heights homeowners
who have the ear of current District 14 Council Rep Angela Hunt are trying
to push through a conservation district. Angela Hunt is continuing
Princess Velveeta's Conservation Nazi tradition. Like Princess Velveeta
(who keeps floating her name for office, and watching it sink like lead),
Councilwoman Hunt doesn't care about anything but rewarding her pets.
Before what happened to Greenway Park (under Velveeta's reign of terror), no
conservation or historic district got done without 70% or more
support. Because some of Princess Velveeta's political supporters wanted
to control what their neighbors do with THEIR OWN property, with barely 51% support
of the impacted homeowners, a conservation district was imposed on Greenway
Park. With the threat to his or her own district for challenging
ward politics, the council ignored the wishes of half of the property owners in
Greenway Park.
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That's pretty much what will happen to Junius Heights when their case gets
to council. They have a fighting chance at Plan Commission to have a fair
hearing. Chairwoman Betty Culbreath will see to that. Of course, the
horrible Neil Emmons (Hunt's holdover toady from Princess Velveeta) will try to
ram it through for Hunt's gang, but Betty Culbreath seems to be less than
impressed Emmons. There will not be a fair hearing for Junius Heights
people at council. Some council members will listen to the opposition, but
most will vote as Hunt demands -- for the same reason that Max Wells went along
with Craig McDaniel back in the 90's. |
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03/13/06 Kyle Rains:
On DallasArena.com, you state that
a minority of homeowners want a historic district -- in fact about 60%
of our homeowners have
signed petitions for the district (not much short of your 70% majority
you cite who were against the Craig McDaniel apartment deal). I was
also against that.
60% is a pretty good number for a
neighborhood with a lot of absentee owners and people who don't speak
English. I'm not sure why you would be against slum apartments and also
against a Historic District which would eliminate slum residences by
attrition and raise property values by having Junius Heights essentially
join Swiss Avenue, Peak's Suburban and Munger Place as one very large
historic district.
Also,
the landmarked and Texas historic medaled J.
L. Long Middle and Woodrow Wilson High are at the eastern border of the
proposed district, adding another several acres of history.
I understand your position on
property rights. I own 13 properties in East
Dallas, and I am a Real Estate Broker. But,
what will make JH unique and bring it back will be the district where
inappropriate McMansions cannot be built. Two story appropriate (four
squares, Tudors, etc) will be allowed as new construction. We
already have had several people moving in from other parts of Old East
Dallas disenchanted with McMansions.
It takes only one 3 story house, 1 foot from your driveway, a
foot above grade (draining into your yard), 10 feet closer to the
curb with a garage on front to ruin your whole day, not to mention a
whole block!
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One case really got my
attention. Several long-time tenants of Timbercreek Apartments
(Skillman area) begged the council not to allow the rezoning of
their building for a future CostCo store -- a big box, ugly CostCo store.
They were more concerned about having to move and lose a really good
deal and cheap rent, but they did mention Vickery Creek and wildlife that
would be threatened by a big box store. |
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3/13/06 James
Northrup:
Big box retail would turn the creek into a ditch.
Would be worse than what's there.
Messy egress/access. Council should
hold their feet to the fire on this one, or
do townhouses facing the creek. Is this
another Bill Blaydes production, like the Wal-Mart in Lake Highlands?
This makes loads of no sense from
a traffic perspective to stick a big box store (CostCo
or Wal-Mart) in the middle of that long sweeping curve between
Half Price Books and the Skillman cloverleaf. Bring
out the body bags for this one.
Gary Griffith used to/may still
work for Trammel Crow. Bill Blaydes is
a real estate broker/"consultant".
Trammel Crow has contracted to buy TimberCreek Apts from Lincoln
Properties - subject to zoning change from MF
(multi-family) to R (retail). Trammel
Crow has signed CostCo to be lead big box at the center - subject
to zoning change on April 26th hearing.
Dots are self-connecting on this one. |
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| My first reaction was not
sympathetic because a tenant takes a chance that his landlord will sell
his home out from under him. Some speakers talked as if they had a
permanent right to lower than market rent. As some of them spoke about
Vickery Creek
and wildlife, I started paying attention. With all the erosion along city
creeks, it makes no sense to back up a big box store or a retail mall to a creek. Why would
we want to lose a creek view in a city with way too much concrete? |
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03/13/06
Michael Davis:
Recently, the same thing happened
to me, where the landlord sold my building
(the cheapest in the area) and will demolish it to build luxury
single-family homes. I took a risk, but the low rent served me well
as I worked to build my business. I don't harbor any bad feelings
against my old landlord - business is business.
However, while it may be time
for Timbercreek in Vickery Meadow to be torn down, we really need to
make sure we are not harming the environment for the sake of making
some rich developer happy. If we as a City get tougher when it
comes to protecting our environment and
trees (which serve as natural barriers), then developers will know
going in that the parcel has less buildable land and adjust their
financials accordingly.
That area needs a CostCo
like it needs a hole in the wall. There's already a huge
self-storage place right at Skillman and Eastridge.
What's more disturbing
are the rumblings I've heard and read that
Trammel Crow has not been forthcoming in responding to questions
from City Council. Are they planning to ram this deal through and
play games later? We'll see.
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Neighbors struggle to bottle up creek erosion
Sunday, March 12, 2006
By ALLEN HOUSTON / The Dallas Morning News |
In a city swarming with concrete and
cars, the soothing gurgle of water beckons joggers and strolling couples to
an East Dallas creek.
The Deep Tributary of Dixon Branch
Creek also woos wildlife ? horned owls, possums and raccoons. Coyotes
straggle the creek bottom.
