Another Charter Amendment Designed to Strip Authority From Dallas Park Board Fails
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Former Dallas City Councilman Adam Medrano acknowledged Tuesday that he proposed a charter amendment stripping authority from the Dallas Park and Recreation Board because he was circumvented by developers several years ago who wanted to privatize Reverchon Park — an action that could have been avoided if authority was given instead to the City Manager’s Office.
Medrano, who now serves as a Charter Review Commission member, co-authored the amendment with fellow CRC member Marshall Mills. The amendment failed 11-3, meaning it will not go before voters in a November charter election.
This was the third proposed amendment that critics say was an effort to undermine the popular Park and Recreation Board and empower the troubled City Manager’s Office. City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced his resignation in February. On Tuesday, Broadnax was named the sole finalist for the city manager post in Austin. His last day on Marilla Street is June 3; Deputy City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert will serve in the interim while a national search is conducted.
The language of Amendment 103, Medrano’s and Mills’ proposal, states, “Allow the City Council, rather than the Park Board, to appoint the director of the Parks and Recreation Department.” The authors said its purpose was to increase transparency and accountability.
Amendment 85, submitted by former Councilman Chris Luna, and Amendment 70, submitted by Civil Rights activist Dominique Alexander, also proposed removing authority from the advisory board and placing it under the city manager. Both amendments failed in a March 4 Charter Review Commission meeting.
Dallas Park Board Members Speak Against Amendment
Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, chatter from park champions alluded to Medrano being salty about a decision related to Reverchon Park four years ago for which he blames the Park Board and department Director John Jenkins.
Numerous parks advocates, including District 14 Park Board member Rudy Karimi, addressed the Charter Review Commission on Tuesday.
“Policies made around singular events or singular individuals is not policy at all,” Karimi said. “It’s retribution and doesn’t belong anywhere in our government.”
District 13 Park Board member Calvert Collins-Bratton said the board supports its director.
“Sure we respectfully disagree at times, but we don’t have to deal with the politics; we’re aligned on the goals of parks, trails recreation, and amenities,” Collins-Bratton said. “We’re highly efficient at passing policy and building public-private partnerships. Unlike the council, the director knows we have his back. He gets a very robust performance review. We spend hours without the toxicity and divisiveness that often exists at council.”
Park Board Chairman Arun Agarwal reiterated the drum beat expressed by many parks advocates: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Medrano Addresses Reverchon Park
Medrano said he began working for the Dallas park system when he was 19 years old and later became a full-time employee.
“I love parks,” he said.
He explained that when he was a council member, his appointed park board member Jesse Moreno (now the District 2 councilman) was approached by developers who wanted to privatize Reverchon Park.
“We told them no and they went away,” Medrano said. “That’s not going to happen here, not on my watch.”
The developers later came back and went around Moreno and Medrano.
“They started working on a plan without me knowing and without my park board member knowing,” he said. “This was going to be ramrodded down my district, down our throats. If y’all know me, I’m not going to back down. I’m a fighter. I’m also going to do what’s right for the city and what’s right for my community.”
Ultimately a backroom deal was brokered and “we lost Reverchon Park,” Medrano said. The only reason the developer didn’t create the planned project at Reverchon is they were unable to raise funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, Medrano added, saying that the City Council later voided the deal.
Medrano said if he ever had a chance to correct what happened with Reverchon, he would do it.
“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “Not to retaliate. It’s not retaliation. It’s to protect other parks and other things from happening.”
Mills also said he was not retaliating but was trying to make the city better.
“In my opinion, now more than ever, I believe it is important to ensure transparency and accountability for the mayor, city council, city manager, and all directors of the various departments,” Mills said. “The purpose of my co-sponsorship of Amendment 103 with Commissioner Medrano was and is to have an open discussion regarding the accountability, the efficiency, and the transparency of the Park and Recreation Department.”
A slate of charter amendments will be recommended by the Charter Review Commission, forwarded to the Dallas City Council for a vote, and ultimately placed on a November ballot for voters to decide. A telephone town hall meeting on the charter review process is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 1.
