By Bill Zeeble, KERA reporter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-597161.mp3
Dallas, TX – Bill Zeeble, KERA 90.1 reporter: It's a busy last few days for Tom Leppert, trying to beat City Councilman Ed Oakley this Saturday's. At his Ross Avenue campaign headquarters Monday, Leppert accepted endorsements from some Hispanic pastors, including Lynn Godsey, president of the Hispanic Evangelical Alliance of Ministers, whose membership claims some 300 religious leaders & organizations. Godsey's group likes that Leppert wants more police on the streets, but that's not all.
Lynn Godsey, President, Hispanic Evangelical Alliance of Ministers: We have determined he's also a family man, God first, family 2nd, good moral character
Zeeble: Godsey's alliance praises Leppert's business experience as the retired head of Turner Construction Company. He says the candidate could answer another concern of the faithful.
Godsey: The expertise he brings to bringing jobs and businesses into Dallas, Texas, and when he does that, what'll happen? We'll have more jobs.
Zeeble: With what Tom Leppert estimates will be a pricey $2 million dollar final price tag to his campaign, the candidate's running to reduce crime without more taxes, & develop the economy especially in the long-ignored southern sector. He also wants to improve public schools, even if a mayor's influence can only be indirect, and even though he sent his children to private schools.
Tom Leppert, Dallas Mayoral candidate: We've seen a deterioration of the education system over last couple decades. That's why it must be on the agenda. We must make public schools of a quality so everyone wants to go. That's not the situation today.
Zeeble: In the North Dallas, along Park Lane near Central Expressway, where Leppert's support last month was exceptional, the candidate's meeting voters at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, an early polling place.
Leppert: Hello, how ya doin?
Voter: I came to vote for you, where do I go?
Leppert: You can park here and go right in that door
Leppert: Hello, how are you.
Zeeble: Without exception on this day, voters say they're backing Leppert.
Joyce , Robert V. Lentz, Joyce Lentz: We want someone good to do the job.
Zeeble: Early Dallas voters Robert and Joyce Lentz.
The Lentz's: We just need so many things in the city besides improving education. Which isn't necessarily a mayor's responsibility, but he can certainly add some fuel to the fire. We need to get things back on track, it's been off a number of years.
Joyce: The thing I think is off track - all people in political offices - all problems they have, and nothing is being done, like our school district. Credit card thing. It's just ridiculous to get to that point like that.
Zeeble: For voters here, not only is Leppert's education issue resonating, so is his crime reduction call. Some voters also say they disliked opponent Ed Oakley's ads, which they called negative. Leppert just released his latest 30 second TV ad.
Leppert TV ad : My vision for Dallas?
It's a Dallas that's the safest city in America -- a city known for smart busines.. . .
Zeeble: This Leppert commercial will run through election day, as the candidate continues to make appearances all over Dallas until the election's overr. For KERA 90.1 I'm Bill Zeeble
Bzeeble@Kera.Org