Mayor Tom Leppert: "I Can Tell You Tonight the Winner is the Dallas Taxpayer."

By Matt Pulle Sat., May 9 2009 at 10:20 PM

Categories: Politics

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Patrick Michels

"The message tonight is Dallas is moving forward," said Mayor Tom Leppert as the crowd here at Gilley's roared in approval. The votes still aren't all in, but, said the mayor, "I can tell you tonight the winner is the Dallas taxpayer."

The mayor looked exhausted and seems to have aged a decade in his two years in office, but once again, he can claim another victory -- even in the aftermath of a Trinity River toll road campaign that damaged his credibility.

"'We were outspent by millions of dollars, but the old politics didn't work," he said, speaking on behalf of a pro-biz establishment that has been winning for years. "What was key to us was not about a hotel but making sure the economy is strong and vibrant."

The mayor also gave thanks to the council who voted by an 11-2 margin for the hotel proposal nearly a year ago.

"This council has had mud thrown at them," he said, sounding defiant. "It didn't matter. These are men and women I am awfully glad to serve with."

Lepper went on to thank Phillip Jones, Carol Reed and his wife. After a few other people took to the podium, the mayor said his goodbyes, and U2's "Beautiful Day" rang from the speakers.

We've got more photos from the night in our slide show.

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Tom Leppert, the Republican, supports a tax-payer-funded initiative. Most of the tax payers in Dallas are Democrats. Hmmmmm... and apparently the tax payers in Dallas are also stupid enough to vote for something that will fund a project that has ZERO potential for loss to the Mayor himself, but pretty substantial potential for loss for themselves. Nice job Dallas. Nice.
There is no future for Dallas thanks to the current City Council alignment. I could care less who my council rep is because that person has 1 vote. Even if my rep wanted to get things done in his district, he has to coerce and cajole a majority of his fellow council members; the only way to do that is to make nice and make deals. The mayor is the crime boss in this system and you either back his agenda or you sleep with the fishes.
Now Unfair Park is getting blamed for ruining Fort Worth too. Is there anything RW can't do? Re: commenting - now that Feherty shot his wad over Pelosi/Reid I think D Magazine is considering banning news articles next.
It's fun watching Unfair Park continue its inexorable march towards comments being banned a la Front Burner. Anyway, thanks to your hotel referendum dominating local news, no one on TV could be bothered to stir up any interest in our mayoral election in Fort Worth. A whopping 6% of voters turned out and let a carpet-bagging old-money windbag continue decorating our lovely town with big-ass industrial natural gas extracting equipment and humongous pipelines under our homes that could rupture and take out four city blocks in one fell swoop. Oh, and they use a shitton of fresh water.
...and now back to the story.
Georgie Bush called that a mandate....
The pro-hotel folks never, ever, ever bring up the toll road even though this project will meet the same fate. (And Leppert, Scovall, Caraway pushed both projects) No one is going to buy the bonds on this project--and the costs of the hotel will skyrocket to the point where it will be killed. And Jerry Allen will be on the council then., It's funny too because I remember all the pro-toll road folks gloating too. Now you can't find anybody in Dallas who voted for the thing!
Mayor Leppert: "Scoreboard, bitches"? Here's your scoreboard, dunce. Put your glasses on; take a look at that Trinity toll road project--yeah, that other "little" thing you lied to us about. How's that going now, Leppert?
The only question is what hotel chain will buy the thing for 25 cents on the dollar 2 to 5 years after it opens?
Mayor Leppert said: "...the old politics didn't work." Wylie H. feels as if he's trapped in some kind of crazy political funhouse... except it's only fun for the owner of the ride. Wylie H. hates the political machine that runs this City.... will it ever change?
Looking forward to the Observer writing about something else... I didn't care either way whether they built it or not, but I'm looking forward to this dead horse not getting beaten for awhile...
Damn, that's one frighting photo... sigh...moving on...
Can't believe it took until 5:49 PM on Sunday to get the vaunted Citizens Council called out. Love me some conspiracy nuts...
All of you Crow lovers. Go to cityhallblog.dallasnews.com. Looks like Crow wants to make up with Leppert now. He's the biggest coward ever. He doesn't say one word during this election and calls Leppert every name in the book. Now he wants to be drinking budds??? What a shame. Here you losers are trying to derail the Mayor, following behind Crow's lies and pocket book and now one day after defeat Crow is trying to switch sides??? What a leader. Glad yall lost.
No side has won anything yet--despite what the Vote No Camp says. Someone still has to buy the bonds at a low interest rate. This is not even close to over. Prediction: Two years from now, the hotel is, where the Trinity Toll Road is now, more or less dead.
How'd that crotch-kick feel, Observer? You bunch of do-nothing, know-nothing whiners. Now tuck in your fucking shirts, shave those dumb-fucking-looking goatees and get back to smoking your dope and bitching about the the Dallas Morning News. Scoreboard, bitches.
