Dallas City Council: It’s now White + Latino vs. African Americans

The redistricting process currently going on at the Dallas City Council proves we have a different realignment on that body. On one side you have the white and Latino council members. On the other, you have the four African American members. The ultimate prize is who gets the most seats on a redistricted council.

The African Americans (along with Mayor Mike, I should add) are fighting to retain their four council seats. Currently seven seats are held by whites. They are willing to reduce that number by one, but only one. Latinos, who currently represent the largest segment of Dallas’ population want five places on the council. That adds up to 15 council seats. Only problem with that is there are only 14 available. So who’s going to give?

The white/Latino group submitted its proposed council redistricting map to the city. The African American representatives submitted theirs. During today’s city council meeting, at which council members are supposed to approve a map, Mayor Mike, in another of his brilliant moves, picked one person from each group (Delia Jasso for the W/Ls and Tennell Atkins for the AAs), locked them in a room with him and said "Let’s come up with a compromise." Within 45 minutes they had.

Then the full council reconvened, theoretically to discuss the compromise map. But they didn’t. Led by council members Angela Hunt and Scott Griggs and later joined by Sandy Greyson, they went off on an irrelevant argument about the process, saying they weren’t involved in the discussion. Give me a break. By refusing to talk about the map that was presented, they took themselves out of the discussion. They should not blame others for what they are doing to themselves. But blaming others is quickly becoming Griggs’ MO and Greyson, who, like Griggs, is a Tea Party advocate, will find a way to align herself with him on just about everything. I thought Hunt was more intelligent than she’s acting here, but her track record on the council shows glaring inconsistencies in that area.

Look, if you don’t like the map, then make suggested changes to it and see how the rest of the council reacts. That’s the way the system works.

Mayor Mike, who is rapidly becoming my all time favorite Dallas mayor (and that admission really surprises me as well — I mistakenly didn’t think he had this type of leadership in him), currently has the council in recess so all of them can study the new map.

Prediction: It will be voted down because the W/L faction has more votes than the AA faction and finally the W/L proposed map will be approved. I won’t be all that happy with it — fairness should come into play here — but when fairness butts heads with power struggles, power wins out every time. If you don’t believe me, just look at the mess going on in Washington.