Dear City of Dallas employees:

We both know that you are in a very uncomfortable position when it comes to City Council. By law, you cannot take an active role in any municipal political campaign. You can vote for a Mayor or City Council member, but you can’t sign a petition for a candidate, endorse a candidate, or even put a yardsign out on your lawn.

Back in Philadelphia, where BD grew up, city employees were required to live in the City in order to keep their job. Police officers were required to live in the city too, but not in the same district they patrolled (with nearly 50 districts, it was easy to avoid being assigned to your own neighborhood).

But in Texas, it's illegal to impose any residency requirements to live in the City unless you are above a certain executive level like Assistant City Manager or Chief of a Police Division. BD cannot name one Dallas police officer below the rank of chief who lives in the City limits (chief’s don’t have that luxury). And he can only think of five or six firefighters who live in the city.

When it comes to City Staff - the guys who write the code citations, inspect the new buildings, catch the stray dogs or answer the 311 line - it’s a big mix. BD knows of at least three high-ranking staffers who live in or around Lowest Greenville alone. By one unofficial estimate, nearly 1,000 city employees live in District 14’s boundaries.

This letter is directed to those 1,000 city employees.

Electing a city council representative is like buying a used car. You have to look under the hood, inspect the chasis, and kick the tires. If you live in East Dallas, you really don't want to buy this car.

This information is from Bexar County District Clerk/County Clerk Search website page

By Roy Appleton / 8:38 am on September 19, 2012

Pam Conley has been watchdogging her Kidd Springs neighborhood for years. And days after a City Council vote, she is guardedly upbeat.

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"This was a huge victory," she said of the council's unanimous decision last week to keep a restaurant away from Kidd Springs homes.

Mark Miranda and his real estate investment partner Craig Schenkel wanted to rezone property they own at the corner of Bishop Avenue and Neely Street for such a venture. An occupied rental house and boarded-up apartment building now occupy the site on the northern fringe of the Bishop Arts District.

But Conley, Keith Jasiecki and others vigorously opposed the plan, raising concerns about intrusive noise, traffic and curbside parking in the long-established Oak Cliff neighborhood.

Click here for the complete story

A few weeks ago, BD posted about how the Dallas' Fire/Rescue department was changing the way they posted information about active calls on their website. For example, what had been listed as a Motor Vehicle Accident on your corner was being listed as an EMS [Emergency Medical Service] Incident.

The department's PIO claimed it was due to concerns about patient privacy under HIPAA. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Their reasoning - Since they are a custodian of patient information, they were required to hide anything related to the incident. BD's retort - It's not a patient privacy issue to tell people you are rushing to an accident.

After two weeks of trading emails, each pointing out the other's failure to understand, and unanswered letters to recently appointed DFR Chief Louis Bright III, the City sent BD an f-you email today.