Ethics Reform
Last Wednesday the City Council agreed to a package of ordinances to address ethics issues. I want to address this in two parts by discussing what happened and what we did.

What happened?
Presumably as a result of the Don Hill case, Mayor Leppert felt a great urgency about passing ethics reform ordinances. While I (and the huge majority of the council) wanted to see ethics reform, I wanted to see it done well. These ordinances are not simple. It may sound simple to say we should register lobbyists but you have to carefully define lobbyist or you risk including neighborhood associations that talk to their council member about a zoning case.

What does it mean to register? What are the reporting requirements? Do contacts with staff have to be reported or just council members? What are the fees? If you are going to prohibit contributions from a developer during a zoning case, when does the zoning case start? Each of these questions needs careful consideration...

Read Ann's complete account of "What Happened"

What We Did
Before I explain what we did, I want to be clear that nothing we did or can ever do will stop corruption if an officeholder is willing to be bribed. There are laws that landed Don Hill in a courtroom. They were in place and did not stop corruption. We are now passing stricter ordinances. They make an important statement. They will shed light on who speaks with whom and prohibit certain contributions. In the end it comes down to each public official.

That being said, what did we do? 1) Register lobbyists and others that influence city officials for various reasons. 2) Prohibit campaign contributions from individuals who have zoning or various contracts pending with the city. 3) Require greater scrutiny of significant zoning cases...

Review how Ann breaks it down for us

District 13 family restaurant from a District 13 family
Along with neighborhood association and business news on the District 13 page of my Web site, be sure to read about the opening of GattiTown North Dallas. Husband-and-wife team Paul and Aimee Griffiths just opened the family restaurant at Marsh and Forest Lane.

Northwest District 13 initiative: Update on homeless camp
Within days of driving Dallas Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans around the homeless encampment at Dennis and Royal Lane, I began to see action. Police, Code Compliance and the City Attorney’s office joined forces and moved in. As the result, we've already seen a reduction of criminal activity.

You loved it this summer ... you'll love it this month
In August, District 13 residents were quite interested in the opportunity to recycle old electronics, construction materials, batteries and such in addition to paper and plastic. On. Nov. 21, we get another opportunity. Plus, one Super Recycling Fall Round-up location is in District 13!

Counting ... when it really counts
In March of 2010, every Dallas household will receive a 2010 Census form consisting of just ten basic questions that should take ten minutes to answer. The information you provide will influence how federal funds are distributed how political districts are drawn. Get ready.