Farewell to the Chief

After five years, Chief Kunkle is stepping down as Dallas Police Chief.  This is a time of mixed feelings for me.  When somebody does a great job, you hate to see them go. However, you have to be happy when a person gets to leave on their own terms.  In my interactions with him, I have found him to be honest, straightforward, and accountable.

Some Police Chiefs previously in Dallas and across the country are often not in their blues, have drivers, and seem to enjoy the notoriety of being Chief more than actually doing the job. Not our Chief; I've never seen him out of uniform. 

He was responsive to the community and to city leaders.  Chief Kunkle didn't put his finger in the air to check the temperature before he commented or made decisions on officer-related incidents or other issues.



I also don't believe that he upset the entire rank and file with some of his decisions. One of the toughest jobs of a Chief is to discipline your own officers, and like any work situation not everyone will be happy with such an action.  Banning the chokehold and ending high-speed police chases has saved lives.  It's a fact.

I do think there should be a search for a position such as Police Chief, Fire Chief, City Manager, and other high-ranking positions.  That being said, there are several candidates within the department that are immediately part of the discussion to be the next Chief should they decide to apply. 

The measure of a good boss, or Chief in this instance, is often shown in the people he has promoted in other positions of leadership.  Chief Kunkle leaves the department in great hands.  Promoting Chief David Brown to First Assistant Chief after he did a stellar job leading the Northeast Division, Deputy Chief Sherryl Scott as the leader of the South Central Division (formed under Kunkle's watch), and having great people like Lt. Craig Miller as the head of homicide are just a few instances of Chief Kunkle having an eye for leadership.

I don't believe anyone was being intentionally slighted with respect to his announcement.  It doesn't change the fact that Chief Kunkle is retiring, and it's not about focusing attention on yourself.  This was the Chief's moment, and I'm sure that everyone was notified within the proper timeframe. The last thing that I would want to see is this hiring decision being politicized in some way.

Chief Kunkle often showed up at places you wouldn't expect like city budget meetings and other functions, and would engage citizens even when it wasn't required of him. While he has a reputation for always being serious, he has a great sense of humor if you ever get to talk to him.

The last time I saw him was at a restaurant near downtown. I was with a buddy that wanted to meet him, and even thought he was in the middle of his lunch he took a few minutes to talk with my friend.  I bet that's the part he'll love best: to be able to sit down and do the simple things in life without interruptions.


I can't see him retired for long.  But for the five years he was in Dallas I was glad to call him Chief; he earned the title in every way.

Sign Blight Ordinance is Needed

This week  has brought news that the City of Dallas is being sued to fight the sign blight ordinance that was enacted last year. Apparently the plaintiffs feel that their free speech is being violated, when the reality is that the city is trying to clean up its neighborhoods.  Corporations like 7/11 have their own store rules and do not permit excessive covering of windows, and it would be nice if all stores would follow suit and clean up a bit.

When you go downtown to Neiman Marcus, they don't have 10 signs papering the windows. You know what Neiman's is offering inside. Well, the same theory should apply to stores and businesses throughout the city. Sharon Grigsby of the DMN states need need for such an ordinance here.

I know that the City Attorney's office is confident that this case can be defended. This ordinance took quite a long time to be presented to City Council to make sure it would stand against the inevitable lawsuits by various groups.

Dallas' ordinance leaves ample opportunity for businesses to promote at their location. I'm glad the city is deciding to fight. For neighborhoods like Oak Cliff, South Dallas, and others, such an ordinance is needed.

Bureaucracy Stalls Safety for the Hood

I have been following and looking forward to the installation of gunshot detection systems in Dallas. While it was looked at some years ago by DPD, the company that was used produced an inferior product.  A different company is being used in this trial.

So we get to the point where pilot programs take place. One trial is planned for North Oak Cliff and I believe another is set for South Oak Cliff.

According to this DMN article from last week, the installation is being stalled out by Oncor.  Oncor says that they want ShotSpotter (the gunshot detection company) to take responsibility for the utility poles before they allow the system installs.

