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11/15/04  McKinsey & Co. thinks we're deaf, dumb and blind monkeys!

No wonder the McKinsey survey was "free", it's worthless!  It's not that the city is out-of-focus as the McKinsey & Co. report says, it's that Our Downtown Betters (the ODB) are out-of-control. 

If we are out-of-focus, it's because our eyes have glazed over from reading hundreds of worthless (free and costly) surveys and studies done over the years that basically tell North Dallas taxpayers to shut up and keep paying your taxes because North Dallas is not as bad as South Dallas - YET!

Here we go again.  Another "free" survey to tell us the "city needs focus", which translates to "North Dallas taxpayers need to keep our eyes closed to our problems and continue with crumbs from City Hall while millions are diverted to Downtown and South Dallas", keep our mouths shut when we get more promises of a big return on our investment Downtown and in South Dallas, and pretend we didn't hear the same thing for the last 15 years and will be hearing 15 years from now.  See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.  Makes us pretty stupid monkeys!

The "free" consultants don't know on which project to spend the millions, but they know where -- Downtown and South Dallas.

City needs focus, consultants say; Report emphasizes economic development, code enforcement Saturday, November 13, 2004 By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News

If Dallas truly intends to become "the city that works," officials must stop bickering, focus on broad goals instead of minutiae and better fund priorities such as economic development, according to a consulting firm's study.    The report calls on city officials to pour money and other resources into Dallas' downtown and southern sector.    The 54-page report, prepared free for the city by consulting firm McKinsey and Co. and released Friday night, is dominated by suggestions to improve Dallas' code enforcement efforts and economic development initiatives. ... McKinsey did not offer a specific recommendation for downtown development but instead presented the city with three approaches: Make incremental improvements with relatively little cost; launch a sweeping internal effort requiring more city staff members and money; or create a "local government corporation" ? a quasi-public body ? to execute work delegated to it by the city.   "If the city wishes to accelerate development in downtown, the council and mayor must first commit to an aggressive vision for development," said the report, based on five months of study. "In addition, the city must find a way to fund the significant increase in investment likely required to accomplish such a vision."    Ms. Miller said the local government corporation option is the best. ...  "With a local government corporation, we get our cake and eat it, too. The private sector helps pay for it. We still have oversight." ... The McKinsey report deemed expanding economic development efforts a "must do" priority, and the mayor advocated significantly expanding economic development efforts, even at the expense ? or demise ? of other city departments and services. ...  council member Gary Griffith, chairman of a committee charged to work with McKinsey during inquiry. "I hope we don't have to cut services, but we'll be looking at everything." ... McKinsey's study effectively ignores three of the city's top five stated priorities, as determined in January by the City Council: the Trinity River corridor project, public safety and neighborhood quality-of-life issues. Economic development and staff accountability are the other two. ... The report is also silent on frequently debated issues such as eliminating the city manager position. ... Ms. Miller said she plans to schedule a vote for Dec. 8 on whether to adopt the report. ... "The council and mayor often focus on details and day-to-day execution instead of policy; the need to do this is sometimes driven by poor quality control in staff work or by the lack of clear recommendations from staff," the report states.

Here we go again!  We have bad management from the City Manager's office and bad advice from the City Attorney's office, so the city needs to change?  Wrong, we need to change the City Manager and the City Attorney!  We need to change the people in those positions, not the positions!

The all for Downtown and South Dallas mindset of this survey mirrors what goes on at City Hall and is is exactly why I adamantly oppose DART tunnels from the airports to Downtown.  Not only will rail tunnels divert all arriving passengers straight to Downtown and away from Dallas hotels on Stemmons (I-35) and near Love Field and restaurants between the airports and Downtown, but they will delay (possibly eliminate) commuter rail in the NW corridor.  Enough is enough!

Downtown Dallas is just one part of this city.  It's been a long time since it was the center of our universe.  Robert Decherd may control City Hall and the council, but Belo no longer controls us, as indicated by the circulation problems at The Dallas Managed News.