Behind the placid scene, however, a
familiar threat looms over the creek and the nearby Eastwood neighborhood:
urbanization.
Erosion of
tributary banks has left many old trees exposed, their massive roots
dangling before crashing into the bed. At one location, the bank has eroded
to within 5 feet of a residential street. If the erosion isn't slowed, a
portion of the street could collapse.
It could also present a safety
hazard by exposing sewage and water lines. Eventually the city might be
forced to build concrete retaining walls along the creek.
... Creek erosion in East Dallas isn't confined to
Eastwood. The White Rock Hills area has formed an erosion control effort
that includes the Casa Linda Forest Neighborhood Association, Claremont
Addition Neighborhood Association and Lakeland Hills. Four streams flow
through the neighborhoods before spilling into White Rock Lake.
Steve Parker, program manager of the
flood plain management section in Dallas Public Works, keeps a list of the
most affected homes and sections of streams in Dallas. About 100
high-priority erosion projects are on the list.
"There is erosion on almost all of
the creeks in Dallas," he said.
Erosion is natural, but urbanization
increases its speed.
"All the concrete washes storm water
into streams at a higher velocity, and that eats the banks away much more
quickly," said Norm Sears, Environmental Protection Agency biologist.
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Vickery Creek and Timbercreek
Apartments are in Gary "Sandra Dee"
Griffith's District 9, so we don't know where he will come down -- regardless of
what he says, or you think he said, or what he intended for you to think he
said, but never quite said.
This may be an interesting debate one way or the other. For some reason,
Councilman Bill Blaydes is taking a personal interest in getting that CostCo big
box sit on a Dallas creek. Since Sandra Dee has already announced his
candidacy for mayor in 2007 and Bill Blaydes has all but announced he's running
for mayor, this could be a real show down. If Sandra Dee wants to hold his
East Dallas base together for his mayoral race, he isn't likely to support that
big box store -- but then he risks being labeled as anti-business. Maybe,
Griffith will skip the vote like he did on the Ray Hunt $6.5 million tax
abatement
Bill Blaydes has already split his Lake Highlands base over a Wal-Mart that a
bunch of homeowners did not want -- homeowners who vote. Voters whose
homes back up to eroding creeks probably will shy away from Bill Blaydes.
Guess Blaydes is going for the discount shopper vote.
So, what has 14-1 brought Dallas? Bad zoning decisions based on ward
politics and corruption encouraged by ward politics.
Can't say 14-1 has empowered communities because it has all but disenfranchised
anyone who is not tight with the incumbent council member. Not only is it
all but impossible to defeat an incumbent, the incumbent usually gets to anoint
his or her heir. Leo Chaney has made it clear that he is passing on his
council seat to convicted wife-beater Ron Price. Don Hill is smiling on
Lynn Flynt Shaw for his council seat, but Don Robinson and Betty Culbreath may
be candidates for that seat, too.
All candidates last May who had endorsements from the out-going council member
won their elections: Angela Hunt w/Velveeta Lill's support; Pauline Medrano w/John Loza's support; Ron Natinsky
w/Sandy Greyson's support; Linda Koop w/Lois Finkelman's support. Before
that, Alan Walne gave his seat to Bill Blaydes and Mary Poss gave her seat to
Gary Griffith, when Roxan Staff was much more qualified.
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James Ragland:
Nothing's perfect, especially 14-1 system
Monday, March 13, 2006 |
Fifteen
years after the Dallas city election plan he pushed for was enacted, Roy
Williams is talking about a crack in the system.
... Mr. Williams, a co-plaintiff in the landmark
litigation that buried at-large council seats and gave rise to 14
single-member districts, says the real flaw is with
the elected officials who sit around the horseshoe at City Hall.
Fine, but didn't the system
produce those people?
"The players haven't lived up to the
spirit of 14-1," Mr. Williams said last week. "The system works. It's not
the system that's at fault or in error."
As a reporter who's covered both a
council-manager and strong-mayor styles of government, I happen to agree
with him to a point. Effective leadership can make any system appear better
than it is, and ineffectual representation can make any system seem worse
off.
Frankly, that's what supporters of
Dallas' old system of government were saying in 1991, when some of them were
kicking and screaming about the parochial, ward-style politics that would
emerge from 14-1.
... "I think we have to revisit the definition of
ward politics," Mr. Williams said, explaining that critics of single-member
districts always want to yell that term when a council member is standing up
for his or her district.
... And, for a while, it looked like 14-1 was
going to rev City Hall up a notch. There were heavier turnouts in earlier
elections, and the new system even produced the city's first black mayor,
Ron Kirk, in 1995 ? a year that saw the first mayoral election in which
there were significant black, white and Hispanic candidates.
... Mr. Williams expressed major
disillusionment under 14-1:
"My vision
for Dallas has become a nightmare.
... It was my vision that dividing the city into
14 council districts with the mayor elected at large would result in an
equitable distribution of power and in the delivery of city services. The
plan would give minorities and disenfranchised poor a greater voice in the
governing of their lives.
Instead, I have been awakened to
nightmares filled with empty campaign promises and self-serving interests
from those who look like me. Dallas can always count on the now-empowered
black council members to continue to attribute our political and economic
powerlessness to racism."
Mr. Williams specifically mentions
more than $10 million in bond money targeted for the southern sector that
has not been spent.
... "14-1 was designed to ensure that money would
be put back into these long-neglected communities," Mr. Williams said. "14-1
didn't fail. It's the people that's failed 14-1." ... |
We need to go back to 10-4-1, like we voted. Most of our modern problems
are the direct result of a bad decision by Federal Tyrant/Judge Jerry Buchmeyer.
Dallas needs 4 at-large council members.
Dallas needs a lot less ward
politics.
sb
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