State Senator Royce West and Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price Town Hall Discussion

 

 

State Senator Royce West

and

Dallas County Commissioner

John Wiley Price

request your presence at

What’s On the Agenda?

‘A series of topic-driven discussions on relevant issues

facing Dallas County’

with a focus on

Transportation

The Trinity Corridor Project /Trinity Parkway

Tax Increment Financing –

Public/Private Project Development

Thursday – September 20, 2007

Meet & Greet – 6:30 p.m.

Town Hall Discussion

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

at

Dr. Yvonne A. Ewell –

Townview Magnet Center

(Auditorium)

1201 E. 8th St

Dallas, TX 75203

For more information, call Kelvin Bass at 214-467-0123.

 

Million Father March – A Push To Bring Dads Into Kids’ School Lives

Raleigh: Melvin McNeill, speaks with Shani Galloway, a teacher at Sparc Academy as his daughters look for their desks. McNeill walked his daughters to school as part of the Million Father March. Jeffery A. Camarati/Special to The Christian Science Monitor

Raleigh, N.C. – It’s Monday morning, and Bryan Harris is walking his three daughters down a path he hasn’t traveled before. This year, he’s broken free of his long hours as a furniture deliveryman to be here on the first day of school, following his three daughters up the cement steps and grass-lined walkway to their classrooms at SPARC Academy, a K-8 charter school here. His two youngest, second-grader Shirley and third-grader Jessica, glance back at him with smiles. His fifth-grader, Ceosa, walks with her head held high.

“I wanted them to know I support what they’re doing,” he says.

Around the country, many African-American men are doing the same. They’re part of a national movement called the Million Father March that encourages people of all races, but particularly black men, to be active in children’s educational lives.

Created four years ago, the Million Father March is sponsored by The Black Star Project, a Chicago group working to build strong students, encourage parental involvement, and improve life in African-American and Latino communities. The goal is to eliminate the racial academic achievement gap, says Black Star Project founder and director Phillip Jackson. One key, he believes, is the commitment of dads.

More

Dallas Trinity River Class Warfare! Ruling Class Announces Its Team – Will Money Or Merit Prevail?

 

The Money Team ( Vote No! Save The Trinity Committee)

vs

The Merit Team (TrinityVote.com – Angela Hunt)

Trinity River Vote Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2007

VOTE NO! SAVE THE TRINITY COMMITTEE UNVEILS LEADERSHIP TO DEFEAT TRINITY REFERENDUM

Three Mayors, Dallas’ two State Senators, and 14-of-15 current Dallas City Councilmembers

pledge to move Trinity project forward

DALLAS – Three Mayors, Dallas’ two State Senators and 14-of-15 current Dallas City Council members will lead the campaign to defeat the Trinity referendum, which will go before Dallas voters on Nov. 6, 2007. By defeating the referendum, plans for the Trinity River Project, which were approved by voters in 1998, will move forward as scheduled.

“The current design of the Trinity River Project represents the best of all worlds,” said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. “We can use bonds with state and federal funding – and deliver to taxpayers the most value for new roads to reduce traffic and air pollution. At the same time, we’ll add parks and green spaces for families and promote economic development for Dallas’ southern sector.”

Mayor Tom Leppert and former Dallas Mayors Laura Miller and Ron Kirk will serve as the campaign’s Honorary Chairs.

Campaign Co-Chairs are Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Elba Garcia (District 1), Councilmember Pauline Medrano (District 2), Councilmember David A. Neumann (District 3), Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway (District 4), Councilmember Vonciel Jones Hill (District 5), Councilmember Steve Salazar (District 6), Councilmember Carolyn R. Davis (District 7), Councilmember Tennell Atkins (District 8), Councilmember Sheffie Kadane (District 9), Councilmember Jerry R. Allen (District 10), Councilmember Linda Koop (District 11), Councilmember Ron Natinsky (District 12) and Councilmember Mitchell Rasansky (District 13). Also, State Senators Royce West and John Carona have pledged their support, signing on as Co-Chairs as well.

In addition, papers were filed today in the City Secretary’s office naming Ron Steinhart as Treasurer of the Vote NO! Save The Trinity Campaign Committee. `

Carol Reed Associates has been tapped to manage the campaign and will lead a veteran team that includes Allyn & Company and political consultants Brenda Reyes and Willis Johnson.

CONTACT:

Becky Mayad 214-352-1881

Cell 214-697-7745

bmayad@sbcglobal.net

Dallas ISD Bond Election At Risk Due To November Trinity River Vote and Growing African American Dissatisfaction

The Dallas ISD Facilties Task Force will soon make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees on a possible date for the next school bond election.

The Facilities Task Force is currently considering either November 2007 or May 2008.

The primary concern is the possible effect of the likely Trinity River Vote in November of 2007.

The controversy expected to be generated by the Trinity River campaigns could have a negative impact on the outcome of the Dallas ISD bond election – if scheduled for the same election date in November 2007.

Apparently, past Dallas ISD Bond Programs have never failed to obtain voter approval.

The Trinity River Vote might place that record at serious risk.

There is also a “silent but potentially deadly question” emerging on the horizon of an unknown level of opposition to the bond program in the African American community due to substantial dissatisfaction with the current racial Anglo/Hispanic Board governance that disrespects the African American community.

