Dallas police, former mayors oppose 3 ballot propositions
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Mayor Eric Johnson and several former Dallas mayors are campaigning against three proposed amendments to the city charter that landed on the ballot after a petition drive.
Why it matters: Organizers with Dallas HERO, the lobbying group behind the propositions, say their goal is to increase local government accountability and improve public safety.
- Opponents, including the Dallas Police Association, say the measures are unrealistic and would take city funding from other important needs, like libraries, parks and fire services.
Context: The proposed charter amendments would require the city to employ at least 4,000 police officers, tie the city manager's pay to an annual community survey, and allow residents to sue government officials.
The intrigue: Former Dallas mayors Mike Rawlings, Ron Kirk, Tom Leppert and Laura Miller are among a large group of former and current city leaders who oppose the propositions, saying the effort is funded by wealthy outsiders.
- Monty Bennett, a Park Cities resident and owner of conservative online news publication Dallas Express, is a vocal supporter of Dallas HERO, which offices in the same building as Bennett's hotel companies and his news organization, per D Magazine.
Zoom in: The city charter defines the structure of the municipal government, and changes require voter approval. There are 18 charter amendments on the ballot.
- Most were drafted after months of committee meetings and community input. The Dallas HERO propositions and an amendment to effectively decriminalize low-level marijuana possession were added after groups collected enough signatures to add them to the ballot.
- Ground Game Texas has lobbied for progressive policies throughout the state, including reducing penalties for marijuana possession. Organizers collected signatures to put Proposition R on the Dallas ballot.
Catch up fast: Dallas HERO gathered more than 169,000 signatures to add the measures, which council members tried to counter by adding other propositions that would've nullified the community-supported additions.
- The group filed a complaint, which was backed in a brief by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The state Supreme Court ruled in the group's favor, saying the City Council additions needed to be removed from the ballot.
What they're saying: The Dallas HERO group has "no experience on the subject matter" and did not contact the Dallas Police Association to see whether adding 900 police officers was a good idea, said DPA president Jaime Castro said in a written statement.
- "It's easy to look at this amendment and think more police officers is a good idea, but the truth is that this amendment could result in lowering the current standards for our recruits," Castro said.
- "On the surface, you think, well, there's some good stuff here. But you have to read these amendments and go into … the details of them and you realize they are very, very dangerous," former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told KERA.
The bottom line: Read your ballots carefully and consider the detailed propositions before heading to the voting booth.
Go deeper: Decriminalizing marijuana, adding police among Dallas propositions