Mayor Mike’s Committee Appointments

Mayor Mike

There are some head scratchers to be sure (Vonciel Jones Hill as chair of the Trinity River Corridor Project Committee?), but overall they are free of the political bias that shamed his predecessor’s appointments. Not only has Mayor Mike made Angela Hunt a committee chair (Quality of Life), he had the courage to appoint her to the Trinity River Committee, where she has belonged ever since she joined the council. No one on the City Council has studied the project, no one on the council knows more about the ins and outs of the project’s process than Hunt. Former Mayor Tom Leppert unfairly, unjustly, punished Hunt for her opposition to the Trinity Parkway, but now she is back where she can bring the most value to the project and the city overall.

I also like Mayor Mike’s directive to the Trinity Committee, put “safety” (i.e., the integrity of the river’s levees) as “our top priority,” but also saying “the short term question is how do we get some recreational projects moving as soon as possible?” That, and not a tollway that will never be constructed anyway, should be the emphasis.

Mayor Mike also created a new committee, Arts, Culture and Library, appointed Ann Margolin as its chair and said its directive would be to “develop alternative funding plans” for them, exactly the correct move in these days when tax funds for the arts and libraries are being reduced and will continue to be reduced.

I did wonder why he told the Economic Development Committee “Southern Dallas needs to be turned into a growth engine for Dallas and the region. Let’s push the right initiatives to accomplish this goal.” But he named only one South Dallas council member, albeit its chair (Tennell Atkins), to the committee. The other members are Ann Margolin (vice chair), Sheffie Kadane and Jerry Allen (all considered North Dallas reps); and Monica Alonzo (West Dallas). That one puzzles me.

It will be interesting to see how Carolyn Davis measures up as a committe chair (Housing), particularly when the vice chair is Scott Griggs who is emerging as the most innovative thinker on the current council. If that boils down to a battle of intellects, it won’t be a fair fight.

Overall, I would give Mayor Mike’s committee assignments a B+.