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Officer D
Michael Davis
Casie Pierce
John Willis
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12/12/04 I got fooled twice.
Who was that famous person who said, "fool me once,
shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me"? Whoever he was, I feel
like he's sitting on my shoulder and pinching my ear very hard to make sure I
get it that I've been sucker punched -- AGAIN. I feel like the lead
character in a play incorporating all the dumb blonde jokes that are always
floating out there.
If you wonder what I'm talking about, it's Our Mayor's new position on
Park Cities own Bah! Bah!
Blackwood's efforts to change our form of government.
I was absolutely
convinced Our Mayor was not part of the Park Cities coup d'etat to take out right
control of our city. They apparently are tired of just shelling out big
bucks to crooked politicians. Obviously, I have been wrong about Our Mayor's
part in their scheme. |
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James Northrup:
Strange City Manager vs. Stranger Mayor
Since Vance
Miller backed Laura from the outset, this
does read like Brer Rabbit -
"please don't throw me in the brier patch" -exactly where they both
wanted this to end up.
If it fails, next step
will be to find the leadership and plan to put something sensible on the
ballot again - since that is clearly the only way
this is going to get done.
Even the biggest/best run
cities have city administrators - no major city is
literally run by the Mayor on a day-to-day basis. Interferes
with photo ops. |
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Some black leaders vow to fight
if council-manager form changed
Saturday, December 11, 2004 By EMILY
RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News |
For more than two decades, ideas to
bolster mayoral strength in Dallas have circulated ? among business and City
Council leaders, on editorial pages and even at the statehouse.
But longtime observers of the debate
say a lawyer's campaign to bring a strong-mayor form of government before
voters is the closest the city has ever come to such a change in city
management.
... Council candidate Beth Ann Blackwood turned in
30,000 signatures last month to put the measure ? which would increase the
mayor's power by eliminating the city manager position ? on the May ballot.
... Mayor Laura Miller, who
probably will support the measure, has championed a stronger mayor as
a way to expedite decision-making under the single-member district system.
While the 14-1 system increased diversity and made the council more
accountable to the public, she said, elected officials often don't have the
authority to meet their constituents' needs.
"Everyone in this city should be able
to get lights fixed on their streets, and they shouldn't have potholes on
their roads," Ms. Miller said. "We have outgrown the effectiveness of the
council-manager system."
But black civil rights leaders who
waged legal battles to change Dallas' at-large representation to
single-member districts believe strengthening mayoral power would silence
the city's minority voice.
... Under a traditional strong-mayor system,
the mayor is the chief executive ? the individual who crafts the budget,
hires and fires department heads and puts policy in motion. All city
employees are accountable to the mayor and are at risk of losing their jobs
if they don't perform.
The council-manager system is
designed to make City Hall a well-oiled machine, devoid of corruption and
excessive political bickering.
... Advocates for the strong-mayor system say it
allows elected officials to fulfill their campaign promises.
But opponents say it makes council
members mere pawns in the city structure, back-scratching to stay in the
mayor's favor. And they argue a seasoned executive should guide a city with
a $2 billion budget ? not a campaigning politician.
... "We are being forced again to debate the
form of governance in our city," council member Veletta Forsythe Lill said,
"not through a discussion and dialogue in our neighborhoods and businesses,
but by a small elitist group."
Ms. Miller gives full credit to Ms.
Blackwood for getting the ball rolling.
... It's not going to be easy. There's a lot
of emotion, a lot of uncertainty," she said. "This is
a democracy, and it's an important issue."
While the city's renowned black
leaders ? men such as Mr. Williams, Marvin Crenshaw and former City Council
member Al Lipscomb ? are vocally opposed to a stronger mayor, some say they
aren't representative of younger minority voters.
... "It crosses all lines," said
Vance Miller, a real estate executive who said he
donated about $2,000 to aid Ms. Blackwood's efforts. "This is something that
all citizens want ? their issues to be addressed, their potholes to
be fixed."
... But Reginald Gates, president of the Dallas
Black Chamber of Commerce, said it's not just the old guard who is opposed
to strengthening the mayor's power. He said most black voters would fight
against such a change.
