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City Hall reporters Rudolph Bush and Steve Thompson provide political junkies with in-depth features, breaking news and off-beat tidbits through lively coverage of Dallas government. Readers are encouraged to join the conversation. March 2010
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Want to help build a trail on the site of the Texas Horse Park? And now we say goodbye to the Dallas City Council for three weeks Dallas City Hall Daily: Friday, March 12, 2010 Austin police chief turns down that city's offer. Still on list to become Dallas' top cop Austin doesn't want to give up its police chief to Dallas Dallas council members tout their schools' drum lines ahead of March for Respect Mayor Tom Leppert talks southern Dallas development Dallas garbage pick-up struggle descends into 'shrubbery vigilantism' Recent Comments
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March 12, 2010
The Texas Horse Park is still looking for some donors to help realize the plan for a 600-acre equestrian center along the Trinity River. But tomorrow morning, there will be work at the site, and you're welcome to join in. Volunteers with Groundwork Dallas will be meeting before 9 a.m. tomorrow to cut as much trail as they can by 1 p.m. Peter Payton of G.D. says there's lots of poison ivy out there so wear long pants, long sleeves and closed-toed shoes. The volunteers will be staging at Pimberton Hill and Elam. Interested? Call Peter at 586-850-9837. The more people who show up, the longer the trail will be. ![]() ![]() The entry "Want to help build a trail on the site of the Texas Horse Park? " is tagged: Dallas , Dallas City Hall , Trinity River
As of Monday, the Dallas City Council is officially on Spring break for two weeks. And after that, it's Passover and Holy Week and 5th Wednesday so we shouldn't be seeing too much of them then either. City Hall isn't going anywhere though and neither is the City Hall Blog. ![]() ![]() The entry "And now we say goodbye to the Dallas City Council for three weeks " is tagged: Dallas , Dallas City Council
Your daily dose of news and views from in and around Dallas City Hall: • Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo - one of six finalists to replace retiring Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle - said he turned down an offer from Austin yesterday to reject Dallas' overtures and stay put with APD. Read Rudy's report below and check out KVUE-TV's version here. • Check out Steve Brown's column on the convention center hotel, reminiscing on similarities to the Reunion Hyatt under construction back in 1977. • At 11 a.m. Saturday, the first floats, bands and leprechauns will begin to roll down Greenville Avenue for Dallas' annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. Our Nancy Visser has a story on that here. • Dallas Zoo officials yesterday showed off an 11-acre construction site that they hope will transform the often-troubled Oak Cliff institution. Our David Flick reports on that here. • The tenants are long gone from the Acacia Village apartments on Park Lane that the city purchased last year for a new branch library. But their $1 million moving bill is just arriving for taxpayers. See Channel 8's report on that. Have a news tip? We want to hear from you. E-mail Steve Thompson, at sthompson@dallasnews.com, or Rudy Bush, at rbush@dallasnews.com. Follow us on Twitter by clicking here. ![]() ![]() The entry "Dallas City Hall Daily: Friday, March 12, 2010" is tagged: Acacia Village apartments , art acevedo , dallas zoo , greenville avenue
Here's Rudy Bush's report on the 'very special' council meeting yesterday. It's in today's print version of the paper (yes, we still make one of those) but I can't find the story online yet. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A top Obama administration official told Dallas City Council members Thursday that communities across the country are having difficulties working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in finding satisfactory solutions to flood-control issues. Ron Sims, deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, told council members and backers of the city's Trinity River project that he plans to add Dallas to a list of communities he keeps that have differences with the corps. Sims met with council members and Trinity supporters to discuss a novel grant program intended to link housing, transportation and environmental projects. But after a presentation on the Trinity project, talk turned to the corps. ![]() ![]() The entry "Obama administration official tells Dallas council that communities having difficulties working with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers " is tagged: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers March 11, 2010
Police reporter Tanya Eiserer caught up with Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo while he was laid over at Love Field (correction: D/FW International) this afternoon. Acevedo - one of six finalists to replace retiring Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle - said he turned down an offer from Austin today to reject Dallas' overtures and stay put with APD. Tanya reports that Austin gave Acevedo a 6 p.m.deadline to make his choice and he decided to go through the application process with Dallas. "It's very humbling," he said of the outpouring of support he has received from Austinites. "It really tears at my heart strings, but I think that in life human beings are all about looking out for opportunities and challenges. This urban environment and the city really appeals to me. I don't know where I'll end up, but I do know that I want to pursue this opportunity because I think at the end of the day I'll end up being the right fit or maybe not. But the only way I'll find out is to go through the process." For those who are surprised that he would consider the Dallas job, he reminded them that he lived for many years in Los Angeles. "Dallas offers this urban environment that's a bustling metropolitan area. It's something I'm used to and something I think that is worth exploring." "I don't think it's responsible for police chiefs to try to leverage their current position for a pay raise. I love what I do. If I could live off of doing it for free, I know it's kind of tacky, but I would. I love being a police officer." "I'm in it for the long haul and we'll see what happens. I really believe I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. I have faith that things happen for a reason and wherever I'm supposed to end up that that's where I'll end up." ![]() ![]() The entry "Austin police chief turns down that city's offer. Still on list to become Dallas' top cop" is tagged: Art Acevedo , Austin , Austin Police , Dallas , Dallas Police
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo is one of six finalists to become Dallas' next chief. But Austin has no plans to let him go without a fight. My colleague in Austin, Robert Garrett, just forwarded me this from the city of Austin. City Manager Ott issues statement ![]() ![]() The entry "Austin doesn't want to give up its police chief to Dallas" has no entry tags.
