No buzz for November Election….Yet
Rufus Shaw posted a blog titled The Bond Election: An Afterthought? at Dallasblog.com on Monday. He questions whether the Black electorate will turn out at the polls to support the $1.3 Billion Capital Bond Program that will be on the ballot in November. The program will invest over $365M to streets and transportation, $335M to flood protection and storm drainage, and $307M to Parks and Recreation. The rest will be distributed among other areas, such as Police and Fire, Cultural Arts, Library and other City Services.
Rufus raises and interesting question in his blog. It is always hard to predict which issues will inspire the black populace of Dallas to make a mass showing at the polls. Obviously the south was instrumental in the defeat of the Strong and Stronger Mayor Proposals. And many have forgotten the role Southern Dallas voters played in raising the funds necessary for American Airlines Center and the yet to be realized Trinity River Project (my apologies to the ponds under the I-45 bridge).
Black voters will show up at the polls when given a cause, that's generally the way it is. Elections involving Ron Kirk, Laura Miller, even George W. Bush have inspired high voter turnout among African-Americans in recent years. So far, there hasn't been much talk of the major race involving the major African-American candidate that will appear on the ballot. Craig Watkins, candidate for Dallas County District Attorney, will have to find way to turn up the volume of his DA bid after Labor Day, the unofficial start of campaign season.
However the bond program is important in all areas of Dallas, including the South. Rufus points out that his wife, Lynn Flynt Shaw, as well as Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, will be informing the southern electorate of the benefit of the bond program. I am interested to hear their opinions, and see how it relates to the briefing given by my councilman, Ed Oakley. Questions at Mr. Oakley's briefing focused on flood protection, as many residents were still recovering from storms that drenched the city last spring.
The results of bond elections don't occur over night. With the exception of American Airlines Center, much of the promised development in Victory Park is under construction 3-4 year later than expected. The Bridges of Dallas County are still in bid phase. And many of the improvements from DISD's billion dollar bond program in 2002 are still being realized. The residents of Dallas South should support the current program. But the city must continue to act in good faith to regain some of the historical factors that continue to make US skeptical.
