MOVERS AND SHAKERS

As Bob Strauss says, “Overnight is a lifetime in politics.”

This time last year, Bill Clements appeared unbeatable, and his Republican revolution in Texas seemed all but assured. Now Mark White is settling into the governor’s office, and it looks as if we’re back to the old Democratic days in Texas, with Sen. John Tower as the lone Republican statewide officeholder. Republicans more than held their own in Dallas, and the national convention next year will help. Even so, we may be hearing a more ecumenical sound from some quarters now that there’s less certainty in high church party politics. Look for the return of the independent in Dallas, that civic-minded citizen who puts the city above partisan considerations and tries to get along with both sides.

We can also expect more concerted bi-partisan endorsement campaigns, such as the Committee for a Qualified Judiciary, which operated successfully in last year’s judgeship elections. This repeated a pattern that was set the year before by some young Dallas business and professional people who formed the Quality Education Committee to support candidates for the school board. Both efforts demonstrated that Dallas voters are willing to accept the recommendations of citizen endorsement groups if those groups can win public confidence. This doesn’t mean that the Citizens’ Charter Association is on its way back to naming a slate of City Council candidates from the business community as it did before 1975, but it does suggest that endorsement campaigns are no longer an anathema at the polls. They may one day reappear in council races.

We’ll see a new set of players at City Hall this year, as April’s election brings us not only a new mayor and council but also new members of city boards and commissions. It’s been said that a candidacy is the gathering place of many people’s ambitions, and that’s as true this year as ever. Overnight is still a lifetime in politics (and businesses and everything else), and we can expect more surprises; but here, as of today, are 10 people to watch in 1983.

TOM DUNNING: Campaign chairman for Mark White in Dallas County, Dunning is one of the key people to contact if you want to reach the new governor. (Another is attorney George Bramblett. ) Faithful to the Democratic Party in good times and bad, Dunning, an insurance man, is one from whom we can expect a higher profile now that happy days are here again for the Democrats in Austin.

MAURICE CARTER: Executive director of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Carter came to Dallas from San Diego where he helped build a highly successful transit system. Low-key, imaginative and precise, Carter can be expected to play a quiet but critical role in the August transit election. If DART is approved, he’ll be the man to make it all happen after that.

Tracy Taylor: President of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Tracy Taylor has brought strong leadership to this organization, which has been deeply involved in the Oak Lawn Forum, transportation and other key issues during his tenure. His company, Watson and Taylor, has extensive holdings in warehouses, office/showrooms and other real estate investments. Active in the North Dallas Tollroad Task Force, Taylor is a savvy practitioner of public affairs. He’ll be an important advisor to his father, Starke Taylor, if Starke is elected mayor.

Richard Knight: As assistant city manager, Richard Knight has taken on quite a lot during his first year in Dallas: He’s responsible for cable television and Surtran among other things, and it was he who coped with the controversy involving street vendors. We can expect him to be even more visible at City Hall in the year ahead.

EDDIE BARKER: Former Channel 4 News anchor and principal in his own public relations firm since then, Eddie Barker will be close to City Hall action if his old friend from TV days, Wes Wise, is elected mayor. Barker says he and Wise don’t always agree, but he’s taking the time to help with the campaign nonetheless.

BETTY MARCUS: New president of the Dallas Park Board since Starke Taylor resigned that post to run for mayor, Betty Marcus brings extensive cultural credentials to this new role. She was head of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts when it brought Harry Parker to Dallas, and she can be counted on to promote closer ties between Dallas parks and the arts. She’ll be due for reappointment at the end of August, when seats on all city boards and commissions will be up for grabs. If the new council names her to the board again and she’s reelected president -neither of which is unlikely -Betty Marcus will be someone to watch at City Hall.

CAY KOLB: A product of the new sophistication among neighborhood activists, Cay Kolb has been instrumental in putting together the Oak Lawn Forum, a group of residents, developers and business people interested in this area. Working with planner Jack Diamond of Toronto, the forum has created a blueprint for the future growth of Oak Lawn. Look for Kolb to play an essential role in keeping this program on track.

ADLENE HARRISON: Chairwoman of DART, she’ll be central to August’s transit election, when voters will be asked to approve a 1 percent sales tax to finance a new transit system. Adlene Harrison considered running for mayor, which her fans have been urging her to do ever since she served on the council in the Seventies, but she decided that transit is the major issue facing Dallas this year and DART is where she needs to be.

DAVID MORENO: One of the brightest young stars in this year’s Leadership Dallas program, Moreno has spent most of his time making a place for himself in his family’s business. But now he’s vice president of the Petroleum Energy Equipment Corp., and he’s ready to turn outward, connecting with the city and enlarging his role in it, just as his father, Sam, has done. Look for David Moreno to become an important voice that bridges the Anglo and Hispanic communities.

HOWARD PUTNAM: Captain of the ship who stayed aboardwhile Braniff was sinking, Putnam may be able to put togethera deal with Pacific Southwest Airlines that will steady the vesselas she goes through the turbulent waters of bankruptcy. If hesucceeds, some Braniff pilots and other personnel will be backat work and some of those silent jets will be roaring in the airagain. Last year we watched Howard Putnam go down. Keepan eye on him in 1983: He’s not out yet.