Dallas’ proposals could transform police and city government

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Three Dallas city charter amendments buried near the end of the upcoming November ballot could drastically impact the city’s police force and change the way local government operates.

If passed, these changes could force the city to hire hundreds of additional police officers and specify how excess revenues should be spent, tie the city manager’s pay to a community survey, and allow residents to sue the city for charter violations while forcing it to waive government immunity.

Supporters say the proposals would restore accountability power to Dallas residents while increasing police staffing.

“Propositions S, T and U are a set of ballot proposals… that were put together because of the refusal of the citizens of Dallas to accept many of the bad headlines we have seen,” Pete Marocco, executive director of Dallas HERO, the group behind the amendments, told KERA.

Dallas HERO continues his website it is a “bipartisan 501c4 organization dedicated to citizen-supported amendments to the Dallas City Charter.” But questions have been raised for months about the group’s donors, how it obtained petition signatures and who might actually be behind the organization.

Critics of this solution warn that the proposals come from a rebellious group outside Dallas and could be dangerous to the finances of the city and its residents.

The union representing thousands of Dallas police officers publicly opposed the changescalling them “made up by a small group of people who don’t live in Dallas and don’t have an open dialogue.”

Propositions S, T and U gained so much attention that a “who’s who” of current and former Dallas politicians, business leaders and city officials launched a campaign to oppose them.

That includes at least four former Dallas mayors and current Mayor Eric Johnson, the entire Dallas City Council, and many other former council members, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and state Sen. Royce West of Dallas. Members of the Dallas Citizens Council, a group of city business leaders that have used their influence on city politics for decades, also oppose it.

“On the surface, it seems like there are some good things here,” former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told KERA. “But you have to read these amendments and dig into… the details of them, and you will realize that they are very, very dangerous.”

Coordinated opposition has kicked into high gear in the weeks before the election, but some officials warn there is a good chance some proposals will be adopted on November 5.

Another proposal – Proposition R – is also on the ballot. But she’s backed by a group that has nothing to do with Dallas HERO.

It would decriminalize larger amounts of marijuana in Dallasand was also placed on the ballot along with a petition, this time organized by Ground Game Texas. This amendment met with little opposition from city officials.

“No open dialogue”

Morocco says Proposal U is the centerpiece of the three amendments. It focuses on the police.

“Proposition U requires the city of Dallas to dedicate 50% of new revenues to fund police and firefighter pensions,” Morocco said.

The city’s Public Safety Retirement System was grossly underfunded for years after risky real estate investments by fund managers led to its near bankruptcy. The Texas Legislature had to step in to help stabilize the fund, and now Dallas faces having to fix billions in unfunded liabilities.

The proposal would also require the city to increase the number of sworn police officers to “at least 4,000.” This means employing approximately 900 additional officers.

“I think the majority of Dallas citizens want more (police) officers. I want more officers, I wanted more officers when I was mayor,” Rawlings said.

But he also said there’s a difference between wanting something and “actually doing it.”

“Because you want to do it right, you want to make sure the right employees are hired, you want to make sure they’re properly trained,” Rawlings said. “The way (Prop U) is written means it’s going to be very, very dangerous to hire all of these officers at once.”

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia previously said it would be difficult to hire the number of new officers that would be required if the proposal was approved by voters.

On the first day of early voting, the Dallas Police Association formally opposed the proposal.

“The Dallas Police Association, which represents thousands of Dallas police officers, strongly opposes all three amendments – which were conceived by a small group of people who do not live in Dallas, with no open dialogue or experience on the issue, and a lack of communication with police association leaders that would be affected by these amendments,” DPA President Jaime Castro said in a press release.

The survey says…

Proposition T would tie city manager compensation to “citizen satisfaction” with city services.

The amendment would require the city to complete an “annual community survey” that would focus on crime, homelessness, litter, “aggressive solicitation (and) panhandling,” and infrastructure and streets.

Under the proposed ballot language, at least 1,400 surveys “shall be returned, and at least 100 from each City Council district.” The survey results “could result in consequences for the city manager, including the awarding of performance compensation or termination of employment.”

“I don’t think we’d ever find a decent city manager if this amendment was passed,” Rawlings said of Proposition T. “It’s going to be very unclear who the boss is for the city manager… Now you have a survey that shows he’s the boss.”

