District 3 Race For The Dallas City Council (2009)

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First District 3 candidate forum last night. Dave Neumann, Casey Thomas, and Victoria Walton. There was a crowd of about 50 people, a majority of whom were African American. My (admittedly biased) impressions:

For me, Ms Walton barely registered. She gave vague, rambling answers, and didn't seem to understand several of the questions. She did say she was not feeling well, but still. . .

Neumann, as an incumbent, had more specific and detailed answers for questions, but Thomas definitely held his own. Neumann repeated his mantra of supporting neighborhoods several times (which sounded false to me, given his unbridled enthusiasm for developers). Thomas talked about how he had walked the district and tried to find out what the people want and need.

Neumann's answers on the Convention Center Hotel (for it) and Trinity Parkway (full speed ahead) may have hurt him with the crowd that was there, who, I think are skeptical about both.

A fascinating moment came with the last question: who is your favorite historical politician. Thomas chose President Obama with no hesitation and talked about inclusion, energy, hope, etc. Neumann chose President Reagan and talked about optimism, outreach, and growth. Maybe you can guess which answer played better to the crowd.
Taken From City Council Elections Thread (http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/showthread.php?t=10531) .

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The following is part of a summary of the District 3 Candidate Forum, and can be found here (http://oakcliffonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=1).

Questions for the candidates concerned the City's spending, minority-owned businesses, the police chief's authority, engaging the younger demographic, a teen curfew, the Davis Street Land Use Study, West Dallas and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, tax incentives for large employers and the convention center hotel. Their answers all ran along similar lines except for the hotel issue -- Councilmember Neumann is in favor of the hotel while Ms. Walton and Thomas oppose it.

One other topic was whether the Commerce/Fort Worth Ave./Beckley intersection and corridor should reflect a New Urbanism design. While Councilmember Neumann and Thomas both spoke of needing to make the area pedestrian-friendly and Thomas also stated that coordination with mass transit should play a part, Ms. Walton raised concern with her statement that she wasn't familiar with the area -- that her focus has been on the Southern Sector. Memo to Ms. Walton -- North Oak Cliff is part of the Southern Sector.

Ms. Walton also doesn't seem to have a grasp on the part city boards and commissions play locally. She commented that those who serve don't actually do anything to help the citizens of Dallas.

Each of the candidates displayed strengths and weaknesses in their answers (Mr. Neumann needs to learn to shorten his answers and stop talking when signalled by the timekeeper. And too often Thomas relied on "We need to do a study" for his response). It will be up to residents to decide who they think can best represent them on the City Council by taking advantage of opportunities to hear the candidates speak.