Todd Bensman
Michael Davis
Citizen D
                             

06/06/05  Thank God Almighty!

Hopefully, we are now free of the threat of a confessed and convicted bribe-taker sitting on our city council.

In my heart, I just knew Dallas voters would not return Al Lipscomb to elected office, but I was worried out of my mind about who would win the District 8 race.  I was absolutely sure Pauline Medrano would win District 2 and Ron Natinksy would carry District 12.  I was not at all hopeful Kathy Ingle would prevail in District 14, what with the smear campaign the Lordi Palmer faction had done on her.

Friday, I talked with a Southern Dallas politico who indicated he was worried about the Fantroy/Lipscomb race.  The same day, I talked with a newcomer to Southern Sector politics, and he was optimistic because he had been going door to door talking with voters. 

I have never felt more helpless in a political race.  There was absolutely nothing I could do to help Mr. Fantroy - except endorse Old Al Lipscomb.  So, I just prayed.

Al Lipscomb is the most evil man in this city.  The worst thing you can say about a man is that he betrays his friends.  For 40 years, Old Al charmed and shuffled his way into the hearts of Dallas Robber Barons and the most entrenched of Our Downtown Betters (the ODB).  They took care of Old Al, and you better believe he took care of them.

With each passing year, Old Al got bolder and less discrete in soliciting and accepting "gifts" and financial assistance from the ODB and lesser mortals (like Caligula Rizos and Yellow Cab Floyd Richards).  The Feds were on to Old Al and were actually wire-taping him when they caught a conversation between him and then Councilman Paul Fielding.  If Paul Fielding had been willing to testify against Old Al, Paul would have never gone to prison because he really didn't do anything other than offer to set up a company for Old Al to "front".  If setting up a minority in a "rain maker" position to go after "minority" contracts is a prison offense, well, you know where I'm going, without having to name names and risk getting sued by big shots with a lot deeper pockets than mine.

Half of this city's African-American leaders trekked out to Amarillo to stand with Old Al.  They watched his Fred Sanford act ("Lovey, this is the big one.").  They knew the guy was guilty. 

Old Al confessed in federal court to taking bribes and selling his influence on the council.  Two men testified in federal court to paying Old Al bribes for his assistance as a councilman.  One of them wound up in prison, and the other got a pass.

Council James Fantroy was one of the African-American leaders who was with Old Al in Amarillo.  He not only was out there for Old Al, Councilman Fantroy paid for meals and hotel costs for Old Al's family.  The first time Old Al ever denied Fantroy's generosity was during this council race.  What an ingrate!

Then, think of all the flak Councilman Fantroy took when he appointed Old Al to the Police Review Board.  He should have never done that, not just because it gave Old Al a new forum, but because a convicted felon should never be in a position to review any decision made by a police officer.  I suspect Councilman Fantroy has learned his lesson.  A snake is a snake.

You shouldn't be surprised when he bites you after you befriend him.

This has been a very tough council election cycle.  We said NO to the strong-arm mayor proposed by Bah! Bah! Blackwood. 

Many of us who voted NO do want a stronger mayor, just not a monarchy like we would have had under Blackwood's plan.  Mayor Miller should have never got in front of something she knew was flawed, but she did.  There was no way Blackwood's proposal was going to happen with or without Laura Miller's support. 

Many who voted NO to Blackwood were voting against Laura Miller.  They would have seen Blackwood's proposal as a vehicle for Laura Miller whether the Mayor openly endorsed it or not.

Rather than accept that 60% of Dallas voters saw through the flaws of her strong-arm mayor proposal and recognized it as a Park Cities coup to openly take control of our city, Bah! Bah! Blackwood says it failed because Mayor Miller got out front of it!  MORE wrong thinking on Bah! Bah!'s part.  There would not have even been 40% support had Miller not campaigned for it.  Bah! Bah! just didn't know what she was talking about and was only the perky little female front for the Park Cities Cabal to sell their scam to Dallas voters.

You can't blame the Park Cities Cabal for not respecting Dallas voters.  After all, they got us to support a bond package to build a performance hall and an opera house that 95% of Dallas taxpayers will never even enter.  We are getting two ridiculous designs for buildings that are as inappropriate for Dallas as those String Thing Bridges (which we still don't have funded).  One  building is so wrong for our weather they are putting an umbrella over it -- like the hats jock sniffers wear to sit out in the sun while they drink themselves blind watching some sports event.

I am sick of the artsy fartsy crowd telling us how important the arts are to this city, while our police and firefighters and most of our civilian city employees are underpaid and overworked. 

I like movies (not as much as my husband), but I don't expect Cinemark to get a free building to provide a big screen (even an IMAX) for me to enjoy my preferred entertainment.  If people were not willing to pay for a movie, would we have to use taxpayer funding to build a new movie house for people not to attend?

Thinking of the artsy fartsy crowd always brings up thoughts to Princess Velveeta, our resident drama queen.

I'm not devastated that Angela Hunt won the District 14 seat, but I am disappointed because she's not as smart or experienced as Kathy Ingle, and because Oak Lawn/Uptown/Turtle Creek will continue to have no representation at City Hall.  Still, Angela Hunt is no Lordi Palmer, no slumlord like Craig McDaniel and can't possibly be the pretentious drama queen we had with Princess Velveeta.  Hunt is worrisome because she hangs with the likes of Mad Max Aaronson, but she can't be any worse than what the district has experienced since Lordi Palmer began the reign of the control freaks over District 14. 