You can't lump everything South of Downtown into South Dallas.  The area near Downtown and Fair Park is South Dallas.  The rest of the area is the Southern Sector.  If you want to see what's in store for North Dallas if the ODB continue to suck the city dry to "restore" Downtown, look at what they did to Oak Cliff!  But looking at our history would make you a bad monkey.

Back in the 90's when we tried to get control over all the homeless feeding facilities Downtown, the social worker mafia went wild and Lordi Palmer stacked the commission with her fellows (she has an MBA in social work and used to head up the Food Bank).  Many small businesses (most of whom have since given up and left Downtown) participated in the commission, but only a few of the big Downtown stakeholders did.  One man who took a strong stand to limit the density of shelters and service agencies in the Downtown area (then called the "Central Business District" or "CBD") was Dave Biegler who was CEO of Lone Star Gas.  He seems to be the favorite to head up the "local government corporation", if it happens.

God, I hate the idea of being on the same side of a fight with the likes of James Fantroy, but he can't be wrong all the time.  He is fighting hard against the "local government corporation" for Downtown.  It was smart of the McKinsey report to include "South Dallas" in the city's priorities to try to appease Fantroy.  His health is bad, and he's unlikely to run again.  That means that old convicted and confessed bribe taker is likely to be back on the council and the ODB and the Park Cities gang can count on him to get what they want.  They certainly are not going to get Bah Bah Blackwell!

Jim Schutze at the Dallas Observer has been ranting, warning and obsessing about this "local government corporation" (LGC) scam for months and months (seems like years).  Until this McKinsey report, I just could not get excited about it - one way or the other.  It has not been on my front burner because I thought it was dead in the water and still think Fantroy can lead a successful charge against it if his health holds out. 

I frequently mention my smart friend (one of many who prefer to be anonymous).  Early on, she said McKinsey & Co. know nothing about how government entities work or the politics of their decision-making process.  She said McKinsey's expertise is in corporate consulting and management advice and they would deliver a report saying whatever they were told to say -- which apparently is we need to take control away from the city council, that representative government is just too cumbersome to run the city, that we would be happier and better off with the ODB in direct control.  She nailed it because she is no dumb monkey!

It would be a big mistake for you to think the rest of the city or your property taxes or your share of city services will not be impacted by letting Our Downtown Betters (the ODB) officially control Downtown, rather than their current de facto control.  We taxpayers own several buildings Downtown, including City Hall, the Convention Center, the Library, Police Headquarters, Reunion Arena and lots of abandoned or under-utilized properties, not to mention our streets and park land Downtown.  If this LGC scam happens, they can levy exorbitant taxes on Downtown property owners, and that will come out of our city general budget, which will leave less $$ for things needed in the rest of the city.

If we are to expand economic development at "even at the expense ? or demise ? of other city departments and services", exactly what services or departments are we going to shortchange.  We can't cut police and fire or code enforcement.  All three departments need to be beefed up.  We can't cut planning and zoning because we are in the middle of several land use studies, and we are working with a skeleton staff as it is. 

One area we could cut back and give the responsibility back to the County where it belongs are our health and welfare programs that duplicate County programs and cause Dallas taxpayers to bear a disproportionate share of the cost of assisting Dallas County's needy.  That's not going to happen because more than one council member keeps his constituents happy by getting them more welfare programs rather than cutting back -- like a counselor for grandparents to teach them how to parent their children's children.  Can you spell S-H-A-K-E-D-O-W-N?     

Some think, we could save a ton of money by eliminating the City Attorney's staff and just using that office to farm out litigation to various law firms in town.  That would be a whole other source of patronage and power brokering among council members who would pressure the City Attorney to meet quotas in distributing legal work, rather than hiring the right firm to represent the city on a particular case.  It would really be a blow to those of us fighting the horn dog clubs around town. 

