Tom Leppert

Former Mayor Tom Leppert Wades Into District 14 Race, Endorses Bobby Abtahi

Councilwoman Angela Hunt and former mayor Tom Leppert have never exactly been besties. She was a frequent and vocal critic of the mayor, accusing him of lying, putting his ambitions for higher office before the interests of the city, and generally not doing a very good job running the city. The dist ... More >>

Tom Leppert is Moving, We're Just Not Sure to Where

Tom Leppert, you might have notice, did not do terribly well in his quest for U.S. Senate. He lost. Got trounced, even. Not Craig James trounced, but defeated rather handily. So he's not going to Washington, but he is going somewhere. On the same day voters go to the polls to choose between one of L ... More >>

The Modern Texas GOP, a Viper's Nest of Mao-Lovin' Commie Bastards

On the one hand, our former mayor and Republican primary candidate for the U.S. Senate, Tom Leppert, wasn't afraid to break GOP ranks and tell us that his fellow Republican opponent Ted Cruz is a known communist sympathizer. Amazing. On the other hand, now we also know that Leppert himself is a fel ... More >>

Republican Senate Candidates Are Politically Identical

Still deciding who to favor among the Republican candidates vying for nomination to the U.S. Senate? Might as well play eenie, meenie, miney, mo, or choose based on favorite color or music preference, because politically, they're practically the same. Tom Leppert, Senate candidate and former Dallas ... More >>

Tom Leppert and the Young Republicans Solve the World's Problems

If you happened to stumble upstairs at the Londoner last night, you might have wondered just what the hell was going on. Why were so many of these men wearing suits to the bar? Is that a sweater vest in the corner? Everyone's throwing the word "santorum" around with such enthusiasm -- have we stumbl ... More >>

But Riding on Floats With Gay People Was One of Tom Leppert's Great Accomplishments

​This Texas Republican primary for United States Senate is very compelling in a totally sick twisted way. The opponents are attacking our former mayor Tom Leppert for his few good qualities. Very few. Needles in a haystack of bad. But his opponents have found those rare needles of good in the ... More >>

Tom Leppert and Jesus Christ -- Why, Why, It's Like Looking at Twins!

Via.C'mon, Tom, show us the part where you walk on water.​Oh, oh, oh -- now I get it. All this time former Mayor Tom Leppert sure seemed to be just a stinking hypocrite, a back-stabbing, forked-tongue phony who turned all anti-gay and old-time religious-y after leaving office and deciding to r ... More >>

What's Occupying Tom Leppert

The Senate candidate doesn't like mobs of protesters. Someone alert the Tea Party.

Former Mayor Tom Leppert to Occupy Movement: Get a Job, You Damned Hippies

From Tom Leppert's new online petition​If Tom Leppert were still mayor, rather than a candidate for U.S. Senate, it's possible the city might not have been so accommodating with those presently occupying the parking lot behind Dallas City Hall. I knew we forgot to mention something Friday, when I ... More >>

Man, the Omni Dallas Looks Awful Nice

​Came across a press release from The City-Owned Hotel celebrating its 250,000th room booking -- and, hey, the joint don't even open till 11/11/11, at which point Tom Leppert will emerge from the Presidential Suite, stroking a white Persian, to cut the ribbon using only his laser-like stare. The p ... More >>

Tom Leppert on the Trinity River Toll Road, Again Slicing the Truth with a Razor Blade

​I'm doing an informal poll. Is there anyone left out there who gives a rat's ass what former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert did or did not say about the safety of the Trinity River toll road project? Wait. Wait. I'm looking. I've got my binoculars on. A-ha! I do spy at least one rat's ass out there ... More >>

City Sues Texas Attorney General to Keep From Releasing Trinity Project Docs We Requested

All your solar-powered water taxis are belong to us, says Dallas City Hall.​OK, now we're really curious. We're talking to you, Dallas City Hall, about those Trinity River project emails and memos you're fighting to keep us from seeing. What, has someone been unduly candid in his or her assessment ... More >>

Service Employees International Union's Texas Coordinator on "The Truth About Tom Leppert"

From an SEIU newletter​Really. Who knew?Who knew that Ron Natinsky's early-morning jab at Mike Rawlings over his union endorsements would become The Issue of the Day? Surely not Tom Leppert, who wound up having his spokesman comment on the matter once Rawlings made it clear that, hey, he didn't do ... More >>

Tom Leppert May Forget His Past. We Don't.