It will be interesting to see how effective Angela Hunt will be in defending the Wright Amendment.  She knows nothing about it because she hasn't been involved in Dallas politics except as a Conservation-Nazi.  Until recently, Hunt didn't even vote.  It will be hard for Hunt to state a strong case for the Wright Amendment with no background in the Love Field wars.  No amount of drilling by Cay Kolb or Lordi Palmer will give her sufficient material to stand up to the new campaign to repeal the Wright Amendment. 

Having always been a supporter of the Wright Amendment as an Oak Lawn condo resident, it's strange for me to know most of my current neighbors support repeal.  I now live North of Love Field, but just as close geographically as when I lived in Oak Lawn.  The negative impact of Love Field is more obvious to me as a North Dallas resident than when I lived near the Mansion on Turtle Creek.  Rest assured, my attitude toward Love Field is not the majority viewpoint in North Dallas. 

My councilman probably will not fight repeal of the Wright Amendment, and would likely score points throughout District 6 if he openly supports repeal.  I would be surprised if Pauline Medrano becomes a Wright Amendment champion, but neither would her opponent have been.

East Dallas residents have never supported the Wright Amendment.  Obviously, Hunt doesn't have to worry about keeping Oak Lawn or Bluffview or Greenway Parks or even Love Field/North Park Civic League people happy because most of those precincts proved the majority of the voters are one-issue voters who are easily swayed by smear campaigns and don't care about what's best for their neighborhood.  Besides, several longtime pro-Wright Amendment leaders have moved out of the area -- like Lordi Palmer who doesn't even live in Dallas County now.  

New Oak Lawn/Uptown/Turtle Creek residents did not lived around Love Field when it was not restricted by the Wright Amendment.  They want the airport free of Wright restrictions because it is a few minutes more convenient to them.  Wait until they have to deal with the traffic jams on Mockingbird and Lemmon and Maple and Cedar Springs, whether they are going to or from the airport or just trying to get home.  Love Field is landlocked, and there's no place to make the surrounding streets wider.

Actually, this could be a very good council.  Dr. Elba Garcia is back and will probably be the Deputy Mayor Pro Tem (if it isn't Steve Salazar). 

Elba Garcia, Steve Salazar and Pauline Medrano will work well together because they know and live in their districts and have family ties and incentives to make their districts better for the residents. 

Maxine T-Reese will be no more dumber than in the past (likely no less), but she's term limited from running again. 

This will also be Leo Chaney's last year.  We hear he is already doing some favor-swapping for his after-council life.  In Incredible Scam! Sheriff Bowles, Terrell Bolton turn out to be same guy! (by Jim Schutze, The Dallas Observer, 2/5/04), Jim Schutze criticized Allen Gwinn (www.Dallas.org) for going after minority elected crooks, but apparently that loveable aging hippie has been doing some "blink, blinking" of his own and finally has to admit crooks come in all pigmentation.  See Ruh-Roh Those silly officials from around the state think the law should apply in Dallas (by Jim Schutze, The Dallas Observer, 6/2/05).  If loveable, aging hippie Schutze talked to some of his colleagues at the Observer last year, he might have known about Chaney's efforts to help a bunch of racists force a mixed-racial church out of South Dallas.

Don Hill has mayoral ambitions, so he will be even more statesmanlike. 

James Fantroy will be a better councilman because of what he experienced in this awful campaign, and he will certainly make better board and commission appointments.

Linda Koop will be a good councilwoman, and not just because she's no Lois Finkelman.  Koop can hit the ground running.  She's experienced in city government and community organizations.  I see her, Mitch Rasansky and Ron Natinsky working as a team on many North Dallas goals, much more effectively than what we saw from Finkelman and Greyson.

Ron Natinsky will also be able to jump into the fray quickly.  He will be more predictable than Greyson, and less of a suckup than Max Wells (anyone would be).

Mitch Rasansky will always be a pain in the neck for some, but he's a hero to those of us who want our tax dollars spent wisely.  He's so knowledgeable about business deals.

Ed Oakley has proven to be a tough hombre on the council.  He knows how to lobby, and he does his homework. 

Bill Blaydes will still be a maverick, keeping his cards close to his vest, bluffing when necessary and winning more hands than he loses.

Gary Griffith will continue to take up space and stab the Mayor in the back at every opportunity.

Hopefully, we will see a lot more of Laura Miller the next two years instead of the Annette Straus clone that did not work.

Which brings us to the stronger mayor issue.  If this new council is to have any credibility, they will put their version of a stronger mayor form of government for Dallas on the ballot for November and campaign for it.  They told us they would.  You can't expect Maxine T-Reese to keep her word, but I expect the following to support putting the matter on the ballot:  Laura Miller, Elba Garcia, Pauline Medrano, Ed Oakley, Steve Salazar, Bill Blaydes, Linda Koop, Ron Natinksky and Mitch Rasansky.  I don't know what Gary Griffith will do, but Don Hill, Leo Chaney and James Fantroy may not support putting a stronger mayor proposal on the November ballot, much less campaign for it.

See Strong-mayor unity dissolving (by Emily Ramshaw, Dallas Morning News, 6/06/05)

This was a huge council election for Dallas.  We could have had a confessed and convicted bribe taker returned to the council.  We all owe a debt of gratitude to James Fantroy for fighting back and keeping his seat.  With his health problems, Fantroy would have been justified to have thrown in the towel and gone back to running his businesses. 

Better than anyone, James Fantroy knows Al Lipscomb should never again hold public office.

sb