Mayor Leppert Didn't Level With Voters
The Dallas Morning News editorializes today against Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert's reassurances during 2007's referendum on the Trinity toll road. Leppert reassured voters that the plan to build a toll road inside the levees was safe and environmentally sensitive. Now, we learn that the Army Corps of Engineers was privately telling the city that the plan was risky.
It's not surprising that messing with levees is risky. It's not surprising that the Army Corps knew that in 2007. It's not surprising that the Corps told the city. It's not even surprising that Leppert withheld this information during the referendum debate. What is surprising is that The Dallas Morning News is publicly breaking with Leppert now, after having been his partner in snookering the public for so long. The News has been a big supporter of the Trinity River project and has been just as willing as Leppert to turn a blind eye to the obvious risks. What's even more surprising is that the News remains "a strong proponent of the entire Trinity River project," even as it criticizes Leppert for not being straight with voters. There's a willful ignorance at work here. The failing here is not just with Mayor Leppert. It's with the Trinity River project itself.
The News refuses to draw that conclusion. It keeps its gaze squarely on the politicians and not the project. It even attempts further distraction by takings a wholly irrelevant cheap shot at Dallas Council member Angela Hunt. Nothing Hunt might have said during the referendum debate excuses Leppert's behavior. Discrediting Hunt will not mitigate the serious risks inherent in the Trinity River project. Hunt and Leppert will be gone soon enough. Those levees have to be there forever.
Late Hat In the Ring
After the deadline for candidates to file for May's City Council election in Richardson, a procrastinator decided he really did want to run for council after all. Bill Denton submitted his name as a write-in candidate for Place 1, running against incumbent Bob Townsend. Denton is too late to be listed on the ballot, but his name will be on the list posted at polling places.
Denton is president of the Duck Creek Homeowners' Association. He challenged Townsend in 2007, losing in a fairly close election. He identified neighborhood revitalization as the top challenge facing the city at that time. It'll be interesting to see how he campaigns in 2009. Not being on the ballot means he has no reasonable chance of election unless he makes Townsend himself the issue with some serious mudslinging. That is not expected. So, what is behind this late decision by Bill Denton to enter a race it looks like he's sure to lose?
5 comments:
In explanation for Bill Denton's seemingly futile decision to run as a write-in candidate for Richardson City Council, Nathan Morgan reports that "Denton stated the reason for his decision to enter is that the incumbent said that he 'almost didn't run'." Whatever that means.
Morgan's description is shameful. Morgan was feeding questions to the moderator, who was none other than Darrell "I am the master of Domestic battery" Day who was Murphy's previous opponent. Yes. That Darrell Day. The Darrell Day when if you suspect him of giving you a loaded question and you respond "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" he doesn't understand because its not a loaded question to him.
His description of place 4 is just a typical lie. Yes there was a question about the Richardson Improvement Corporation. What Did Bache-Wiig and Wardrup when they answered first? They both said, "Uh Duh. I don't know much about that." What did Slagel say? What it is, why its allowed under state law and why Richardson (like every other municipality under the sun) does it. So Richardson does something legal that everyone else does and that makes Slagel is such a horrible guy? huh? what?
Why is Bache-Wiig a breath of fresh air according to Morgan? Because Bache-Wiig is a kook who supported the likes of Randall Dunning in the 112 Republican primary like Morgan did. Yes that Randall Dunning who is the uber right wing kook.
Oh lets not forget that Chris Davis helped Randall "the earth is 6000 years old" Dunning in his unsuccessful election. And lets not forget that Davis works for County Commissioner Maurine Dickey. No conflict of interest there? Nope. The fact that John Murphy is president of North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and that she has to deal with Murphy and if she can't get his better at NCTCOG meetings she'll have a cronie run against him and get rid of him that way maybe? Just a suggestion. Heck maybe its not true. Maybe Chris Davis is made of gold. Of course Morgan won't mention THAT conflict of interest because she is on the same uber kook side as Morgan.
Morgan makes Sheryl Miller sound like a sound individual but she is borderline mental. She tried to hype up herself by making beer references!? "Its Miller Time."
The whole mayor thing with place 2 is another Morgan spin machine. Jennifer "Why Am I here" Justice goes off and says the mayor should be elected directly but I'll bet she doesn't grasp why the charter was written to NOT do that. And Schnuuur says he'd vote for Mitchell but that is only because he and his supporters (i.e. people like Morgan and people who only care about their own street) hate Slagel. And then there's Solomon who gives the professional answer other than saying the clumsy "take the 5th" thing. He points out that the mayor is an executive that the council backs and the mayor is another council member.
Its a Fox reality show bordering performance art. We just might have kooks running the city this time around.
"Anonymous," thanks for reviewing Nathan Morgan's account of the forum. If any account ever needed some balance, his did.
"Nathan Morgan reports that "Denton stated the reason for his decision to enter is that the incumbent said that he 'almost didn't run'." Whatever that means."
Nathan Morgan, as usual, states things in such as way that the audience is bound to draw the wrong conclusion, which happens to suit his own personal agenda.
Yes, Bob Townsend said privately to Bill Denton that he had doubts about running...it warms your heart, doesn't it, that Bill Denton turns right around and broadcasts a private comment to the world? It makes you wonder how well he'll keep confidential information belonging to the City.
However, the reason that Bob said this (I am inferring this, but I've known him for years), is precisely because of the abuse that people like Nathan Morgan give the members of Council. Nathan Morgan, as you can see from his website, routinely accuses the Council members of breaking the law, such as by discussing illegal things in executive session. But how can the Council members defend themselves? Only by revealing what they actually spoke about...which they can't, without breaking the law on revealing the contents of legal executive sessions.
So Nathan Morgan has found himself a perfect scam - accuse people of breaking the law, knowing that they can't defend themselves without breaking the law!
How about the laws against slander, since it is illegal in Texas to falsely accuse someone committing a crime? It won't help here, because judges are notoriously reluctant to limit speech about public figures. That is, you can generally get away with telling all sorts of lies about people in office, and the courts figure that it's not their place to police it, it should be done by the voters in the election.
So now do you have an inkling of why Bob Townsend said that he considered not running? Richardson is full of really nice people, but there are these yahoos that make you embarrassed to be a member of the same species.
Oh, one other thing that Nathan "all the news I see fit to print" Morgan failed to mention - Bob Townsend filed to run for re-election on the first possible day, while Bill Denton didn't bother to get around to it until after the last filing day had passed...so why would anyone think that Bill Denton is better prepared to lead this City than Bob Townsend???
It is ironic. Bill Denton didn't decide to enter the race until after the deadline for filing. Bob Townsend filed on day one. Now Denton is criticizing Townsend for admitting to having mixed feelings about running. Bill Denton needs a better explanation for his write-in candidacy.
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