Three Dallas city charter amendments, buried at the very end of the upcoming November ballot, could drastically affect the city鈥檚 police department 鈥� and change how local government operates.
If passed, those amendments could force the city to hire hundreds more police officers and dictate where some excess revenue is spent, tie the city manager鈥檚 compensation to a community survey 鈥� and allow residents to sue the city for violating the charter while forcing the city to waive its governmental immunity.
Advocates say the propositions would place the power of accountability back in Dallas resident鈥檚 hands 鈥� while also increasing police staffing.
鈥淧ropositions S, T and U are a suite of ballot propositions鈥hat came together because of Dallas citizen鈥檚 refusal to accept a lot of the bad headlines that we were seeing,鈥� Pete Marocco, the executive director of Dallas HERO, the group responsible for the amendments, told 四虎影院.
Dallas HERO says on it is a 鈥渂ipartisan 501c4 organization that seeks to introduce citizen-powered amendments to the Dallas City Charter.鈥� But questions have been raised for months about the group鈥檚 donors, how it gained its petition signatures 鈥� and who might really be behind the organization.
The measure鈥檚 critics warn the propositions are coming from a rogue group from outside of Dallas and could be dangerous to city finances, and to its residents.
The union that represents thousands of Dallas police officers has publicly opposed the amendments, calling them 鈥渃ontrived by a small group of people who do not live in Dallas, with no open dialogue.鈥�
Propositions S, T and U have gained so much attention, that a 鈥渨ho鈥檚 who鈥� of current and former Dallas politicians, business leaders and city leaders launched a campaign to oppose them.
That includes at least four former Dallas mayors and current Mayor Eric Johnson, the entire Dallas city council plus many other former council members, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and State Rep. Royce West. It's also opposed by members of the Dallas Citizens Council 鈥� a group of city business leaders that has, for decades, used its influence on city politics.
鈥淥n the surface, you think, well, there鈥檚 some good stuff here,鈥� former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told 四虎影院. 鈥淏ut you have to read these amendments and go into鈥he details of them and you realize they are very, very dangerous.鈥�
The coordinated opposition kicked into high gear just weeks before the election 鈥� but some officials warn there鈥檚 a good chance some of the propositions could pass come November 5.
Another proposition 鈥� Proposition R 鈥� also is on the ballot. But it鈥檚 backed by a group that has no association with Dallas HERO.
It would decriminalize larger amounts of marijuana in Dallas 鈥� was also placed on the ballot with a petition organized by Ground Game Texas. That amendment has received little opposition from city leaders.
鈥楴o open dialogue鈥�
Marocco says Proposition U is the centerpiece of the three amendments. It focuses on the police department.
鈥淧roposition U requires that the city of Dallas is going to spend 50% of new revenue to fund the police and fire pension,鈥� Marocco said.
The city鈥檚 public safety pension system has been grossly underfunded for years after risky real estate investments by the fund鈥檚 managers led to it becoming nearly insolvent. The Texas legislature had to step in to help stabilize the fund 鈥� and now Dallas is on the hook for remedying the billions in unfunded liabilities.
The proposition would also mandate that the city increase the number of sworn police officers to 鈥渁t least 4,000.鈥� That means hiring around 900 more officers.
鈥淚 think most citizens in the city of Dallas want more [police] officers, I want more officers, I wanted more officers when I was mayor,鈥� Rawlings said.
But he also said there鈥檚 a difference in wanting something and 鈥渁ctually doing it.鈥�
鈥溾�ecause you want to do it right, you want to make sure that the right ones [get] hired, you want to make sure they鈥檙e trained appropriately,鈥� Rawlings said. 鈥淭he way that [Prop U] is written, it鈥檚 going to be very, very dangerous to hire all those officers at once.鈥�
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia previously said that hiring the number of new officers, as would be required if the proposition is approved by voters, would be difficult.
And on the first day of early voting, the Dallas Police Association (DPA) formally opposed the slate of propositions.
鈥淒allas Police Association, which represents thousands of Dallas police officers, is strongly opposed to all three of these amendments 鈥� which were contrived by a small group of people who do not live in Dallas, with no open dialogue, no experience on the subject matter and no communications with police association leaders that would be impacted by these amendments,鈥� DPA President Jaime Castro said in a Monday press release.
Survey says...
Proposition T would tie the city manager鈥檚 compensation to 鈥渃itizen satisfaction鈥� with city services.
The amendment would require the city to complete an 鈥渁nnual community survey鈥� that focuses on crime, homelessness, litter, 鈥渁ggressive solicitation [and] panhandling鈥� and infrastructure and streets.
A minimum of 1,400 surveys 鈥渟hould be returned with at least 100 from every City Council District,鈥� according to the proposed ballot language. The survey results could 鈥減rovide consequences for the city manager, including awarding performance compensation or termination.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we would find a decent city manager, ever, if this amendment was passed,鈥� Rawlings said about Proposition T. 鈥淚t will be very unclear who the boss is for the city manager鈥� Now you have a survey that is the boss.鈥�
Rawlings said he wouldn鈥檛 take that job. Without creating an environment that still holds the city鈥檚 top executive accountable 鈥� while not politicizing the role because their job may be decided by as few as 1,400 Dallas residents 鈥� the city may not get the right kind of applicants, according to Rawlings.
