A spouse is a spouse, regardless of genitalia, as far as Dallas’ city code is concerned now. The City Council voted Wednesday morning to change its definition of spouse, clearing the way for same-sex spouses of civilian city employees to receive survivor pension benefits. Gay city workers legally married in…
Newly elected Texas Governor Greg Abbott laid out his most comprehensive vision yet for the state during his first “state of the state” address Tuesday morning. Much of what he said was expected. He hopes to slash spending almost across the board, seal off the border by hiring more Department…
Late Monday night, a U.S. district judge in Brownsville issued a temporary injunction blocking President Obama’s decision to shield about 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. See also: Greg Abbott Leads Texas into Immigration Lawsuit Fight With Feds In November Obama announced his plan to create a program called Deferred…
Don’t call what’s being built here a “slate.” In Dallas politics, “slate” is a bad word, thanks to decades of domination by the old guard Citizens Council that still leave a bitter taste, and lingering memories of the battle to put power into independent single-member council districts. But with six…
Last week, we reported District 9 City Council candidate Sam Merten’s response to allegations that a $10,000 payment he received from Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings in May 2014 was improper. Merten told Unfair Park that the $10k was payment for work he’d done on behalf of the DISD home rule…
Much has been made on Unfair Park and elsewhere over the fact that, due almost certainly to a drafting error, the city of Dallas election code allows for unlimited donations to officeholder accounts. See also: Ronquillo Calls Out Rawlings On Fat-Cat Contributors. Me, Too. Marcos Ronquillo, a challenger to Mike…
7-Eleven, the store where bums wait outside by the Redbox to harrass you for change after you buy yourself a $1 slice of something pizza-like, is suddenly trying to act like it’s all fancy. The convenience chain is charging Dallas customers a whole 15 cents if they need to carry…
Sometimes, something happens that gives us hope that some small amount of justice lives in this world. Today was one of those times, because Texas House Bill 195 was referred to committee. Yeah, yeah. That’s extremely wonky, but you take your hope where you can get it. HB 195 is…
Last week, Schutze told you about an interpretation of the city’s election rules that allows any incumbent to receive unlimited donations, regardless of the city’s $5,000 limit on campaign contributions from individuals. Money going to something called an officeholder account are not bound by the $5,000 rule, and can be…
First there was the heavy smoke that enveloped the City Council campaign of Adam McGough, Mike Rawlings former chief of staff. Now, a $10,000 contribution given from the mayor’s campaign fund to another former staffer running for council, Sam Merten, is raising questions. See also: Dallas City Council Candidate Answers…
It may have cost a cool $1 million, but Dallas’ city website, which has looked like a throwback to the Geocities era since, well, the Geocities era, is finally going live with a much needed update on Friday. According to city spokeswoman Sana Syed, the site will be everything the…
It’s hard to understand how the city of Dallas’ mandating 10 minute rest breaks every four hours for construction workers could be controversial. As City Council member Dwaine Caraway put it in December, all the workers are asking for is a break. Nevertheless, Jerry Allen, Rick Callahan and especially Lee…
Last week, Mayor Mike Rawlings’ former chief of staff Adam McGough officially announced that he’s running for the Lake Highlands District 10 City Council seat soon to be vacated by Jerry Allen. Almost immediately, murmurs began on social media about the fact that, at least until recently, McGough’s two school-aged…
This whole thing started, as many squabbles are sure to over the coming years, with comments from newly elected Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, Patrick said that the two open carry bills most popular with gun wing of his party, the ones that would…
Sheffie Kadane’s quest to get the city to stop fluoridating its drinking water is over. For months, the Dallas City Council member, aided by the likes of DogsAgainstFluoridation.com, has warned of the dangers of continuing to do something that Dallas dentists say has strengthened local kids teeth for almost 50…
The latest salvo in the war to get the city of Dallas to stop adding fluoride to the city’s water supply comes from the canines behind dogsagainstfluoridation.com, who are urging the City Council to follow council member Sheffie Kadane’s lead on January 28 and vote to end the vicious commie…
“Majority rule, minority rights.” It’s one of the first axioms you learn in civics, social studies or whatever your elementary school called it. It’s part of the American social contract, that those out of power in a legislative body have at least some means to check the actions of those…
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings recently released his semiannual campaign finance report, detailing the money he’s received for his re-election campaign and what he’s doing with it. There are no smoking guns in the report, no examples of obvious corruption that everyone can feel righteously outraged about. Most disappointingly, there is…
Five white plaintiffs, backed by the Dallas-based Equal Voting Rights Institute, are suing Dallas County because, they say, the 60 percent-white Dallas County Commissioner’s Court does not fairly represent them. Dallas County, for the record, is 39 percent Latino; 32 percent white, non-Latino; and 23 percent black, according the the…
Not content after losing a local battle against Plano’s LGBTQ equal rights ordinance, a group of four local state representatives plan to introduce legislation that would nullify any municipal equal rights ordinances passed anywhere in the state, including Dallas’ March 2014 ordinance. See also: Plano Ignores Cries of Hometown Liberty…
Tuesday, as she was sworn into the Texas Senate seat formerly occupied by erstwhile gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, Colleyville Republican Konni Burton left no doubt that she’d be a vast departure from Davis’ moderation. Seemingly mocking the pink Mizunos Davis made famous during her filibuster of House Bill 2, Texas’…
Randolph Glenn is about to get at least a little of what he deserves for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Glenn was shot by Dallas Police Officer Bunthavuth Te after failing to remove his hands from his pockets while Te and other officers looked for Donnell…
