When we cornered Houston Mayor Bill White in late October after his campaign speech in Plano, he said he can appeal to conservatives and moderates as a Democrat because he knows how to make government run efficiently. He added that he’s “honest and straightforward,” which had been tested when we…
Despite the length of our cover story on the GOP gubernatorial primary, my discussion with former city council member Donna Blumer about Republican Party of Texas chair Cathie Adams didn’t make the cut. Knowing Adams would become newsworthy again in short order, I tucked away my notes, and sure enough,…
Remember when David and Shannon Croft sued the state because they didn’t want their kids, then enrolled in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district, to recite the Texas Pledge of Allegiance? Yup. Totally forgot about that one. That was two long years ago — back when the Crofts also sued the…
I hate that I have plans for Thursday. I’d much rather be at Eddie Deen’s, where the Greater Dallas Republicans have a fundraiser scheduled: “Boot Scootin’ With Mayor Tom Leppert.” Or, maybe, “Boot Scootin’ With Mayor Tom Leppert … Through the Holidays.” Hard to say just what the event’s formal…
There’s a reason why I went to see Houston Mayor Bill White during his stop in Plano last month. It wasn’t because he was one of many folks vying for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s job in the Senate, although I suppose that would have warranted the trip. Nope. I’ve long viewed…
Kay Bailey Hutchison’s appearance Sunday on Meet the Press could have been an opportunity to show potential voters why she kept her gig in Washington instead of resigning to focus on winning the GOP gubernatorial primary in March. It certainly should have been. Yet, on the heels of her questionable…
Earlier this week, state Sen. Royce West sent to Dallas County Democratic Party precinct chairs a missive beneath the subject heading “From One Democrat to Another.” It has become, during the last 48 hours, a subject of much conversation among those who received it. (Well, that’s not entirely true. Some…
Nearly three months after he told us that Tanya Watkins — the wife of District Attorney Craig Watkins — working as a campaign consultant for judicial candidates posed an “ethical dilemma” for the couple and presented “the potential appearance of impropriety,” Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman was quoted…
I officially grew old yesterday afternoon. Once you’ve seen the rise and fall of a sports stadium, you’ve officially, um, been around the block. I remember a kinder, gentler era in Dallas when as a little punk I’d peer out the family Fury along I-35 and gaze in wonderment at The…
Here we go again. First it was Phillip Linder. Then it was David Finn. Now Danny Clancy is the latest criminal defense lawyer to announce his plans to do the seemingly impossible: knock off incumbent District Attorney Craig Watkins. The former Dallas County prosecutor and judge says he has been…
George W. Bush has been spotted quite frequently hanging around the SMU campus since his retirement — grabbin’ a Goff’s No. 2, playin’ a little Frisbee golf in front of Dallas Hall, doin’ a little 2 a.m. backstroke at Perkins Natatorium, the usual. But today, he makes it for reals…
Less than two months after we introduced you to criminal defense lawyer Phillip Linder, the would-be Republican challenger to Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins has stepped aside and is now supporting David Finn, a fellow criminal defense lawyer and former trial judge and federal prosecutor. At least that’s what…
When Dallas County Republican chair Jonathan Neerman told us that the election of Cathie Adams as the state party’s new chair “set the party back five years,” even the editorial board at The Dallas Morning News took notice. A few days later, DMN’er Gromer Jeffers tried to make peace between…
Sure, you’ve probably already heard by now that Mitchell Rasansky might run for Dallas County judge. However, the benefit of not speaking with the former North Dallas council member until today yielded a much more definitive answer about his intentions. Rasansky tells Unfair Park that while he hasn’t made up…
The land of opportunity still exists in America, and it’s in Texas. At least, that’s what Governor Rick Perry told nearly 200 folks gathered this afternoon at Union Station for the Texas Economic Development Summit. Less government results in fewer hurdles for businesses, Perry said. “Bottom line: The word’s out…
Yesterday, just after Angela Hunt posted her lengthy essay titled “Ethics Reform at City Hall,” Jim wrote that “we can thank council members Hunt, Ann Margolin and Linda Koop for adding the only real teeth in this poor gum-smacker.” So happens that on Monday, Margolin also weighed on the subject…
Apparently, there was some miscommunication at the offices of A. Larry Ross Communications, the firm that handles publicity for Get Motivated Seminars, Inc. Last week, as you will recall, Ross’s office sent out a press release announcing that Tamara Lowe, co-founder of Get Motivated, wasn’t at all happy with some…
You are aware that are there elections tomorrow, right? Probably not, unless you’re in a district of the Dallas Independent School District with a seat on the board of trustees that’s ripe for the takin’. (What constitutional amendments?) Hence Bruce Sherbet’s prediction that no more than 3 percent of Dallas…
At the conclusion of his poorly attended campaign stop in Plano on Saturday, Houston Mayor Bill White addressed the rumors that he’ll take his $6 million in campaign contributions and head over to the governor’s race if Kay Bailey Hutchison hasn’t left her Senate seat by the January 4 filing…
If you didn’t notice when Texas Republican Party chair Tina Benkiser stepped down last month to join Governor Rick Perry’s re-election campaign as a senior adviser, you’re forgiven. We didn’t pay it much attention either. But when the State Republican Executive Committee recently elected radical right winger Cathie Adams to…
Houston Mayor Bill White’s speech Saturday afternoon in Plano was initially as insipid as the front of the brochures handed out at the door touting his experience as a Sunday school teacher. “I’m here to work for you, and that’s about it,” White said at the Baker Bros American Deli…
Maybe you’ve heard the radio ads: Rudy Giuliani (didgeridoo), Colin Powell (bass), Terry Bradshaw (lead vocals), Zig Ziglar (banjo), Robert Schuller (keytar), Rick Belluzo (hurdy gurdy) and Tamara Lowe (bagpipes) are getting the band back together for an all-star jam session at the Fort Worth Convention Center this Monday, Monday,…
