Getting the grease
“Why can’t you just get along?” I remember being posed this almost-but-not-quite rhetorical question when I served on the Dallas City Council. More than once. More than twice, actually, but who’s counting? It was usually when I was expressing an opinion about some proposed city project, and my opinion differed from the majority of the council. When I was accused of “not getting along,” it wasn’t that I was banging my shoe on the lectern. Or shouting expletives into the City Hall mic. Or engaging in personal attacks or making up “facts” or otherwise flying off the handle. No, I had simply arrived at a different conclusion from my colleagues after independently researching an issue and listening to my constituents. In Dallas, expressing an alternative viewpoint from the majority of the council – particularly one that is in opposition to the mayor – is oddly perceived as “not getting along.” It is considered impolite, a breach of etiquette. One is labeled a “maverick” at best, a less kind moniker at worst. This was made clear to me during a council discussion about gas drilling in parks. In 2013, the city council was debating limits on urban gas drilling. Many residents were particularly concerned about fracking in city parks. Then-City Manager Mary Suhm and her staff had repeatedly assured the council that there would be no gas drilling in parks. Yet Councilmember Scott Griggs and I had uncovered a letter from Suhm in which she had simultaneously assured a gas drilling company that her staff would do their utmost to allow park drilling. So which was it? During a council briefing, I took the opportunity to challenge Mary Suhm on these irreconcilable statements. I didn’t raise my voice. I presented the conflicting documents and pointedly asked Suhm, the city’s most powerful appointed official, to explain this chasm of a discrepancy. I wasn’t surprised when Suhm dodged my questions. But I was surprised by the reaction of my colleagues. I expected them to be similarly outraged by the deceit, or at the very least, concerned. Instead, many of them expressed offense at my interrogation. (One even likened Suhm to Jesus Christ and me to Haman, the Biblical killer of Jews, but I suspect that even Suhm found that a smidge over the top.) Others were less theologically extravagant but nonetheless chastised me for my public questioning. It simply was not done. I half expected to be challenged to a duel. Whether it was gas drilling, the Trinity Toll Road, convention center hotel financing, protecting neighborhoods from bad development, or a range of other issues, I remember the suggestion, at times posed by the city’s daily paper, that those of us who challenge the status quo or question the opinion of the majority should work harder to “get along.” What they really mean, of course, is that we ought to work harder to go along to get along. Not rock the boat. Fall in line with the majority. Ask our tough questions behind closed doors, beyond the delicate ears of the public who might swoon at the unpleasant sound of intellectual debate. The disturbing truth about those who wag their fingers and admonish council members to be nicer is that they fundamentally misunderstand both etiquette and politics. In the realm of politics, manners properly exist to discourage ad hominem attacks, to lower raised voices, and to enforce adherence to the civility of parliamentary procedure. Manners do not, however, mandate a blind acceptance of bad governance, nor do they insist on ideological unanimity. Glad-handing and back-slapping aren’t going to fix Dallas’s very real problems. Something to keep in mind when you head to the polls on May 6. Article courtesy of the Lakewood Advocate
0 Comments
Dallas can say goodbye to the idea of the rotating restaurant. Kitchen LTO will now become Junction Craft Kitchen and will open on May 4 in the old Kitchen LTO space in Deep Ellum, at 2901 Elm St.
