State of the City
Rad Field
Hugh Brooks
                             

02/06/03  Is Belo Going South on The Mayor?

For a few minutes reading the Wednesday and Thursday issues of The Dallas Managed News, I thought this was January, 2002 (not February, 2003) and we were back in the Miller/Dunning/Garcia campaign where The Dallas Managed News would run multiple puff pieces for Tom Dunning full of snide comments about Laura Miller.

Right off the top.  We are in a desperate situation in Dallas that was caused by the likes of City MisManager Ted Benavides, That Former Mayor and Mayor PreTend Mary ImPOSSible.  They were the ones chasing the big ticket stuff to divert our attention from the mess we were dealing with in the real world.  What if we had actually stayed in contention for the 2012 Olympics and all this deficit stuff came out?  How embarrassing!

Mary ImPOSSible was a big supporter of the Olympic bid.  You know it's a vision thing -- a "can do" attitude -- team spirit -- all that rah! rah! stuff that has us in our current hole.  

Mayor Laura Miller rounded up a posse to put that nightmare to sleep.

I never could understand how Mary ImPOSSible would oppose fixing 3 wading pools for poor Dallas children but be willing to divert billions from our infrastructure needs to be facilities for the 2012 Olympics.  Mary ImPOSSible was one of the kingpins in diverting that $50,000 from repairing the pools.  Of course, Mayor Laura Miller went right back out and got other donors to make up the difference.

The council had never seen anything like what Laura Miller did for those kids and their wading pools.  She wasn't going to make a dime on the side.  She just thought it was the right thing to do.  Doing the right thing is always relative or subjective or a mixed bag.

Sometimes what seems right and fair to one is perceived as something completely different to another.  

Since this article is about the DMN piling on Miller, I am just going to respond to their multiple articles below each one.

Analysis: Some services lagging on Miller's watch Mayor says 8 months too short a period for comparison with Kirk 02/05/2003  By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News

Laura Miller promised to be the mayor who improved city services, but by some measures, she's miles behind her predecessor, a Dallas Morning News analysis shows.  .  .  .  workers repaired 809 fewer lane miles of asphalt roads during her tenure from March through October 2002, compared with the same period in 2001, when Ron Kirk was mayor. Workers repaired 5.5 more miles of concrete roads in the 2002 period. .  .  .  Complaints about disruptive and destructive patrons, many of them homeless people, were up at the Central Library, the analysis shows.    Ms. Miller disputed the analysis, calling eight months too brief a period to determine effectiveness. . . .  "I have taken a good crack at many parts of the city that need attention," she said. "But there are only so many things that I can do in 11 months. And I think I have done an awful lot." . . . .   "People haven't seen any degradation in terms of street repair and code compliance, but they haven't seen any improvement, either," said David Bradley, president of the Dallas Homeowners League. "But nobody was going to do it in that short a time frame. It took a lot longer to break than that." . . . .  The mayor said The News' analysis was not valid because it did not measure an entire fiscal year.  . . .  a fair comparison in the city is fiscal year to fiscal year," she said. "The accurate way to look at whether we are providing the same level of service is to look at the whole year." . . .   the homeless still use the downtown plaza as a campground. Librarians, who filed 23 more reports about disruptive behavior during the eight-month span in 2002, continue to complain about homeless patrons sleeping or bathing in the building, and finding human waste in the aisles. . . .   Ms. Miller, who will face council member Mary Poss in the May 3 election, said she intends to address the homeless issues at the Central Library. But that will require moving the homeless population away from the southern edge of downtown, where many spend their days and nights.    The mayor said she hopes to open an intake facility, perhaps outside of downtown, where churches and other caregivers could work with the homeless. . . .'

I bet some editor forced Dave Michaels to write this article.  When Ron Kirk was mayor, we didn't know we were $65 million in the hold.  That Former Mayor knew it, and so did Ted Benavides.  That Former Mayor had Mary imPOSSible and several other council members whipped into shape to do what he wanted done.   Mayor Miller has accomplished much despite the obstruction of Mary imPOSSible and others.