​Did anybody else have a serious gag reflex reading our former mayor's what-a-good-boy-am-I essay on the op-ed page of The Dallas Morning News yesterday? Does Tom Leppert just assume people don't remember a single thing about him? Or does he not remember a single thing about himself? His op-e ... More >>

Tom Leppert Just Set Off the Band Name Alert®

Photo by Patrick MichelsLeppert, pastor Robert Jeffress and Mark Lovvorn collectively hit the button that triggered the implosion of First Baptist Dallas.​Speaking of Dallas mayors-turned-U.S. Senate candidates ...Tom Leppert just sent word that a new website launched today: Pastors for Leppert, w ... More >>

Leppert's Got $2.7 Mil to Run For Senate

​Below, in the comments, one Arthur Smythe -- who, as everybody knows, hates the Cowboys -- was quick to point out that Not Mayor Tom Leppert has raised $1.1 million in his bid for the United States Senate. Arthur's comment, which I imagine was made in an English accent by a man wearing a monocle ... More >>

Why'd Mayor Tom Really Quit Early?

Photo by Sam Merten​U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert posted to his website today a piece titled "Serious Leadership," in which he says he's just the man to take Kay Bailey's place in D.C. because, look, "I'm not a career politician and I didn't expect to be in this position. I'm a businessman." O ... More >>

Edward Okpa Not Invited to Mayoral Forum at TJ, But Tom Leppert Nabs Speaking Role

Photo by Patrick MichelsTom Leppert​[Update at 5:50 p.m.: We just heard from Kunkle, who says our item was the first he'd heard of Okpa's exclusion from the debate. Kunkle subsequently called Villalba, and while he stopped short of threatening to pull out of the forum, he strongly urged him to ... More >>

National Review: Tom Leppert's "Mayoral Past May Hurt Him Still" During Senate Run

Via.Rand Paul and Tom Leppert in February​Since he quit being nonpartisan mayor to run as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Tom Leppert has certainly made his politics very clear: He's for drilling in the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge and a balanced-budget amendment, and against National P ... More >>

Tom Leppert Among Republicans Urging Congress to Withdraw NPR's Funding

Who knew Leppert was so savvy with hashtags?​A couple hours after U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert tweeted what you see above, we contacted Leppert spokesman Shawn McCoy to find out why the former mayor supports eliminating public funding for National Public Radio. He said he'd talk to him an ... More >>

Tom Leppert Gets Virtuous.

Tom Leppert Rediscovers His Virginity

​The Gromer Jeffers story in The Dallas Morning News Saturday reporting that Tom Leppert now opposes federal earmark money for the Trinity River project put me in mind of an old newspaper friend. He had struggled mightily with temptation during his younger married years. I should say, he stru ... More >>

Carol Reed Dodges Tom Leppert's DOMA Tweet, Predicts Runoff Between Leppert and David Dewhurst and Defends John Wiley Price

Photos by Sam MertenCarol Reed​Political consultant Carol Reed answered questions about the battle for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Dallas mayor's race, the 2012 Republican presidential primary and an assortment of local and state issues last night at a meet ... More >>

It's Official: Tom Leppert for U.S. Senate!

Here's the announcement posted moments ago on 'bout-to-be-former-Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert's website, which is titled, like the brand-new campaign adshort film (mmmm ... doughnuts) you see above, "Why I'm Running." For U.S. Senate, that is.I bring a unique conservative approach to government. I've c ... More >>

Caraway Talks to WFAA About Being Mayor

Tom Leppert writes in his official letter of resignation sent to the city council that he will officially step down as mayor at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow. At which point Dwaine Caraway will become the interim mayor of Dallas, and no one's more excited about that than Schutze, as you'll see shortly. But ea ... More >>

From High Atop Hunt Oil, A Look at The Park Over Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Which Is Now $9 Million Closer to Being Paid Off

