FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Videos from Public and Elected Officials
Dallas Mayor, County Commissioner, City Council Members Speak Up
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trinity Vote Campaign Hires Professional Mercenaries to Gain Petition Signatures
Contact: Rita Cox, 214.599.0888 (cell: 469.855.7283)
Several weeks ago, the petition effort to force a referendum on the Trinity Tollroad, accused the Sink the Petition/Save the Trinity campaign of hiring "thugs and mercenaries" to defeat their efforts. Guess what? For $2.50 a signature, Trinity Votes has hired professionals from out of state.
Former City Council Member Alan Walne, former Dallas City Council Member and a member of the Save the Trinity campaign, said, "This isn't a citizen, grassroots petition campaign based on strong feelings. It's a hard-nosed anything to get signatures effort."
Walne added, "When we were planning a response to the petition campaign, we became aware the petition effort was soliciting bids from firms that regularly obtain signatures for liquor and other elections. We hired a firm to ensure that early voting places were staffed."
Walne said Save the Trinity crew does not stop voters from signing. They do distribute literature and tell folks why Save the Trinity thinks it would be a bad decision.
"Voters are smart enough to make their own decisions. However, we did want them to hear our key points," Walne said.
Sink the Petition/Save the Trinity has obtained resolutions of support from nine Dallas Chambers of Commerce, Downtown Dallas, The Real Estate Council, The Greater Dallas Planning Council and other organizations against the petition effort.
"Our key message is, don't sign the petition. It will slow down or stop the Trinity Project when it's time for it to come to fruition," said Walne.
For more information, contact Craig Holcomb at 214.457.2212 or visit www.savethetrinity.net
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dallas Area Chambers Oppose Trinity Petition
List Grows to eight adding the Dallas Northeast Chamber of Commerce
Contact Jo Trizila, Senior Director, Media Relations 214-746-6690
DALLAS, TX (May 8, 2007) ... Area Dallas chambers have united to declare that the current petition drive to relocate the Trinity Parkway without describing a viable alternative will accomplish no public purpose and will needlessly delay much needed improvements. This group is asking that Dallas citizens not sign the petition. Trust the decision the voters made in 1998 for a truly great public park.
In 1998, the Dallas voters approved $246 million in bond funds to transform the Trinity River corridor from our alley to our front yard.These improvements included much needed flood protection, lakes, transportation improvements, athletic fields, and the purchase of land for the Great Trinity Forest.Mayor Miller and the Dallas City Council used the "Balanced Vision Plan" to create a consensus among people with very different views of the Trinity because it balances flood protection, environmental restoration, transportation, recreation and community development.The location of the Parkway has been studied for over ten years, has been the subject of numerous public meetings, has been voted on by the public, and further study would only delay implementation of the entire project.
Participating chambers include:
Dallas Northeast Chamber of CommerceDallas Black Chamber of CommerceGreater Dallas Asian American Chamber of CommerceGreater Dallas ChamberGreater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of CommerceNorth Dallas Chamber of CommerceOak Cliff Chamber of CommerceStemmons Corridor Business Association
For more information contact Jo Trizila at 214-746-6690 or jtrizila@dallaschamber.org
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sink the Petition/Save the Trinity
Contact Rita Cox, 214.599.0888 (cell: 469-855.7283)
Supporters of the Trinity River Corridor project, led by Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and the Trinity Commons Foundation, rallied supporters on the first day of early voting at Fretz Park, one of Dallas' leading early voting locations. Their message: Don't sign the petition that would force a vote on removing the Trinity Parkway from inside the levees.
Since the petition drive was announced, Trinity advocates have amassed a significant amount of community support, including all members of the Dallas City Council other than the one who is spearheading the petition effort. The Mayor and Council members confirmed the petition drive was a bad idea in an op ed published in The Dallas Morning News on April 11.
Councilman Mitchell Rasansky, one of the Council's most independent, fiscally conservative voices, has said, "The Trinity Parkway is needed, the location is the best and most appropriate option...All of the tough questions have already been asked by me and my colleagues past and present. This project must commence without any further delay. We owe it to the taxpayers who voted for it. The city will only spend the amount voters approve in the 1998 bond program. Other transportation agencies will pick up the difference."
Many Dallas civic and business organizations have passed resolutions supporting the Trinity and encouraging their members to sink the petition. As of today, these include:
- Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce
- Dallas Citizens Council
- Downtown Dallas
- Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Mix Master Association
- North Dallas Chamber of Commerce
- North Texas GLBT (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender)
- Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce
- Stemmons Corridor Business Association
- Trinity Improvement Association
Alan Walne, four-term former Dallas City Council member and chair of the Sink the Petition/Save the Trinity campaign, said, "The petition is a misguided and misleading idea. The Dallas voters approved the project in 1998. Great effort, care and compromise have yielded the best plan for the Trinity. We don't need to lose momentum, delay the project or destroy it." Save the Trinity, is an educational campaign by the Trinity Commons Foundation, which was formed in 2001 to support the implementation of the Trinity River Corridor Plan as adopted by Dallas voters in 1998. For more information, contact Craig Holcomb at 214.421.2999 or visit www.savethetrinity.net
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SCBA Has Passed Resolution
Contact Rita Cox, 214.599.0888 (cell: 469-855.7283)
(Dallas)-The Stemmons Corridor Business Association (SCBA), which promotes and supports the mutual business interests of its members through unified advocacy leading to sustainable economic growth and an attractive, accessible and safe business environment in the Stemmons Corridor, has passed a resolution encouraging Dallas voters not to sign petitions that would force a public vote on the Trinity Parkway.
John Allums, chairman of The SCBA board and executive vice president of FirstWorthing, said, "The Trinity River Corridor project needs to move forward as quickly as possible. =It is incredibly important to protect the Stemmons Corridor from flooding. It will also reinforce ambitious re-development plans for the Stemmons Corridor."
Allums added that the transformation of the Stemmons Corridor into a place where more Dallasites work, live and play will be incredibly important to Dallas' economic future. "We believe The City and its partners, world-class planners and the public at large have studied the road alternatives and have agreed to a parkway that will relieve traffic congestion, help with air quality and be compatible with the Trinity Parks."
The resolutions have been requested of numerous civic organizations by The Trinity Now, an educational campaign by the Trinity Commons Foundation, which was formed in 2001 to support the implementation of the Trinity River Corridor Plan as adopted by Dallas voters in 1998.
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