Miller says she lacks trust in city manager;  Benavides disputes criticisms, says he has council support 02/05/2003  By GROMER JEFFERS JR. / The Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mayor Laura Miller said Tuesday that she lacks confidence in City Manager Ted Benavides because he has shown neither the ability to curb inefficiencies nor the skills to navigate Dallas through difficult fiscal straits.    "We started from scratch and tried to make this work," Ms. Miller said. "But with all that has happened, I just don't have confidence in the city manager."    Mr. Benavides . . .  said Tuesday that he is an effective city manager and will not resign.    "I know how to manage, and I will do what the council wants me to do," Mr. Benavides said. "I'll show management. She needs to show leadership." . . .  Of 12 council members asked about Mr. Benavides this week, only one ? Mitchell Rasansky ? said he agreed with the mayor. . . .  11 votes from the 15-member council is needed to remove the city manager. . . .  Even before her campaign, she was often critical of Mr. Benavides and Police Chief Terrell Bolton, whom Mr. Benavides hired during Ms. Miller's tenure on the council. . . .  In recent days, Ms. Miller has stepped up her criticism of Mr. Benavides. She blasted him Monday at a mayoral candidates screening conducted by the Dallas Police Association and last weekend at a forum sponsored by the Latino group People United for Representation and Equality. . . .  Ms. Miller, who supports a $371 million package with an additional $50 million for road projects, said she would have supported a larger bond issue ? one favored by council members from southern Dallas ? if Mr. Benavides were not the city manager. . . .  Ms. Miller said. "With a tough budget and council races, I don't think it's a good time to have a national search for a city manager." . . .  Meanwhile, Mr. Benavides said he enjoys support from nearly all council members. . . .  I work for 15 people," he said. "As long as I keep their confidence, I'll be city manager."     Council member Mary Poss, who is running for mayor against Ms. Miller, said she is in Mr. Benavides' corner.  .  .  ."It's not fair for the mayor to have a bad day and then decide that the city manager should be fired."    Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill said . . .Ms. Miller's recent tirade against the city manager was not good leadership.  . . .   "She's not going to stop, and we don't know how long Ted can put up with the constant pressure."    Ms. Miller said her lack of confidence in Mr. Benavides . . .  include contentions that for 13 months SBC Communications Inc. overcharged the city by almost $3.2 million for telephone service. . . .   city water department could not account for 26.3 billion gallons of water.  . . .  Benavides' handling of the Palladium Co.'s $600 million downtown development and his management of the city's $95 million budget shortfall.    "I just want the place to work, and want someone to lose their jobs because they messed up," she said. . . .  council member Elba Garcia . . .  "And she has not presented any proof of mismanagement by the city manager."    Council member Alan Walne . . .  Ms. Miller should not bring Mr. Benavides into the debate. . . .  Ms. Miller said the two issues are related.    "The mayor has to have confidence in how this $2 billion entity is being managed before going to voters and asking for more of their money," she said. . . .

Here's what understand:  so long as Ted Benavides hangs on to his job, Terrell Bolton gets to keep embarrassing us as he plays at being Chief.  That's the reason the African-American council members are so defensive of the City MisManager.  There is no explanation for why anyone else would defend his incompetence.  Why does the Mayor have to present "any proof of mismanagement by the city manager"?  It's there for anyone to see without scrutiny.  Thank God, that Alan Walne will be back fixing dented cars in a few months.  How can he "not bring Mr. Benavides into the debate."  Benavides is the City Manager.  He's the one who has run the city into the ground.  Get him out of here.  

If Mary imPOSSible is going to continue to covering for Ted Benavides, that speaks volumes for the type of mayor she will be.  But then, we all know what she would do as mayor and who she would do it for -- and that's why we are determined that she will not get the opportunity to do us more harm.

$555 million bond vote set for May 3 in Dallas 02/06/2003  By VICTORIA LOE-HICKS / The Dallas Morning News

The Dallas City Council endorsed a $555 million bond package Wednesday, with Mayor Laura Miller and some other members saying they will work aggressively to sell only about half the propositions on the May 3 ballot. . . . Although some details remain to be worked out, the basic outlines are: ? Eight propositions, totaling $371 million, will be unofficially designated as "Tier 1" items. In theory, the city can repay a $371 package, sold over four years, without raising property taxes. All 15 council members support those items. ? A ninth proposition will include a $67 million "bonus" proposition for additional street projects. The mayor and most council members will campaign for it. ? Seven propositions ? designated with the "bonus" streets item as "Tier 2" ? will complete the package. Ms. Miller, her opponent in the mayor's race, Mary Poss, and some other northern-sector council members say they will not actively campaign for those items. ? A 17th proposition for sanitation improvements would be financed through user fees rather than property tax revenue. . . . the $555 million package garnered 11 of 15 votes. The nays were Ms. Miller, Ms. Poss, Alan Walne and Mitchell Rasansky. . . .  Lois Finkelman, who said she has been surprised in recent weeks by the support for an ambitious bond program among residents of her district, which spans North Dallas and Far North Dallas. . . .  Southern-sector council members came to the table with at least the eight-vote majority needed to pass a package of $555 million or more, with spending grouped into fewer propositions and no delineation ? even informal ? of tiers.    They chose not to push it through, fearing that, without the support of the mayor and several politically active council members, they would run the risk of defeat at the polls. . . .  Although Ms. Miller and Ms. Poss voted against the $555 million package, neither said she would work to defeat it.  .  .  .   they said that given the tough economic realities facing the city and its taxpayers, they couldn't actively sell a package that would translate into a tax rate increase. . . .

