A ‘New Day in Dallas’ begins with the inauguration of the new council

By David Wilfong, NDG Contributing Writer

The City of Dallas has seen a long campaign process leading up to the election of a new city council. Every problem, grievance, and the challenge was aired through two rounds of voting to determine which residents would lead the city through another term of governance. This process culminated in the inauguration of Mayor Eric Johnson and the new city council members on Monday.

For the first time, the event was held at the Winspear Opera House, in a ceremony which was open to the public. The program included music performed by local choirs, prayers from representatives of each of the three largest religions in the city, and recognition of outgoing council members. Outgoing Mayor Mike Rawlings had the opportunity to make his final remarks as the leader of city government before passing the baton on to Johnson.

U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas Sam A. Lindsey administered the oath of office. The City of Dallas Administrative Judge Preston Robinson administered the oath of office to incoming council members Chad West, Adam Medrano, Casey Thomas, II, Carolyn King Arnold, Jaime Resendez, Omar Narvaez, Adam Bazaldua, Tennell Atkins, Paula Blackmon, B. Adam McGough, Cara Mendelsohn, Jennifer S. Gates and David Blewett. Lee M. Kleinman was unable to attend the ceremony.

Johnson was then able to address the city for the first time as the new mayor. He began by conveying his appreciation for being given the opportunity to lead the city he grew up in.

“I’ve known for a long time that public service would be my life’s work, and I’m grateful to the people of Dallas for allowing me to serve as their mayor,” Johnson said accepting his new role.

Johnson moved to put an exclamation point on the end of a political process which saw some heated races and sharp divisions not only among candidates running for office but within the local voting public.

“Dallas voters did more than cast a vote on June 8,” Johnson said. “They cast a vision. They made a clear choice about who they want to be and where they want to go. And our vision in the coming years is going to be to fulfill this vision for our city. To create a brighter future and to build an even better Dallas, a Dallas that works for every person, in every neighborhood. I promised the people of Dallas that I would seek consensus as mayor, and I will. I pledge that our new city council will unite to find common ground and common sense solutions to our problems. And we must.”

There was a thunderous round of applause when Johnson declared, “I’m here to tell you all that campaign season is officially over.” He then pledged that his administration would see a new “culture of civility” at city hall.

Johnson addressed the scandals which have recently plagued city hall, saying he was dedicated to ending corruption in local government. He also promised to find solutions for the current law enforcement issues, both with financial and morale issues within the police department as well as the problems which exist between law enforcement and minority communities within the city.

Moving the city forward, Johnson said it is time to embrace new technology and promote “data-driven policy-making.” He advocated harnessing the power of technology to better provide services to Dallas residents. Johnson also said the new city council would be supportive of both schools and skills development in Dallas. He said one of his goals was to make Dallas “the education and workforce capital of Texas.”

The program concluded with a performance by the Mountain View Church of Christ Choir and a benediction from Reverend Dr. M.L. Curry of New St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. With the commencement of the ceremony, the authority and responsibility of the city government were passed into new hands until the next election cycle.