Dallas mayor's race: Hunt's out (forever); Rawlings in; my off-the-chart candidate

Angela Hunt's decision not to run for mayor in this year's municipal elections means she will never be elected mayor of Dallas. Term limits will prohibit her from running for her seat again in 2013 and the next mayoral election won't come along until 2015, at which time the incumbent may just decide to run again. That means Hunt will be out of the public eye anywhere from two to six years and that's political poison. I can't see her in any kind of role that will keep her in the spotlight during that time.

But she also shot her chances when she said yesterday "I think what will be best for Dallas is a mayor who comes from outside the current city council." That statement would definitely come back to her haunt her should she ever decide to run in the future.

Now here's an idea for all the conspiracy theorists to chew on. Hunt wins re-election to her final term this year and then two years down the road hand-picks a successor to run for her seat in 2013. Hunt promises this candidate the full backing of her effective grassroots machine, but only if the candidate agrees to serve one two-year term. Then Hunt runs for the District 14 seat again in 2015. It's possible, but if she thinks that's the way she will eventually be elected mayor shes' only deluding herself.

Mike Rawlings decision to enter the race is an interesting one. I thought all along the Park Board chief was Da Mayor's hand-picked successor, but in the meantime City Councilman Ron Natinsky seemingly lined up the support of the city's traditional power brokers, illustrated by the fact that Carol Reed is running his campaign. Both Rawlings and Natinsky appeal to the same downtown business/North Dallas resident voting base. Thus, Rawlings entry into the race is a shot in the arm for former police chief  and mayoral candidate David Kunkle who is going to emerge as the closest thing we might get to a "people's" candidate, now that Hunt has bowed out.

For my money, Rawlings brings a pedigree that's superior to Natinsky's into the race. What impresses me the most about Rawlings is that during the time he served as president of Dallas-based Pizza Hut, the largest pizza chain in the world, from 1997 until 2003, he directed a major turnaround in the company’s business, resulting in the then highest weekly store sales in Pizza Hut history with system sales over $5 billion. Under Rawlings’ leadership, same-store growth rose 19 percent, overall operating profit doubled and margins improved to record highs. As the city’s Homeless Czar, he helped Dallas reduce its number of chronically homeless by nearly 60 percent. Those are measurable results that Natinsky can't match.

However, neither of them will be able to tout the public safety issue as successfully as Kunkle. And public safety is still the No. 1 issue resonating with Dallas voters in municipal elections. During his term as police chief, the crime rate dropped dramatically and Kunkle will be the only candidate who can legitimately claim responsibility for that.

So what we have right now is a race among three candidates: Ron Natinsky, the candidate of the downtown business cabal; Mike Rawlings, the candidate with an impressive record of results, although not on matters voters really care about; and David Kunkle, the man who actually produced a reduction in the city's crime rate.

What bothers me is that the race is among three white men. I don't suppose there is any way someone could convince Dr. Elba Garcia to resign her just-won County Commissioner's seat to run for mayor. Probably not. I know I wouldn't do it if I were her.

But I'm going to throw a name out there that I'm betting no one else has ever mentioned, but makes a lot of sense to me: Clarice Tinsley. She has more integrity in her little finger than most of us have in our entire bodies, she's knowledgeable and she's absolutely capable. Anyone want to join me in a Draft-Clarice-Tinsley-for-Mayor campaign? It could be fun.