Casie Caldwell and chef Josh Harmon have partnered to open the new restaurant serving dinner and weekend brunch. Kitchen LTO was in its seventh iteration with Caldwell's seasoned front-of-house team supporting chef Harmon. The collaboration worked so well that they decided to make it a permanent thing, Caldwell says. "I knew in the first week of opening Deep Ellum that I wanted to find a way to help Josh have a permanent restaurant space when he left LTO," she says in a release. "We decided to keep this great location and bid farewell to LTO. Junction Craft Kitchen was then born." Capturing Harmon's love of Southern and Asian cooking, Junction Craft Kitchen will serve many of the dishes that were served at Kitchen LTO. We are talking Brussels sprouts with fish sauce caramel, hot fried chicken, and Korean sticky duck leg. New dishes include Korean braised beef, boudin po bao, and family-style miso pork belly with steamed buns. An arugula salad sounds good with radish, peanut butter Ritz, peas, and peri peri. There's a poached carrot dish with an elaborate retinue that includes whey and koji, carrot top kosho, and dehydrated okra. For full Culture Map Article CLICK HERE Craft Beer Cellar is bringing beer bliss to Lakewood Casa Linda resident Jim Waskow and his partner Stan Nauman are living the post-recession American dream. After years in the corporate world, Waskow at Sherwin Williams and Nauman at General Electric, they hung up their suits to pursue their real passion: beer. Friends since they were students at Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, the pair has been interested in beer their whole lives, so they decided to make it their profession. Last year, they opened Craft Beer Cellar, the first Texas franchise for the East Coast chain, and have been serving up the suds ever since. “We’re just a couple of corporate guys looking to do something fun,” Waskow smiles. “On our worst day, at least we’re working with beer.” The business model is part specialty beer shop, part taproom. On the shop side, customers have hundreds of styles of beer to peruse and can mix-and-match their own six-pack. Craft Beer Cellar specializes in rare and European brews, but if you don’t see the one you want, just ask. They’re happy to order it for you. On the tap side, there are 16 beers on draught, which are switched with a new brew every time a keg runs dry. “We do have one tap dedicated to German beers and another for Belgium beers,” Nauman says. The partners consider themselves a bottle shop first and say 70 percent of the business is retail shoppers, versus customers who belly up to the bar. They also offer growlers for those who want to take fresh beer home. The shop regularly offers beer education events, inviting in brewers from all over the world to talk suds and offer samples. On April 7, attend the free beer-and-cheese pairing with Real Ale Brewing Company, or come down April 14 when Founder’s Brewing releases its cult-followed KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout for those not in the beer-know). While getting the business off the ground took longer than either Waskow or Nauman imagined, now that it’s up and running, they’re thrilled with the first six months. “It’s a chance to enjoy coming to work for the first time,” Waskow says. “That’s a welcome change.” Craft Beer Cellar Ambiance: Casual retail Price Range: $6-$8 Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday 6324 Gaston Ave. 972.707.0300 dallas.craftbeercellar.com Photo Credit: Kathy Tran Article by Emily Charrier of Lakewood Advocate Many of us just stopped driving down Lower Greenville in 2016. More than a year of construction work to improve the pocked roads made it a traffic nightmare that was best avoided. More and more drivers headed to Skillman or Ross to skip the headache.
“We’ve heard so many neighbors say that,” says Sammy Mandell, owner of Greenville Avenue Pizza Company (GAP Co.). As a member of the Lowest Greenville Collective, Mandell helped create “Experience Lowest Greenville,” a day of events this Saturday meant to showcase the street and its businesses in a new way. More than 20 neighborhood spots will be offering unique experiences, and the best part is, most of them are free. Want to screen print your own shirt? Head to Bullzerk. Got a sweet tooth? Katherine Clapner of Dude Sweet Chocolate will host chocolate pairings while talking treats during three classes throughout the day (noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.). “We wanted to do something totally different, some that gave people an experience,” Mandell says. “With most of these, the owner themselves will be doing the experience. That’s really rare, to get to learn from Brooks [Anderson] from Rapscallion or Katherine [Clapner] over at Dude Sweet.” Some classes, like learning to shuck oysters with Anderson, do have a fee attached ($50 which includes seven oysters, a shucking knife, gloves and a drink). Many also are limited to a certain number of participants, so registration is required to secure your spot. Events will take place from 8 a.m Saturday till 2 a.m. on Sunday (see the full schedule here, including how to sign up for selective classes). For full Advocate Article CLICK HERE The long-awaited Alamo Drafthouse and surrounding restaurants at Skillman-Abrams is becoming a reality.
