THE POWER SHIFT

Power doesn’t move gently. When the new Dallas establishment stepped in to fill the city’s leadership vacuum, it had to elbow a few other people aside. Some institutions and people, who had once been favored, suddenly found themselves without any friends on the inside. These are the major losers:

Adlene Harrison: The most popular liberal in Dallas made an unwise move when she decided to tangle with Folsom and crew for control of the city council. And when she started talking about a possible mayoral challenge to Folsom next spring, he decided to muzzle her permanently. She was stripped of her committee chairmanships and her mayor-pro-tem position. When the blast hit her, Harrison finally understood which way the wind was blowing. She retreated from city politics to the relative safety of EPA, where she was recently named Regional Director.



The Dallas News: Once the final word in city politics, the News is not well-regarded by establishment insiders. Two major gaffes this spring show the newspaper is now hopelessly out of touch with the city – and who runs it. First, the paper played an embarrassing and unconvincing game of catch-up with the Times Herald on that paper’s excellent assault on the county commissioners court earlier this year. Second, the paper’s city desk was terribly naive in its coverage of the Renner consolidation issue, saddling Folsom with an unfounded conflict of interest charge. The News may try for a comeback, as its reporters hope. But the News more than anyone else should know that credibility is hard to build – and easy to lose.



Fair Park: The Old Guards most sacred cow will be allowed a quiet death if the new boys on the block have their way. Folsom’s announcement that he supports CBDA efforts to move all major arts facilities – most of which are now housed at Fair Park – to the downtown area is a clear signal that the shrine built by Uncle Bob Thornton is no longer considered holy. That won’t sit well with Fair Park’s long-time civic patron. Bob Cullum; but then Cullum is likely to have less and less to say about the matter. Following his controversial announcement, Folsom reportedly paid a courtesy visit to Cullum to let him know it was nothing personal. Cullum said he understood and even conceded that the symphony could move if it wanted to. But Cullum added that if anyone wanted to move the museums, he would fight them to the end. Folsom reportedly shook hands amicably with Cullum and then departed to prepare for the battle.



The Utilities: Of course, all five institutions that formed the Old Guard’s “power pyramid” – banks, insurance companies, utilities, retail stores and newspapers – have, for one reason or another, lost civic clout. But the utilities are reeling from the energy crisis and the public’s suspicions about skyrocketing utility bills. Once the benevolent patriarchs, they are now the bad guys in the public eye. And they haven’t been helped by Federal Power Commission regulations which require an annual breakdown of every contribution or donation they make, something a bank or insurance company doesn’t have to put up with. That list can only make for more bad PR. It’s no wonder they’ve lowered their civic profile.



The local Democratic Party: Individual Republicans have been making the major moves lately. Local Democratic chairman Ron Kessler’s work in South Dallas on behalf of Garry Weber didn’t endear the party organization to the people downtown. Of the major players today, only Alex Bickley maintains close ties with the party through his contact with conservative Democratic regulars. It’s likely the local party will try to restore its prestige by pushing a reform candidate for county judge next year. But if that candidate is Garry Weber – which it may well be – they shouldn’t expect any blessings from the new establishment.



The Black Preachers: Gone are the days when the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and its leaders, such as S.M. Wright, “spoke” for South Dallas and the Dallas black community. The preachers’ power was essentially derivative, and since it was derived from the Old Guard, it is now essentially nonexistent. New power in the black community has surfaced in the Black Chamber of Commerce and in the tri-racial Dallas Alliance.

Ray Nasher: Ironically, NorthPark developer Nasher, a long-time supporter of environmental causes, turns out to be the first victim of the new establishment’s highly-sophisticated grasp of the “quality of life” issue. The recent vote against zoning for Nasher’s proposed North-Park South was not merely another vote against another development: it was a reflection of the new establishment’s concern about overbuilding and traffic congestion, particularly as they affect Central Expressway.