From the beginning, there have been two major worries about the 14-1 Council-Mayor system. One, that district-elected council members had no incentive to think about the city as a whole. Two, that council members would defer to each other on each other’s district matters to such an extent that council councils would turn into mini-mayors, with total power over zoning.
The first concern is a non-issue. Council members have proven over the years to be forward-thinking and deeply invested in the entire city. The second concern, however, has turned out not only to be real, but a real quagmire. It leads — as total power always does — directly to corruption. It’s no surprise that Don Hill was convicted on a zoning case.
Mayor Leppert strikes directly at the core of the problem today with his new ethics proposal. Those who vote against are voting knowingly and deliberately against a reform to protect the taxpayers and the reputation of the City of Dallas. We will publish the vote results by council member as soon as we can after the vote.
