leppert, oakley face off again in june election

Eleven candidates sought to replace Laura Miller as Mayor of Dallas, and now only two remain: Tom Leppert and Councilman Ed Oakley.

This is an interesting (almost) end to an exhausting race. And according to the Dallas Morning News, the results don't come cheap.

This has been the most expensive mayoral race in Dallas history, with more candidates than anyone can remember.

The candidates together have spent more than $4.5 million by Election Day. That’s more than any previous campaign, and it doesn’t include the money runoff candidates will spend.

The runoff is June 16, so save the date. And expect NTL to make an endorsement in the race before that time.

Meet McClelland at Timberglen Library

Residents in the area of the Timberglen Branch Library of Dallas have an opportunity to meet John McClelland, candidate for Dallas City Council District 12. Mr. McClelland will be appearing at a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday night.

What: Meet and Greet with John McClelland

When: April 11 from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Where: Timberglen Branch of the Dallas Public Library

18505 Midway Road, Dallas 75287

Don't miss this opportunity to meet John and hear him discuss his plans for reducing crime, wasteful spending and other ideas to achieve a safer city and make Dallas a better place to live.

[Disclaimer: I volunteer for the McClelland campaign. Join me. ]

McClelland Targets Dallas Crime

Year in and year out, crime remains a concern for citizens of large cities. Dallas is no exception. In a recent poll, crime topped the list of issues.

As voters prepare to elect a new mayor on May 12, these factors contribute to Dallasites' overwhelming ranking of crime as the single most important issue facing the city, according to a Dallas Morning News poll.

About one in three respondents highlighted crime, and no other single issue rivaled it.

As a candidate for Dallas City Council in District 12, John McClelland knows these issues first-hand.

The City of Dallas remains at the top of the crime food chain in Texas, and even the nation. 8,624 crimes per 100,000 people. That is the nation's worst crime rate. Dallas has held the top spot for 9 of the last 10 years. Is this something Dallas should be proud of? I don't think so.

One would tend to think that the crime problem only affects the areas of blight in Dallas or lower income areas. That is one of the biggest misconceptions. In District 12, which is Far North Dallas (majority caucasion, majority conservative, with a decent median income), there were 3900 crimes in 2006. That is over 10 per day. Dallas SWAT has been in my parking lot in the last couple months. I even had checks stolen off my dining room table by my apartment complex's own maintenance people this past week.

In McClelland's view, the continuing crime wave highlights a need for more officers and better pay.

We need more police. We need to pay more to the ones we have. Dallas needs to have at least 3 1/2 officers per 1000 people. We currently stand at under 2 1/2. That means we need to hire at least 800 more officers in the city, if you go by mayoral candidate Darryl Jordan's numbers.

Of course, more police protection comes with a price tag, and McClelland thinks financing a solution is a matter of smarter policies, not higher taxes.

“It is a simple matter of common sense and fiscal responsibility. We have projects that were intended to create parks and marinas, and instead we end up with toll roads that approach $1 billion in price,” McClelland pointed out. “If we reign in the wasteful spending the current Council has seen fit to let happen, then we would have the money to give our hard working police a deserved raise in pay, as well as offer more incentive to attract new officers. We may not have to hit taxpayers in the pocketbook to achieve our goals.”

To learn more about McClelland's positions, or to donate to his campaign, visit his website.

[Disclaimer: I volunteer for the McClelland campaign. Join me.]

Whosplayin Interviews John McClelland

A new political season is kicking off and Whosplayin is back doing what it does best -providing in-depth interviews with the candidates. Here's a preview of Steve Southwell's interview of Dallas City Council candidate John McClelland. To read the rest, click here.

WhosPlayin: Dallas, and indeed the entire North Texas area suffers from very poor air quality. As you know, the air we breathe doesn't respect city limits and state borders. Mayor Laura Miller has taken a pro-active role in reaching out with other cities to prevent the proposed TXU coal-fired power plants to our west. What actions can the City of Dallas take to protect its natural resources and still be the thriving center of commerce that it is?

John McClelland: I believe the city could be a model in using alternative energy if we put our minds to it. Many of the DART buses already run on natural gas, which keeps emissions lower than diesel burning engines. We could possibly replace other city vehicles with flex fuel vehicles once they become cost effective for the city to purchase. DART's 2030 plan may also help to lower car use in the city once it expands the bus service and builds new rail lines throughout the city. Using mass transit is a matter of convenience to people, so it has to be easy to access. And in reference to what Mayor Miller is doing, I think it is wonderful. The air quality here certainly does not need to be made worse by TXU. My allergies are bad enough as it is. I can not imagine what asthma sufferers go through. I believe Rick Perry has been enjoying too much of the TXU Kool-Aid if he thinks fast tracking these polluting plants is a good idea.

WhosPlayin: What is your view of the proper role of city government, and is the Dallas Council getting it right? In other words, where would you do more, and what do you think the city council should avoid?

John McClelland: I think the current City Council and Mayor all have the right intentions for our city. I don't believe they intentionally try to do the wrong thing. But I think our Council has lost sight of what reality is sometimes. Some of the City Council members would rather rule their own little city district as a principality unto itself and ignore everyone else, but I do not believe that is how our city should be run. We need to look at the broader picture and help the entire city, even though as a Councilman I would represent only a smaller section. However with the
situation being that we have a City Manager who is supposed to actually run our city, with the support of the City Council (and a Mayor who is no more than just another Council member in terms of power), we all need to work together to make the city function. And that will especially be true this spring when we are set to replace at least ½ of the current City Council, as well as the Mayor. It will be a new Council with fresh ideas, I hope.

WhosPlayin: I can see your point there. When I think of the reality of what I expect out of my city, the first things that come to my mind are reliable utilities, garbage pickup, code enforcement, and police and fire protection. Do you think the council spends too much time on lofty ideas for "projects" rather than oversight of essential city services? You mentioned the Trinity River Project on your website.

John McClelland: Some of the council has its head in the clouds, no doubt. The goal is to make Dallas an attractive, nice place to live. But when you're a citizen of the city, the small things are what matter in every day life. And they need to be taken with as much seriousness as any project that wants to reroute a river. Making sure Time Warner is doing what it is supposed to be doing; making sure the trash collection is being managed in the right way; helping to alleviate why it took a fire station 15 minutes to respond to a lightning strike that burnt a house to the ground- those are the items a Councilman should be more in tune with. They may be small to people with lofty goals, but they are no less important.

Please visit his website and make a generous contribution to John McClelland's campaign.

McClelland Announces for Dallas City Council

The race for Dallas City Council has a newly declared candidate for District 12 (Far North Dallas). John McClelland has announced his intention of running for the seat. When NTL asked John why he was running he responded....

"I believe it is my civic duty to give back to a city that I've been able to call home for the last 5 years. I want to steer Dallas in the right direction. We need a city government who will stop wasteful spending of our citizens' tax dollars. We need a City Council who feels they are not above the law. We should be model citizens, not model felons.

I am also running my campaign in memory of my brother. He died a year ago to the day I announced my intentions to run. He was a sergeant in the Army and had just returned home from his 2nd tour in Iraq, only to die in a tragic accident. I want to serve my city in the same way my brother served his country."

McClelland will face incumbent Ron Natinsky in the May 12th election. For more information, check out the post on Whosplayin, or visit John's website: www.johnfordallascitycouncil.com