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Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn wants to change Dallas’ form of government, giving the mayor the power that presently belongs to the city manager. Councilmember Adam Bazaldua would like to not have to wait for the mayor to call meetings into order. Councilmember Paul Ridley wants to double term lengths for the City Council from two years to four.

These are a few of the 17 amendments to the charter proposed by the mayor and council. Every 10 years, the city of Dallas opens up its governing document and lets residents submit changes. These proposed amendments get vetted by a review commission before heading to the City Council for a vote. Voters will weigh in on their decisions this November.

Council had until last Friday to submit their own amendments, which will be considered along with the eight from the public that the commission approved that have been winnowed down by Council. Six of the Council’s proposals involve modifying the powers of the mayor. Under Dallas’ council-manager form of government, the mayor’s true power comes in appointments. His is one of 15 votes, which means he must build a consensus to push through policy. It’s not like in Houston, whose new mayor immediately got to work ripping out streets projects supported by his predecessor because he can.

Bazaldua and Ridley both presented charter amendments to require the Council to vote on the mayor’s appointments to committees. Those are powerful positions that can shape and direct policy. It’s not uncommon for mayors to use the power to reward or punish their colleagues.

Ridley argues for Council approval for the mayor’s chair appointments in order to “eliminate confusion.” Bazaldua’s asks for the Council to ratify all committee appointments and gives the mayor a 60-day deadline to make them. Behind the scenes, multiple council members expressed frustration with how long it took the mayor to make his appointments. Johnson waited two months after the June runoff last year to announce his decision, which typically occurs within weeks of the election as it did in 2021.

“I’m just looking at the charter review process as an opportunity to make our government more efficient,” Bazaldua said in a text message. “I believe these recommendations would help accomplish that.”

North Texas Real Estate Gets Less Insane. According to Todd Luong, with RE/MAX, which just released a housing report for April: “Compared to a couple of years ago, we are definitely seeing a slightly more balanced market, as homebuyers now have a much greater supply of inventory to pick from. But more importantly, buyers are facing far less competition than before and bidding wars are no longer the norm. Despite all that, the number of months of housing supply in most parts of Dallas-Fort Worth indicates that we are still in more of a seller’s market.”

Chili’s Is Not Closing All Its Restaurants. I know you’ll find it shocking that the internet has been spreading false rumors, but Chili’s ain’t going anywhere.

Emmitt Smith Speaks up for DEI. His alma mater, the University of Florida, eliminated DEI programs to stay on the right side of Florida’s laws. Emmitt told USA Today: “At the end of the day, this country was built on people fighting for what is right for everybody, not just a select few. And with that fight, and with the University of Florida being as visible as it is, it irked me. To the fullest. Because I remember the time when our president at the university would stand up and say, ‘Nah, we’re the University of Florida. We’re going to be here a lot longer than you, [Gov.] Ron DeSantis; a lot longer than you, Jeb Bush; we’re going to be here a lot longer than any other governor that tries to push something of this magnitude down the throats of so many Americans and so many Florida citizens.’ To me, that’s a problem.” One wonders if Emmitt knows what Michael Jordan said about selling sneakers.

Scottie Scheffler’s Court Date Postponed. He had been scheduled to appear in a Kentucky court today, but a judge pushed that appearance back to June 3, over objections of a county prosecutor. Where are the protests, y’all?! No justice, no peace.

Jasmine Crockett Launches Clapback Collection. If you aren’t up to speed on the congresswoman’s feud with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, then you won’t buy a t-shirt that says “bleach blonde, bad built, butch body.” But if you are up to speed, that’s pretty damn funny. Shop the idiocracy.

No Games Tonight. Get some sleep! Rest up! All the sports start tomorrow. Feels like Mayor Eric Johnson is about to make some more “friendly belt buckle bets.”

Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić are becoming known as the best huggers in the NBA. Just watch this embrace after their Game 6 victory over the Thunder. That’s the kind of hug that will bring a grown man to tears. Do you see the way Luka gives Kyrie the three pats on the back that signal “This hug is about to wrap up,” but then Kyrie doesn’t let go, refuses to wrap up, just snuggles up even closer to Luka’s cheek, getting even more hug? I would pay a lot of money to get in on that hug. Fantastic hug.

Maybe some of that hug still had my brain in a warm and fuzzy state this morning when I scrolled past a video clip on Twitter that made me do a double take. Kyrie and Luka are doing a post-game interview together, and Kyrie says, “LeBron has one of his rings because of me, and now I’m trying to get a ring for this handsome White stud sitting next to me.” Really? Huh. Watch it for yourself.

Then I got a minute after lunch and figured I should see what people were saying about Kyrie’s intentions and his description of his hugging partner. I was surprised to find nothing. The same clip is on YouTube but there was no commentary anywhere. So I went back and tracked down the tweet and waded into the comments and—oh. Yeah. That’s AI.

So here’s your friendly reminder: find someone you love like Kyrie and Luka love each other, and give that someone an extended cheek-to-check hug. It will make you happy. And watch out for AI, folks. It’s only going to get scarier.

A memo to the City Council revealed Monday that the city of Dallas will have three more leadership roles to fill, including one of its top spots.

Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert told the Council that Deputy City Manager Jon Fortune and Chief of Staff Genesis Gavino informed her that they planned to leave their posts. In her Monday memo, she says that Fortune’s last day will be June 7, and Gavino’s last day will be May 31. Both are headed to Austin to work with former Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax. Fortune will fill a vacant deputy city manager seat, and Gavino will be a special assistant to Broadnax, a memo to the Austin City Council said Monday.

