In the wake of the “Happy Trails” safety-program controversy, Dallas Mayor
Dwaine Caraway says he’d like to see a complete review of processes and procedures at the city Park Department. “It’s not about the politics,” Caraway said last night, asked about the flap over the $84,000-plus “Trails” contract that was spread among several firms, including one owned by friends of mayoral candidate Mike Rawlings. “It’s about the processes in the Park Department.”
Caraway (pictured in photo by Jeanne Prejean) said that if the “Trails” work had been done pro bono, there’s a chance the $84,000 could have been allocated to other areas of need, such as for keeping more of the city’s swimming pools open, for example. His comments came on the same day that WFAA-TV reported that Stan Richards, founder of the Richards Group, said his firm would have considered designing the “Trails” program for free, had it been approached about the work. Said Caraway of the way the “Trails” contract was awarded: “There might be a lot of stuff like that” at the Park Department.
