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The current board and commission members’ terms will end in September, but Councilor Paul Ridley would like them to be replaced by then.
City of Dallas
Newly elected councilor Paul Ridley’s job isn’t starting out the way he imagined it would. In May, he won the seat for District 14 by ousting incumbent David Blewett. Ridley was ready to get to work, including announcing new employees.
Blewett may have lost the election, sure, but his crew has plans of their own. Now the appointees are refusing to step down, despite Ridley repeatedly urging them to resign.
It is common practice for new council members to change the boards and commissions after they take office. When first contacted, Ridley’s office reacted in a professional tone that didn’t quite address the situation the politician is now in.
“Councilor Ridley is currently reviewing the existing appointees and making any changes he deems necessary,” his spokesman said via email, adding that the councilor “thanked the current appointees for their time and commitment to the city want to express “.
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But in a follow-up call, Ridley put it more bluntly, stating that almost all of Blewett’s appointed staff have refused to step down.
“I think I got a mandate in the election for new leadership,” he said. “Most of the commissioners were appointed by my predecessor and I believe voters want new leadership in these positions and that is my reason for replacing them.”
Ridley knows he’s gotten into a unique conundrum here. “I’m the only one on the council in this election who defeated the incumbent, so I’m the only one facing this situation,” he said.
Blewett finished second in the general election. When the race resulted in a runoff election, Blewett tried to appeal to more conservative voters, changed his stance on his previous vote to cut the Dallas Police Department’s overtime budget, and said he wanted to restore it entirely.
The tactic failed, however: Blewett had raised about four times more money than his opponent, but Ridley walked away with 61% of the vote.
So far, Blewett’s agents have given Ridley no explanation as to why they are asserting themselves. Contacted by the observer, the appointees did not respond to requests for comment.
Blewett replied when asked about the appointees. Council members, he said in a text, “nominate. Full advice confirmed for two years [council members] Asking confirmed people to resign or just Ridley? ”
Ridley doesn’t understand. In any case, the terms of office of the appointees last only a few months. The term of office of the members of the Board of Directors and the Commission ends on September 30th. “So I can’t explain to you what your reasons are for resisting to admit the new leadership team,” he said.
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Former city council member David Blewett was in a similar situation when he was elected two years ago. He inherited his opponents’ appointments, but decided to let them sit out their terms.
Jim Lee
When we asked Blewett what he would do if he were in Ridley’s position, he pointed out that he was in a similar situation two years ago. Blewett had defeated former county council member Philip Kingston, the incumbent in that race, and was bogged down with his opponent’s crops. Ridley was one of them.
Ridley was just ending his eighth year on the City Planning Commission when Blewett was elected in 2019. Ridley also spent four years representing District 14 on the landmark commission. However, instead of asking her to resign, Blewett said he let her sit out her term.
“I even let Ridley stay until November because he had a couple of cases that he wanted to close,” said Blewett.
Still, Ridley wants to get his team up and running. He’s also worried about what Blewett’s appointees might do with the remaining terms.
“The councilors can’t do everything,” said Ridley. “We depend to a considerable extent on the work of the various commissions. Therefore, it is vital that we have people in these positions who are interested in the work of these commissions and are fully involved in the work of the city through these commissions. ”
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