Rawlings's New Campaign Mailer Takes a Shot at Kunkle, Natinsky. The Ex-Chief Fires Back.

• “In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot.”––Mark Twain

• Is it just me, I did have a beer earlier, but does Kunkle look like Ross Perot in this picture. Hmm I'm going to photoshop a pie chart in and see.

• So, why did you cut Edward Okpa out of the picture? He was standing right next to Kunkle.

• As a long-time business owner, I can see why I'd make that mistake. The problem we always run into with the "what people are willing to pay" scenario is that it's difficult to actually determine AND is too simplistic of a way of talking about the issue. My job when setting prices is to maximize my profits. Under the "willing to pay" argument (and based on economic theory), I could sell a hell of a lot more pizzas if I lowered the price. More people will want a Pizza Hut pizza at $1 than would want it at $10. But I can't just set my price based on selling the most pizzas based on what people are willing to pay. If I don't take my costs into consideration, I'll sell millions of pizzas, but I'll be on my way to the bankruptcy court. So I research and find a price that I think will sell the most pizzas while simultaneously covering my costs of doing business. But, I'm still not actually selling the pizzas at a price that "people are willing to pay". There are still people along the demand line who would pay more for the same services (and, also, I spend money trying to convince people who would rather pay less that my pizza is worth the price that I'm charging to them. It's part of why I advertise - to try to increase the value of my brand and product), so with every transaction, I'm potentially leaving money on the table because there's simply no way to accurately charge people what they're willing to pay. But I've picked a number that is a combination of both what I think the most people will pay AND which covers my cost of providing the product. But, here's the kicker, if I'm providing a product that costs me $9 and nets $1 profit per unit, and then my costs increase by $1.50, I have to find a way to close that gap. I can do that by cutting my costs as best I can, but if that only gets me partially there, my only options are to close up shop or to raise prices (or, to add a few layers of complexity, I can try different marketing techniques, though that frequently results in higher costs, too). Now, it's unlikely that demand for my product will increase simply because my prices increase, so, if I want to stay solvent, I raise prices. Doing so does cut the number of people who are willing to buy my product, but the hope is that the higher price is high enough that I can still make my profits with a (slightly) smaller group of customers. But whatever the economics behind it, we still end up with a situation where, when my costs rise, my main ways of offsetting those increases are to lower costs or raise prices. But when businessmen run for office, they seem to claim that the only way to match revenues with expenses is to cut expenses, completely ignoring the other half of the equation that no competent business owner would ignore when faced with the same choice in private business. Sure, it's not exactly the same since taxpayers are more captive customers (I don't have the option of lowering my property taxes by using fewer services), but there remains two ways to close budget gaps, raising revenue or cutting services. A businessman in private business would never take one of those options completely off the table. (And we can talk about optimal tax rates - the rate that will generate the highest level of revenues for the government - but it seems unlikely that we're on the side of the curve where raising rates would result in less money coming in. Even Arthur Laffer knows that the Laffer Curve is a Curve, not a "lower tax rates always results in more money" line). But also, I see <i>you're</i> saying that business ownership and management don't really translate to public service. It's different, you say, yet we keep electing these yahoos who talk about how people with government experience are bad and people with unrelated business experience are good. So, my way or your way, the man is full of crap.

• I just love the safe, white picket fence, pastoral scenery that is Mike's lifestyle. It really connects to urban grit that most of us in the inner city live with day in and day out.

• Okay even though that is way off base... Let's run with it shall we. So Kunkle et al say that they don't want a "hand picked" Citizens Council candidate. Who is the Citizens Council??? For the most part, a bunch of old aged white Republicans.... And who is JWP??? Probably the most anit-republican Dallas has ever seen.. So who is in control here? Citizens Council or JWP? Can't have it both ways...

• Actually, it kind of does. You still get what you pay for. We tell both government and business what we want, and they tell us how much it will cost. The difference is that business isn't allowed to fall into deficit spending, at least not for very long.

• That is a ridiculous analogy. Pizza will sell for what customers are willing to pay. If you want a $5 pizza, you go to Little Caesar's. If you want a real Naples-style pizza, you go to Ill Cane Rosso and pay at least three times as much as your little pizza! pizza! It doesn't work the same way with government.

• Rawling could talk about his 5 wives and the fact that he can't be trusted.

• To Oak Cliff Townie -- Not simply a claim, but a fact on those election wins, including some nice firsts -- the first neighborhood candidate, first elected woman mayor, first candidate to run as openly gay (there had been gay council people, but none who announced it before the election). Had a much fun as I could stand, and am retired.

• See commenter JustSayin's comment about absentee ballots in Oak Cliff. They will be the difference in the election.

• I'd be interested in doing a research experiment comparing the effectiveness of door-to-door vs. direct mailing. Maybe we can put something together for the 2015 campaign.

• I still don't understand how Kunkle's first and sole purpose of running is he wants to be the person that wasn't "hand picked". I mean atleast give me some BS on wanting to first stimulate the economy or reduce taxes anything but I don't want the Citizens Council "hand picked" candidate as the nexts Mayor. And what exactly is "hand picked"? Last I checked the voters of the entire City of Dallas ELECTS the Mayor, not the 30 or so Citizens Council members. Any group can like someone. And last I checked all of the Citizens Council are not backing Rawlings.... Lucy Billingsly, Felix Chen, Stanley Levenson, John Richardson and Pete Schenkel (Treasurer) are all listed as endorsers for Natinsky...

