By Catherine Cuellar, KERA 90.1 Reporter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-586307.mp3
Dallas, TX –
Sam Baker, Morning Edition Host: Outgoing Dallas mayor Laura Miller was unpopular with many black voters living south of I-30 in Dallas. Her departure coincides with turnover in all four Dallas council districts currently represented by African Americans. As 90.1's Catherine Cuellar reports, the sweeping change is seen as both a challenge and an opportunity.
Catherine Cuellar, KERA 90.1: Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill is the only African-American council candidate for mayor, and all his African American colleagues around the city council horseshoe - Maxine Thornton-Reese, Leo Chaney, and James Fantroy - will depart following the election due to term limits. Even though Hill's service has pleased his constituents, the Dallas Weekly's executive editor Cheryl Smith says there's no guarantee he will make it to the runoff.
Cheryl Smith, Dallas Weekly: People keep talking about a cloud over him regarding the FBI investigation and people are frustrated about that because if there was anything concrete they would've expected the FBI to have done something by now, so they are suspect of that.
Cuellar: Despite the collective wisdom and experience that will be lost with the departure of all four black southern sector council members, Gordon Jackson, managing editor of the Dallas Examiner, says the simultaneous change in mayoral leadership is seen as an opportunity.
Gordon Jackson, Dallas Examiner: To be honest with you I would be safe to say a high percentage of the southern sector is glad to see that. But we've got to see who's the new mayor, and so we've got to make sure the new mayor is somebody who sees welfare of the southern sector as a high priority to develop, to nurture, to help enhance the image so new families and new businesses and corporations want to move to the southern sector to help it grow.
Cuellar: Although black voters are not of one mind about who will best serve them, Casey Thomas of the NAACP says that for this election, a black agenda was formalized for a series of Monday night candidates' forums they co-sponsored with the Dallas Examiner, the Urban League, and African-American police and fireman's unions, among others.
Casey Thomas, NAACP: Community based organizations got together and put together an agenda of items that We feel our priorities for the city. Mixed-income housing, continued support of 14-1, a community-based crime reduction plan, a community-based economic development plan, those are some of the priorities that have been identified.
Cuellar: Dallas Weekly editor Cheryl Smith also hopes city leaders will take competition from suburbs south of I-20 as seriously those north of the George Bush Turnpike
Smith: Look at what's happening to Dallas as opposed to Cedar Hill, DeSoto, even Lancaster. That part of town has become the Frisco of the northern sector. People are really concerned and they're going to want more vocal representation, They are going to want to see more visible representation, and not just at ceremonial things. It appears that a lot of candidates want to show that they are a consensus builder,and that they are going to listen to concerns of the people. Then when you look at the crime rate, the threat of imminent domain, the disparity of jobs and companies leaving the city, especially in the southern sector, you can say that people are concerned and they want to know not only what their people are going to do but what the entire council is going to do.
Cuellar: The southern sector may not be exclusively represented by first-timers. Former councilwoman Sandra Crenshaw hopes to succeed Fantroy in District 8. But that race, and all other council races in the southern sector are crowded and will likely be decided by the June 16th runoff. Early voting ends Tuesday, and the general election is Saturday.
For KERA 90.1, I'm Catherine Cuellar
Editor's note: Bill Zeeble contributed to this report