Good bye to Rob Franke as Cedar Hill mayor You deserve a legal kick in the butt that you're not getting

STB-ex Mayor Rob Franke and then-Councilman Chris Parvin — Cedar Hill's original Piety Brother hypocrites.

Perhaps the soon-to-be-ex Cedar Hill mayor did nothing criminally wrong, but ethically wrong? Shit, that good-old-boy network of real estate issues stunk to high heaven ethically. And, per Franke's personal background, was hypocritical as hell for a conservative evangelical Christian. Franke said he was embarrassed, but maybe it was only for being caught, especially since he blamed city staff for not reminding him — OVER A FULL DECADE — to not file conflict of interest materials. Others caught up in the issue, like Councilman Chris Parvin, may not even have been embarrassed. And, it's too bad Creuzot, didn't find enough to bring charges during the investigation, or rather, it seems, too bad Creuzot went in the tank for whatever reason. (Adding to the problem, perhaps, is that Creuzot's Greg Abbott-appointed GOP predecessor, Faith Johnson, is a Cedar Hill resident.)

Parvin, like Franke, was at least embarrassed enough not to run for re-election, ending his tenure a year ago. Fellow hypocrite Jami McLain — not on the council when I was there — unembarrassedly tried to succeed Franke as mayor, and lost. It makes me wonder what shenanigans went on behind what is now the semi-flop of a mall in Cedar Hill, the former Uptown Village, even if it's not inside the economic development zone that brought up the conflict of interest problems. The same lack of ethics that led to a refusal (NOT a "failure") to disclose conflicts of interest could have led to other unethical behavior in terms of land and economic development. The 2008 start of non-compliance is kind of a red flag. I wish I could ex post facto throw up Parvin's White Rhino coffee.

Parvin, unlike Franke, never really fooled me. Parvin was active then in partisan politics, along with then-fellow councilman Wade Emmert, who went on to eventually become Dallas County GOP chairman.

Franke? I don't bash all conservative Christians as people, even when I disagree strongly with their views. But, if they walk the walk ethically, I will tip my hat. And at the time I was in Cedar Hill, he struck me as a straight shooter.

I had no idea until reported several years later that he had these conflicts of interest ... and conveniently chose to stop reporting them just as the old downtown area of Cedar Hill was looking at new development, a possible planning overlay for that, etc.

And, Franke made this all much worse by claiming it was inadvertent, and that it was inadvertent because city staff didn't remind him.

Really, Rob? You (IMO) lying sack of shit? You'd been filing conflict of interest forms before that, and after that, because some city staffer reportedly didn't remind you, you magically forgot?

And, if I'm understanding correctly, this isn't just a civil issue. Creuzot could have filed Class B misdemeanors, at least if the prohibition on state officials applies to local elected bodies. He would have had to prove intent, but, still ...

That said, if former long-term city manager Alan Sims (city manager in 2008 and 2009, at least, per Franke's comments above) is now joining the city council, how much will really change? (Cedar Hill ISD trustee Valerie Banks would have been better, IMO, even if Sims won't be bad — I think.) Well, Cedar Hill voters are apparently allowing package booze sales, so that much has changed. And, Sims didn't appear to be as much a toady to Franke as Sims' assistant city manager, then successor, Greg Porter.

Other Best Southwest election results show long-term Drunkenville ISD board member Dorothy Wolverton poised to lose her seat.

Cedar Hill: You can't yet vote the rascals outbut don't vote another one in!

First, I'm talking about the Dallas suburb, not the St. Louis exurb or other places.

Second, the rascals? Mayor Rob Franke and Councilman Chris Parvin, leaders behind this development scheme which benefits them and their cronies. More details about the land holdings behind the bond issue voted on last year for this here.

I'll admit that I'm surprised at Franke himself. I really shouldn't be. I'm not so surprised at other members of the Cedar Hill City Council who are mentioned. Nor at City Manager Greg Porter, who was a "yes man" when assistant city manager.

However, neither Franke nor Chris Parvin are up for re-election. Jami McCain is, but unopposed. Even worse, the city's planning and zoning commission chair, Chad McCurdy, wants to step up to the council, running against Valerie Banks, former CHISD trustee, and from what I remember of her, a decent school board member.