Photos by Patrick MichelsMayor Tom Leppert looks out at construction of The Park moments before stepping in for what may be his last big photo op as mayor.​The Woodall Rogers Deck Park Foundation's still $17 million shy of its fund-raising target, but with construction well under way, the series o ... More >>

Reason No. 1,364 Why Tom Leppert's U.S. Senate Announcement is Imminent

The pic from McCoy's twitter account, which recently retweeted Leppert's thoughts about DOMA.​Tom Leppert has hired Shawn McCoy, the deputy communications director for the 2010 U.S. Senate campaign of Linda McMahon, whose website was designed by the same folks who are behind Leppert's. While i ... More >>

Mayor Leppert's Last Day is Friday

​Moments ago, after the last of the afternoon speakers came to the council chambers microphone to denounce Mayor Tom Leppert and the media one last time, the mayor said what we've known was coming since last night, if not well before: He's outta here."This will be my last city council meeting. Eff ... More >>

Mayor Tom's Farewell Speech

Mayor Tom Leppert to Step Down: The Final Council Speech from Dallas Observer on Vimeo.As promised, here's the entirety of Mayor Tom Leppert's adios speech given to the city council at the close of today's meeting. For some reason, the audio and video fell out of sync. Which somehow makes it more en ... More >>

Tomorrow, Mayor Tom to Say When He's Done

Patrick Michels​About an hour ago, Rudy posted a piece saying Mayor Tom Leppert's announcing his resignation tomorrow, during the city council meeting. But that doesn't mean he's ending his term tomorrow.A little while ago I asked the mayor's chief of staff, Chris Heinbaugh, for further details. A ... More >>

Congressman Confirms Leppert's Senate Run

U.S. Representative David Dreier​While Republican Tom Leppert hasn't exactly been coy about his plans to mount a campaign for the U.S. Senate seat soon to be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Representative David Dreier confirmed Leppert's intentions late last night. He told the Forum, Cl ... More >>

Dwaine Caraway Says He's Quite Ready to Take Over as Mayor If Tom Leppert Resigns

Photo by Sam MertenTom Leppert, Ron Natinsky and Dwaine Caraway​The probability that Mayor Tom Leppert finishes his term before launching a U.S. Senate campaign is about the same as Jerry Jones relinquishing his role as general manager. In other words, it ain't happening. Clearly, Leppert want ... More >>

With $210-Million Purchase Order, DART Begins Transition to Compressed Natural Gas Fleet

DART provides this sneak peek at one of the 452 new CNG-powered buses due to hit Dallas streets in 2013.​In the fall of '09, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board inched toward spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new buses that would be powered by compressed natural gas -- as opposed to the ... More >>

Either Tom Leppert's Gearing Up for a U.S. Senate Run or He Just Wasted 75,000 Bucks

Sam MertenTom Leppert​Mayor Tom Leppert hasn't formally announced his candidacy for Kay Bailey Hutchison's gig just yet, but he hired Republican fund-raiser Shelly Carson last year as his finance director and paid her nearly $75,000, according to campaign finance reports. Carson has yet to ret ... More >>

Mayor Tom on Kay Bailey's Announcement

​No, no, it has nothing to do with whether or not Tom Leppert's going to run for her Senate seat following today's bit o' breaking news. Sorry. That announcement's still a few weeks off -- after the Super Bowl, that's my guess. Chris Heinbaugh, the mayor's chief of staff, sends this instead:"I wan ... More >>

Top 10 Mayor Tom Photos of '10

If 2010 turns out to be Mayor Tom Leppert's last full year in office before he attempts to snag Kay Bailey Hutchison's U.S. Senate seat in the March 2012 primary, it was certainly another productive year for the workaholic. Whoever takes his place has a lot to live up to as far as appearances go -- ... More >>

Mayor Tom, Prominent Doctors and the Great Cliff Harris All Come Together To Fight Diabetes

Photos by Andrea GrimesDallas Cowboy football legend Cliff Harris came to hear Mayor Leppert and crew call for participants in a new diabetes study at UT-Southwestern.​Mayor Tom Leppert and wife Laura, representatives from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, city council member Delia Jasso, ... More >>

Operation Crackdown Says Adios, Drug Houses, With City Brass Along for the Benediction

Photos by Patrick MichelsCity Attorney Tom Perkins, City Manager Mary Suhm, Mayor Tom Leppert and Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway. That's how many city officials it takes to knock down a building, plus Lt. Col. Mark Welch and the Texas National Guard. Operation Crackdown is rumbling along through Da ... More >>

At City Hall, the Slow Demise of the Citizens Council? Probably Not. But We Can Dream.

