Dallas City Council redistricting is complete with new district lines. The new lines come after the census which takes into account population shifts.
The city council engages in this process every ten years after they receive census data. The process draws district lines that city council members get elected to represent.
Mayor Johnson said, “Redistricting is critical to a functioning representative democracy.”
He went on, “I am grateful for the work of our Redistricting Commission…led by Chairman Jesse Oliver.”
City Council Redistricting Commission And Upcoming Races
The Dallas city council adoped Plan ID 132918. Per the city charter, city council must approve redistricting forty-five days after redistricting.
It is unclear why a sitting city council member felt the need to run for Precinct Chair, but the results are disastrous per one local elections watcher.
“Baz just told everyone he can be beat in his own precinct. He just opened the floodgates of new candidates who are going to challenge him.”
One former supporter surmised Tracy Dotie Hill probably did something causing offense to Bazaldua so he decided to take her out of office only to find he couldn’t even win the most local of elections.
Note, final results are not in, but based on Early Voting there is no clear path for Bazaldua to win this seat.
Adam Bazaldua Problems Beginning?
Bazaldua may have a new ethics issue to follow on last year’s regarding his party filing.
The city charter expressly states “A member of the city council shall forfeit his or her place on the council if he or she becomes a candidate for nomination or election to any public office other than a place on the city council or if he or she becomes a candidate for election to any different place on the city council that requires taking office prior to the end of his or her elective term.”
Precinct Chairs are elected positions requiringin a place on a party primary ballot, an affidavit, and are elected by the public. It is unclear how Bazaldua’s filing for Precinct Chair does not violate the city charter.
It appears Andrew Sommerman paid for endorsements in his campaign for County Commissioner 2.
According to Texas Ethics Commission reports Andrew Sommerman has given generously to a number of candidates who all seem to endorse him shortly thereafter.
In April we reported on internal emails where Sommerman begged for endorsements from local figures and then he and his staff trashed those same individuals in private.
Clay Jenkins figures prominently in Sommerman’s campaign after trying to steer $250,000 in legal fees to Sommerman’s firm over a lawsuit against Governor Abbott and coronavirus response.
Locally, Jenkins has ordered a low warning order over COVID19 despite rapidly rising cases at both Parkland Hospital and Childrens Medical Center Dallas. Additionally, it appears county officials have suggested not testing all patients despite these rapidly rising cases as Jenkins tries to get his candidate across the finish line to November.
Sommerman Paid For Endorsements And Gave Generously To Republicans
Additionally, Sommerman and his firm donated more than $20,000 to GOP candidates including a judge in Abilene that has no impact on Dallas, unless your law firm is practicing in front of that judge. Judge Jeffrey Probst received $500 just two years ago.
Sommerman is also lining up with former Republican Alexandra Guio in HD114. Significant in that race is Guio’s appointment to the City Redistricting Commission she was appointed to shortly before ghosting her appointing authority Paula Blackmon.
The full TEC report for Sommerman can be viewed below.
One Democratic Precinct Chair in Commissioners Court 2 said, “Andrew Sommerman looks more and more like the used car salesman who sells you a defective car, but then turns into the ambulance chasing lawyer once that car causes an accident.”
That Precinct Chair continued, “Buyer beware. Do we really need another old white guy representing Dallas County? Sommerman is half a step away from Joe Manchin in his dealings with GOP.”
It is unclear if Sommerman is trying to knock on doors to win the race or simply buy the office.
An explosive new website launched sometime this weekend and it airs all the dirty laundry about Jasmine Crockett we knew and thought we knew and then a lot more. This happens as voters go to the polls today for the start of early voting in the primary runoff.
Crockett was not a supporter of President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris. Crockett also attacked Eddie Bernice Johnson prior to winning her endorsement and insinuated she had somehow received inappropriate benefits of office.
There are a number of topics, but chief among them seem to be her support for disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo, offshore fundraising, not voting against the Republican “Jim Crow” voting law passed in special session last summer, and abandoning legal clients while only working for “the dollar signs.”
Jasmine Crokett: Offshore Fundraising
Crockett has received millions in shadowy contributions from offshore accounts – some funneled through supporters of Donald Trump.
Per the website, Crockett welcomed the “investment” of more than $2M into her campaign and later said “that’s how campaigns go.”
Jasmine Crockett: No Show On Voter Suppression Bill
Crockett who made multiple national airwaves during state Democrats visit to Washington DC to deny the Texas legislature a quorum did not bother to show up to vote no against Republican voter suppression bills as we reported earlier this year.
Jasmine Crockett: No District 100 Office
Crockett also never opened a Disrict 100 office leaving constituents without local service on matters of importance including dropping the ball on legislation she was asked to carry to the floor for local businesses and nonprofits.
There are numerous other issues brought up by the website whose owner is unclear, but it is fair to say that Jasmine Crockett is not beloved in her own district.
While Jasmine Crockett nearly won the TX30 primary outright, her opponent, Jane Hope Hamilton has been quietly receiveing multiple endorsements from city council members like Chad West, members of the Texas legislature including Senator Royce West, Representative Rafael Anchia, and Representative Chris Turner, and local Congressman Marc Veasey.
Hamilton has also been noted to have an aggressive ground game knocking on doors and earning votes through retail campaigning that it appears Crockett has so far avoided.
Dallas County will run the party primary runoff elections. When these elections are complete, voters will still return to the polls once more in June for the Dallas County Community College District trustee election in District 1.
Primary Runoff Early Voting
Democratic runoff elections many are watching include TX30 where Jasmine Crockett is facing Jane Hope Hamilton and House District 114 where former Republican Alexandra Guio faces off against John Bryant.
Other races include TX24 where Derrik Gay faces off against three time candidate Jan McDowell for the right to face Beth Van Duyne in November. Additionally, state representative Michelle Beckley will face off against Mike Collier for Lieutenant Governor, Rochelle Merces Garza will face off against Leon Jaworski’s grandson, Joe Jaworski.
Several local races are also being watched including Michelle Ocker’s race for County Commissioner 2 and John Warren for County Clerk as well as two judicial races.
On the Republican side, the TX32 race and the statewide Attorney General race seem to have received most of the attention.
The Republican Attorney General race pits Ken Paxton against George P Bush for the GOP nomination and in TX32 where Antonio Swad will face off against Justin Webb.
The city redistricting commission is getting heated as commissioners attempt to finish their Dallas city redistricting plan and present it to city council.
In a Facebook post Tuesday morning prior to a 9:30AM Redistricting Commission Meeting, District 8 Commissioner seemed to be openly attacking the idea of Hispanics on City Council arguing his map (17) gave four opportunities for Blacks or Hispanics to be represented, but another map under consideration (41) provided no opportunity for Black representation.
Dallas City Redistricting Members Openly Attack Citizen Input
In the same post Bryant attacked Bill Betzen, a self professed data geek, over his amendment to Map 17.
It is unclear what history, Bryant and Betzen may have from the past, but some say the behavior attacking a citizen trying to contribute to the redistricting plan has a chilling effect on citizen participation -which is supposed to be a goal of the group.
Bryant is listed as President of a group, Politics United Marketing, and two sources have told Other Side Dallas that Bryant is angling for future political work for his firm.
A new wrinkle in the Texas 30 runoff election: Jasmine Crockett supporter Donald Trump. The wrinkle happens as the runoff election is now less than a month away.
Yesterday, Crockett received another $250,000 Super PAC donation from the Washington, DC based Web3 group per FEC records.
This group was formed in February 2022 and has offices at the same location as a PR firm that took in hundreds of thousands of dollars to rehabilitate the image of former Trump Centers for Medicare Services Director Seema Verma.
Published reports in Politico and The Washington Post detail how Trump and his defenders directed payments of more than $3M dollars away from programs for the elderly and poor towards image rehabilitation for his CMS administrator. Those same dollars are now flowing to the TX30 candidate Jasmine Crockett.
This despite the fact she accused Mayor Eric Johnson and former State Representative Terri Hodge of not passing any legislation either – lies that were easly proven untrue.
Crockett nearly won the TX30 Democratic primary outright. It is unclear if runoff voters will continue to vote for her after voting against Donald Trump four to one, but it is clear supporters of Donald Trump are now lining up quietly to support Crockett.
Additionally, some of the same financial supporters of the current State Representative for District 100 appear to have been providing financial assistance to QAnon leader and former Trump cabinet pick General Mike Flynn. In June 2021, Flynn called for a coup while here in Dallas at the For God and Country Patriot Roundup.
Crockett’s office would not return a call on this topic and she has yet to accept an invitation to a debate with her opponent Hamilton.
Andrew Sommerman sinks supporters in a number of emails released to Facebook by community activist Avi Adelman.
After the March 1 Democratic primary vote, Philip Kingston announced his endorsement of Andrew Sommerman.
Sommerman seeks the endorsement of individuals in public and then trashes them in private.