And, it's "interesting" that Franke stopped making potential land-holding conflict-of-interest disclosures in the same year, 2008, that the now-semi-tumbleweeds Uptown Village mall was under construction.

In addition, it's "interesting" that Franke's veneer of Christian piety appears to be just that and nothing more. I should have been more skeptical a decade ago, at the end of my journalism time there.

Next thing Cedar Hill needs is somebody to run against Franke when he comes up for re-election.

==

Update: Unfortunately, McCurdy one. And a reminder of past electoral shenanigans in the city.

Cedar Hill economic development has one flop

So, the Bailey's in Uptown Village is no longer a steakhouse.

It doesn't surprise me. That said, the Best Southwest could use a place that's a steakhouse, but a bit lighter on the price point than was Bailey's in its original incarnation.

Second, the news is from November?

Either Pegasus News ain't doing that well in the Net search/SEO world or else it's showing little more love to the Best Southwest than is the Dallas Morning News.

Thumbs down to Cedar Hill, Texas... on predatory practice

Thumbs down to the Cedar Hill City Council for entering into a utility bill paying agreement with Western Union, where that agency lets people pay bills for $1.50 per bill at one of its three sites in Cedar Hill.

For people who don’t have computers to pay online, and don’t want to risk late charges with a payment by mail, the city has a drop box, convenient for drive-up payment, in front of the Government Center, the combination city hall and school district administration building. The city simply had no need to enter this agreement.

And, if it touts the agreement, which starts Sept. 1, on its website, it will get another thumb pointing downward.

Best Southwest and Cedar Hill make Business Week

Specifically, Randy Haran, CEO of Texas Air Composites, gets cited, for his company’s use of open-books management.

What open-books management means is that, you train your employees in the basics of finance and accounting and — your books are open to them. Talk about business transparency. And, in today’s day and age, I’m sure it’s a method of boosting employee involvement.

So, read the full story to learn more and see if it might fit your business.

Cedar Hill councilman nearer to DalCo judge run?

Cedar Hill (Texas) City Councilman Wade Emmert told me recently he’s getting closer to making a decision on whether or not to run in the Republican primary for Dallas County Judge next year.

He added that, while State Rep. Helen Giddings would be a formidable general election opponent should she enter the Democratic primary and get the nomination, that wouldn’t sway his decision.

A simple red-light camera solution for Duncanville

As I noted in my day job this week, Duncanville, Texas, a Best Southwest suburb of Dallas, has just a bit of red-light cam zealousness on low-tolerance enforcement.

Only Arlington, with 10 times the population, and Dallas, with 35 times, made more money on red-light cams than Duncanville last year. Or, to look at it another way, Plano, a city with almost eight times the population, made only two-thirds as much money on its more numerous cameras.

As for citations, neighboring city Cedar Hill, with a somewhat larger population, had only about one-eighth as many tickets.

In Duncanville, the vast majority of red-light camera citations come from just two intersections: southbound U.S. 67 service road at Cockrell Hill and Danieldale roads.

And, it also seems apparent that, if not a no-tolerance policy, Duncanville has a small-tolerance policy on stop-line issues.

Solution? Simple, camera-enforceable, and black and white.

But, it would probably cost the City of Red-Light Cams about $600,000.

Ban right-on-red turns at those two sites.

So, what say you, City Manager Kent Cagle? Mayor David Green? Police Chief Brown?

Tin-foil hats in suburban Dallas

In citizens’ comments at the March 10 Cedar Hill City Council meeting, John Lockridge of Duncanville spoke about mandatory microchipping of dogs, as required by city ordinance at the Tri-City Animal Shelter. He claimed that it was against his religious beliefs to have a dog microchipped, and that the procedure could cause cancer in as many as 10 percent of dogs.

More mall buildings to stay empty next year

Many retailers are retrenching for 2009, even if not extremely close to bankruptcy, especially if they have large outstanding lines of credit, I’m guessing.

That means some older malls where tenants have been vacating may have spots remaining vacant.

It also probably means that brand-new places, like Uptown Village here in Cedar Hill, suburban Dallas, where not all the store sights have been filled yet, may well also have sites remain vacant throughout the coming year.

