A Dallas Park and Recreation Board member abruptly resigned Wednesday after the city scrapped a proposed no-bid deal for his newly founded company to run a restaurant in the Dallas Executive Airport.
Both moves came two days after The Dallas Morning News began pressing city officials and council members about the lease and whether board member Ernest “Bo” Slaughter’s ownership of JetRail LLC had been disclosed.
The sudden reset exposed possible gaps in how Dallas discloses and vets leases, particularly when City Council-appointed board members seek city business.
One council member, Paula Blackmon, said the arrangement raised integrity concerns, calling it a “flawed process” that undercuts public trust.
Political Points
The council’s transportation and infrastructure committee was scheduled Thursday to consider a lease with JetRail before it would go to the full City Council on Jan. 14. But committee members reached by The News this week said they did not know the deal involved a sitting Park and Recreation Board member.
Dallas County Park and Recreation Board member Ernest Slaughter resigned on Wednesday.
City of Dallas / City of Dallas
Slaughter’s term on the was supposed to expire Sept. 30 after his eight years in the seat. Despite term limits, Slaughter remained on the board as a ”holdover” because District 8 City Council member Lorie Blair had not yet appointed his replacement.
In an interview Monday before he resigned, Slaughter said he did not see a conflict because the airport is outside the Park and Recreation Board’s purview and that he expected his replacement to be appointed soon.
But after The News’ inquiries, the city reversed course on the lease.
Aviation Department spokesman Patrick Clarke said Wednesday that the city manager’s office removed the lease deal from the committee’s agenda and that a solicitation process for proposals will begin.
Minutes after that decision Wednesday, Slaughter notified Park and Recreation Director John Jenkins in an email of his resignation from the board. Slaughter said the resignation was retroactive and effective Tuesday, according to the email.
Process under scrutiny
Although Clarke said a solicitation process would “start anew,” there was no competitive bid to begin with. In April and May, the Aviation Department invited three candidates who previously expressed interest in the space to present restaurant proposals, Clarke said. The process was not advertised because he said leases do not require a competitive bid.
Blair, who also serves on the transportation committee, declined to comment on Slaughter’s proposed lease for the restaurant but said she was working to find his replacement on the board.
Other transportation committee members said they were unaware a park board member was behind the lease until reached by The News, several raising questions about potential conflicts of interest and a process that lacked transparency with a city decision-maker.
Blackmon said aviation staff negotiating a lease with a city board member raises questions about the integrity of the arrangement.
“It just seems that it is a flawed process,” Blackmon said. “If we’re trying to gain public support and public trust, this doesn’t give me that at all. That I have to hear from a reporter who the party is, that gives me pause.”
While the charter prohibits city officials from entering into contracts with the city, the clause does not apply to members of council-appointed boards.
The application that candidates fill out to serve on boards includes a question asking if they have “any financial interest, directly or indirectly, in any contract or subcontract with the city,” which Blackmon said underscores the need for transparency in their business dealings throughout their tenure.
Like Blackmon, City Council members Paul Ridley, the transportation committee chair, and Bill Roth, its vice chair, said they were unaware a Park and Recreation Board member was behind JetRail before The News asked about it.
Ridley initially said he would be uncomfortable entering a lease with a city official for the appearance of a conflict that it presents. When reached for follow-up questions, he declined to comment.
Counting on replacement
In an interview Monday before his resignation, Slaughter said he expected Blair would appoint a replacement for his seat by the time the lease went to the full council for a vote.
His concept for the vacant restaurant space is a relaxed restaurant with comfort food that residents of southern Dallas can enjoy.
“Can you imagine sitting on that patio watching planes land, drinking margaritas?” Slaughter said. “We want to make it really nice.”
The proposed lease called for JetRail to pay the city $127,440 over five years to operate the space, according to the pulled agenda item.
While the Aviation Department invited Slaughter’s JetRail to present a proposal in April, the company had not yet been formed, according to corporate records. Slaughter created JetRail on Sept. 4 using the address of a DeSoto home he owns, according to Secretary of State records.
City code requires board members to live in the city of Dallas.
Property records show Slaughter purchased the DeSoto home in 2020. Slaughter said his wife lived in the DeSoto home during a separation; they later reconciled. He said he lived in his permanent Dallas residence, owned by his great-uncle, until 2025.
Slaughter said he moved to DeSoto last year as his separation was resolved.
After an initial phone interview on Monday, Slaughter did not respond to a follow-up call or voicemail Wednesday seeking more details on his resignation.
In his resignation email to Jenkins on Wednesday, Slaughter noted he no longer lives in the city “and new leadership will be great.”
“What a pleasure it’s been serving with you making the quality of life better for our citizens of this great city,” he wrote to the director.
Dallas pulls restaurant lease
What happened: Dallas scrapped a proposed restaurant lease at Dallas Executive Airport and restarted the process, and a Park and Recreation Board member tied to the deal resigned the same day.
Why it unraveled: City officials reversed course after The Dallas Morning News began asking questions about the lease and whether the board member’s involvement had been disclosed.
The fallout: Several council members said they were unaware of critical details, prompting concerns about how leases are vetted.
What’s next: The city says it will reopen the process and seek new proposals for the airport restaurant space.