鈥淭he city manager is so critical, we鈥檝e got to hire the very best that we can,鈥� Rawlings said.
鈥楨nough is enough鈥�
Proposition S would mean the city could lose a major defense against litigation.
鈥淲e have evidence that you need to have some type of enforcement mechanism for the average citizen to say, 鈥榟ey enough is enough鈥�,鈥� Morocco said.
If passed, Proposition S gives a resident the ability to put the city on notice for violating one of its own ordinances, charter codes or any law in Texas. After sixty days, the resident can sue 鈥� and the city must give up its governmental immunity.
Rawlings said the measure could leave the city vulnerable to hundreds 鈥� if not thousands 鈥� of lawsuits and tie up resources for litigation. Other city leaders said the amendments are well intentioned but needed more work.
鈥淭he direction and intent, I鈥檓 supportive of, but you got to do it in the right way. These were just not very well thought out in terms of the implications,鈥� former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert told 四虎影院 after a recent Dallas Regional Chamber event.
鈥淚n some cases, the unintended consequences, that鈥檚 what the problem is,鈥� he added.
Who's behind Dallas HERO?
Dallas HERO鈥檚 origins have been in the spotlight since the group started campaigning. It鈥檚 been accused of being run and funded by people outside of Dallas.
But Marocco disputes those claims. He said the group鈥檚 donors are people who work, live, or have business interests in the city 鈥� although some don鈥檛 live directly within its limits.
鈥淚 can tell you, without a doubt, there is not one single donor that I have seen that is from outside the Dallas area,鈥� Marocco said. 鈥淲hen I say the Dallas area, you might have somebody that鈥檚 in Garland, you might have somebody that鈥檚 in Plano, you might have somebody that鈥檚 in University Park.鈥�
Marocco listed a University Park address on an early-August city council meeting registered speakers list.
Stefani Carter was an early Dallas HERO executive and serves as Dallas HERO鈥檚 鈥渉onorary chair.鈥� Carter sits on the Braemar Hotels and Resorts board of directors.
Cathy Cortina Arvizu brought the original lawsuit against most of the city council 鈥� except Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn 鈥� over the city鈥檚 attempts to essentially nullify the group鈥檚 amendments.
Arvizu is a paralegal at the asset management firm, Ashford Inc,鈥�疉shford is run by Monty Bennett, who also serves as the publisher for the Dallas Express.
Bennett 鈥� who claims a homestead exemption at a Highland Park address, according to Dallas County Appraisal District documents 鈥� is also the founder and chairman of Braemar Hotels and Resorts, the same company鈥檚 board that Carter sits on.
Bennett has also donated funds to at least one Texas Supreme Court Justice earlier this year. He also contributed significant funds to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's campaign 鈥� most recently, a $100,000 donation in June 2023.
Paxton called for the Texas Supreme Court to intervene in the Dallas HERO lawsuit in an . Dallas media outlets and independent journalists have been documenting connections and speculating over Bennett鈥檚 involvement in the Dallas HERO movement.
In late September,鈥�痶hat Bennett 鈥� who sat down with the outlet for a rare TV appearance 鈥� 鈥渁dmitted that he'd contributed his support, office space, and even cash to the initiative, although he wouldn't say how much 鈥� just that it's not as much as he's donated to other GOP initiatives.鈥�
Bennett said he had been 鈥渋nvolved as much as they鈥檒l let me鈥� with the Dallas HERO group, according to WFAA.
鈥業鈥檓 certain people led with that鈥�
What ultimately ended up on the ballot weren鈥檛 all the propositions the group tried to get signatures for. A fourth amendment asked voters to essentially ban police officers from using chokeholds.
四虎影院 asked whether that amendment was used to get signatures for the other three amendments that made it to the ballot.
鈥淚n some cases, I鈥檓 certain that people led with that, and it really just depends on who that person is or what issue they were most passionate about.鈥� Marocco said.
Marocco added that some volunteers didn鈥檛 want to collect signatures for the chokehold proposition at all.
Despite the mounting opposition to the amendments, the petition process is part of the way Dallas鈥� government is structured.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 legal, and it鈥檚 the way it鈥檚 done,鈥� Rawlings said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 the smartest way to approach how we govern ourselves.鈥�
Rawlings said if people aren鈥檛 happy with city government 鈥� they should 鈥済et rid of their city council person, get rid of the mayor.鈥� Other city officials have said maybe it鈥檚 too easy to get something on the ballot.
With the election fast approaching, city leaders have said at least one of the propositions could pass.
鈥淭he one that people like the most, is being able to sue the city,鈥� Rawlings said about Proposition S. 鈥淓verybody likes to sue everybody鈥o that one is actually the scariest one for me.鈥�
But Rawlings said when he explains the propositions to people, they say 鈥渙h, I get it.鈥� He said he is urging voters to go read the slate of amendments and figure out what they mean.
Election day is November 5.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter .
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