West Dallas residents have long said the decades-old GAF shingle plant along Singleton Boulevard is polluting their air and harming their health. Nearly two years into a campaign to shut the plant down, residents are asking for public support from their council member.
At a Saturday community meeting, they asked District 6 Council Member Omar Narvaez to vocally oppose a planned city ordinance that could limit one of the only remaining resources they have left at their disposal to shut down the plant.
But Narvaez told residents during the meeting that although he supports a resident鈥檚 right to file for a forced closure 鈥� or amortization 鈥� any attempt to 鈥渄irectly or indirectly" influence city processes goes against his personal ethics 鈥� and may be illegal.
When residents asked what specific city, state or federal ethics laws and codes Narvaez would be potentially breaking by advocating on their behalf, he said his lawyer could sit down with them and explain that.
Some who attended the meeting say they felt belittled by Narvaez 鈥� and that it has been roadblock after roadblock at city hall.
West Dallas resident Esther Vasquez said she feels Narvaez and city hall aren鈥檛 doing enough for her community.
鈥淔rom what I hear from you, you鈥檙e just like hiding behind rules and ethics,鈥� Vasquez said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not really trying鈥eople are here because we want to see change. But you put up this wall of hiding behind rules and ethics.鈥�
鈥楾his is not鈥asy鈥�
Residents who attended Saturday鈥檚 meeting wanted to know the status of an authorized hearing called last year to evaluate the zoning around the facility, an update on a zoning change request GAF applied for 鈥� and to ask Narvaez if he would publicly oppose a drafted amortization ordinance.
That ordinance could limit a resident鈥檚 right to file for a scheduled closure. West Dallas resident have tried twice to file but have been barred from doing so both times.
Narvaez said the situation is more complicated than that.
鈥淭his is not an easy, 鈥極h just shut GAF down鈥�,鈥� Narvaez said during the meeting. 鈥淭he victory is that GAF said they are going to leave鈥鈥檓 telling you that right now.鈥�
In 2022 GAF executives said they planned to leave the area voluntarily and started negotiating with West Dallas residents. By the end of the year those negotiations had failed and the company applied for a zoning change. Their plan was still to shut down the plant and leave the area 鈥� by 2029.
That zoning proposal has been 鈥済etting closer鈥� to a city hearing, according to Narvaez.
Residents say that鈥檚 not soon enough. The authorized hearing that was called last year by District 6 Plan Commissioner Deborah Carpenter, would potentially change the zoning of the entire area.
But Narvaez said West Dallas鈥� authorized hearing is number 11 of around 20 in total across the whole city. And officials use new ways to determine who gets to the front of the line.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 with all the new policies that we have put in place that score it,鈥� Narvaez said. 鈥淪o racial equity plan, the environment plan鈥hat鈥檚 where it scored was number 11.鈥�
And that process is very slow 鈥� a minimum of two years 鈥� according to Narvaez. That鈥檚 when the item gets to the top of the list.
Janie Cisneros is the leader of Singleton United/Unidos, a community group advocating for the closure of the plant and clean air for her area. Cisneros lives a stone's throw away from the plant. She said every avenue community members hoped to use to shut the plant down have been stalled.
鈥淓verything is going in favor of giving GAF more time to stay here,鈥� Cisneros told 四虎影院.
And Cisneros said her community sees the problem in very clear and simple terms.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not very complicated for us that we are out here inhaling poison,鈥� Cisneros said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not complicated for us that we want the poison to cease, we want to toxins gone.鈥�
鈥楧isrespected and belittled鈥�
After Narvaez gave updates about the different processes GAF is currently involved in, community members asked questions and voiced their concerns.
Cisneros said that they hadn鈥檛 heard from Narvaez about the issue 鈥� specifically about standing behind their campaign, publicly. She described that as taking action and vocally opposing the city鈥檚 proposed amortization ordinance.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 heard from you at all about advocating for us or supporting us, standing behind us,鈥� Cisneros asked during the meeting. 鈥淗ow come we haven鈥檛 heard from you?鈥�
Narvaez told the room that he is 鈥渆thically and legally鈥� prohibited from voicing his opinion publicly.
鈥淚 am supposed to allow the process to go through without directly or indirectly influencing the commissioners and the commission,鈥� Narvaez said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 say it鈥檚 a 50/50 split between the community 鈥� I鈥檝e just told half the people that I鈥檓 never going to listen to you again.鈥�
When asked if he would initiate a city council memo that takes a stance against the code change 鈥渦nless a residents鈥� right to file remains in place,鈥� his answer was no.
鈥淭hat would be illegal,鈥� Narvaez said. 鈥淏ecause I would still be directly or indirectly influencing the commission as far as what they鈥檙e trying to do.鈥�
鈥淚s it very ethical for you personally to continue to allow this to happen and not advocate for your community?鈥� Singleton United/Unidos member Angel Garcia Donjuan asked during the meeting.
Again, Narvaez claimed he would violate his personal ethics and ethics laws by making his opinion known publicly about the issue.
Rolando Cerda is a West Dallas resident who attended Saturday鈥檚 meeting. He said he spent some time during the meeting reading the ethics rules.
鈥淭he rule of ethics say nothing about you expressing what the people want,鈥� Cerda said at the meeting. 鈥淣o where in there did it ever say that a councilman is not allowed to voice the opinion of the public because that鈥檚 the whole purpose of a [council member].鈥�
At the meeting, Cerda asked Narvaez to point to specific city, state or federal codes that would prohibit him from talking about the issue or taking a stand and got a similar response to what Cisneros said he'd told her earlier.
Narvaez pointed to his past successes in getting cement batch plants removed from the West Dallas area 鈥� and for his contribution to the city鈥檚 environmental plan and commission. He told residents that he was once an activist too 鈥� but now things are different.
鈥淢y job is to get stuff done inside city hall,鈥� Narvaez said. 鈥淵ou want me beating on a drum and walking up and down Singleton in front of GAF鈥eah I can do that. It鈥檚 not getting you anything from city hall because they鈥檙e not watching that. They don鈥檛 care.鈥�
After the meeting however, several residents said they were frustrated at the lack of support they received from Narvaez. Some said they think they might be asking too much of their elected official.
鈥淚 am appalled at how he disrespected and belittled his constituents,鈥� Cisneros told 四虎影院 鈥淗e is not willing to fight for his frontline residents. It was very clear that Omar Narvaez is city hall first, not people first.鈥�
A community coming together?
The meeting ended with no more information other than a confirmation that amortization is off the table, the zoning case is moving along and the authorized hearing could take years to begin and complete.
Residents said they鈥檙e not sure city officials have shown they are working for their benefit. Narvaez said he believes information and questions asked during the meeting had already been sent to residents 鈥� and maybe the communication breakdown was on the community organizers.
鈥淚鈥檓 afraid that were asking too much of him,鈥� Cisneros said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been expecting a champion, a gladiator because that is what he claimed鈥urns out he鈥檚 not.鈥�
And other residents voiced their concerns and frustrations after the meeting concluded as well. Those ranged from feeling like the council member was hiding behind other people to blaming residents and even telling lies.
Cisneros said though she is frustrated with Narvaez and city hall 鈥� she is encouraged by her community showing up.
鈥淚 am just so proud of the residents in the Singleton corridor,鈥� Cisneros told 四虎影院. 鈥淚 am so proud they showed up, they were vocal, they were speaking their mind and asking tough questions. To me the unity in the room was just breathtaking.鈥�
The city鈥檚 plan commission is scheduled to discuss the proposed amortization ordinance in early 2024 鈥� possibly along with the GAF zoning change application.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter .
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