Rawlings said he wouldn’t take the job. According to Rawlings, without creating an environment that continues to hold the city’s top executives accountable and at the same time not politicizing that role because their jobs may be decided by just 1,400 Dallas residents, the city may not attract the right candidates.

“The city manager is so critical that we have to hire the best we can,” Rawlings said.

“Enough”

Proposition S would mean the city could lose a major defense against litigation.

“We have evidence that some kind of enforcement mechanism is needed so that the average citizen can say, ‘Hey, that’s enough,’” Morocco said.

If passed, Proposition S gives a resident the ability to notify the city of a violation of one of its own ordinances, charter codes or any applicable Texas law. After 60 days, the resident can file a lawsuit and the city must waive its government immunity.

Rawlings said such an arrangement could expose the city to hundreds, if not thousands, of lawsuits and limit resources for litigation. Other city leaders said the amendments are well-intentioned but require more work.

“I support this direction and intention, but it has to be done the right way. They were just not well thought out in terms of the consequences,” former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert told KERA after a recent event at the Dallas Regional Chamber.

“In some cases, the problem is unintended consequences,” he added.

Who is behind Dallas HERO?

The origins of Dallas HERO have been in the spotlight since the group launched its campaign. It is accused of being run and financed by people outside Dallas.

However, Morocco disputes these claims. He said the group’s donors are people who work, live or do business in the city, although some do not live directly within its borders.

“I can say without a doubt that I have not seen a single donor from outside of Dallas,” Marocco said. “When I talk about the Dallas area, you can have someone in Garland, you can have someone in Plano, you can have someone in University Park.”

Morocco included the University Park address on its list of registered speakers at city council meetings held in early August.

Stefani Carter was an early director of Dallas HERO and serves as “honorary chair” of Dallas HERO. Carter serves on the board of Braemar Hotels and Resorts.

Cathy Cortina Arvizu filed the original lawsuit against most city council members — except Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Ward 12 Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn — over the city’s attempts to essentially invalidate the group’s amendments.

Arvizu is a paralegal at asset management firm Ashford Inc.,according to LinkedIn.Ashford is run by Monty Bennett, who is also the publisher of the Dallas Express.

Bennett, who Dallas County Appraisal District records show is applying for a property tax exemption at a Highland Park address, is also the founder and president of Braemar Hotels and Resorts, the board of directors of the same company on which Carter serves.

Earlier this year, Bennett also donated funds to at least one Texas Supreme Court justice. He has also donated significant funds to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s campaign – most recently making a $100,000 donation in June 2023.

Paxton urged the Texas Supreme Court to intervene in the Dallas HERO case amicus letter. Media and independent journalists in Dallas are documenting connections and speculating about Bennett’s involvement in the Dallas HERO movement.

At the end of SeptemberWFAA reportedthat Bennett – who partnered with the outlet to make a rare TV appearance – “admitted that he has given the initiative his support, office space and even cash, though he didn’t say how much – just that it’s not that much because has donated to other GOP initiatives.”

According to WFAA, Bennett said he was “involved with the Dallas HERO group as much as they would let me.”

“I’m sure people directed it.”

Ultimately, not all of the proposals for which the group tried to obtain signatures were included on the ballot. The Fourth Amendment required voters to essentially ban police officers from using chokeholds.

KERA asked whether this amendment was used to obtain signatures for the other three amendments that were put to the vote.

“I’m sure in some cases that’s what people were driven by, and it really depends on who the person is and what issue they’re most passionate about.” Morocco said.

Morocco added that some volunteers did not want to collect signatures for the suppression proposal at all.

Despite growing opposition to the amendments, the petition process is part of the fabric of Dallas government.

“I think it’s legal and that’s what’s done,” Rawlings said. “I don’t think that’s the smartest way to approach how we govern ourselves.”

Rawlings said that if people are not happy with city government, they should “get rid of the city council member and the mayor.” Other city officials said it may be too easy to get something on the ballot.

With elections approaching, city leaders said at least one of the proposals could be adopted.

“What people like most is the ability to sue the city,” Rawlings said of Proposition S. “Everyone likes to sue everyone… so that’s the one that scares me the most.”

But Rawlings said that when he explains these proposals to people, they say, “Oh, I see.” He said he urges voters to read the list of amendments and understand what they mean.

Election day is November 5.