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| Top to Bottom: Mary Suhm, Paul Dyer, Chief David Kunkle, and Laurie Evans photography: Suhm: Randall Ford; Kunkle: Tom Fox/DMN; Dyer & Evans: Ashley Dupree |
I’m a hard news kind of guy. I like the tough interviews with pointed questions and the meaty stories that uncover all the ills and juicy details of government wrongdoing. That’s what journalism is supposed to do, right? Act as kind of the fourth check in the checks-and-balance system of government, watch out for the little guy. As a former journalist (I often jokingly refer to myself as “recovering”), I still hear, “Why don’t you guys ever do any good news stories? I get so sick of hearing about all the bad stuff that’s happening in the world.” As frustrated as I get hearing that question, I’ve started thinking it myself. Especially at 9:59 p.m. when I’m deciding between a book or the 10 o’clock news live shot on the bad weather, the long controversial school board meeting, or the latest murder/rape suspect. All right, to be honest, I usually still watch the news.
But now it’s summer break, and I’m going to take a vacation from the hard news to focus on something positive. And, seeing as we celebrate our nation’s heroes on the Fourth of July, it seems fitting to celebrate some of our city’s unsung heroes at this time as well. Maybe “heroes” is too strong. So, let’s settle for recognizing those who often don’t get the credit they deserve for doing good work.
Paul Dyer. The Dallas Park and Recreation Department is the happiest place inside City Hall. You can feel the difference in employees’ attitudes when you walk inside their offices. Perhaps it’s because their jobs have them working on happy things—who wouldn’t like parks, right? But, the department’s director also deserves credit. Dyer, along with at least two of his assistant directors, Willis Winters and Daniel Huerta (among others), are working to rejuvenate Dallas’ park system, despite a financial backlog. They are bringing new parks on line that support other missions of the city—like the Woodall Rogers Deck Park—and revitalizing the treasures like Fair Park that give Dallas distinction.
Jody Puckett. This woman has a job that isn’t sexy and rarely gets any coverage at all. Dallas’ water department has a well-respected leader who knows how to get things done and is good at building relationships with the private sector. In her previous role as director of the Sanitation Department, she helped lead a citizen recycling task force to recommend the much-needed blue-cart recycling program now in place across much of the city.
Jerry Killingsworth. After years in the banking industry, Killingsworth joined the city because of a passion, instead of a need for a job. As director of the housing department he brings a business approach to providing more affordable housing for families, including those middle-class families who don’t qualify for low-income housing benefits but can’t afford to live in the city center near their jobs. He’s brokered strategic partnerships with businesses and nonprofit groups to begin revitalizing some of Dallas’ neighborhoods.
Laurie Evans. Librarians don’t get much glory, but Evans deserves it for her efforts in forging a partnership with the Dallas Independent School District to build community libraries inside new DISD elementaries. This partnership uses tax dollars wisely to get more bang for our buck. Evans has championed children’s reading with her tireless support of the Mayor’s Summer Reading Program. By the way, you can still sign the kids up at your local library.
Chief Eddie Burns and Chief David Kunkle. It may be unfair to lump together the fire and police chiefs, but if any city employees are constantly on the hot seat, it’s these two. Our city finally has leaders of both its public safety agencies that are on the right track at the same time. They appear to be building stronger morale inside their departments while demanding accountability and, most importantly, reducing crime and fire fatalities.
Mary Suhm. Critics feared the city manager would bring the “same ol’ same ol’ ” to City Hall, where she had been an insider. But Suhm has proven them wrong, starting with the way she led Dallas’ response following Hurricane Katrina. She has set the bar high for city employees and accepts and makes no excuses for screw-ups.
There are certainly other city employees who are outstanding and worthy of recognition. They do their jobs well, take the risks associated with “public” life, and could likely get paid a lot more elsewhere. While it’s easy to get frustrated by the often slow-moving wheels of bureaucracy and the problems inside city government, the truth is, there are many who are doing it right. And neither our homes nor our businesses could run smoothly without them.
Crayton Webb is manager of government relations for Mary Kay Inc. Previously, he was chief of staff for Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and an investigative reporter for CBS 11.
