Mayor Mike Moncrief had opened the love fest by lavishing praise on the seven council members who are backing the proposal -- the "A-Team" he called them. With the mayor and city staff, they had put together the largest bond package in the city's history, one that they say will fix everything from the city's crumbling sidewalks to freeway gridlock, with some public art thrown in as lagniappe. Citizens will decide the proposal's fate on Feb. 7, in a vote that could arguably be Moncrief's most crucial leadership test since he took office last May. With Gibbs' cheers echoing in their heads, more than 100 of the city's most prominent business and political leaders left the room that morning on a high note, committed to work in a crusade being promoted under the oddly fuzzy banner, "Vote Yes! Better Fort Worth. No New Taxes." But not every Fort Worth leader was there. Clyde Picht, the only council member who opposes the proposal, was a no-show. Absent too were a bunch of Eastside leaders who had worked diligently to put together a list of needs to be included in the bond package for the three council districts east of I-35. When Wanda Conlin and Louis McBee looked at the final proposal, they were first bewildered, then angry. Where were the funds to alleviate the flooding on Precinct Line Road and in Eastern Hills, to tear down the long-abandoned Cowtown Inn in Handley, or to build the new community center for the thousands of low-income children in Woodhaven, all so badly needed? If there was not enough money to provide a safe haven for kids at high-risk now, how come there were millions for "walks and trails" for a future town lake? And why were so many proposals vaguely worded and important facts left out? Conlin let people know via a strongly worded e-mail just how badly she believed the city's priorities were skewed and said she would vote against the entire bond package. As a result, she was promptly fired from her position on the city's Zoning Commission. District 4 council representative Becky Haskin was not about to suffer such a home turf rebellion gladly. Soon after the kick-off rally ended, she called Conlin to tell her she was replacing her as the district's appointee on the board -- a volunteer job Conlin has held for more than a year, following a nine-year stint on the city's Planning Commission, both as appointees of Haskin. Conlin's abrupt dismissal after so many years of public service has outraged her supporters, who call it retribution against a high-profile leader who could be a formidable opponent. "We are going to work harder than ever now to defeat this bond package," said an angry Peggy Terrell, president of White Lake Hills Neighborhood Association. The loose coalition of opponents began to organize as the Eastside Sector Alliance. And from Picht: "Becky just gave the 'Vote Yes!' campaign its first black eye." This may be a more contentious election than the A-team anticipated.
Most proponents of the bond proposal see the Eastside Sector Alliance effort as futile, given the backing it has from some of Fort Worth's most influential citizens. John Roach, former head of Tandy Corp., is the privately funded campaign's finance chairman, for example. The Vote Yes! effort has hired Brian Eppstein, the city's most successful political consultant, to handle publicity. Interestingly enough, the city itself, prohibited by law from spending money to influence a public vote, is paying Eppstein an additional $15,000 to advise on the "educational outreach" effort that is allowed. Such names do not daunt the 74-year-old Wanda Conlin, an Eastside activist for more years than she likes to count. "I have to go with what I believe is right for this city and our Eastside neighborhoods," she said. "This bond package needs to go back to the drawing board." The proposal, divided into six propositions to be voted up or down individually, is top-heavy in critical street, sidewalk, and storm sewer projects that will eat up almost $233 million of the total, leaving only $40 million for the rest: park improvements, a branch library, a couple of fire stations, a radio tower, and a surgery to neuter stray animals. Two percent of the bond proceeds from each proposition is to be set aside for public art. After a careful reading of the proposal, Conlin and McBee began to see red. They say it not only short-changes the East Side, but suffers from vagueness and a lack of detail overall. "An ordinary taxpayer isn't going to have a clue as to what this will really do for them or the city," Conlin said. "If you don't know the right questions to ask, you're not going to know where a lot of this money is really going." McBee is the owner of AmeriMed Enterprises, a medical management company in Meadowbrook; Conlin is the owner and publisher of The Greater Meadowbrook News. Both are well-known in their community and at city hall for their outspoken advocacy on behalf of the East Side and its neighborhoods. They are also known, colleagues say, for their abilities to persuade and to get things done, McBee, in a friendly but tenacious bulldog kind of way, Conlin like a steel magnolia. The two had worked closely in meetings with other Eastside neighborhood leaders to put together a list of priority needs for council districts 4, 5, and 8 (grouped together by the city for planning purposes). |
More Metropolis
from
January 14, 2004 Those swept up locally by anxious law enforcement agencies get on with life.
Poor Man's Analyst
- - - - - - - - - - -
From the week of January 14
- - - - - - - - - - -
Bush's economic choices have led Americans down some mean streets. By Daniel Sirota
|