Oh, and the 2005 bankruptcy law changes that got so many consumer activists riled? They affected the ease with which retailers can file, too, especially regarding real estate holdings. Per the Journal, bankruptcy attorney Lawrence Gottlieb saidonly two retailers have successfully emerged from bankruptcy proceedings since the 2005 changes.

For more and more retailers, like Linens 'N Things formerly here in Cedar Hill, that means liquidation instead of bankruptcy restart.

Brinker’s finishes dumping Macaroni Grill

And, dumping is right, as Brinker’s had to sell the Romano’s restaurant line for less than half its original asking price.

Oh, if you have gift cards, they remain valid.

True crime – early Christmas for a girlfriend?

In Cedar Hill, Texas, a shoplifter heisted somewhere from $500-$1,500 of merchandise at the local Victoria's Secret Dec. 15.

I assume Sara's Secret in DeSoto was either his next or his previous stop.

Cedar Hill red-light cams could have a kink

Texas state District Judge Craig Smith says the companies that actually monitor the red-light cameras in Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Dallas and other cities around the Metroplex, have no legal right to do so. The judge's ruling against Redflex Traffic Systems and American Traffic Solutions have led to federal class-action lawsuits against both.

Is Luminant, née TXU, selling CAPP cities a bill of CO2 goods?

Coal-fired electricity could clash with green image of cities, and carbon cap-and-trade, and what other rats might be in the bin?

In exchange for locking in electric rates for 24 years with electrical provider Luminant (the generation part of the old TXU and now part of Energy Future Holdings after its buyout by KKR and – lest we forget – Goldman Sachs, ) via the Cities Aggregation Power Project, Cedar Hill (and other participating cities) are getting a minimum of 60 percent coal-fired electricity.

THAT is how the cities avoid the volatility of commercial electric rates priced on natural gas rates.

But, a number of Dallas-Fort Worth cities were members of the Clean Air Coalition. If any of them have signed on to CAPP, how does coal-fired electricity square with this?

And, if President Obama and the incoming Congress pass a carbon cap-and-trade system, coal-fired electric prices are surely going up. Is there an "out" in the contract for Luminant if that happens? Was the possibility even discussed?

It appears that, according to the city of Cedar Hill, and from what I've seen in the CAPP contract (though I haven't looked at it recently), there is no such provision.

All good news on the economic side for Cedar Hill and other cities. But, what if we go beyond cap-and-trade to a full-blown carbon tax? Luminant still appears on the hook... unless it deliberately tries to break the contract.

Luminant has said in the past it's OK with such a system, as long as it did not single out utilities. And, I am sure electric utility lobbyists would take care of that.

Also, Luminant touts its carbon dioxide offsets; if enough cities sign up for CAPP, will it have to build another wind farm to offset all the carbon from its coal-fired plants running nonstop, even if the coal-generated electricity, and its lower price, is only 60 percen t of the total electric delivery?

And, beyond that, neither the old TXU, nor KKR or Goldman Sachs, got rich by either being stupid or by being generous. If they're offering cities like Cedar Hill cheap electricity, there's a catch somewhere.

Getting 2/3 of the money up front does help pay off its LBO debt quickly, but it still seems risky to price even the coal-generated 60 percent of power that cheaply, and unless it gets a LOT of cities to sign up, just the up-front money can't do that much debt-clearing.

Oh, and in case you have forgotten, or did not know, here is a reminder of just how dirty the Luminant coal-fired plants are in terms of mercury emissions – four of their plants produce 5 percent of all mercury pollution in the country.

CAPP, not Cedar Hill, could be stuck with global warming costs

Coal-fired electricity could clash with green image, and carbon cap-and-trade

Updated from an earlier post:

In exchange for locking in electric rates for 24 years with electrical provider Luminant via the Cities Aggregation Power Project, Cedar Hill (and other participating cities) are getting all coal-fired electricity.

THAT is how they avoid the volatility of commercial electric rates priced on natural gas rates.

But, Cedar Hill Mayor Rob Franke, and the city, have in the past presented an environmental image. How does coal-fired electricity square with this?

