Many of you have received one of their postcards entitled, “Does your representative support a robust Duncanville?” For more about that postcard, go to http://paulfordreports.com/6101.html.
“Pro-Dunc” seems to consist of people who are trying to get money from the City and their friends/employees. First, there are developers who want to get City grants or loans. Second, those who hope to get some of the subcontracting work from those developers as part of the deal. And third, those who own commercial buildings and want the City to use taxpayer money to improve the infrastructure around their buildings -- streets, sidewalks, road re-configurations -- that they hope will boost the value of their properties or the rents they can charge.
What does "Pro-Dunc" want? A compliant City Council that will give them access to your taxpayer money.
The single largest contributor to this group is Dalton Lott. Dalton Lott hosted a party for this group at his home last spring. Dalton Lott also owns at least seven commercial buildings right in the middle of the Main Street Vision Development Plan, a plan that will cost taxpayers between $3,000,000 and $7,000,000.
According to the Dallas Central Appraisal District, here is what Dalton Lott owns, and the names under which he owns it:
Dalton Lott: 204 North Main St. 106 East Freeman St.
DL Commercial Ltd: 200 South Main St.
Lott Property Partners Ltd: 117 East Davis St.
411 E Hwy 67 Partners Ltd: 115 East Davis St. 404 North Main St. 607 South Main St.
A prominent member of “Pro-Dunc” -- listed as a “Director” on a letter they sent out about a year and a half ago, back when they publicly identified themselves -- is Steve Madison. Madison is an architect and developer who was on the Duncanville Community and Economic Development board -- the 4B Board -- for six years. When Madison was on the 4B Board in 2005, he received a $209,000 grant from the City of Duncanville to build a housing development on two-and-a-half acres of land at the intersection of Royal and Azalea. Dalton Lott owned the land that was bought for the project.
When Anthony Skinner was on the City Council in 2005, he voted to give Madison the $209,000. Madison is now a campaign worker for Skinner.
In early February, when television news coverage of the Red Light Camera scandal in Duncanville was just beginning, several TV stations did location reports from the intersection of Danieldale and Highway 67, where two of the cameras are located. A few days later, Channel 11 did a report from there and interviewed many people who complained about the citations they got for turning right on red. The reporter then said not everyone she spoke with was against Red Light Cameras, and Steve Madison appeared on screen. “Red Light Cameras make us all so much safer!” he gushed. “I love Red Light Cameras!” I wonder if his interview would have been broadcast if he had said, “The City Council gave me $209,000 of taxpayer money! I love Red Light Cameras!”
The Red Light Camera setup in Duncanville, and the 44,000 Red Light Camera citations mailed out in 2008 at $75.00 apiece -- most for turning right on red -- is near and dear to the hearts of Pro-Dunc. The more money the City takes from us, the more money the City can give to them.
Want to see what the $209,000 the City gave to Madison got us? This picture was taken on February 21, 2009:
Madison Field is emblematic of the type of decisions our elected officials have been making for years. Here are a few more photographs of the $209,000 disaster, all taken on February 21, 2009:
