I try not to write about everything I know,but it's very difficult to have information and not share when I see, what headache are caused by bad decisions.
History of How I Got to DHA.
Mayor Leppert was a new Mayor taking office with a lot on his agenda,out going Mayor Miller had trouble, in City Hall with charges of corruption and DHA in the headlines,Director and Board Chair fighting,Board Chair tries to fire Director, hire City Housing Director,unbeknown to City manager.
Mayor Miller had called me, out of retirement to bring order to the Plan Commission ,I accepted because, I had been there before , it should have been easy.Oddly enough,I had not served under 14-1 Council form of government and much to my surprise,the Plan Commission had become ,this 15 member body,with 14 people establishing themselves as, Mayor,Manager and Indian Chief of 14 pieces of City zoning.The hardest job was,managing Neil Emmons,he had the majority of members thinking no one had knowledge but Neil.Neil had convinced the Dallas Morning News Editorial group, that I was some horrible person, I knew the Commission rules ,in fact ,helped to write them , I was not going to allow Neil to break them ,as he had done in the past.the ED began to paint me in a very negative light. First,I felt bad about them calling me names,but later,I understood the fact that many of these people, were not on the Editorial Board ,when I served before,and knew nothing about me, were willing to take the word of Neil Emmons,said a lot about them.
Part Two Why I was Chosen.
When Mayor Miller called that January day,as DHA was in the news daily,she knew I had run two housing agencies , was fair,she knew I would get to the bottom of the problem,call it like it is and not turn my Board service into a money making opportunity for myself and friends.
Mayor Leppert ask me to stay on another 12 months in hold over position until he got around to appointing his Board,I said sure. As Chair,I did discover the problems, and worked with Ms.Lott to solve most of them.Ms. Lott was a good advocate for the residents.
Dallas News Continued To Attack New Board.
The Dallas News came first ,with Board needs to be removed after the first audit was released,I called the Mayor and Ms.Lott and I met with him and advised him of the audit prior ,to it becoming public,I still cannot figure how the news had the information 39 minutes after we ended our meeting at City Hall.When the audit became public,again Dallas News called for the heads of the Board,never mind the fact,that three of us were new members and the audit did not cover our tenure on the Board.I knew than there was a plan afloat to rid the Board of a minority, majority.
Editorial Board Had View On Board,From Where is Mystery?
The Palin Group ,Editorial Board, actually believed the reason Ms.Lott had not been terminated was that she was Black.I don't know why intelligent White folk think every move Black people make ,is about color.
DMN people, believe the hype,that Sharpton,Jackson,Price and other say in 2010 ,keep using that race card and white people stay scared,no one believes that rapping junk talk but them.I remember former Councilman Fantroy,could scare them to death, with that,"People going Take to the street if you all don't do this or that",the Black community would be laughing and asking,Do they (white people)really believe what he's saying.We knew no one was going to rally about wrong doing.
Dallas News Panic.
Well ,the DMN got wind of the fact that the DHA Board was interviewing for the Directors job,the week we were doing the second round of interview's of candidates.James Ragland wrote a story,saying Mayor Leppert had better hurry and pick his Board members,because the old Board was about to name a new Director of DHA.The article ran on Wednesday,the Mayors office contacted the two Black Board members the next day made appointment for both of us on Friday and informed us that as of that day we would no longer be members of the Board,it's ironic that the other member who's time was up happen, to be Anglo and Mayor Leppert reappointed him.The man is a very fine man and good board member,so I have no problem with him serving,its just the two Black ,Miller members did not make it but the White one did.How can White folk continue to judge Blacks like we are all one big family.White people believe, all Black people know each other,I had to say several times,I had never met Ann Lott or Board member Rod Washington or Ms.Davis.DMN just knew ,(nothing was fartherest from truth),we Blacks members, would hire a Black from within to replace Ms.Lott ,and they wanted a White outsider who could put these Blacks in their place. Mayor Leppert appointed good people,just not housing or community connected people.
Why Outsiders Do Not Aways Make Best Person for Job.
Community people would know about Fort Worth Avenue and what they are doing
to rebuild the area,it's looking good.
Background on Bridge Operation.
The housing of the formally homeless people will not effect the quality of life at all. I wrote the bridge program in 2003 and presented it to the Chair Councilwoman Lois Finkelman and Karen R=====,cannot spell her last name,at the time she was Director of environmental and Human Service for City of Dallas, I did it for Laura Miller,just like I design the Assistance center, when others wanted to build an out door pavilion and flying all over looking at what was on Internet for free.I take nor want credit for it ,but the staff knows who wrote it and they cleaned it up and added here and there, I do Lot's of things in this City,the Palin group has no idea who and what I am or what I do. As Larry ,the cable guy says ,Getter done.
Why It Matters To Me.
You can't pass a street or development or anything worthwhile,that I didn't have a hand in getting done,all volunteer work,what makes me happy is know someone was served and the Greater good of the city was made better
by my action,its not for man's recognition or plaques,God rewards me daily.
Why Editorial Boards Don't Always Know Best.
DMN you were in a rush to remove the Black Board members, and pushed Mayor Leppert to hurriedly appoint new Board and they,being new had to hurry and act on a Director for out of the agency and City,so now you have this woman trying to do DHA's part in housing formally homeless people,which is responsible for housing low income people .Cliff Manor is ideal for the program,because of the apartment size,on bus line,near retail and safe area.
Program Criteria
People eligible for this type of housing,are the one who have been working with Social workers and others to get their lines on track,they are moving from the inside housing at the Bridge,not from outside laying in the yard,they have completed a step in the program,after becoming employed they can move on are remain there.All residents must obey the rules of DHA and the Bridge program,they are less likely to commit any type of action in their neighborhood,their people just like you and I,looking to go forward not backward.
I hope my doing Mary Ann's job ,explaining the program ,residents will feel comfortable with who they are.
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