Mayor Mike to Debut Plans for Fixing Dallas ISD, Growing Southern Dallas Next Week

By Robert Wilonsky Wed., Feb. 8 2012 at 12:04 PM

Jim will be along shortly with his take on the passionate discussion surrounding Uplift Education's efforts to get the city to assist with the selling of bonds to help with the charter school's expansion. I'll just note this: During his closing remarks on the subject, just before council voted to delay the issue till a full briefing can be brought to the horseshoe next week, Mayor Mike Rawlings came this close to cry-shouting about the subject of the Dallas Independent School District and how it's time to help "the poor kids" in the city. Said the mayor: He's going to take on the DISD "in a personal way" beginning next week.

I asked the mayor's chief of staff, Paula Blackmon, what he meant by this. She would only say that the mayor will address the subject Monday, at Jack Matthews's South Side Studios on 2901 S. Lamar, when he unveils his so-called Southern Dallas Economic Growth Plan. That will take place beginning at 4 p.m.; says the invite, the event should last till 6 and includes some sort of a reception with the mayor.

But Monday's presentation is merely the first of three Rawlings will give; the others follow at the same spot, at the same time, on February 23 and March 1. Blackmon says the presentations will be the same on each day. If you're interested in hearing Rawling speak in person, you're invited: Just send an RSVP to this email address. And be sure to let them know which presentation you plan on attending.

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JackAss

We know Jack Matthews was in cahoots with "the Lepper", now with "pizza Mike?"

Let me guess, now Mayor Mike is going to want Jack Matthews to build a City owned "City on the River."

claytonauger

Wonder if he'll try to sell gas drilling as an "economic growth" measure? If it pollutes, it's allowed south of the river.

cynical old bastard

Is it nice of Jack Matthews to be hosting this event or is there another money pit in the making here?

Iwearblack

Does "in a personal way" include a firing squad?!? If not, I'm hopeful it will at least include some firings from the (dis)Trustees...

heart and soul

Is the event public? Why do you have to RSVP? Will the mayor cancel if it is not the crowd he wants? Just asking.

Guest

Mayor Mike's steadfast commitment to staying out of areas in which he has no official say sure lasted a long time.

And now all the people who defended Mayor Mike by noting that he just has such a principled opposition to spending any time on areas that are outside of his official duties will come to this thread and note that they were wrong.

I'm totally holding my breath for that.

Guest

I think Mayor Mike is wrong to get involved in the DISD (and generally shouldn't get involved where he has not authority). I didn't vote for him in part because I thought that if he wanted to get involved in the DISD he should run for the Board of Trustees rather than for Mayor. And while I support marriage equality, I didn't have a problem with his refusal to sign a letter with no potential to bring about that goal.

Guest

But as long as he's sticking his nose into DISD, going against his stated reasons for not signing the marriage equity pledge, maybe he should take the three seconds to affix his name to that pledge.

Either that, or he's a big fat liar and made up an excuse for not signing the pledge and hopes everybody has already forgotten that he promised to keep to actual city business.

GusMitchem

You guys like that its southern Dallas no longer South Dallas, your grammer natzis will tell you thats more correct since it is actually the southern part of Dallas not a different proper city.

We do this in Texas, (you never hear eastern Texas) which I like, since we are "Like a whole other country" we might as well have four or five areas within that

shawnpwilliams

South Dallas is a specific neighborhood. People say South Dallas about something that happens in Oak Cliff. That's not being a grammer nazis. If North Dallas was a neighborhood it would be the same thing, but it's not.

East Texas is not a city. If East Texas were a city, then it would be weird to say I'm from East Texas if I were from Paris. Actually I thank you because your East Texas analogy helps to better make the point.