By Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 reporter.
Dallas, TX – State Representative Steve Wolens (addressing the crowd): And who cares about a strong ethics bill here in Dallas, Texas?
The Crowd: Laura!
Representative Wolens: And who was the prettiest candidate in the campaign?
The Crowd: Laura!
Representative Wolens: And what time is it?
The Crowd: Miller time!
Suzanne Sprague, Reporter: At the stroke of "Miller time," Laura Miller's husband, State Representative Steve Wolens introduced himself as "the first gentleman of Dallas" and then welcomed his victorious wife to address her supporters.
Laura Miller, Mayor-Elect of Dallas: Actually, it's not my time. It's your time.
[Sound of crowd cheering]
Sprague: Miller campaigned on a platform of returning control of City Hall to the residents of Dallas. And on Saturday night, she said that theme resonated with voters.
Miller: It's really not true that people don't care about politics and that they're jaded about politics and that they don't think that their vote can count. We proved in this election that all people really want are politicians who care about them. [Cheering]
Sprague: Meanwhile, at the Fairmont Hotel, Miller's opponent, Tom Dunning, pledged to work with the new mayor, while acknowledging that voters seemed to trust Miller more than himself.
Tom Dunning, Candidate for Mayor: I think it was lost in the very beginning there was voters out there who said, or my concern was that there was a tidal wave that said we want to have change and I think Laura did a good job of stroking those fires and they saw her as a person that could bring change.
Sprague: Miller takes office on Wednesday; and one of the questions looming over her tenure is how well she will get along with Dallas's 14 Council members, many of whom sparred with her at the horseshoe and endorsed her opponent for mayor. Councilman John Loza says it's water under the bridge.
Dallas City Council Member John Loza: We all want what's best of the city and we want her to succeed because if she succeeds then it?s good for Dallas and we all want what's best for Dallas. We will disagree and there will be times when we have cross words, but at the end of the day we'll come together and at the end of the day we'll work together.
Sprague: Miller says the issue of fence-mending is a non-issue. And, her campaign consultant Rob Allyn likens her to Henry Fonda's character in the movie 12 Angry Men, where Fonda portrayed the lone voice of good conscience on a criminal jury.
Rob Allyn, Political Consultant: She goes on there as one vote and then she gets another and another. She has a different style of unifying people. Some people unify by sort of placating each individual and her view is to stand up for what's right, stand up for the moral high ground and one by one bring people to that point of view.
Sprague: But there is concern from some minority leaders that Miller won't build coalitions with them. Rene Martinez is an activist in the Hispanic community and a member of Tom Dunning's executive committee.
Rene Martinez, supporter of Tom Dunning: I do not think the Laura Miller that I know will be able to change her colors in midstream and be responsible to the minority community of Dallas.
Sprague: Martinez says he expects miller to appoint more minorities to boards and commissions as mayor than she did as a city council member. And perhaps in anticipation of such concerns, Miller offered an olive branch Saturday night.
Miller: I look forward to reaching out my hand to the African American community where we didn't do as well as I had hoped. But I will show them, I will prove to them that I will make their lives better and their neighborhoods safer and cleaner.
Sprague: Miller says she will spend tomorrow moving her belongings into her new office at City Hall. Then, she wants to send a double-wide dump truck into Southeast Dallas and start cleaning up the city's neighborhoods one at a time. For KERA 90.1, I'm Suzanne Sprague.