Be sure to drop by the grand opening of my campaign headquarters on Saturday, April 16 at at Knox Street! I’ll be there at 9 a.m. to welcome you with donuts, so come by and say hello! You can grab a yard sign, pick up an Angela Hunt t-shirt, and chat with me and other District 14 community leaders.
There will also be opportunities to walk door-to-door if you have some time to volunteer.
Today the Dallas City Council voted to spend over $10 million to redesign the IH-30 Calatrava bridge. I was the sole “no” vote. (WFAA; Unfair Park; DMN City Hall Blog)
Transportation dollars are extraordinarily limited right now. In these challenging economic times, it doesn’t make sense for us to spend taxpayer dollars on elaborate architectural designs when we have real infrastructure needs. My fellow councilmembers argued that we must have a second Calatrava bridge “to keep up with the Joneses,” that we can’t be “short-sighted,” that the elaborate bridge is necessary to “create economic development,” and that we must “move forward” in order to be a “world-class city.”
So it got me thinking about what it says about Dallas that we constantly chase after the dream of being a “world-class city.” MORE….
Last month, I drove up to Denton to watch a documentary about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ culpability in the Katrina disaster. Few things can entice me to drive that close to the Canadian border, but the trip was well worth it. The movie will be screening tonight at 6pm through March 17 right here in Dallas at the Texas Theater and I strongly urge you to check it out.
About halfway through the film, the focus turns to New Orleans’ disasterous Mississippi River Gulf Outlet project, which was responsible for much of the destruction during Katrina. There are unsettling parallels between the ill-fated “Mr. Go” project and our very own Trinity Toll Road debacle: the primary purpose of the Corps’ Mr. Go project was not flood control and public safety, but transportation/economic development (sound familiar?). Only in their case, instead of a massive toll road, they were creating a massive river channel.
I got to spend some time talking with the man behind the movie, Harry Shearer (who is not only an amazing comedian/actor, but an astute documentarian). He was incredibly cool, and his passion for New Orleans and its people and history permeates the film. I particularly loved his focus on the courageous whistle-blowers (engineers inside and outside the Corps) who risked their careers to do what was right.
This is a terrific film, and a timely one for our city. Watch it.
This morning, the Dallas City Council joined service men and women to celebrate Veterans Day with a parade in Downtown. We also got to enjoy fighter jet fly over in honor of our military personnel and their sacrifices.
My dad who passed away two years ago was a Marine during the Korean War, and he was famous for his “war stories” — some were funny, some were sad, but all of them revealed my dad’s love for his country and his brother Marines. There was nothing he was more proud of than his service in the United States Marine Corps.
We lost my step-dad Leon earlier this year, and he was a veteran of WWII. At barely seventeen, he lied about his age so he could join the Navy the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He would tear up telling me about his battleship, the U.S.S. Henley, which sank after being attacked by Japanese bombers. In the black of night, that young man tread water slicked with oil while several of his friends lost their lives around him. I can’t imagine experiencing that, much less at such a young age.
We are indebted to these men and women who have put their lives at risk for our liberty. Today, please let a veteran know how much you appreciate their service.
Friday, Oct. 29 – “Gasland” Screening
If you didn’t catch the award-winning documentary “Gasland” when it appeared on HBO, please join me tonight for a screening with filmmaker Josh Fox at Dallas’ Angelika Theater.
“Gasland” is a cautionary tale about gas drilling that is particularly relevant to Dallas citizens as Barnett Shale drilling moves east into our city. I’ll be there to welcome Josh and discuss what our city should do to ensure gas drilling doesn’t endanger Dallas neighborhoods or the health of our citizens. The film and a short Q&A with the filmmaker starts at 7pm and ends around 9:30pm.
Downwinders at Risk is hosting a post-screening reception for Josh from 9:30 to 11 pm where the audience can continue the conversation about the local impact of gas drilling.
Saturday, Oct. 30 – Rally to Restore Sanity, Dallas Edition
Tired of crazy political hyperbole, outlandish fear-mongering, and all the nutty rallies that drown out civil political discourse? Then this rally is for you!
Join me at the Rally to Restore Sanity (Dallas Edition) tomorrow at 11am at Lee Harvey’s (1807 Gould St.) where they’ll be simulcasting the Washington, D.C. rally featuring Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. After the broadcast at 2pm, I’ll be joining Human Rights Initiative Award winner Bill Holston and intellectual satirist Rawlins Gilliland for a few words. (And leave your crazy signs at home. Unless they’re really crazy. Then bring ‘em.)