This is a major mistake by Oncor.  The article says that utility companies in other cities did not require such agreements.  While other cities are experiencing the benefits, Dallas lags behind because of bureaucracy and nonsense and neighborhoods remain at risk of random gunfire.

I also disagree with the whole concept of doing a pilot program, instead of just rolling out the product in a much larger radius. The technology and results of the ShotSpotter system have been proven to be successful nationwide.

Here is an example of the program's success in San Francisco.  Hopefully, Oncor will wake up and realize how important such a service would be for Dallas' most crime-ridden neighborhoods and get it together.

‘GMC Terrain Charity Challenge’ will Raise Funds for Nonprofits

Here are excerpts from the press release for the GMC Terrain Charity Challenge.

‘GMC Terrain Charity Challenge’ on Facebook Will Pick 3 DFW Ambassadors and 3 Charities to Compete for $20,000 and Drive GMC Terrains.

Representatives from three Dallas-Fort Worth charities will be selected to drive the all-new 2010 GMC Terrain for a month and compete on Facebook to win cash for their favorite charity during the $20,000 ‘GMC Terrain Charity Challenge.’

“Our local marketing association is continually looking for ways to give back to the community. The launch of the new GMC Terrain provides us an opportunity to not only help designated local charity groups but also showcase the versatility of our new vehicle,” says Carey Williams, President of the Dallas GMC Local Marketing Association. “If you are a DFW-area driver, are passionate about a charity, and are on Facebook, you could be chosen as a GMC Terrain DFW Ambassador and compete in the $20,000 ‘GMC Terrain Charity Challenge.”

Each Dallas-Fort Worth $20,000 ‘GMC Terrain Charity Challenge’ Ambassador will receive a 2010 GMC Terrain crossover SUV for a month, a $400 gas card, and a Flip Video to document their GMC Terrain driving experience as they compete to win cash for their favorite charity. The Ambassadors will also have the opportunity to personally win prizes in the competition.

The $20,000 ‘GMC Terrain Charity Challenge’ Ambassadors will also encourage their Facebook Friends to become a Facebook Fan of GMC DFW (www.Facebook.com/GMCDFW) and vote for the Ambassador’s selected charity. The charity with the most votes wins that percentage of the $20,000. Voting for the charities begins on November 16, 2009.

More info can be found on the $20,000 ‘GMC Terrain Charity Challenge’ info page (link).

# # #

Contact:

Jo Trizila
TrizCom Inc.
jo@TrizCom.com
www.TrizCom.com

Video of Lt. Carlton Marshall's Extreme Makeover

The Extreme Makeover episode featuring DPD SWAT Team member Lt. Carlton Marshall aired last night.

Having been to the hospital when a officer is killed, I'm still grateful for the actions of SWAT Team Doctors Dr. Alex Eastman and Dr. Jeff Metzger.  They saved Lt. Marshall's life when he was shot during a raid.

As you know, Lt. Marshall is now working out of the DPD's South Central Station.   I couldn't think of a better person to receive such a blessing. Watch the episode.

Link to video

Fireworks at Dallas Performing Arts Center - Wyly and Winspear Grand Opening

Realities and Misconceptions about Downtown

There is always a lot of talk about what needs to happen to keep the momentum going in Downtown Dallas. But what you inevitably hear and read are an undercurrent of naysayers bemoaning the same factors for why downtown will never return to its past glory. The homeless. The tunnels. The (fill in the blank).

In my opinion, these are not reasons to ignore downtown.  I don't see them as barriers to the recovery of downtown Dallas.

Yes, there are homeless people in Downtown Dallas. Unfortunately, there are going to be homeless people in every downtown in every major city. A good friend of mine in real estate made an interesting statement about the homeless, which was "if you had more people downtown, you wouldn't notice the homeless because they would blend in with everyone else."  When you compare Dallas to other cities, there are not a lot of homeless people.  I have seen cities with a much higher population of homeless revitalize their downtown. What city lets 10-15 people walking around during the day asking for change affect what is going to happen in a given part of town? See how much sense that makes? The people that don't travel downtown because of the homeless folks probably will never come downtown anyway.

