A diverse and bipartisan coalition of Dallas elected, civic, non-profit and business leaders is denouncing Propositions S, T and U on the November ballot, calling them disastrous for the city’s future and urging voters to strike them down in next month’s election.
“This is chocolate-covered rat poison,” said former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. “It might sound good, but it will be the death knell for taxpayers in terms of what they will get out of City Hall.”
The propositions were drafted by a secretive group led and funded by non-Dallas residents who gathered petition signatures over the summer. The Dallas City Council had no choice by law to send the amendments to voters, despite opposition from a supermajority of council members.
The council members and coalition leaders say the changes will undermine Dallas’ progress, governance and economy.
“You have people from very different backgrounds politically, but everyone is united in saying this is the wrong course for Dallas,” said former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. “Everyone is in favor of accountability, and everyone is in favor of strong public safety, but these charter amendments are not the way to do it.”
The proposed S, T & U overhaul to the City Charter would compel the immediate hiring of hundreds of new police officers, a move city officials have said would be unsafe and nearly impossible to accomplish with proper training. When the city fails to meet the mandated quota, it would be forced to spend millions in taxpayer dollars to defend against frivolous lawsuits.
The S, T & U amendments also would force cuts to priority service areas including fire, EMS, parks, arts, streets, and homelessness.
State Sen. Royce West said Dallas voters should be wary. Don’t “be fooled” by those “using law enforcement as a bait to try to get you to support these amendments.” Instead, they will create chaos, and all three should be voted down, he said.
The “Vote No On S, T, U, Dallas” coalition website also launched this week at votenodallas.com. It will be updated daily with helpful voter information and a growing list of people and organizations signing on to oppose.
The last day to register to vote is this Monday, Oct. 7. Early voting starts on Monday, Oct. 21. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The Dallas Citizens Council is leading the campaign effort through the Together for Dallas PAC.
What other civic leaders are saying about the harmful Propositions S, T & U:
Arcilia Acosta, Chair, Dallas Citizens Council: “Should Propositions S, T and U pass in the November election, they will encourage frivolous, expensive and destructive litigation that risks financial ruin for the city.”
David O. Brown, Former Dallas Police Chief (2010-16): “I support hiring more Dallas police officers. I do not support Propositions S, T and U. The police are not meant to do everything. In effect, these amendments would render Dallas as a police state with very little to no budget flexibility to deal with emerging issues in our neighborhoods.”
The Honorable Jennifer Staubach Gates, former Dallas City Council member (2013-21): “Charter proposals S, T & U do not represent good governance. They would hamstring the ability of our local leaders to adapt to changing conditions and priorities.”
The Honorable Ron Kirk, Former U.S. Trade Ambassador, Former Dallas Mayor (1995-2002): “This is not taking a sledgehammer to the way we do business. This is rolling a hand grenade into City Hall. It would affect every level of our lives in the city, public safety, our parks, our libraries and our basic services.”
The Honorable Laura Miller, Former Dallas Mayor (2002 – 07): “Every living former Dallas mayor opposes this plan because for the first time in 168 years it shifts the ability to govern from elected officials to private interests – implementing one group’s spending priorities for the city and weakening the city’s legal protections, resulting in chaos and drastic cuts in basic city services for everyone else.”
The Honorable John Wiley Price, Dallas County Commissioner, District 3: “There is nothing more critical to defend representative government than you voting no on S, T and U at the bottom of the ballot.”
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