No one will have to work to defeat this bond package.  If it raises taxes, most people will vote against it.  I'm walking neighborhoods from Oak Cliff to LBJ.  It doesn't matter how well someone speaks English or their age, most of the voters are quick to say they will vote against anything that raises their taxes.  Now, my altruistic friend, Tim Dickey, is more than happy to pay more taxes, but he is the exception.  I had another friend who had to go back to work from retirement to pay the taxes on her house.  If neither mayoral candidate is going to campaign for the bond package, if two councilmen from two high voting districts are not going to support the bond package, it's going to take a bunch of something to explain to people why they should vote for it.  

I was at a board meeting of one of my "happy talk groups".  I am the token "aginner" on the board.  The rest of them have the "big vision" thing down.  Of course, they are a fairly affluent bunch.  Guess, I am also the token "peasant", as well.  But, most of the crowd were calling for "leadership" to sell the big bond package -- the $600 million.  When they were showing scenes on TV of the rowdy council discussion of the bond package, Thornton-Reese kept talking about "leadership".  What she wanted was what my board colleagues wanted, they want Mayor Miller to fall on her sword and go out and sell a bond package that all the polls show is in trouble.  

Do you know there was to be $4 million for each council person to individually designate for projects in their own district?  Now, there will be $8 million for them to designate.  That is ward politics.  It's bad enough that a very small amount of the bond package is intended for projects in North Dallas, which will pay the largest share of any tax increase.  When you compound that with the extra $8 million per every district, it starts looking like a tax revolt on the horizon.  That is if you are looking North!

Miller: It's still about basics; As she praises State of the City, some argue promises not met 02/06/2003  By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News

Dallas is evolving from a can-do city to one that can and will do better for its residents, Mayor Laura Miller said Wednesday.    In her first State of the City address, the mayor said that under her watch, Dallas' focus has shifted from multimillion-dollar projects to essential city services.    "Dallas is a positive, get-it-done city. We've seen that spirit build great airports, transit systems and sports and arts facilities to lure visitors and corporations," she said. "But I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Our city also must do a better job of taking care of the people who are already here." . . .  During the last year, the city has smoothed streets, cleaned up code violations, and worked to develop more affordable housing, the mayor said. Efforts to revitalize downtown have begun, and expensive consultants have been replaced by private-sector experts who have volunteered, she said. . . .  Council member Mary Poss, who is running against the mayor in the May 3 election, questioned the mayor's assertions of improving basic services. . . .  Ms. Miller, who was elected to fill Ron Kirk's unexpired term, also cited raising police pay and balancing the city budget during a lean year as important milestones.    She emphasized that these were not her accomplishments alone but were done with the help of all 14 City Council members. . . .  The speech came one day after Ms. Miller said she had lost confidence in City Manager Ted Benavides.    Council member Alan Walne questioned how the mayor could celebrate the work done in the last year while criticizing the city manager, who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of City Hall. . . .   Miller promised a continued focus on ending wasteful spending, and she called for a tougher city ethics code. . . .  "Dallas deserves better than dealing with ethics in government after the fact," she said.    Council member John Loza agreed that a more stringent ethics code is a priority. . . .  Mr. Walne said he sees no evidence of wrongdoing that would merit tougher standards.    "I don't appreciate the implication that there's corruption currently," he said. "I'm offended by it." . . .

The Mayor's speech in its entirety is attached in State of the City.  The DallasArena.com nickname for Alan Walne is "Duh Walne".  He knows City MisManager Benavides has done a lousy job, but the city is still standing.  Think how much better we could be doing with a real city manager.  If Walne doesn't think we have corruption at City Hall and have not had crooked politicians sitting the horse show during most of his 8 years in office, he is dumber than we ever imagined.  Look at the waste of taxpayer money in the Visitor's Bureau.  Look at the screwed up computer system that someone close to somebody got the city to buy.  Look at Old Al Lipscomb for heaven's sake.  He was taking so many bribes, they probably had to stand in line to stick money in his pocket.

This is the time for the city to re-prioritize.  It's time for Dallas voters to hold the line and think about the present.  The future will take care of itself.  If we don't get some reality back into our government decisions, the future will be the least of our problems.