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A reader wants to wait for new Dallas leadership before making major changes to the government system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Wait for new City Council\u00a0<\/p>\n
Re: \u201cA strong (ish) mayor for Dallas? Let\u2019s look at the root of the problems first,\u201d Sunday editorial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I agree that change must come but not from the ones currently in charge, including those behind the scenes \u2014 the Dallas Citizens Council. It is time for fundamental change in how we, the citizens, interact and demand accountability from all 15.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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To gain an endorsement from some organizations, you are asked to sign a solidarity pledge and agree to meet with said organization on a regular basis to discuss the state of the city. We should all demand those kinds of answerable conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tom Leppert takes the City Council to task about AT&T moving to Plano. He was the mayor from 2007-2011 when AT&T relocated to Dallas from San Antonio. I seem to remember, shortly after the relocation, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson requested the bus stop be moved from in front of his building. That happened so fast! Caught the employees off guard, since many rode the bus downtown. There were also programs to move the unsheltered out of downtown. \u00a0<\/p>\n
We have an opportunity to make real progress with the 2027 November City Council and mayor elections. In my opinion, we need to hold off on making any decisions until after we have new leadership in place. No bond money for this City Council!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bonnie L. Mathias, Dallas\/Pleasant Grove\u00a0<\/p>\n
Data centers downtown?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Re: \u201cDon\u2019t move 911 and emergency center \u2014 Dallas City Hall is the best location for these vital functions,\u201d by Paul Ridley and David Voss, Friday Opinion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Could downtown Dallas office and other buildings (City Hall) with vacant floors and areas, or which are no longer useful, be converted to satellite data centers designed to serve area businesses or government operations? \u00a0<\/p>\n
Reading this column by Ridley and Voss about I.M. Pei\u2019s City Hall makes me wonder if the building could still house Dallas\u2019 emergency medical services\u2019 underground dispatch center with upper floors equipped with data center equipment to serve Dallas\u2019 or downtown\u2019s data needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin Wehrmeister, Allen\u00a0<\/p>\n
Get a copy of water bill\u00a0<\/p>\n
Re: \u201cHundreds of Texas data centers facing \u2018landmark\u2019 investigation \u2014 Info on water usage not given as required by state law, AG says,\u201d Friday Metro & Business story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Data centers are not reporting on water usage. What? Don\u2019t they get water bills? How difficult could it be to get a copy of their water bill showing usage from the city or a billing authority? Someone or something monitors these meters for billing purposes. Just wondering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No common sense\u00a0<\/p>\n
Re: \u201cEat, drink and be ticketed\u00a0\u2014 Dallas City Hall is cracking down on restaurants\u2026or bars\u2026or both?\u201d by Robert Wilonsky, Friday Opinion. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Wilonsky does a great job in this column. I was reminded of a story about a friend of mine who owned a small logistics company. One day, one of the federal government\u2019s alphabet mafia showed up claiming that he violated certain regulations. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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The agents spent months and eventually confessed they couldn\u2019t find anything wrong. He was then notified that they were going to stay until he paid $250,000. He wasn\u2019t that successful, tossed the keys to the agents and left. \u00a0<\/p>\n
I found that hard to believe and shared the story with another friend who said that the logistics company got out cheap. He knew a company with the same circumstances that had to pay over $2 million. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The city of Dallas apparently has its own mafia that has a similar mindset. The city attorney\u2019s office simply regurgitates a script without an ounce of common sense. Dallas has a business-friendly reputation, as Wilonsky states. But it seems to be bending over to undo that reputation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The street-naming debacle in the same paper is a first cousin of this overzealous enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Worried about Texas\u2019 jewel\u00a0<\/p>\n
Re: \u201cBig Bend facing lasting damage \u2014 Construction of roads and barriers threatens a fragile ecosystem,\u201d by Chris Wheeler and Sonny Hutchison, Sunday Opinion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is a travesty what is happening with the jewel of our great state of Texas, Big Bend National Park. Where are our governor and senators and representatives in stopping this? I will seriously consider candidates other than Republican in upcoming elections, based on the construction ruining our precious park.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No pedophile protectors\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the race for the Texas seat in the U.S. Senate, I see two ads repeatedly, sometimes back to back. Both focus on the issue of child sex trafficking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The Ken Paxton ad tells of a case where the trafficker is serving a 40-year sentence, and another accomplice is serving 20 years. The website they used has been shut down \u2014 all under the guidance of our current attorney general, Ken Paxton.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The James Talarico ad recounts another case. In that one, the trafficker was given a jail sentence of one day by Paxton. Also mentioned is the fact that the trafficker in that case was represented by an attorney who is connected to a Paxton donor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In summary, it seems that Paxton is knowledgeable and capable of doing a great job of enforcing the law to protect the people of Texas. However, if there is the additional factor of money, the \u201cwhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d \u2014 then that is the only thing that matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the Talarico ad concludes, we don\u2019t need any more pedophile protectors in Washington!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jan McDowell, Carrollton\u00a0<\/p>\n