Save Dallas City Hall
Re: “City Hall stands in downtown’s way, developers say — Dallas’ core needs bold action now, including demolition of crumbling structure,” by Lucy Billingsley and Craig Hall, Thursday Opinion.
Whether a fan of brutalist architecture or not, there is no denying that City Hall has stood as an icon for Dallas since the 1970s. It says much about the resilience of a city recovering from the blight associated with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Developers and some elected officials claim the building is too expensive to repair. This speaks volumes about their motivation. With plans for a new convention center, the acreage on which City Hall sits has provided developers another chance to profit even further if city leaders agree to sell the building and land.
There is no single piece of real estate in the central business district large enough to provide the space and functionality for relocated city services. Acquisition and construction costs for a new city hall far exceed the costs of proposed repairs.
Opinion
Does any other municipality in this country face such an embarrassing situation? Dallas could lose an acclaimed architectural treasure and symbol of our city that has stood for 50 years.
Is this one more leadership failure for Dallas? City staff and elected representatives, do your jobs! Stop this downward spiral.
Cookie S. Peadon, Dallas
Paper ballots an excuse
I voted Thursday and was treated to a trip down memory lane — filling out the paper ballot by coloring in the small oval with a black ballpoint pen. The last time I did this was on a test answer sheet 50 years ago in college.
If you don’t fill in the oval exactly right — no ink outside the lines, not even a sliver of white showing in the oval and of course no “X” or check marks — your ballot is rejected and you have to go back to the booth and fix it. This ought to be great fun when much higher numbers of voters show up for the midterms, not to mention the 2028 presidential election.
Talk about a solution looking for a problem. We bank, use credit cards to shop online, enter the last four digits of our Social Security numbers when required on our computers and smartphones without thinking twice, and we can’t figure out how to vote securely on a machine?
The justification that paper ballots mitigate voter fraud is contrived and an excuse to make voting more of a hassle and less accessible.
Douglas Peck, Plano
Hunt for Senate
As a fourth-generation Texas conservative, and someone who last volunteered for a politician in 1973 (Sen. Pete Dominici), I have been very concerned about the upcoming 2026 Senate race. That is, until U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt jumped in as a candidate. I am placing my full support behind Hunt.
Sen. John Cornyn’s record has fallen short on conservatism, especially when a Democrat sits in the White House. Attorney General Ken Paxton fights for issues like border security and election integrity, but his personal scandals are too many. Not good for maintaining a Republican seat.
As a senator, Hunt says he’ll continue to not back down and will never cozy up and bend to the D.C. swamp elites on both sides.
Hunt has unblemished leadership without baggage — an Army combat veteran and proven conservative who was the first in Texas to endorse the Trump American First agenda.
I have no doubt that Hunt will prioritize Texas values, energy independence, law and order, and strong borders. Hunt is the answer to defeat Democrats in November. Vote for Hunt. Our future needs it.
Jim Higgins, Dallas
Paxton didn’t read
Once again, the attorney general of Texas has shown the public his limited understanding of medical/scientific research. This time he is suing the manufacturer of Tylenol for falsifying information about the ingestion of Tylenol by pregnant women and its role in causing autism during childhood.
If he were to actually read the medical scientific literature and, more important, the most recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, he would find that although there was an association, it was not a cause of autism. The authors were careful in noting this, which was subsequently reiterated in the Journal through an interview with the authors.
When is this foolishness going to stop? Let’s keep politics out of medicine.
Charles R. Rosenfeld, Dallas
Keep 22nd Amendment
There’s renewed talk of modifying or repealing the 22nd Amendment, which limits the president to two terms. Republicans should recall that it was their party that championed this amendment after a four-term Democratic presidency. If it was wise then, it remains wise now.
If we’re going to amend the Constitution, there are more pressing issues to consider: term limits for Congress, stricter campaign finance rules and full transparency in political contributions.
I propose another amendment: If Congress fails to keep the government open — forcing federal employees to work without pay — then members of Congress must also remain on the job without compensation. It’s outrageous that some House Republicans aren’t working, yet few if any seem to be refusing their paychecks.
Of course, like many good ideas, this one would need to be passed by the very body that benefits from the status quo. And when self-interest clashes with public interest, we already know how they’ll vote.
Tom Naylor, North Dallas
Mavs and Stars, stay
Until the Mavericks and Stars start bringing home championship trophies, they need to stay where they are. When they bring home championship trophies, build them a championship place to win them and display them.
Larry Jones, Fort Worth