There is a need for improved lighting, but that will come with time. Also, applications are starting to arrive for video boards, which will provide a little flash to the major downtown streets.

What I really here are a bunch of excuses.

These are really excuses for people that wouldn't invest, shop, or live downtown in the first place. Yet, some business owners have built downtown to great success.

7-Eleven opened at Commerce & Field. They didn't say they couldn't be successful because of the tunnels or anything else.  Try going in the store anytime during the day; there's always several people in line or moving about the store. I would guess that it's one of their more successful stores in Dallas.

The Joule Hotel is right in the middle of Main Street. They didn't say that you couldn't have a high-end hotel because a few homeless people are walking by the building. It's a successful place.

Another reality: we're stuck with the tunnels.  Most of the stores in the tunnels provide basic retail functions. They are a cash generator for the building owners and it's probably too cost prohibitive to close the tunnels.  Philadelphia has an entire network of tunnels full of similar retail shops; so does Houston. In fact, in Houston the tunnels are marketed as an amenity, and some of them are open at night.

I have a different take on the tunnels than most.  We should look at the tunnels more as an asset and part of the overall strategy. Attract higher-level retail at the street level and leave the rest in the tunnels.  I'm sure the tunnels have lower rent costs, which would allow an aspiring business owner to strike out on his own and move to a street-level space once they have enough business.

I also disagree with the current alignment of the downtown streetcar. In my opinion, the route completely cuts off Deep Ellum from the rest of downtown. It's a great route for the Arts district, but not for anywhere else.

I know that Deep Ellum is listed as a "potential extension," but there are great businesses there now.  The main streets have multiple lanes that would be conducive to a streetcar.  How cool would it be to leave your office during lunch, hop the streetcar down to Twisted Root or Lemongrass or St. Pete's, and get lunch? It also would show out-of-town Arts District patrons about this great alternative retail and restaurant scene right in the middle of our city.  Maybe just throw Deep Ellum a bone by having the train stretch to Good Latimer and Commerce,  circle back to Main and then continue north at Harwood Street.

If it's impossible to build this route, then they should simultaneously look at a route for Deep Ellum.

The other funny thing is the people that are worried about driving on the streetcar tracks. Do you know how to drive? Seriously. As with a lot of things in Dallas, we want the amenities without any hassle. Well, the real world (which includes the cities to which we compare ourselves) works a little bit different.

It's all about how you look at the situation.  Dallas has certain realities that must be dealt with downtown, but we should look at them more as opportunities than excuses not to invest, to shop, and to live.

Lt. Regina Smith - Pure Inspiration

I waited through the evening to watch the news tonight on CBS 11.

The lead story focused on DPD Lt. Regina Smith, wife of slain officer Senior Corporal Norm Smith.  She had a comfortable position working in Chief Kunkle's office, but she has made a change.  Lt. Smith has gone back to patrol in Southeast division, on the same streets where you could often find Norm Smith.

The story also said that she is trying to collect $3,000 to buy the gang unit a ballistic shield. These are the shields you often see in raids that protect officers from shots from handguns, shotguns, and machine guns.  Maybe there's a good Samaritan out there that will donate the funds; just a thought. A Level IV shield would work just fine.

If she can continue the fight, so can we.

The Downtown Dallas Forum is Today

Today at 4pm, the Downtown Dallas 360 Community Forum will take place at the Convention Center.  The purpose is to hear more about the plans for downtown and participate in an interactive discussion focused on our priorities for future Downtown development.

The presentation and discussion will focus on linking The Dallas Farmers Market, the Arts District, the Cedars, Deep Ellum, and The Main Street District as well as future developments.  Hope to see you there!

