DALLAS — Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua says the three charter amendments approved by a majority of the city council weren’t meant to undo anybody’s work, specifically the non-profit organization Dallas HERO.
“I think that more than anything, there was the ability to clarify. And so, I would consider them to be clarifying amendments more than anything,” Bazaldua told us on Inside Texas Politics.
This saga began when Dallas HERO gathered enough signatures to add three proposed charter amendments to the November ballot.
One would force city leaders to hire hundreds of police officers and raise pay.
Another would tie the city manager’s compensation to performance.
The final proposal would allow citizens to sue city leaders if they’re not following the law, whether that be a state law or even the city charter.
Bazaldua blames the proposals on “agitators” from the far right.
“I think these Hero amendments are nothing more than political agendas,” he said.
Many Dallas council members sounded an alarm on the three proposals, arguing that they’d be fiscally irresponsible and negatively impact most city services.
So, in response, the city approved three amendments of its own, that if passed, would seemingly render the Dallas HERO mandates moot.
One would give only the city council the final say on spending city funds.
Another would give the city council the final say on hiring a city manager and that position’s salary.
And the last amendment would not allow the city to waive its immunity from lawsuits.
A Dallas citizen has sued the city and the majority of the council trying to block the printing of ballots with the city’s amendments on it. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a brief with the Texas Supreme Court in support of that lawsuit, arguing that the city did not make it clear that its three amendments would overrule the Dallas HERO amendments.
Bazaldua argues that the Dallas HERO amendments are an end-around to city council decisions and that they dilute voters’ voices, voters who elected city council members to do the work for them.
“If voters clearly have elected the body to do this work, by taking a small sample size in what they’ve suggested to be the tell-all, you’re essentially saying that the at-large votes did not matter,” said Bazaldua.
The city of Dallas is currently searching for a new city manager.
Bazaldua says any final decisions will be on hold until they know if voters pass that particular Dallas Hero amendment.