The move was a surprise to many, but for some activists, a bridge too far and it appears the benefactor of Kingston’s decision thinks it is bad too.
In an email to Avi Adelman, the Sommerman campaign called Kingston “offensive and a bad actor…” in the public sphere.
The campaign which appears to be seeking Adelman’s endorsement then goes on to send a message to its team about Adelman calling him a “loud person.” Unfortunately for the campaign, the private message made its way to Adelma who published it.
If Andrew Sommerman will attack his own supporters, do you think he cares about individual voters?
Sommerman, a local personal injury lawyer, said he chose to run for the County Commission 2 seat because “he doesn’t want political theater to drive public health policymaking.”
But he later won the Dallas Morning News primary endorsement on a platform of arguing for criminals to be released into the community to lower jail costs despite a long recent history of Dallas criminal judges lowering bail to allow dangerous defendants to be out on bond and Dallas police unable or unwilling to respond to local crime.
It is unclear based on Sommerman’s private conversations what he believes.
Adelman’s emails show Sommerman seeks the endorsement of individuals in public and then trashes them in private.
This endorsement controversy makes some Democrats nervous about the newly gerrymandered seat.
One local community person said, “I’ve talked to a dozen people like Avi – people who work the polls, precinct chairs, donors – and they all say the same thing. They will vote for JJ Koch in November if Andrew Sommerman beats Michelle Ocker in May.”
“Sommerman is the worst kind of insider. He sells out his supporters without thinking about it as long as it advances Andrew Sommerman,” she continued. “He is also playing a good old boy club with he and Kingston and Tom Ervin lining up against Michelle [Ocker] who has held elective office and served constituents.”
Another unaffiliated campaign volunteer noted this shows how bad Democratic Party politics is right now.
“If Andrew Sommerman will attack his own supporters, do you think he cares about individual voters?”
In the other major Dallas race, endorsements continue to come in for Jane Hope Hamilton who is hoping to beat Jasmine Crockett in their runoff.
Dallas Democrats had what they wanted. Beto in Dallas yesterday and the press conference was as expected: free drugs, new casinos, and Medicaid expansion.
The Democratic nominee for Governor came out swinging against Governor Abbott on marijuana legalization, opening casinos in Texas, and expanding Medicaid.
He was joined by State Senator Nathan Johnson and City Council District 7 member Adam Bazaldua. The trio addressed local economics, but not the rising crime rate.
Bazaldua has been part of rising taxes since he joined Dallas city council was also a proponent of defunding the police – which has led to more police leaving the job and higher crime rates.
Governor Abbott’s campaign was quick to respond.
“Serial flip-flopper Beto O’Rourke is once again misleading the public,” said Abbott campaign communications director Mark Miner. “Gov. Abbott has reduced property taxes for Texans by over $18 billion since taking office, while Beto O’Rourke has an established track record of increasing property taxes while serving on the City Council in El Paso.”
Beto In Dallas: Another Change In Direction?
O’Rourke who has not spoken openly about legalizing gambling in Texas plans to introduce the plan to lower property taxes which are quickly rising given the influx of new residents seeking Texas’ positive economic outlook.
O’Rourke is not only fighting the national headwinds which show President Biden polling lower than former President Trump at the same time in his administration, but is also facing a Texas Republican Party which has a strong edge in data analytics, messaging, and voter communication efforts that many Democrats refuse to admit.
“No representation 100” is the new phrase being bandied about by Democratic Precinct chairs who recently learned that State Representative Jasmine Crockett did not show up to vote against SB7 in the Texas legislature.
Crockett is being described by a Washington consultant as dangerous. She is the “poster child for Republicans to run against,” he said.
“Crockett loves being a show horse, but has no stomach for being a work horse,” he continued. “She loves hearing herself speak on CNN about SB1 (Senate Bill 1), but couldn’t show up to vote no.”
In August 2021, Crockett went on CNN saying, “Texas is the hardest state to vote.” It is unclear if she meant for ordinary voters getting to the polls or if she meant elected representatives who don’t show up to work.
Crockett is the only state representative to not have a district level office providing constituent service.
Her Chief of Staff Karol Rimmal has openly used the N word which several pastors in South Dallas have said they find offensive.
In addition to the news above it has been revealed that Democrats in Austin found Crockett hard to work with day to day.
Meanwhile her opponent in the May primary run off, Jane Hope Hamilton, has been steadily gathering endorsements from local elected officials. One of the more prominent endorsements came from Senator Royce West.