We Can All Take the Credit or Accept the Blame

Anything written by Rev. Gerald Britt will command my attention.  He has been in the trenches, working on behalf of the community for decades.  With that in mind, make sure you read his post on his Change the Wind blog.

Rev. Britt is right; a lot of people are working countless hours to improve the community. In some areas, assistance is given by the city but we always need residents and interested citizens to fill the gap. We also need media to report the good and bad that is going on.

With respect to District Four, the philosophy is to "make it safe," and then businesses will return.  I still remember three years ago when people were telling Dwaine Caraway that his campaign would go nowhere if he made public safety his number one issue. Well, as we continue to find innovative ways to reduce crime the investment is coming back slowly but surely.

Even within the City, we are not waiting for the Task Force to do the work for us.  Crest Shopping Center in Oak Cliff is being revitalized, the 8th & Corinth/Fiji mixed-use transit-oriented development project will break ground shortly, and zoning is being reviewed on the eastern side of our district to ensure better uses for that area.

The convenience store initiative is now law, and the goal is for it to be expanded to car washes. The store ordinance requires videotaping of all areas of the premises, as well as all being part of DPD's criminal trespass program which allows police to effectively address loitering issues which foster drug dealing and other crimes.

The city has a role, the newspaper has a role, and the community has a role.  Everyone has a part in the success.

The Blues are back in Deep Ellum

Last Friday, I was one of the lucky people that got to attend the grand opening of Tucker’s Blues in Deep Ellum. I say that because it was one of the best shows that I had been to in a long time.

Though I don't profess to be an expert on blues music, I know most of the popular songs. The show consisted of several singers and a fantastic backup band. The crowd was very diverse and the atmosphere had a lot of energy the entire night.

The space, which is located next to Twister Root and formerly housed Red Blood Club, looks fantastic. But what also makes the place stand out are the owners.  You can tell that the Tuckers know what they're doing.  For a first night, the service was really attentive without being intrusive. The brother-sister team of Dianne and Larry Tucker and their family are some of the most gracious hosts you will come across.

When we went through the whole rezoning process in Deep Ellum a couple of years ago, these are the types of places and crowds that we wanted to see come back to the neighborhood.

My advice: show up early.  As the word gets out this will be a really tough spot to get into. If you think Deep Ellum is dead, you haven't been to Tuckers' Blues.

Renters Don't Pay Taxes?

In the weeks and month leading up to the City Council's adoption of a new budget, I have seen several blogs and forums that have taken the attitude that renters do not pay taxes and that somehow don't matter in this city.

I saw one post in particular after the council voted this week, which stated that "property owners in the city, subsidize the majority of the population who are renters." I guess the same goes for commercial tenants.  Sometimes I wonder about the lucidity of these individuals.   So you mean to tell me that none of the rent that is paid by an apartment dweller or office user ends up in the city coffers? Seriously?

Acting like renters don't pay tax is an arrogant, failed argument.  A check may not be written directly to the municipality by a renter, but don't act like property taxes don't get paid  in some fashion.  Anybody that knows anything about real estate knows that any increase in property taxes will get passed along to tenants in the form of a rent increase. It's as ridiculous as the people picketing with "I hate government signs" but use our police, electric and water utilities. I mean, if you hate government then you at least have a rainwater collection system and solar panels on your house, right? I digress.

In fact, if you do the math on how much tax some of the "renters don't matter" crowd pays,  I would bet that our unimportant (to them) household of renters ends up paying more in taxes then that amount and has for years.

I guess if there weren't people to rent apartments and commercial space, the property owners would happily keep paying the same level taxes to the city and county. I guess you would still have a downtown Dallas, since developers build buildings just so they can pay taxes out of their own pockets instead of having renters whose rent will allow for such payments. Or maybe not.  Maybe, just maybe, the lease payments (rent) of said property end up in the hand of the building owner who then (gasp) pays some of it to the city and county in the form of property tax.

The reasoning of some that it's OK to raise taxes because Dallas voters approved a bond program also doesn't hold water.  Voters approved that increase in taxes for bond-program related projects, not to fund city services and programs. 