... When Mr. Kirk was mayor, he tried
unsuccessfully to implement what he calls a "strong mayor-strong manager"
form of government. Mr. Kirk said he still thinks it's the answer for
Dallas.
Ms. Blackwood's proposal makes the
mayor too responsible for mundane, day-to-day tasks and would give the
city's departments a less professional feel, Mr. Kirk said.
... "If it passes, it will throw the city into
absolute chaos," he said. "I think we're going to have a horrible next few
months." ... |
Sometimes, something is better than nothing -- this
is not one of those times.
If this Park Cities scheme prevails in May,
regular Dallas citizens like you and me officially become vassals of certain
Park Cities residents who are way too involved in Dallas politics. They've
always had more influence than you and me at City Hall. If Bah! Bah!
Blackwood's ballot initiative prevails WITH OUR MAYOR'S ASSISTANCE, they will
have complete control over City Hall, which means they have complete control over
how and where our tax dollars get spent -- just like the bad old days!
In case you don't understand what's wrong with Vance Miller donating
"$2,000 to aid Bah! Bah! Blackwood's efforts" and saying "This is something that all
citizens want", he is not a citizen of Dallas -- he lives in the Park Cities. Both Highland Park and University Park are encircled by the
city of Dallas, but they are separate municipalities.
It's ironic that we encircle these two little cities, but they control Dallas.
Just before she announced as a candidate for the District 14 council seat, Bah!
Bah! Blackwood was a Park Cities resident herself. This "strong
mayor" issue is being pushed by the Park Cities mafia.
As usual, Emily Ramshaw cuts to the chase and subtly puts the real information
out at you. The Mayor has aligned herself with the Park Cities Mafia
against the citizens of Dallas, certainly against the will of North Dallas
voters who gave her the winning margin in both of her elections..
Ms. Ramshaw interviewed a lot of people for her article, but she didn't call me
or some other North Dallas activists and former elected officials. It will
not only be African-Americans from South Dallas who will be fighting Our Mayor's
drive to make herself the Czarina of Dallas, there will be a lot of White voters
who will be working hard to defeat this Park Cities scheme to steal City Hall
from Dallas citizens.
There are many ways our city government can be improved without doing away
with the City Manager. My neighbor, Mike Perry, has a brilliant
suggestion. He says the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem should
have the power to hire and fire the City Manager, City Attorney, City Secretary
and City Auditor as a committee, with the council as a whole retaining veto
power to overturn their decision with a three-quarter vote. Mike Perry is no
lawyer or experienced city hall insider, but he understands what we need.
One of several reasons this Park Cities scam chaps me is the way Bah! Bah!
Blackwood secured her signatures on her ill-gotten petitions. She used HIRED GOONS to get signatures.
Her goons lied to the signers, with their lies varying according to where they were
collecting signatures. Several sources tell me that South Dallas signers
were told they were signing another Miller recall petition. Other voters were
told City Council and/or the Dallas Chamber Commerce supported it.
Even when the press and others called her attention to what her hired goons were
doing, Bah! Bah! Blackwood made excuses but did not rein in her thugs.
Still, the number one burn involves Our Mayor's new found support for Bah! Bah's
plans. Like the typical dumb blonde joke, I believed her when she expressed outrage over Bah! Bah!
Blackwood's efforts. I assured others it was not the Mayor's deal, but now
I am not assured myself.
This looks like a Brer Rabbit scam to me. "Oh, please don't throw me into
the briar patch" becomes "Oh, please don't give me too much power over the
entire council."
Our Mayor knew she would get nowhere with
the council on her plans to expand her power. It's not like they haven't
been telling her to forget it from the get go. So, she put forth a fairly
reasonable plan that still goes way beyond anything the council would support
while Bah! Bah! and her hired goons were out there doing her dirty work.
When the council once again told Our Mayor to forget it, she dramatically
proclaimed she has no choice but to join the Devil and support the outrageous
complete handover of City Hall to her Park Cities financial backers.
I'm officially on the James Fantroy team to oppose the Mayor's power grab.
I'm not alone. Donna Blumer and other North Dallas Republicans will be
campaigning hard to hold on to our city. There will be a whole bunch of
blondes out there fighting this Park Cities power grab.
sb
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