Nomination for Top Bonehead Quote from local candidate during May 2008 Election

By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - May 11, 2008
Candidate for District 6, Arlington City Council, Joseph Farah wins our "top bonehead" award for bonehead mentality in a local race.

Joseph Farah said Arlington badly needs a light-rail system, particularly one that runs from the city's entertainment district to Dallas. However, he opposes bus service circulating inside Arlington.

"We don't want to attract a city full of poor people," Mr. Farah said. He said that would hurt Arlington's finances.

Somehow Mr. Farah has failed to notice that Arlington already is a diverse city. The poor are already among us. Many clean our houses, serve our fast food, roof our dwellings, work in our hotels, and are (like myself) retirees who have slid down the economic scale. Arlington has the dubious distinction of being one of the largest cities in the USA without mass transit and is within the DFW metropolitian district which fails to meet EPA clean air standards. Arlington residents are tied to automobiles for commutes to work, school, and for daily errands. Mass transit could help relieve the stress on the air standards but Mr. Farah reflects the bonehead mentality which keeps fueling the anti-mass transit factions of the city.

Arlington is also tied to a multi-generational pattern of subsidizing billionaries in business with sale tax dollars and exercise of eminent domain for private profit enterprizes: (i.e., Texas Rangers Stadium, Dallas Cowboys Stadium and Glory Park). Other cities (such as Grapevine) use their sales tax dollars for rail solutions which benefit all sectors of their city while Arlington devotes the bulk of its sale tax dollars to construction of stadiums which provide minimum wage part-time employment.

Yes, Mr. Farah, there is a need for mass transit to the Dallas Cowboy's stadium in Arlington. Those poor people who will work at low hourly wages to operate that complex won't be able to afford the gasoline to drive or to pay tolls on I-30 and SH 161 to get to serve the elites who are being subdized so the rich can get richer and enjoy the status symbol which football and baseball has become!

The election returns for Alrington City Council District 6 were:
Robert Shepherd: 4,411
Dennis Hackler: 608
Joseph Farah: 374
Brian Willett: 511
Vera McKissic: 3,436

McKissic and Shepherd will be in a run-off.
They may mirror Mr. Farah's views on mass transit. Voters should question them and vote accordingly.

BIOS of two remaining in race:
Robert Shepard

Occupation: Lawyer

Age: 49

Academic: Bachelor's degree, University of Texas at Arlington, 1980; law degree, St. Mary's University School of Law, 1983

Career: Associate lawyer, 1983-85, Jones & Greene, P.C.; associate lawyer, 1985-87, Jones, Parks & Huffman, P.C.; lawyer and shareholder, Parks Huffman McVay Shepard & Wells, P.C., 1987 to present; member, College of Business Administration advisory council, University of Texas at Arlington, 1996-98; economic development committee member and executive committee chairman, Arlington Chamber of Commerce, 1997-2000; member, Arlington Library Advisory Board, 1998-2001; member, Citizens Bond Election Committee, 1998-99; board member and president, Downtown Arlington Inc., 1998-2003; member and chairman, Arlington Planning and Zoning Commission, 2001-07; Arlington Volunteer of the Year, 2007; no previous political races

Contact: robert@robertshepard.org, 817-861-1000


Vera McKissic

Occupation: Director of educational ministries, Cornerstone Baptist Church

Age: 50

Academic: Bachelor's degree, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Ark., 1978; some graduate classes, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002-05

Career: Teacher, Dumas and Pine Bluff school districts, Arkansas 1979-83; teacher, Arlington Independent School District, 1984-92; ombudsman, Arlington ISD, 1998-2000; director of education and women's ministries, Cornerstone Baptist Church, 1994 to present; no previous political races

Contact: www.vera4council.com, vera4council@gmail.com, 817-288-8104

DART renstates service to southeast Dallas neighborhood

By CRAIG CIVALE - WFAA-TV - May 10, 2008
An old friend has come back home to Turner Courts. Buses are darting through the neighborhood, back online, and more importantly, back after dark.

"Most people have to walk home from the store, and it's dark, and they're afraid whether they come home from work or go grocery shopping, come into the complex," said Sylvia Baylor, a Turner Courts resident.

Buses were still coming to the area over the last year, but they would only pick up and drop off a few blocks away. The change is not only a matter of convenience, for some it is a necessity.

"From early in the morning, 8 o’clock, as late at 10:15, 11:30 sometimes. Only transportation I have," said Mayela Lopez, DART rider.

The only way Lopez has to get around, and if you don't think a couple of blocks matters, try traveling with 7 kids.

"It's going to be real nice and easy for me. Convenient, instead of walking 2-3 streets down, I can walk across to the apartment where I live," said Lopez.

The transit authority decided to give the route another try, but this time beef up awareness.

"One of the things we've done is step up security in that area. Having officers deployed in the area, it's a visible deterrent that's always good one for us," said Morgan Lyons, DART spokesperson.

Good for DART, and even better for residents in Turner Courts who fought so hard to get the busses back.

"We're just glad it's working, glad that everyone is coming together, that we seeing things being done,” said Baylor.
Read more on WFAA