By KERA Staff
Dallas, TX – Crockett: Ms. Miller. 30 seconds for each of you. Go ahead.
Miller: You know, I do find it a little restrictive that the only time that citizens can address the city council is once a week in the morning - five people before the meeting starts; five people at the end - well, five or more at the end of the meeting. And I do think it would be good. You know, we have briefing meetings every other week, and it would be fine to start each briefing meeting with letting people have three minutes to speak. So it is restrictive. The council has been restrictive in the amount of time that we have had to talk, and the public has been the same.
Crockett: Go ahead, Mr. Garcia.
Garcia: I believe democracy works well, and that means allowing and hearing citizen input. And I?ve always been for it, and I believe that the rules were implemented because city council meetings were getting too long. And I think we need to balance that. But I do believe in loosening rules to allowing more citizens to participate and give their viewpoints.
Crockett: Mr. Dunning, go ahead.
Dunning: Well, first of all, I think it is an opportunity, that everybody, if they want to partake, they should. I've gone down there and have spoke to the city council. I think 30 seconds is enough. I think if we wanted to expand it to twice a month, that would be fine, too. Also, people do have an opportunity to go and meet with their councilperson or anybody serving on the council on an individual basis. And hopefully they will do it.
Crockett: Quickly, one last question. The phrase "world-class city" has been absent from this campaign. Does that mean that you don't think Dallas needs to be one or should be one, Ms. Miller?
Miller: No, I think Dallas needs to be a world-class city. I don't think it is now, but I think we can get there. We have everything in place to do it. But I think that we need to take care of people who are already here to make us a world-class city.
Crockett: Quickly, Mr. Garcia.
Garcia: Well, to become a world-class city, you need a world-class mayor; you need a mayor who can talk the language of half of the world, which is Spanish and English, which I think I bring to the table. But you also have to be able to bring and unify the city and make it an international city.
Crockett: Okay, thank you, Mr. Garcia. Mr. Dunning.
Dunning: I think Dallas is a great city. And I think it can be a world-class city. I have traveled throughout the world while I chaired DFW Airport. And one of the things we always wanted to do was make sure people knew who Dallas -
Crockett: And I'm sorry, that's all the time we have in this segment. And finally today, each candidate will have one minute for a closing statement, with the order determined by the luck of the draw. So first, Tom Dunning.
Dunning: Well, my daughter drew me first. Well, first of all, I would like to thank KERA for hosting this first televised event. And secondly, I'd like to thank the listeners and those who are in the television audience who are watching us today. You know, being mayor is more than just being a good debater or giving a great sound bite. Being mayor is about who can get the job done. And I have 30 years experience in this city and in this state of taking on some of the toughest jobs, doing them well, and leading the city. And I will be a very effective mayor, and I'd like to have your vote. Thank you.
Crockett: Thank you. Ms. Miller, you're next.
Miller: I have a big vision of doing the small things that make a big difference in people's lives. I think that that focus has been lost at city hall for some time. I want to focus on roads, schools, parks and police. I want to go back and revisit our ethics code and make it even stronger. I want to take care of people who are already living here so that I can stand up and be a great ambassador to bring people who aren't here to come and join us. And I hope that I can do those things and stand up for what's right and be the kind of mayor that Dallas will be proud of.
Crockett: Thank you. And finally, Mr. Garcia.
Garcia: I have a vision of Dallas that works and works together to make this city great. For too long we have forgotten neighborhoods; we have forgotten families; and we have forgotten children. It is time that we start prioritizing our family, our children, and our small mid-sized businesses. It's time that we had a mayor that worked to bring everybody to the table and was inclusive in how Dallas works. This campaign for Dallas voters is who can best unify the city. Is it going to be people who will talk about divisiveness and finger-pointing and the blame game? Or is it going to be a candidate who talks about building consensus and finding solutions to real problems? That's what my campaign's about. That's why I ask for your vote and your support.
Crockett: Thank you very much. And thanks to all three of you. And to our radio listeners and television viewers, thanks to all of you for joining us for this debate, a special KERA presentation co-produced by "The People's Agenda" and "On The Record."
Baker: Now in the coming days, KERA will look at the other two candidates in the race and the Dallas school district's billion-dollar bond package that's also on the January 19th ballot. So thanks for joining us.
Crockett: And don't forget to vote.