A campaign postcard supporting Proposition 8, a Dallas charter amendment that would increase City Council pay. (Tom Benning/The Dallas Morning news)
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has been the public face of a campaign to encourage voters to approve a raise for City Council members to $60,000 from $37,500 and for the mayor to $80,000 from $60,000, as we reported in today’s paper.
Rawlings — who wouldn’t benefit from the increase, if it’s approved and if he wins re-election — hasn’t shied away from stressing the the vote’s importance. Pitching that it will encourage more qualified and more diverse candidates, he called it one of the most important ballot measures in the last decade.
But in a radio ad that’s airing on some Dallas radio stations, the mayor takes it a step further.
As we mentioned in today’s paper, Rawlings compares voting for the charter amendment — Proposition 8 — to passage of the landmark U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964. Listen to the radio advertisement above or read a transcript of the ad below:
“Hi, I’m Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. You know that 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the law that opened the doors of opportunity to millions of Americans who were unfairly locked out. We have a chance right here in Dallas to open the doors of opportunity even further by passing Proposition 8 on the Nov. 4 election ballot.
“Prop 8 would provide a middle-class salary for future Dallas City Council members and future mayors after me. This increase is long overdue. Council members work hard, between 40 and 60 hours per week. Raising the pay to a modest level that can help support a middle-class family would allow people from a much broader and more diverse background to serve our great city.
“So let’s all do our part to open the doors of opportunity in Dallas. Go to the end of the election ballot and vote for Proposition 8. Dallas is worth it.”