Racial Politics II

Latinos criticize Miller; Mayor defends stances cited by national, local Hispanic, black leaders
02/20/2003
By GROMER JEFFERS JR. / The Dallas Morning News

The head of the nation's largest Hispanic organization said Wednesday that Mayor Laura Miller is intolerant of minorities and shouldn't be re-elected.
   "She's been totally insensitive, not only to Hispanics, but to African-Americans in this community," Hector Flores, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, . . .
   "We thought she would be the mayor of all Dallas. Unfortunately, that has not happened. ...
   Ms. Miller defended her record and said she was disturbed by the allegations, which she initially tried to dismiss as the work of former City Council member and longtime nemesis Al Lipscomb.
. . . I enjoyed the vast majority of the Latino vote last year in the mayor's race, and I anticipate doing that again."
   Mr. Flores said his goal is to oust Ms. Miller from office.
. . . Ms. Miller was elected last year with considerable help from Hispanics, even though former state Rep. Domingo Garcia was one of her opponents.
. . .the group said:
? They were angry that Ms. Miller forced the resignation of Chris Luna as chairman of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. . . . media reports about allegations of questionable expenditures by the bureau's staff, . . .
? They questioned Ms. Miller's motives in publicly stating this month that she had lost confidence in Ted Benavides, Dallas' first Hispanic city manager.
? They also questioned Ms. Miller's endorsement of Sharon Boyd, an Anglo candidate, in the District 6 council race . . . The district's population is 77 percent Hispanic.
   "There are going to be folks that support the work that I do for the Latino community, and there are going to be others that don't," Ms. Miller said. "It's part of the job down here."
    Ms. Miller said she had met Tuesday with Hispanic leaders to discuss their concerns.
. . . Andres Ruzo, chairman of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said . . . Ms. Miller ignored his request for a meeting to discuss the concerns of the Hispanic chamber's 1,500 small businesses until this week. He said he was scheduled to meet with Ms. Miller next week.
. . . Michael Walton, president of the Dallas Fraternal Order of Police, said his group made a mistake by endorsing Ms. Miller in last year's election.
. . .Mr. Lipscomb, . . . faulted Ms. Miller for attacking Mr. Benavides, Mr. Luna and Terrell Bolton, the city's first black police chief.
   Ms. Miller said Mr. Lipscomb's comments were predictable,. . . "I've got to do what's right for the taxpayers, and I've got to make decisions sometimes about who should be in jobs and who shouldn't," . . . .
Ms. Miller also defended her endorsement of Ms. Boyd in the District 6 council race, saying Ms. Boyd has been her friend for a long time.
   "I think she's very smart and will represent everybody in the district if she's elected," she said.
   Some Hispanic leaders said Wednesday that they were disappointed with the criticism of Ms. Miller.
Loza defends Miller
   "I've worked with her ... and I don't think she's racist or a bigot by any stretch of the imagination," council member John Loza said. "There are honest differences of opinion just like there are on council. . . .

DallasArena.com Response

Readers' comments

? Where was the "head of the nation's largest Hispanic organization" when the fake drug bust story hit?
? Why is Hector Flores protecting Terrell Bolton and Ted Benavides who are both directly and indirectly responsible for the injustice done to those Mexican Nationals?
No one at that press conference endorsed Laura Miller or lives in District 6.
Mr. Flores can count that room for all the votes he will sway.
Laura Miller beat Domingo Garcia even in the Hispanic areas. He won a few precincts, but not by much.
? Would this group have the Mayor ignore wrong doing and incompetence when every night the media was exposing waste and misuse of taxpayer money at the DCVB?
? Who would this group blame for the mismanagement at City Hall if not Ted Benavides?
? Would this group have the city continue to flounder just to protect Ted Benavides?
? If District 6 is 77% Hispanic, and the voters elect me with my blue eyes, would this group deny District 6 voters the right to elect the person of their choice?
? It is racist for a bunch of has beens to tell the Mayor she can only endorse someone of a particular ethnicity in each district.
? Single member districts were to allow the voters to elect someone to represent them of their choice. Following the logic of these racist has beens, no one of color would be allowed to represent any area outside of minority-majority districts.
? Al Lipscomb is a confessed bribe taker.
? Al Lipscomb costs hundreds of minority tax cab drivers their livelihood.
? Al Lipscomb and Terrell Bolton got the the police to stop enforcing city laws in the Bachman/NW Hwy sex clubs.
? Al Lipscomb pimped women in California and in Dallas.

At one time, John Loza and I were close friends. His winning campaign was run out of my living room. Doing mailings, phone banking. He is right to defend Laura Miller against these attacks.

When Laura Miller fought so hard to keep those pools open for Black and Hispanic children, where were these racist has beens?

Here's one last question for the whole bunch of them --

Why have you been silent about the wrong done to those Mexican Nationals by two of the very people you are defending?

Hector Flores and that gang only care about rich, connected and powerful Hispanics. They have no concern for the people of District 6. They just want to control them.

Their PATRON days are over.

Dinah Miller
I can't believe that ridiculous article in today's DMN about LULAC coming out against the Mayor.

Notice not ONE word was reported spoken about the Mexicans arrested on fake drug charges! Only protection for Bolton.

This will backfire, just like Dunning's mailings did on him.

Great letters by and about you to the editor. Good luck to your blue eyes!