That flurry of activity you may have noticed at the shopping center surrounding the old Tom Thumb (the even older Simon David) is the work of landlord, Retail Plazas, Inc. (RPI). The company’s contractors, which moved onsite this week, are beginning redevelopment of the center, which they are renaming Creekside. “It’s not always the case that landlords and neighborhoods work this well together,” laughed Trey Hodge, VP of RPI as we stood in the center’s parking lot watching construction vehicles and work crews buzz about, “but lots of people from around here have contacted me to say they are excited about what’s coming. It’s been blighted and ugly for some time, and we get that. Neighbors want the Alamo Drafthouse, they want the new restaurants, and they are going to get them.” RPI began refurbishment last week, working to get the façade ready for Alamo to begin “inside work” this week. “The optimists say Alamo will be ready to open in four months,” said Hodge, laughing again. “The pessimists say it will be six. We will see.” While Advocate readers in both East Dallas and Lake Highlands have debated in which neighborhood this project is located, movie buffs to the north and south will have a new option for cinema, not to mention the restaurant possibilities, coming soon. Article courtesy of Lakewood Advocate, written by Carol Toler CONTAINER GARDENING WORKSHOP Saturday, April 8, 2017 • 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park - Grand Hall 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard - Dallas, TX 75210 Looking to add a little color or texture to your front entry or back patio? Container gardens can be a great way to give a little curb appeal or jazz up a back patio. This workshop teaches how to prepare and install a container garden. You will learn how to prepare the container, prepare the soil, and install a well-planned mix of annuals, perennials, and other colorful foliage plants. BONUS: After the workshop attendees can visit the Texas Discovery Gardens Butterfly Plant Sale. Rare native pollinator-friendly plants will be available for sale. Many are hard to find in local nurseries! The plant goes from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. No-cost Parking is available through Gate 6 of Fair Park (off of Robert B. Cullum Boulevard). Paula Spletter, with North Haven Gardens (and a Dallas County Master Gardener) will be the presenter. Make a reservation Click here to register for the Container Gardening Workshop or call us at (214) 670-3155. Workshop sponsored by City of Dallas Water Conservation, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas Discovery Gardens. It's not about what it is, it’s about what it can become,” says the Lorax, Dr. Seuss’s sneakily radical environmentalist, disguised as a children’s book character. In much the same way that the Lorax saw seeds as trees, East Dallas artist Carrie Sharp sees rocks as canvas for art.
Sharp, who is entirely self-taught, had been quietly painting and selling her rocks for a few years when she decided to up the ante. She posted plans for her first-ever “rock hunt” last Halloween on the “Lakewood, Dallas” Facebook page. After delicately detailing rocks with hand-painted “Peanuts” comic characters, grinning pumpkins and other spooky designs, she walked the blocks, hiding them for neighborhood children (and art-loving adults) to find. Parents showed their gratitude by posting photos of their grinning kids clutching rocks emblazoned with Snoopy and witches. She’s planning another hunt, appropriately scheduled around Easter — but more on that later. Sharp’s path to the paintbrush was winding and unexpected. Artist Carrie Sharp started on canvas and incorporated rock painting into her pallette. The painter spends about an hour painting each rock, and hides them in local parks for children to find. (Photo by Rasy Ran)While she grew up in Rockwall, most of her weekends were spent at White Rock Lake with family and friends. When she married Little Forest Hills resident Matt Sharp 28 years ago, they made East Dallas their home. College came in fits and starts, but Carrie Sharp earned an associate’s degree in accounting. “Of all things,” she laughs. “I never used it.” For full Advocate article CLICK HERE University Meadows enjoys close proximity to a number of DISD, parochial and private schools. The University Meadows Neighborhood Association thought it would be fun to spotlight some of the terrific kids in our neighborhood. Lauren Campagna, a senior at Bishop Lynch High School and daughter of Kammie and John (UMNA board Treasurer), is one of two Campagna kids. Her brother, Joe, is a sophomore at Jesuit. As part of her the Girl Scout Gold Award (the highest achievement in Girl Scouting) project, Lauren created Blankets that Benefit to give back to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and provide children comfort and warmth during their hospital stay. With volunteers and support from her community, Lauren managed the creation and donation of more than 130 blankets and is planning quarterly deliveries. In her own words: “Scottish Rite hospital holds a very special place in my heart because I became a patient at the age of two. I enjoy giving back to the hospital and Blankets that Benefit is a sustainable project that will continue to give blankets to the hospital in the future.” To support Lauren’s Blankets that Benefit, contact her mom at kammiecampagna@kw.com. Lauren plays on the Bishop Lynch Varsity Golf Team. She finished 6th in the 2016 Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools -TAPPS- State Championship, and was accepted to play college golf next year at The University of Texas at Dallas. She has a 3.74 GPA, and is active in several school organizations and community service activities. Lauren is an excellent student, active in several school and community organizations, and well-known on the babysitting circuit…. Way to go Lauren –
Have a story about happenings in the neighborhood? Submit here. |
contributorsWynne McNabb Cunningham Archives
September 2017
Categories
All
|