In case you have forgotten, or did not know, here is a reminder of just how dirty the Luminant coal-fired plants are in terms of mercury emissions – four of their plants produce 5 percent of all mercury pollution in the country.

And, if President Obama and the incoming Congress pass a carbon cap-and-trade system, coal-fired electric prices are surely going up. Is there an "out" in the contract for Luminant if that happens? Was the possibility even discussed?

It appears that, according to the city of Cedar Hill, and from what I've seen in the CAPP contract (though I haven't looked at it recently), there is no such provision.

All good news on the economic side for Cedar Hill and other cities. But, what if we go beyond cap-and-trade to a full-blown carbon tax? Luminant still appears on the hook... unless it deliberately tries to break the contract.

Oh, and in case you have forgotten, or did not know, here is a reminder of just how dirty the Luminant coal-fired plants are in terms of mercury emissions – four of their plants produce 5 percent of all mercury pollution in the country.

The flip side of Cedar Hill's 24-year electric deal ...

Is dark and dirty.

In exchange for locking in electric rates for 24 years with electrical provider Luminant via the Cities Aggregation Power Project, Cedar Hill (and other participating cities) are getting all coal-fired electricity.

THAT is how they avoid the volatility of commercial electric rates priced on natural gas rates.

But, Cedar Hill Mayor Rob Franke, and the city, have in the past presented an environmental image. How does coal-fired electricity square with this?

And, if President Obama and the incoming Congress pass a carbon cap-and-trade system, coal-fired electric prices are surely going up. Is there an "out" in the contract if that happens? Was the possibility even discussed?

‘Hell House’ gets protest – from another church

The famous, or infamous, Hell House at Trinity Church in Cedar Hill has drawn a protest from another Dallas-area church – onsite at Trinity:

Members of a separate North Texas church are so upset about a controversial haunted house, they gathered Wednesday to protest outside the house.

“We are just appalled,” said Tommy Houghteling with First United Methodist Church in Richardson.

Houghteling told CBS 11 News that the message Trinity Church is sending to the young members is that if you struggle with certain issues then God has no place for you.

Apparently, the protest included “flipping the bird” at Trinity by one protestor.

I should have pix later.

Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill gets a black mark?

I can think of only one church in Cedar Hill big enough to be called a “megachurch” by a professional church shopper.

Yep, there are now “mystery worshippers,” just like mystery shoppers.

And, the one who came to Cedar Hill sounds a bit persnickety.

Cedar Hill PD in largest drug bust in North Texas history

400 kilos cocaine, 400 pounds meth involved

Cedar Hill Police arrested two people as part of 22 arrests made in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in what the Department of Justice, Northern Division of Texas, called the biggest drug bust ever, in terms of combined quantity of drugs and money.

Neighboring Best Southwest cities of DeSoto and Duncanville also had arrests.

What restaurant is next after Bennigan’s?

To tighten ship, or even close, that is.

Locally, here in Cedar Hill in particular and the Best Southwest part of suburban Dallas in general, we have several representatives of the top candidates among restaurant chains to close at least some individual restaurants, if not have company-wide troubles.

In general, think of the casual/semi-casual dining type and you’ve got the idea: from Red Robin at the low end through Cheesecake Factory and on to Brinker, the parent of Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, On the Border, Olive Garden and Red Lobster.

Why?

Anthony Mirhaydari says its because the current recession is shaping up to be more like the Carter-Reagan recession than the H.W. Bush or Clinton-Shrub recessions. I agree.

Both those recessions did not have oil or food prices as drivers. And, neither lasted as long as the Carter-Reagan one.

Beyond that, let me weigh in with some other observations.

Too much overlap.

How different, really, are Olive Garden (Darden’s) and Romano’s (Brinker’s)? No, I’m not encouraging restaurant company collusion, just making an observation.

For that matter, within Brinker’s, how much difference is there between Romano’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy?

As for Bennigan’s? The signs were there a month ago.

Bennigan’s folds

The restaurant chain, headquartered in suburban Dallas, is shutting its doors.

Bennigan’s, with locations in 32 states, had previously shut low-performing locations like the one in Cedar Hill, Texas, and been facing bankruptcy rumors.

Khelil is right that geopolitical tensions have some influence on oil prices. But not that much.