You may have already heard, but in case you haven’t, I wanted to share the good news: my husband and I are expecting our first child — a baby girl — in late April.
Paul and I started dating in high school — in 1987 — so we figured after 22 years it was about time to bring a little one into our family.
We’ve already received several very… creative suggestions for baby names (“Jimette” tops the list so far), and as always, I welcome your input.
As for how my pregnancy will affect my service to the City of Dallas: I will continue to actively serve on the council and do all that I can to make Dallas a better, safer city in which to live and raise a family.
We are very excited about our little girl’s impending arrival and are deeply appreciative of all the well wishes, thoughts, and prayers we have received.
Today I sent the following suggestions to my council colleagues on how we can put some real teeth in the Mayor’s proposal to regulate lobbyists and limit campaign contributions:
The purpose of creating a lobbyist registration system is to reduce the likelihood of corruption at City Hall. But for this system to be effective, we must focus on the nature of the problem, then develop a system that will, to the fullest extent possible, create a climate hostile to such corruption.
What corrupt activity are we trying to prevent?
Buying influence from the mayor and councilmembers. Trading money for a favorable vote.
Who would have incentive to bribe an elected official? Who would a corrupt elected official think they could extract a bribe from?
Someone who’s got a financial stake in a decision by the council.
Are paid lobbyists the problem?
No. But like smoke denotes fire, paid lobbyists indicate there’s somebody who has such a significant financial stake in a council decision that they would expend money on a professional to fight on their behalf.
How do we keep a “financial stakeholder” from paying off the mayor or a councilmember?
We can’t. People who are corrupt will find a way around any rule we create. But we can shed so much light on the relationship between a financial stakeholder and city officials that we make it very difficult for them to trade money for influence.
So how do we shed light on the relationship between financial stakeholders and city officials?
By requiring them to disclose the same information we are requiring paid lobbyists to provide. And by requiring both lobbyists and financial stakeholders to disclose information that illuminates and gives context to the extent of their relationships with city officials.
The following changes to the proposed ordinance attempt to accomplish just that. MORE….
I know what you’re thinking. “Wow, Angela, you must be psychic. How else to explain your eerily accurate prediction one year ago that the impending economic recession would reduce revenue to the city, reveal the city’s budget forecast as overly optimistic, and necessitate mid-year service cuts?”
Indeed, how else to explain it other than telepathy?
I began dabbling in the clairvoyant arts last year around this time in an effort to see into our city’s financial future. I started out by reading tea leaves (and by “tea leaves” I mean “newspapers”), which foretold ominous fiscal tidings: Lehman Brothers would file for Chapter 11. AIG would go down in flames. Bank of America would take over Merrill Lynch.
And that wasn’t all. My crystal ball/television revealed more otherworldly insights: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be placed in conservatorship. Congress would plunge $700 billion into Wall Street to try to stop the hemorrhaging. And Washington Mutual would become the largest bank failure in American history. Ahem. MORE….
You know, the devil’s in the details when it comes to just about everything. Especially government, and most especially, government budgets.
Take next year’s proposed city budget. I’ve been through this thing line by line, with a fine-toothed comb, ever since we got the “final draft” in early August. It’s a lot to digest. Lots of numbers and all. But some numbers are more important than others, and right now I want to focus on debt and its effect on our bottom line.
The city borrows money to make major infrastructure improvements, like constructing new libraries and police stations, building new roads, putting in new playgrounds in our parks. These are bond projects approved by voters. When we borrow money for these projects, we’re essentially putting them on the city’s credit card.
As with any credit card, the city has to make regular payments. Next year, our credit card bill will be about 22% of our entire operating budget. It’s the largest expense after police. Take a look:
Next year, the city manager proposes to charge an additional $314 million to our credit card. The critical question is: How will that affect our credit card payment? Well, it won’t make much of a difference next year. It’s the following year we have to worry about.
See, if we decide to borrow $314 million next year, then the following budget year we’re going to be up a creek without a paddle. Our credit card payment will jump by $24 million. TWENTY-FOUR MILLION DOLLARS.
Why am I shouting? Because I’m worried about this. Really worried. Because if we have to spend $24 million more on debt repayment, that means $24 million less that we’ll have for all our other city services: police, streets, parks, libraries, code, the arts, etc. MORE….
opening of my campaign headquarters on Saturday, April 16 at 
Last month, I drove up to Denton to watch a documentary about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ culpability in the Katrina disaster. Few things can entice me to drive that close to the Canadian border, but the trip was well worth it. The movie will be screening tonight at 6pm through March 17 right here in Dallas at the 
