North Texas Association of Public Employees
Steel Workers Local 9479
This page contains a transcript and copies of the recent letter sent out by Miller. To say that she willfully ignores the facts is a bit of an understatement. It isn't stupidity, it isn't forgetfulness, it is deliberate. Numerous times I have heard her display a complete understanding of a situation, and then minutes later get in front of a camera and say things that she knows are not true.
I have highlighted the area where again harps upon the sick leave policy. I know she has had it explained to her many times how much money is forfeited every year by employees who are maxed out on their sick time, and I know she has been told that the system was put into place because it is cheaper to pay a bonus at the end of a person's career than to pay the over time to cover their job when they call off sick.
Apparently, Miller subscribes to the core belief that one of the keys to successful propaganda is repeating a lie until it becomes true.
You can find a section at the bottom to comment on this letter if you like. You will also find actual scans Page1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 here of the letter in case you want a full color copy.
From the desk of Laura Miller
Dear Friend,
Once, Dallas was “The City That Works,” with smooth roads, green parks and a bustling economy. Corporations were moving here, the economy was booming and our city government was hailed on the cover of national magazines. You could take one look at Dallas and know that taxpayers were getting their money’s worth.
But today, the City of Dallas isn’t working as well as it should. It’s time for a change.
Back in the 1930’s when our current system of city government was set up, our small-town council-manager system made sense. Today Dallas is a big city - with big-city problems and big-city economic competition from cities like Houston and Atlanta.
Our Depression-era system of government was designed for a small town or suburb, with Council members serving as part-time board members elected by the whole city. Today, Dallas has 14 full-time politicians on the city council, representing 14 different districts and 14 different agendas… all pulling in 14 different directions.
Every neighborhood of our city deserves a seat at the table. But now that Dallas has a fair democratic 14-1 system, the City Council spends too much time debating problems and too little time solving them. Arguing about personal agendas instead of filling potholes and cleaning up parks. Protecting political interests instead of protecting citizens. Making deals for insiders instead of building a better city for all of us.
In this day and age, with Dallas facing deteriorating roads. serious crime and economic competition ... Dallas needs a stronger mayor system like most successful major cities in America have today, with one individual responsible for the city as a whole.
The status quo just isn’t working. Dallas needs a stronger mayor system, responsible to every citizen for improving basic city services in every neighborhood… and accountable to taxpayers for making sure our money is spent more wisely.
The problems with City Hall today aren’t the fault of the individual council members. They are 14 good, hard-working people who do their best to represent the concerns of their neighborhoods. But our current council-manager system simply isn’t set up to respond to the concerns of 14 different masters pulling in 14 different directions.
It’s a system that has plenty of tax dollars for automatic bonuses and sick pay for employees who aren’t sick. but not enough funds to hire more police or keep city libraries and rec centers staffed for our young people.
A system where sweetheart deals and pet projects of council members are over-funded, while vital basic services like police, fire and code enforcement go under-funded.
A system so big and so unmovable that even when crime rates are soaring and high-level executives like the police chief or city manager are not performing up, it’s almost impossible to replace them.
Why should it take years of bitter wrangling and public debate to do what’s best for all the citizens?
Here’s the good news: on May 7 we can replace America’s most antiquated and inefficient municipal system of bureaucracy with a leaner, more efficient system that puts taxpayers, citizens and neighborhoods first, above petty politics and 14 different agendas.
We can vote YES… and bring Dallas a stronger mayor form of government.
Under the charter reform on May 7th ballot, the Council will still make our laws, approve the budget and exercise all the legislative and ordinance powers it has today. But Dallas will finally have one leader in charge of making city services work… accountable and responsible to all the citizens of Dallas for getting results.
Let me tell you how the stronger mayor reform can improve things in Dallas:
The Buck Stops Here. Instead of an un-elected city manager with 14 different masters, the mayor will be 100% responsible for improving the quality of city services. A stronger mayor will be chief executive of the city. High-level city employees, such as a Chief Operating Office, City Attorney and Police and Fire Chiefs, will answer directly to the Mayor, who will in turn answer to public. If a high level executive is not doing the job to the public’s satisfaction, the mayor can replace them without years of wrangling. And if the voters aren’t happy with the result, they can fire the mayor on Election Day and hire a new leader who can do better.
Lead Dallas like a business. The City of Dallas is a $2 billion dollar enterprise. As far as number of employees, it would be comparable to a company like TXU, twice as large as Pier One Imports. In private business, the CEO has the ability to manage top executives. That is not the case right now at Dallas City Hall, where even the best city manager must constantly answer to the micro-managing and meddling of 14 different council members. The strong mayor proposal will change that by giving the mayor the authority to manage high-level city employees, and improve efficiency of more than 13,000 city employees… to make sure taxpayers get better service for our $2 billion.