Homeowners and renters make a city. Picture where your city budget would be without renters, then maybe you'll reconsider your attitude about our contribution.

DART's Green Line Signals a New Era of Possibilities

While full service will start on Monday, Saturday was the first day that the public could ride the DART Green Line train.  There are four brand new stations, and each one had some sort of party around the station.

Despite the rain, the trains were packed! 

I started at the Baylor stop in Deep Ellum and ran into a few friends at the It's a Grind coffee shop.  They had a great band, free cookies from Kessler Cookie Company and other fun stuff.  I then hopped on the train and rode to the south end of the line, which is the MLK station.

The Martin Luther King Jr. station is a jewel in itself. There is a lot of history that is detailed in the various art features.  Pictures from famed Dallas photographer R.C. Hickman are featured at the train stop.

The Fair Park station stops right in from of the gate on the Expo Park side.

Then the train moves to Baylor station (in Deep Ellum) where lucky residents of the Ambrose live right at the train stop and onto the Deep Ellum station on Good Latimer where we got a close up of The Traveling Man statue.

The current line will run from the MLK Transit Center to Victory Park, while connecting to the Red and Blue lines at all of the current downtown stops. The rest of the green line stations will be open in December 2010, with the line stretching from Pleasant Grove to Carrollton.

As some have said, access to jobs is an important byproduct of the green line. In a little more than a year people that live in Pleasant Grove, Parkdale, and most of South Dallas will have direct access to jobs from Love Field and to Carrollton.  While there may be bus service to some of these locations, it's intermittent and it's a totally different proposition to ride on the train. In terms of time and ease of travel this rail line will put a lot of jobs in reach.

In addition, as events are hosted in Fair Park and downtown the train will ease some of the car traffic that is generated when people are traveling to these destinations.  As I rode the train you could feel the excitement and there was a lot of conversation amongst the passengers about the benefits of having the green line. Once the State Fair hits, it will be a great way to showcase the progress of our city. 
 
I heard that Victory Station will have a party this coming Saturday. Bring it on!

Video of my trip is below.

Background music: "Car of Love" by Main Ingredient 

In Memory of 9/11/2001

This is dedicated to all of those that lost a loved one 8 years ago, and to those that put their lives on the lines to save others in the United States and abroad.

We will never forget.

Thank you.

Container Homes: Good or Bad?

My buddy Preston in Salt Lake City wrote an interesting post on his blog Jetson Green about a container home that was built in Houston.

A container home uses shipping containers as the building blocks of construction.  Reading various websites, people have a pretty strong opinion about container homes and whether they should be allowed in neighborhoods. In Fort Worth, someone wanted to build container homes and was recently denied the opportunity.

According to reports, the cost of the actual containers can range from $2,000-$5,000 and many times multiple containers are used to build a home. The sale prices of a container home can vary from $40,000 into the six-figure range.  I have even seen  contemporary-style 3-story homes built from containers.  They don't always look like shipping containers, as they can be faced with facades made of brick or other materials.

These two articles give you an idea of the range of homes that can be built using shipping containers. Eventually, this concept will be presented in Dallas.

I think it is an interesting concept, and if the end result doesn't resemble a container then give it a chance. What do you think?

(photos are by Jack Thompson at Dwell Magazine)

A Few Changes Around Here...

As readership continues to increase, you'll notice that we've made a few changes on Dallas Progress.  We're just trying to keep the site up with the times from a technology standpoint.

If you look at the bottom of the page you have the ability to search the blog, translate a page, and subscribe to our feed, as well as join our Facebook Fan Page.  There's also a ton of games available, and you can follow us from twitter too. Did I mention: games!

At the bottom of each post, there are various share options. Just hover over each icon and you can share the article on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and other services.  You can still subscribe via e-mail on the right-hand side.

If the changes cause any tech difficulties (pop-ups, etc), please let me know.

We hope you like the changes, and thanks for continuing to read and support Dallas Progress.