Dallas Mayor Criticized After Price Endorsement
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Some harsh words for the Mayor at Dallas City Hall on Wednesday.
The FBI investigation into Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price brought harsh words from a former councilmember.
Former one-term councilwoman Sandra Crenshaw stood up and accused Mayor Mike Rawlings of outright lying. "So in summation, Mr. Mayor, you lie," Crenshaw said at the end of her open microphone opportunity.
Her harshest criticism was to Mayor Rawlings claim that he did not know that campaign consultant Kathy Nealy might have given money to John Wiley Price. "And yet you claim no knowledge of 'how,' no knowledge of the 'pay-to-play' in the southern sector," she declared.
A federal lawsuit last week accused Nealy of accepting $25,000 from the Rawlings campaign, and through a series of transactions, several thousand dollars were given to Price within days of his endorsement of Rawlings.
Crenshaw claims Rawlings knew of Nealy's campaign tactics, especially as Nealy had already testified for the government in the Dallas City Hall corruption scandal. "Kathy Nealy can not go and pay preachers or pay other operatives or pay John Wiley unless there is someone giving her the money to do that," Crenshaw told CBS 11 News.
Mayor Rawlings would not comment on the allegation afterwards. He stands by a press release from earlier this week that says Nealy was hired as a grassroots consultant to provide strategy; develop a message; run phone banks and do block walking. The statement goes on to say that any of Nealy's activities beyond the letter of her contract were her own, and not as a representative of the Rawlings campaign.
CBS 11 News was unsuccessful in reaching Nealy or her attorney. Many at city hall feel Crenshaw lacks credibility since she is also a political consultant. When asked if her comments weren't just sour grapes from losing the work to Nealy, she denied it. "I just think Mr. Rawlings needs to be held to the same amount of accountability and not be allowed to claim deliberate ignorance, that he did not know this." She added, "And the mayor chose to continue to hire her, and then claim deliberate ignorance. So, that's the problem that I have."
A reminder, the federal allegations laid out against Commissioner Price were part of a civil lawsuit, and no one stands formally charged with any crime.
Also Check Out:
