Dallas voters approve 2 of the 3 HERO amendments in the 2024 election, county results show
DALLAS — Contentious disagreement is common at Dallas City Hall. But on Wednesday, sources say that has given way to a sense of shock and fear following the passage of two controversial charter amendments.
In spite of how they were sold to the public, critics argue the proposals pushed by the so called 'Hero Initiative' aim to undermine local government. The 'Together for Dallas' campaign released a statement conceding defeat, and calling the results a wakeup call for City Hall.
"Propositions S and U and the citizen petitions that preceded them were drafted and sold with language intended to appeal to frustrated voters who do not feel that City Hall is responsive to their needs. These propositions will likely face legal challenges, but the democratic system worked. We lost."
Those warnings from current and former elected officials that formed 'Together for Dallas' couldn't have been more clear-- but the results say the majority of Dallas voters didn't care.
"The people in Dallas are concerned about crime, and it shows up in survey after survey after survey, and our elected officials just won't listen," says Monty Bennett with the HERO Initiative. "This is a way the people go directly and set the priorities for the city because they will not do it themselves."
The ballot language was complicated, but in brief:
Prop 'S', which passed, removes governmental immunity and allows anyone to sue if the city doesn't comply with local ordinances.
Voters rejected Prop 'T', which would have mandated an annual quality of life survey to determine if the city manager gets a bonus or possibly a pink slip. A 1% response to that survey was all that was required.
Prop 'U', which also passed, forces the city to maintain a minimum police force of 4,000-- that's almost 900 more than the current force. And mandates that at least 50% of revenue increases be directed to the public safety pension fund and higher salaries for police.
"Sounded good on paper," explains Clint Eastep of Dallas. "Obviously, more police usually equates to more protection and safer streets."
Eastep says he voted for Prop 'U', hoping more police would help combat the growing homeless crisis in the city and the crime that often accompanies it. He admits that he didn't stop to consider that mandating more money for police and public safety pensions, would leave less revenue for other city services like streets, parks and homeless solutions.
"You always worry about what the true intention is, not what the intention, but what the effect is of that intention," explains Eastep. "Because it may sound good on paper, like we just said, but the end result may not be what you expect."
As for the details of what happens next, city leaders aren't saying. Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert shared in a statement, "While we wait for the final, certified results of the election, we will continue to review our options." Dallas' Acting Police Chief plans to share the department's response to the new hiring mandate next week.
As for Eastep, he says he still supports police. But, if there is a next time, he promises to not be so easily swayed by the sales pitch at the expense of the fine print.