Get taxpayers their money’s worth. The proposed strong mayor changes would give the mayor the authority to oversee the city budget – which means cutting wasteful spending and protecting tax dollars for basic city services like road repair, neighborhood code enforcement, libraries and trash pick-up. As you know improving basic services for every neighborhood in Dallas is my passion. Making Dallas once again “The City That Works,” with green parks, good roads and excellent schools, is vital to our city as we compete. But the first step in making Dallas great again is to take better care of the people who already live here.
Help Dallas complete economically. Imagine if you were being forced to run a business using systems and procedures that were in place in the 1930’s. That’s what it’s like right now for Dallas to compete with cities like Houston and Chicago. We have such a great city with so many positives… D/FW Airport, good cost of living, friendly citizens. No wonder Dallas lost Boeing – we have a city government that was designed before the jet was invented.
Protect the rights of every citizen. There are those who claim that this proposal weakens the City Council, the 14-1 system or the rights of ethnic minorities to have their voices heard. That’s simply not true. In fact, this charter reform leaves legislative powers in the hands of the elected City Council, along with a careful system of checks and balances designed to make sure that the mayor performs fairly and ensures that every neighborhood is represented. The Council still retains all legislative authority to make laws, pass ordinances and make major decisions, like final approval of the city budget.
Of course, the other 14 members of the City Council oppose this change to a stronger mayor reform. While it’s no secret that I don’t always see eye-to-eye with the Council, let me tell you from the heart: I respect each and every one of the council members. I know fom personal experience that each and every one of them cares deeply about our city. We simply disagree about what system will serve Dallas best for the future.
So while others may attack and argue and seek to personalize this important debate, we are going to stay positive, keeping this campaign on a high plane and focus on the issues.
This is not about the personalities at City Hall today. It‘s about what is best for the future of Dallas tomorrow.
The city staff are not bad employees. The 14 members of the City Council are not bad leaders. We simply have a bad system. It’s antiquated, it doesn’t work. And we need a big change for the better. It is the system that is wrong for Dallas, not the people.
In fact, many of the council members agree that we need to change our system of government, But frankly, they have a different direction in mind. If this May 7 charter reform fails, Council members have already said how they’d like to restructure city government. They would take Dallas from a council-manager system to something even worse… a “council-council” form of government.
If Council members have it their way, they would each have bigger budgets, district Council offices and longer terms. And they would want to appoint a committee to give them regular salary raises that would not be approved by the voters!
Do we change to a stronger mayor form of government, with one leader accountable and responsible to the whole city for results? Or do we give more power to the City Council, so 14 different people with fourteen different agendas can keep Dallas gridlocked forever?
On May 7, that choice is in the hands of Dallas voters. Not the Dallas City Council. Not the Charter Review Commission. Not the courts.
Like proud nervous parents, we have watched our city grow and mature over the past decades, and I think we can agree. The council-manager system may have served Dallas well when we were a small city with council members elected to represent the whole city. But since we have changed to a 14-1 system where each Council member has their own district and every neighborhood has a seat at the table they deserve, there should be one person to look after the city as a whole, accountable to all of us… a stronger mayor.
So here’s the choice. We can vote YES for the change to a stronger mayor system… or you can vote NO and keep a system of endless debates, bickering and gridlock by 14 different politicians with 14 different agendas.
We can vote YES for a carefully balanced stronger mayor charter reform… or vote NO and keep entrenched bureaucracy that resists all change and takes years to replace folks who aren’t getting the job done.
We can vote YES for a system of checks and balances that holds one stronger mayor accountable for results… or you can vote NO and head straight for a stronger-Council system of ward politics, patronage and personalities that will keep us headed downhill.
Simply put, if you are frustrated with City Hall and believe Dallas can do better, May 7 is your opportunity to change the way our city does business… with a stronger mayor system for a stronger Dallas, to make us once again “The City That Works.”
I love Dallas. We live in a great city. We have a great business climate, the economic engine of our future. We have friendly, hard working citizens who make that engine go. We have nice neighborhoods that, with a bit of elbow grease, can make our city shine.
But 14 people can’t drive this car. At some point, a stronger mayor should take the wheel and answer to the public for the results. If you agree that Dallas can do better please join me, former mayor Steve Bartlett and the great leaders from every ethnic group and walk of life in our city who have formed the Stronger Mayor Stronger Dallas Committee.
Please take a moment to fill out the reply card and make your voice heard. Together, we can make Dallas once again “the City That Works”… and works for you.
Sincerely,
Laura Miller
Welcome to the Unofficial City of Dallas Employees, this page is by a City of Dallas employee for the use and benefit of civilian City of Dallas employees. It is in no way an Official publication of the City of Dallas.
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