Council member Jerry Allen touted his Lake Highlands Wildcats this morning during a drum line competition in front of City Hall. Also competing were Skyline, Adamson and Townview high schools. Council members Dwaine Caraway and Tennell Atkins were on hand to cheer their schools and get into the occasional scuffle with Allen. I had to leave before they picked a winner, but judging from the four trophies ready by the podium, I've got a feeling it ended up a tie. The event was to bring attention to the March for Respect, a walk through the West End on March 27 to show support for Texans with developmental disabilities. See some cell phone footage of the Lake Highlands drum line after the jump. ![]() ![]() The entry "Dallas council members tout their schools' drum lines ahead of March for Respect " is tagged: adamson , drum lines , lake highland wildcats , march of respect , skyline , townview
This just popped up on the Internet as far as I can tell - a discussion of southern Dallas with Mayor Tom Leppert and Rev. Gerald Britt. A lot of interesting issues here including redevelopment of 175, Fair Park and other things. In the comments, Casey Thomas tells us it happened late last year. December according to the time on the posting It's worth your 10 minutes. ![]() ![]() The entry "Mayor Tom Leppert talks southern Dallas development " is tagged: Dallas , Southern Dallas , Tom Leppert
Gotta tell you I saw this one coming. Last week, I wrote about efforts by The Peninsula neighborhood to convince City Hall to move their One Day back to their alleys. The city said, fine, we'll go back to picking up the garbage in the alleys instead of at the curb if you cut back the overgrowth of bushes and trees and set back a few fences. This morning, I got a note from David Wright on Biscayne Boulevard about his pyracantha bushes being trimmed way back without his consent. I'll let him tell it: These self appointed urban shrubbery terrorists took it upon themselves to take weapons of massive shrubbery destruction (a gas powered tree trimmer on a pole chainsaw) and trim shrubbery allegedly extending into the alley between Lake Highlands Rd. and Biscayne Blvd. With a war cry of "It's a public right of way," they claimed to have the right to trim (mangle) my shrubbery. These supposedly well intentioned but obviously misguided neighbors were imposing on me their view that the new curbside plastic-bin garbage pick-up was unacceptable to their aesthetics. Frankly, I don't care where the garbage is picked up, in the alley or on the street. I'm fine if the city can save money and encourage recycling by picking the garbage up on the curb. I'm not fine with my neighbors attacking my shrubbery. Is this legal? ![]() ![]() The entry "Dallas garbage pick-up struggle descends into 'shrubbery vigilantism'" is tagged: Dallas , One Day Dallas , Sanitation
All Dallas City Council meetings are special to us, so we'll have to call this afternoon's special meeting very special. The council will be gathering at the Trinity Center in Oak Lawn to meet with Ron Sims, deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. My understanding is the meeting will focus on the Obama administration's effort to begin to break down walls between the housing, transportation and environment bureaucracies. We'll be there, ready to update you on the blog.
![]() ![]() The entry "A very special Dallas City Council meeting today" is tagged: Dallas , Dallas City Counci , HUD |
He says this will save the city money?
He says this will save the city money?
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Does anyone on the Dallas City Council
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@Cowpattydaddy -- That's a great list..
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Being a cab driver for 20 years, i can