The following letter was sent to NDG in response to the recent DMN article, “Once a crime-ridden slum, Irving Street becomes mess of red tape”
Unfortunately the Dallas Morning News in partnership with the City of Irving is propagating lies to slander Lisette Caraballo. The news story titled “Once a crime-ridden slum, Irving Street becomes mess of red tape” is reflective of the position taken by the Dallas Morning News reporters to partner with the City of Irving.
The Dallas Morning News did not investigate the root cause of why after two years there are vacant lots and vacant new homes on Tudor Lane. They choose to jointly slander Lisette Caraballo instead of performing an independent journalist watchdog investigation.
The position of red tape causing the mess is exactly the message that the City of Irving wants communicated. That story line is to blame everyone else but themselves. The City of Irving is the sole reason for the red tape and they are accountable to the community, which is being called a “slum” by the Dallas Morning News.
The article states “paperwork can take more than a year to chum through the background checks before families find out if they qualify for help with their down payment.” This is completely bogus statement because Colvin Gibson, Irving Community Development Corporation has “fast tracked the City process” by the City of Irving to close on an applicant in as little as 3 months. Another example is the Oakdale first time homebuyer project where applicants did not wait for a year to get approval by the City of Irving. Applicants were in thier new homes in approximatey 3 months.
Chris Hooper says in the article “it’s credit. It’s a job stability.” This general statement does not apply to all and is false because a couple of the HUD complainants gave up on the City of Irving and purchased homes in the open market after waiting over a year.
The Dallas Morning News states city staff is “more bungling than biased” to discredit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) complaints as false accusations. The Dallas Morning News is proclaiming the City of Irving to be innocent of prejudices because they are incompetent. These are real HUD complaints and they are all very serious matters.
The story states the “City hired a firm for $19,000 this year to audit the program’s efficiency”. Historically, the City hires friendlies to rubber-stamp their position while using a good old boy network. I expect the $19,000 is a pay off, like the Dallas Morning News, to report back to City leaders that “red tape” and not Fair Housing Rights violations are the root cause.
The City of Irving is blaming a “certain entity” in Lisette Caraballo as the chief reason for the “Chaotic Situation”. The published statement “got tangled up in Tudor Lane herself” is slander on the part of the Dallas Morning News and the City of Irving. This is a deflection away from the real truth. Lisette Caraballo is doing her job as a tough, hard working Realtor that is representing her clients.
The news article further slanders Lisette Caraballo for accepting the position of Executive Director of Bear Creek Development Corp. The City of Irving did not tell the real truth of the “Chaotic Situation” at Bear Creek. You see, before Lisette Caraballo accepted the Executive Director position, an internal accounting audit discovered the disappearance of a large sum of money, which is the real “Chaotic Situation”. Lisette Caraballo stepped into Bear Creek to help transition in a new Executive Director. The City of Irving should be investigating the disappearance of Federal money instead of slandering Lisette Caraballo.
The news article continues to slander Lisette Caraballo by stating Lisette in on a “Witch Hunt”. The article states “the director of a state program that oversees the Tudor Lane grant wrote that Caraballo was on “a witch hunt” against the city”. They are referring to Marni Holloway, Director of Neighborhood Stabilization TDHCA. For the record, Lisette Caraballo has never worked with Marni Holloway and we have reached out to Marni Holloway to learn more about this accusation.
The Dallas Morning News finally raps up the story with “a bright spot”, “families are moving in at a steady clip.” Could the reason for this be the diligence of Lisette Caraballo in seeking justice for homebuyers? Lisette Caraballo acting as the watchdog against government abuse. I think so. You see, with all the attention that this Tudor Lane program is receiving, the City is now under pressure to do the right thing. That is to help families purchase these government sponsored homes.
The Dallas Morning News interviewed Colvin Gibson, Board member Irving Community Development Corp. Mr. Gibson is quoted where he “saw no discrimination or incompetence at City Hall – but rather a bottlenecked and understaffed application process.” The truth is Colvin Gibson is part of the good old boy network at the City of Irving and he receives priority attention from city staff. I would like to see Colvin Gibson and Irving Community Development Corp investigated by HUD because they are jointly tied to the City of Irving.
The Dallas Morning News, Colvin Gibson, and the City of Irving are jointly in partnership to slander Lisette Caraballo.
It is time for a call to action, by the community, to stand up for all and any injustice by the City of Irving. If you or any one you know has been discriminated by the City of Irving for Fair Housing Rights violations, please stand up and file a HUD complaint at hud.gov using HUD form 903 Online Complaint. Together we can put a stop to this Fair Housing Rights discrimination by the City of Irving.