One example:

Jack Lowe and the Board supported the rip-off of Trustee District 6 (Carla Ranger) during the Wilmer Hutchins Redistricting by Trustee Jerome Garza. Garza used the Wilmer-Hutchins redistricting to place one of his main former Hispanic political opponents – Ramiro Lopez – into Trustee Carla Ranger’s district. Ramiro Lopez believes this was a part of a scheme by Jerome Garza to set another political plan in motion. The redistricting attorney hired by the full Board, Rolando Rios, tried to hide Jerome Garza’s treachery by first denying then claiming attorney client privilege when directly questioned about who requested the switch.

A more recent example:

Board President Jack Lowe’s recent personal vendetta against African American Trustee Carla Ranger – he used the power of his office to campaign against Carla Ranger during Board elections. Lowe had no objection to the election of a first year Hispanic Trustee to First Vice President. Lowe appointed a first year Anglo Trustee to Policy Chair. But he was determined to deny first year African American Trustee and 30-year Educator Carla Ranger any official Board role and to “punish” her for whatever he and other Anglo and Hispanic Trustees disliked. Jack Lowe and others pursued a very petty, vindictive agenda.

Another recent example:

The arbitrary removal of Honorable Kathlyn Gilliam’s name from a scheduled Board agenda by the Board President Jack Lowe. Mrs. Gilliam was the second longest serving Trustee in Dallas ISD history and received more nominations for consideration than any name submitted for a facility – in this case renaming the Dallas ISD Administration Building.

Yet, the current Board President, Jack Lowe, refused to allow the nomination of Mrs. Gilliam to even appear on the official Board Agenda for a vote.

That was but another racially callous act against the African American community that will not be forgotten.

The seed of the first defeat of a Dallas ISD Bond Program might be found in the growing African American dissatisfaction with all things Dallas ISD – regardless of the bond election date.

And so it is …

More

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert Leading In The Wrong Direction

It is important to lead in the right direction.

Against great odds and tough tactics, Dallas citizens have called for an election on the proposed Trinity River toll road.

Mayor Tom Leppert decides – No, not if I can use the power and authority of my office to stop it.

A visionary Mayor would embrace the Trinity River Vote as an opportunity to make his case on the merits. That would promote the health of the city and lessen toxic ill will.

Instead, Mayor Leppert and other powerful interests are seeking to ‘smear’ the Trinity River Vote grassroots campaign and will likely lose.

It is an effort unworthy of a leader confident of the merits of his case.

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins is already upset that his office has not actually received from Mayor Leppert and the City of Dallas any so-called potentially fraudulent Trinity River signatures to review.

“This to me, on the outset, looks like someone is trying to determine the outcome of this election. It’s unfair”

Even when the items are received by the District Attorney Craig Watkins’ office, the odds do not appear to favor sufficient evidence of fraud to invalidate the vote – since the only thing that really determines the outcome is whether sufficient signatures exist or not – in spite of whatever appearance of further incidental fraud or mistakes can be found by virtue of such a review.

Mayor Leppert is failing his first test of providing new city leadership.

This ‘smear campaign’ is a crass diversion of the city’s time. energy and resources.

It provides cover for what appears to be designed to suppress successful democratic action taken by many thousands of Dallas citizens acting in good faith.

It is likely this effort will fail and there will be a vote on the Trinity River toll road.

Leppert’s Choice: Lead the city forward toward fairness and inclusion of all community stakeholders or backward to the old school of hardball control at any cost in the interest of certain unfair and undemocratic agendas.

This is old Dallas not the new one promised.

More

Mayor Tom Leppert’s Trinity River ‘Fraud Card’

To Debate or Destroy

It appears Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert has chosen to play the ‘Fraud Card’ in his first public effort to attack the outstanding success of the grassroots brigade in forcing a vote on the monster toll road planned for the Trinity River Project long after Dallas voters first approved the bond program.

This action speaks volumes.

Instead of accepting the certification of his own City Secretary’s office, Mayor Leppert has immediately launched a counter attack that seeks to smear the grassroots community effort with so-called ‘fraud.’

More than the intended purpose of discrediting the just released City Secretary’s Certification of the success of the petition drive, the action speaks volumes about Mayor Leppert’s agenda to destroy rather than debate the praiseworthy citizen effort on the merits.

And that is more than a shame.

It is an assault on citizen democracy that suggests a clear and present fear that fully informed voters might indeed disagree with a monster toll road being forced on their Trinity River park development long after they first approved it with little or no disclosure of such a toll road.

If the proposed toll road truly has winning merit, what is there to fear?

More

Trinity Petition Victory For Democracy in Dallas

The certification of the Trinity River Vote initiative by the Dallas City Secretary is a big win for for democratic participation of voters in Dallas. Not only was the petition drive a great success for the grassroots effort undertaken against great odds and powerful interests, but it establishes a clear call for voters to decide what they value most.

The African American community of Dallas might be a potential source of victory or defeat for the planned toll road inside the Trinity River Levees.

More is at stake than the utility of a road or the beauty of a park.

The most important thing is the right of everyday citizens to make the decision.

And that is now a victory that has been rightfully won.

More

(DBB Note: A well deserved victory for Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt, the grassroots brigade and the citizens of Dallas, Texas.)