What we need is a person in the City Attorney's position who will give council advice they don't want to hear and make them see reality rather than handing out rose colored glasses to them.  Our current City Attorney will speak no evil to the council, they refuse to hear bad news and they close their eyes to the truth.  Bad monkeys!!

The city is operating inefficiently right now due to employee cutbacks we have had for the past several years at budget times.

As it has been recently used by our city government and other local municipalities, economic development is a dangerous threat to private property.  It's only been a couple of years since Hurst condemned an entire stable, single-family neighborhood because a SHOPPING CENTER wanted to expand.  Economic development was the mantra for the Hicks/Perot arena -- even for chasing the 2012 Olympics.  Economic development is the battle cry for the Trinity Project.  If the Supreme Court rules right this year, taking private property for "economic development" will be a thing of the past and some people who lost their private property and homes to well-connected rich guys may see their own wallets fattened.

In Dallas, "economic development" means ignoring basic services and quality of life for Dallas residents and businesses so the very connected can use City Hall to enhance their holdings.  There are several people in the Park Cities who have a lot more influence at City Hall than any of us Dallas homeowners and business owners.

We have a broken system that needs to be repaired, not replaced.   

Right now, Downtown is misrepresented by Princess Velveeta and Send Me Some Money John Loza.  Velveeta is trying to deliver her council seat to Angela Hunt to insure Princes V will be welcomed as a consultant (like Lordi Palmer) at City Hall after she's off the council for a year.  Mary MPossible is now lurking around City Hall as a zoning consultant.  Velveeta will do whatever it takes to make Decherd/Belo happy so they will look favorably on her anointed heir to represent District 14.  Just breaking the hand-me-down chain of Lordi Palmer in District 14 is reason enough to get behind Candace Marcum.

SMSM Loza is pushing a guy for District 2 who is not even currently a US citizen.  Loza has usually appointed non-residents of District 2 to boards and commissions, but at least they were US citizens.  He would not have been elected the first time without the support of the Medrano family, but in typical Loza-back-stabbing he is not supporting Pauline Medrano for the seat.  Loza supports dumping Downtown's street bums on Harry Hines, which will have a disastrous impact on the neighborhood near Grwyler Rec Center (which he represents) and NW Dallas.  Loza supports this LGC scam, which ought to be proof positive that it's a bad deal for Dallas taxpayers. 

SMSM Loza is planning to run against Dallas County Commissioner Ken Mayfield.  It doesn't matter that Loza does not live in Mayfield's district and probably would have to move out of his council district to qualify for that commissioner's race.  According to his voter registration information, Loza lives in Commissioner Court District 3, which is represented by John Wiley Price.  Loza's address is a moving target, a trick he learned from his predecessor in office. 

Commissioner Mayfield has a pretty solid base in his district, but Loza may think he can win with the Hispanic voters in the district, particularly if he gets some large $$ from the ODB.  Don't ever forget Loza's reasoning for betraying his friends and supporting the arena sales tax AFTER he got elected.   "I feel if I go along with them on this, the guys Downtown will see they can work with me and will SEND ME SOME MONEY."

Never listen to John Loza.  When he occasionally does something or says something right, you can bet your bananas he's following ODB orders or it benefits him.  Send Me Some Money Loza is a bad monkey!!

City Hall may be out-of-focus, but John Loza has his focus on another paid government position because he certainly cannot support himself practicing law.

We are supposed to get an amendment to the McKinsey report this week, which is really strange to not hold it off a week and present the report and the amendment at the same time.  It really won't make any difference because it will be just as vague as last week's dud.  That old saying "you get what you pay for" sure rings true just now. 

If you are a DallasArena.com reader, you are not blind to the city's woes and the doings of council crooks. If you are a DallasArena.com reader, you are not afraid to hear bad news. So, are you going to just hang around and let this council give control of big hunk of our city and tax base directly to the Park Cities Gang and the ODB, or are you going to speak out?

What kind of a monkey are you going to be?

sb