This is the URL link to the full story: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/irving/20140608-once-a-crime-ridden-slum-irving-street-becomes-mess-of-red-tape.ece
This is the youtube video were the City of Irving is blaming the State (TDHCA) for the delay: http://youtu.be/DQaiV0-Q0_w
Rafael Caraballo, Irving
Broker, iRealty
Just so everyone knows – the illiterate writer of this post or article or rebuttal (whatever it is) is the husband/partner of the one Lisette Caraballo that he writes about. So talking about being biased, he certainly qualifies. Also for the record, there is no racial or other prejudice in the city’s department, As matter of fact, the department is as racially and ethnically diverse as it could possibly be. This particular couple, the Caraballo’s, have lost out on a couple of sales and commissions on this particular group of homes and are mad because of that. Very plain and simple.
Jacqualea, thank you for calling me illiterate! I am born, raised and college educated in New York City. I am an information technology architect and a Texas licensed Real Estate Broker. I would like to meet you.
Yes, I am the proud husband of Lisette Caraballo. My wife is being slandered by the Dallas Morning News and the City of Irving. My wife is a hard working college educated woman who also is born and raised in New York City. She is a Realtor who serves her clients and the community with integrity. I complain to her about being a social worker.
In fact, I tell my wife, we should change our company name from iRealty to Social Work Realty.
Ask yourself, how does a Realtor make a living? Why would a Realtor prevent the City of Irving from selling a home? What is the Realtors incentive?
Ask yourself, how does a single Realtor, Lisette Caraballo, interrupt the big City of Irving from selling homes?
Jacqualea Morrison Cooley, I have one question for you, Why is it okay to have tax payer funded new homes, sitting vacant for over 2 years while losing tax revenue for the city of Irving?
Just FYI — have you noticed the Dallas Morning News removed the story from their website?
The DMN article is still there, it’s in their archives. I did a search for ‘Tudor Lane’ on their website and it’s still there. They should remove it though. Keeping it there is just digging that hole deeper and deeper.
Naw, the story is still there. You just can’t find it. It popped right up for me. They never remove a story, That must be something NDG practices. If so you should practice it on this story because you have taken the wrong side here.
To Mr. Caraballo, one can still be illiterate and have several sets of letters following their name; however, I will revise my comment to say that your writing is illiterate. Then in my next breath, I will ask why you would want to meet me? Could it be because I discovered the duplicity in the triangle that you, Lisette, and Josie were trying to hide? Or could it be that your would like to tell me a thing or two? Or could it be that you would like to see just would dare dispute you?
Neither your wife, nor you, nor Josie have any standing in the investigation of HUD, although it seems that you would like to. You have no cause of action, although I imagine you are pretty hot under the collar at losing commissions on numerous sales.
I never said that you wanted to prevent the City from making sales. Where on earth did you get that? I asked the question, if you will reread things i have written, “Why would the City want to stop the sale of anything?” You are showing your lack of understanding by making such statements as “How would a Realtor [sic] prevent the City of Irving from selling a home?” Who said that? (By the way, why do you capitalize realtor?
As a final statement, I do not think (as you accused me of saying) is it “okay to have tax payer funded new homes, sitting vacant for over 2 years while losing tax revenue….” and never even hinted that I did. So why would you assign me those words. I abhor the idea of tax payer funded homes period. I dislike HUD and what it does. I did not want these homes built to start with. Does that set the record straight for you, Rafael?
Here’s the link, NDG… the story is still there…
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/irving/headlines/20140608-once-a-crime-ridden-slum-irving-street-becomes-mess-of-red-tape.ece
We didn’t remove the story from our website. The link to the story posted above broke when we correct an error that originally attributed the story to another reporter.
The correct link is: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/irving/headlines/20140608-once-a-crime-ridden-slum-irving-street-becomes-mess-of-red-tape.ece
Thank you for the update.
Jacqualea,
Bingo!
You hit the nail on the head with your comment that you, “dislike HUD and what it does. I did not want these homes built to start with. Does that set the record straight for you, Rafael?”
In other words, you, just like the City of Irving, do not want these homes in Irving. This is the root cause, as to why these new homes are sitting vacant for over 2 years?
Congratulations for revealing the truth.
Rafael, my like or dislike of the program has nothing what-so-ever to do with its ongoing presence in Irving. It has had a presence in one form or another for many years. So your call of “Bingo!” is not only premature, it is erroneous. The City loves the program by all appearances. Why would they take the grant and build them if they didn’t intend to sell them? Use you head if you can for a moment and tell me how that would make any sense. You, your wife and your employee are barking up the wrong tree, (Just thought I’d toss in a colloquialism since you did.) It is strange how my posts sit here for hours and yours get published immediately.
Ms. Cooley,
If any posts are approved immediately it is merely by coincidence. For spam purposes, web comments to our site are not auto-approved. Some of your comments were approved at the exact same time as Mr. Caraballo’s, if it was closer to when his were submitted again that was coincidence.
While we reserve the right to edit or decline posting any comments, generally they are not declined for any reason other than spam. In nearly three years, perhaps two comments were not published due to grossly offensive and inappropriate statements. Whether our staff agrees with the comments or not, they are published, and most without comment.