I'm so glad The Angry and Self-Marginalized have this place of comfort.
Anon, here is the thing, I shouldn't have to do those things to get anything done, yet I do. So much so that Kadane's sec, Joyce Jones knows me very well.
Guilty and Toots, If y'all haven't already, email your City Council representative or even the head honcho herself, Mary Suhm, if there are chronic code issues or problems. You might be surprised at the result.
Liberals believe in good gov't and as such are inclined to criticize programs and policies of gov't even as they welcome the state's entry in certain markets under certain conditions. Conservatives don't believe in gov't. They know it's all a scam. They want to run gov't so they can be the scammers. They criticize gov't until they are in, and then they are diligent and in the fine print commence with the looting whole hog. There is nothing wrong with this since they believe the whole thing is bullshit anyway. Why would anyone vote for a conservative? They are, by their philosophy and disposition not believers in good gov't. How are they going to inspire anyone, what mission can they call upon? If you want a hotel, Leppert will build you a fucking hotel. It takes kickbacks, inducements, payoffs and seed money. It's not real money, it bullshit immoral tax money. Hell the rich fat cats pay the taxes, what the hell is wrong with them getting some return for their investment? Of course both sides are prone to their own charlatans and self serving actors, this is independent of party ideology. Among the sincere then we have our choice of those who seek good gov't and those who believe gov't is a scam.
And your point, if you have one is? I'm so cleaver? Riiight
Oh, wait, I'm sorry, you're right. Everyone here is a staunch, low-tax Conservative. Riiight.
I can tell you today, as I look at the clouds, that a hard rain is gonna fall. The loser is the Dallas taxpayer. Since when is opposing wasteful taxpayer spending liberal? What does that mean anyway? Do you know what liberal even means? When people use these terms in city government they're meaningless and it reveals their ignorance. Sore loser? Guilty as charged.
Anonymous, you need to look up the definition of a liberal. The joke is on you, because the liberals won this election. A true conservative would be threatening to secede from Dallas, outraged at the irresponsible spending of our taxpayer dollars.
"The mayor looked exhausted and seems to have aged a decade in his two years in office" Well, that's one plus at least out of this debacle.
Bwahahaha! Nice echo chamber you have here. I love it. I wish I lived in Dallas just so I could have voted for the damn hotel. Couldn't turn on the TV for 5 seconds during the last month without seeing a god-damn "Vote Yes" commercial - even on cable channels. Harlan Crow can go cry in his vault, and you whiny liberals can be the typical sore losers you are.
What I'd like to see out of the mayor and his peanut gallery is some contrition, and humility. They won by 2% - that should tell them something (that the other half of the city seriously disagrees with them). I guess that's asking too much, huh? I feel like: Is this what I have to expect from Dallas?
This was such any interesting cage match to watch because it was the first time Highland Park took on Highland Park. But the outcome still managed to hinge on whether the minimum wage crowd could be convinced that they had a shot at a "real job". Precinct after precinct, the build-it crowd raked in the southeast, west, and south. If nothing else, this city is so predicable. The hotel will be a black hole of wasted dollars with 30% occupancy and a magnet for muggers and Craigslist masseuses. Meanwhile, back in the neighborhoods, the basics are an afterthought and the city further cements its well-earned reputation as Detroit plus 40 degrees.
Silly Andrew I never mentioned the hotel. I made a point in regard to sobeva apathy and the invasion of yuppies living in North Oak Cliff. You see earlier this year the Southern Dallas task force held meetings for business owners I owning a business attended funny thing we all agreed that Dallas wasn't a business friendly city. You see the people who actually own business know that Dallas being a business city is a myth even shop owners in the over hyped Bishop Arts District agreed.
Ok, Aaron, lets think for a minute. Lets be serious about where we live... Dallas. the invasion of the yuppies has begun? I think that happened a long time ago. But besides this silly point, how will hotels bring "invading yuppies"? It is a hotel. A place where people stay briefly. Any sort of "invasion", this hotel brings is brief. And if you mean by yuppie invasion, bring business, then yes, that will happen. Dallas does not need an Austin mentality. It is a different kind of city. Austin is good at music, culture, etc. but Dallas is a business city. Always has been, always will be. If you're afraid of "yuppies", perhaps you should consider a commune in Portland or Austin...
sobeva are you stupid,drunk or both. It's funny how you loathe the observer, but still read it since you have an opinion on their coverage of Dallas events. You just go on with your apathetic views you'll stay average. The invasion of the yuppies have begun.