Fortune joined the city in 2017, first as assistant city manager and then as deputy city manager—a title also held by Tolbert before she was appointed interim city manager. He oversaw Dallas Fire-Rescue, the Dallas Police Department, the City Marshal’s office, Dallas municipal courts, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Office of Integrated Public Safety Solutions. He also implemented a market-based pay structure for police and firefighters and the Rapid Integrated Group Health (or RIGHT) Care program that paired first responders with mental health professionals during psychiatric calls.

“Jon led the implementation of transformative programs and helped shepherd the City through various challenges and crises,” Tolbert said.

This is Conference Finals Week. The Mavs will tip off their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow night; the Inside the NBA crew all likes Minnesota. The Stars will find out their opponent (Vancouver or Edmonton) tonight, and then face off on Wednesday. Hopefully those series continue to be on alternating days, just to give our StrongSide crew a fighting chance at getting a tiny bit of sleep.

Early Voting In Runoff Races Begins Today. Probably the biggest contest on the ballot is incumbent Dallas County Sheriff Marion Brown against her predecessor Lupe Valdez.

Man, It’s a Hot One. But that cannot surprise anyone.

From the NY Post: “Republican Congressman Files for Divorce Amid Rumored Relationship With House GOP Colleague.” That colleague would be Beth Van Duyne, the former mayor of Irving. And from the Daily Mail: “One GOP member told DailyMail.com they had seen McCormick and and Van Duyne, 53, ‘holding hands under the table’ at the weekly Republican Study Committee lunch within the last three to four months and had seen him ‘grab the small of her back’ on the House floor during votes.”

Here’s a reminder to everyone reading this to open a private tab on your phone before you google “Republican Study Committee lunch.”

Matt Goodman wrote a story in the May issue of D Magazine about a lawyer who keeps landlords in check. No one else in the country is doing what Mark Melton does with his Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center. He’s an interesting cat who worked as a bouncer before becoming a partner at Holland & Knight. As you can see in the above photo, he’s got a Zalat Pizza tattoo on his arm. That’s how much he loves pizza. Check out this episode of EarBurner to learn about your city and the foot infection that almost killed Mark. (Does that sound gross? It’s a little gross.)

Scottie was arrested last night. Everyone knows this already. OK, but that V neck orange shirt? Come on, Louisville. You can do better.

Scottie Scheffler Detained in Louisville by Police. Louisville Metro Police took the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer into custody as he tried to drive into the entrance of the Valhalla Golf Club without following their instructions early this morning. A shuttle bus had struck and killed a man around 5 a.m., and Scheffler tried to get around the scene by driving on a median. An officer pulled the Dallas native out of the vehicle, put him in cuffs, and arrested him. He’s charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. His tee time is 10:08 a.m. EST and he’s still in jail.

The NRA Is In Town. Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump will visit the NRA convention on Saturday, with the latter delivering the keynote. Police expect hundreds of gun-law reform protesters and upwards of 70,000 attendees at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Summer Is Here. Hope you enjoyed the last gasp of spring yesterday, because we’re now living in the 90s and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. There’s a low chance of scattered thunderstorms today with highs in the low 80s. The high tomorrow leaps to 91 and Sunday’s will be 92. Cloudy and sunny weekend ahead, folks. Use it to prepare for the blast furnace we’re about to be living in.

As Matt mentioned in his earlier post about Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert locking down Chief Eddie García, the press release included a football analogy that, depending on your taste, was a bit much. Tolbert said: “If this was [sic] NFL Football, we were able to keep Chief García on the Dallas Team; he’s the right quarterback to lead our police department. We certainly didn’t want to lose him to free agency.”

For my taste? Tolbert didn’t go far enough. If she really cared, if she actually wanted to become our permanent city manager, here’s the press release she would have given us:

“If this were the national league of football, we are like Howie Roseman, the general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. I know everyone in Dallas hates the Eagles, but you have to admit that Howie has done a wonderful job of balancing current needs with the needs of the future. DaVonta Smith. Need I say more? Let me say more. I see Chief García as the city’s middle linebacker. The other team, the one I’ll call the Bad Guys, they try to run all over Dallas. Not with García patrolling the middle of the field. He knows how to call the right defensive formations to stymie the Bad Guys. And, like Howie Roseman signing C.J. Uzomah to a one-year contract, we made a move to keep our tight end room operating at full strength. I know that’s not the same thing as a linebacker, but it’s still football, and I just want you to know that Dallas is all in. One final note: Zeke Elliott? Seriously?!”

The city of Dallas has reached an “agreement” with the police chief to keep him here for at least the next three years. The news was announced through a carefully worded press release from Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert that refers to this arrangement as a “plan” and a “commitment” but not a “contract,” which is something the city charter wouldn’t allow.

Dallas’ city charter defines department leaders like Chief Eddie García as at-will employees, meaning they’re welcome to walk and the city manager is welcome to fire them. That also makes them targets for other cities looking for a new top cop. The release says the “agreement” is “an addendum to the chief’s initial offer letter” and was signed Thursday afternoon. The new terms include a twice-annual $10,000 retention bonus and a commitment to remain in Dallas until May 2027. If he gets fired, he’ll get a full year’s salary, worth $306,440.40. If he resigns or is convicted “of an offense of moral turpitude or a felony criminal act,” he won’t receive anything.

“To live and work in Dallas is to love Dallas,” García said in a statement. “This is the right place to complete my service, and I know your police officers are honored to serve Dallas residents. We will keep doing our jobs with excellence and results.”

García became big news last week with sudden police chief openings in Houston and Austin. Former Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax is now running the show in the capitol city, and the close relationship he had with García alarmed City Hall about possible wandering eyes. Houston Mayor John Whitmire has been rumored to want García in the state’s largest city, particularly after implementing a violent crime reduction plan that’s showing results.