​There's a lot of shape-shifting going on below the media radar at City Hall, a sense that some kind of realignment is in the works. A lot of it has to do with the fraying and maybe dissolution of the traditional Citizens Council/South Dallas Deal. Mayor Tom Leppert has been the standard-bearer fo ... More >>

"Dallas Is the Lavender Heart of Texas."

So says Mayor Tom Leppert's chief of staff Chris Heinbaugh in this just-posted Gay Travel look-see at the city. It accompanies these out-and-abouts on Cedar Springs, at Fair Park, the W Hotel in Victory Park, Gay Bingo, Cyclone Anaya's, the Nasher Sculpture Center and the original Sonny Bryan's.Just ... More >>

Mayor's Now a "Distinguished Business Leader"

Sam Merten​So says the press release forwarded this morning by Mayor Tom Leppert's chief of staff, Chris Heinbaugh. It comes from the Dallas Chapter of the Texas Association of Business, which will honor Leppert with its annual Distinguished Business Leader Award early next year, at the 13th A ... More >>

From Church to Dust, First Baptist Implosion Makes Room for Shiny New Home Downtown

Photos by Patrick MichelsFirst Baptist's old church spire was the first thing to catch sunlight as the dust cleared from this morning's implosion.​With a mighty set of booms that echoed throughout downtown, Mayor Tom Leppert and his pastor Robert Jeffress made room for the opulent new face of Firs ... More >>

Tom Leppert Gets Texas Tribuned

First thing Wednesday morning down in Austin, Mayor Tom Leppert visited with Texas Tribune editor Evan Smith about a whole host of subjects -- among them, right off the bat, why Leppert endorsed Gov. Rick Perry earlier this month, despite the fact his is supposed to be a nonpartisan position. Also o ... More >>

Love and Money: New Airport Concessions Deal Gets Pricey.

At Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel's Topping Out Ceremony, Mayor Leppert Declares: "This Isn't the Dallas of J.R. Anymore"

Photos by Sam Merten​It seems like only yesterday that we were at the parking lot in front of the Dallas Convention Center to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new city-owned hotel, where Mayor Tom Leppert donned a bellhop's hat and twice shoveled dirt into a hole before a large "D" was pull ... More >>

Beat the Retreat: Liveblogging the City Council's Tuesday Spent at the Wyly Theatre

Andrea GrimesThis is what it looks like when Mayor Tom, standing, and the council set up shop in a performance space.​Good morning, Friends o' The Unfair Park. I'm poised alongside a couple of very handsome Dallas Morning News writers at an inadequately small Ikea work table somewhere high up in t ... More >>

Dallas's Latest To-Do List

​Tomorrow morning the city council schleps all the way to the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre for its latest retreat, at which point they'll pore over the results of the latest Strategic Plan Update. In short, it's a look back at what the council wanted to get done in the last fiscal year and a look ... More >>

Mayor Tom: "Dallas Is At the Heart of What is Happening in the U.S. Economy Today."

Chris Heinbaugh​On the other side is the final dispatch from Chris Heinbaugh, Mayor Tom Leppert's chief of staff, who's among the traveling party wrapping up that trade mission to Spain and France. The quote in the headline comes from the release that follows, in which Leppert says the Euros are r ... More >>

So, You Want to Know Who's Paying for The Mayor's European Vacation? Well, Then ...

Remember when I said you'd never see this picture again? Apparently, I was wrong.​Right about now, Mayor Tom Leppert, council member Ron Natinsky, state Rep. Rafael Anchia, Office of Economic Development head Karl Zavikovsky and a few other folks on the Dallas trade mission to Europe are probably ... More >>