You know I'm just an average guy. I live on the fringe of the North Oak Cliff area in a nice cozy cottage. I make my nice easy commute 6 miles to Uptown Monday through Friday and enjoy the weekends at Studio Movie Grill on Royal or sitting outside on a nice evening enjoying coffee at Cafe Brazil on Davis. What I'm getting at is I personally don't give a damn about whether or not we have a convention center hotel. What get's me is that if I opposed it that means I am a foot soldier for bazillinaire Harlan Crow. If I approve of it then I'm a brainless lackey of the powers of the cranky mythical KKK business people that supposedly run this town and the brainwashers at city hall. But you know I'm neither of the above. What I am is tired of both sides using my tax dollars every so many months to do another crazy California type referendum. I'm mad as hell that so much waste of natural resources is put forth to stuff my mailbox full of mailers that I don't even read. I'm mad at the hacks on both sides that get paid outrageous money to produce tv and radio ads that drone on and on and on for months that by the end of it all I want to take my new lcd flatscreen tv that took me forever to save up for and throw it out the window. Add to all of this is the same old ineffective droning by the Observer. It has never changed. Not for the American Airlines Center, not for Trinity River, and now not for the hotel. Let me save the readers of this paper some time because these are the quotes that will be used again for some other future emergency issue. "Dallas Citizens Council is at it again..." "Belo and the DMN are evil and trying to take over the world..." "The white business establishment is still in control of every life in Dallas..." Conspiracy theories, old and ohhhh so very tiring rhetoric are just not working. Maybe some new blood and new writers that can reach out further than the dedicated wanna be disenfranchised outsiders who read this rag can actually make things work their way next time. But guys the same old stuff that get's recycled over and over is just not effective. So I'm tired. Star Trek was good and so were the two Blue Margarita's and chicken fingers at SMG. I'll sleep in tomorrow, a hotel will be built and maybe I'll do some window browsing in Bishop Arts District tomorrow.
"What was key to us was not about a hotel but making sure the economy is strong and vibrant." But at what cost. Idiot, why don't you move to Frisco then and let us agree to disagree. Of course when your house falls in value or remains stagnant remember, you're living in one of many suburbs. And, we in Dallas are the heart of this area. Despite this feckless hotel, despite the obsequious fools who sit at the horseshoe, this city will grow and move forward. We will eventually get a trolley, all for the CC Hotel's reserve fund, then even this hotel will make some money.
Idiots, you really shouldn't post when you're drunk. Not cool. 'Course, I'm still up drowning my sorrows...
To the spoiled go the victors.
Great! Dallas gets a new hotel and I still can't get code enforcement out to my street. Fuck YA!!! I am the real winner!!
Only word I can think of right now is: "Fuck."
Bob, investments in transportation infrastructure are different from government intervention in functioning private sector markets (i.e., hotel market). I'd suggest you read Jim Schutze's article from Thursday of this week for a better understanding of why the structure of this hotel deal is so bad for us. No private $ is at risk at any level on this (except at the taxpayer level - - that means little accountability at City Hall). Wherever our government (federal, state, local) steps in and thinks it can do better than the private sector (think AIG bailouts), the taxpayers are the ones who get screwed while the corporate geniuses walk away with million $ bonuses. Sad, but true.
46% of the voters in Arlington were displeased with the outcome of the Cowboy Stadium vote.
Dallas' new slogan should be "Dallas: The City That Effs It Up." I'm disappointed in this outcome. The city needs more than a new convention center hotel. Come out to our neighborhood and check the potholes that are never fixed and the knocked-down light poles that haven't been carted away or replaced. Da Mayor and his string pullers are the winners. The taxpayers will be paying for this long after Leppert has gone. My thanks to the DO for continuing to keep it real when it comes to the coverage of what's really happening in Dallas.
Yeah, this is going to be another gigantic failure--just like the American Airlines Center, just like DART, just like DFW Airport. Waste of money. Never gonna work. Why waste our money on this? To all the Harlan Crows, the Sharon Boyds, the Jerry Bartoses, I say "thank you" for warning us against all of these failures.
I think T. Lepp needs to personally guarantee the hotel bonds with his own $$.. then, MAYBE the taxpayers WOULD win. If he put his own personal checkbook on the line, it'd be more believable. As soon as he's no longer mayor, we'll see how quickly he moves back to Highland Park. 49% of Dallas is displeased with this election... what a tight margin!
Leppert went on to thank another liar, a political hack and someone married to a consummate liar.
I meant definitively.
Can we quote the mayor on the taxpayers being the winner if this thing loses money? I get the feeling we are going to have another chance to say I told you so in a few short years, just like with the Tollroad. I'm more upset that people will turn out in droves for a national election that they have no real effect in but they can't be bothered to vote on a Saturday for something that might actually hit their pocketbooks more definitely.
"I can tell you tonight the winner is the Dallas taxpayer." Is he still going to tell us that once the taxpayer-owned hotel fails to meet those extremely optimistic revenue projections?