• Where do you get off claiming that Toni Pippens-Poole is anything but an honest, dedicated County Elections Administrator. I have worked as an emergency judge for 8 yrs. I have also worked as an Early Voting clerk for 5 elections. I know Toni to be an excellent, honest person.

• Don't be too intimidated by lorlee's winning election claims Right now I am on the Space Station Orbiting over head....

• One thing to be able to pay for 6 wives... A whole different story when you are married to your 5th wife AKA David Kunkle

• MightyMike - how come you don't mention moving homeless sex offenders into Cliff Manor as a priority???

• From the mailbox straight to the trashcan. As to robo-calls, 'tis the season to unplug the home phone.

• Mr. Rawlings is not afraid of the polling data or former Chief Kunkle. Why? Because he's got Kathy Neely working on his campaign who also has John Wiley Price and Toni Pippens-Poole inside the elections department at the Elections Department who will take good care of him.

• Rawlings, a CEO for mayor who is going to fix the problems. Well, that worked out really well last time.

• Rawling's current firm is located in the City of Dallas near Uptown.

• I was just wondering - If Rawlings promises to recruit new businesses to Dallas, he could start by bringing Pizza Hut to downtown! Where is his current consulting business located? Plano, Frisco? I don't know but someone should check. If it is not in downtown or at least within the city limits, he should be called on it.

• Door to door is very effective --- if it is the candidate -- If it isn't, the postman goes door to door every day, you might as well give it to him to deliver. Also these days, many are unwilling to open their doors to strangers.

• Who gets the OC absentee rangers on their side is favorite in the mayoral race. I know nothing about Rawlings. I have never met him. I haven't eaten at a Pizza Hut since 1974 (not recommended, then anyway) but he comes across to me as an uber douch. Just an impression from reading the papers and looking at photos. He must have a lot going for him but it doesn't come across in the publicity he's garnered so far. If Kunkle doesn't somehow step in it and if he can get his share of the OC votes he's a lock. I would prefer Dwaine Caraway to any of these candidates and not just for the entertainment value.

• I like that Rawlings entire "we should let a businessman run things" pitch requires us to pretty much forget all about how the last businessman mayor ran things. Because the last businessman mayor had very little respect for taxpayer money (until he decided he wanted to run for the Senate, of course). And, not for nothing, I'm going to bet that Pizza Hut raised prices now and again while Mr. Rawlings was in charge. Why do all these businessmen who want to become politicians talk about how raising revenue for government is god-awful but raising prices to raise revenue for his pizza chain is just "good business"? I'm going to guess that part of "making a payroll" a time or two came from increasing prices. How many times did Mike Rawlings cut the price of pizza while he was working at Pizza Hut? If prices were higher when he left than when he got there, then he sounds like a crappy choice for mayor (assuming we're judging by the standards that he, himself, is putting forth).

• I'd read Green and Grebner's Get Out the Vote to make sure we are talking about the same thing. Of the campaigns I've worked with, I'm in agreement that direct mail is more effective than TV, if (as you stated) is targeted correctly. However, door to door canvassing is much more effective than direct mail IMO. We'll see what happens.

• Lakewood Newbie -- contrary to your view, direct mail is very effective -- but it needs to be targetted to those voters who have some history of at least being interested. This is true particularly in local, low voter turnout races. Generally, also the best bang for the buck, unlike TV where you are paying to reach the voters in 8 or 10 counties. And how do I know that -- oh, the 25 or 30 successful local campaigns I have managed.

• I hate to say it, but direct mailers are very ineffective at bring voters to the polls. I know Rawlings has big pockets, but at the same time, I'd be curious to see if this mailer is a massive or targeted piece of mail.

• How much do you think those mailers are costing?

• Very Robocop: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/cityhallrobocopjpg.jpg

• We just had the guy from out side city hall. Has he said anything about Taking control of the public schools.

• Only confirms my belief that all the money Rawlings is spending on polling shows Kunkle to be a very big problem for him.

• Way to go PizzaManMike!! YOU live on Lennox Lane and are richer than all these other clowns added together. You are even wealthy enough to pay for 6 wives!! Tell that Barney Fife. Tell Natinsky how you and your PrestonHollowBillionairre club of friends owns DHA and is trying to turn Oak Cliff into a Homeless Manor. Show them how MaryAnn Russ reports to you, and only you since you are the Homeless Czar!!

• I don't think that permits and fees are necessarily too high, it is the employees that process said permits, etc. Start with clearing out Building Inspection and/or at least not getting rid of those employees that haven't been there for 30 years. New, fresh blood would solve a lot of problems.

• Rawlings is smart and KNOWS that the visual image is very important these days. So while I do plan on voting for Kunkle, I do hope that his campaign comes up with SOMETHING to counter this type of campaigning. His 'pie in sky/gee willikers' attitude will make it difficult for him to win. He could always talk about how Rawlings was the homeless czar until the Cliff Manor matter blew up in his face and then Mayor Skeletor pulled him out, stuck him in Parks and created his path toward this end.

• Rawlings is nothing more than Leppert II. Whatever the citizens council wants and his consultants tell him to say.

• Repressive architecture! Tornados! Eek. Kunkle rocks.

• I sure have noticed a lot of Kunkle signs around town. I mean large signs on busy roads.

• I'm starting to develop a mild dislike for Rawlings.

TotalComments: 39