Leading Off (5/10/10)

1. Are you, like me, addicted to all news related to Greece’s financial meltdown and the possible global economic meltdown that may ensue because of it? If so, you’ll be interested to hear Dallas has its own potential meldown on its hands: billions of dollars of back pay liability that may be due former police officers and firefighters. Time to stock up on canned food and ammunition.

2. I’m still not sure where Riverfront Boulevard is, but it seems the DMN interviewed a bunch of skeptical stakeholders on Industrial Boulevard who have doubts about the city’s plans to rework the street of liquor stores, bail bondsmen, and jails to condos, retail, blah, blah, blah. I would have doubts, too, if the council person leading the effort delivered choice quotes like this one from Dave Neumann: “I’m very much an advocate of property rights, and I respect property rights, but I’m also an advocate of our city moving forward.” Which basically means he doesn’t respect property rights if your property is in the way of the bulldozers. In that case, why squabble about property rights at all?

3. What does Eric Cowan’s victory in the DISD school board race mean? That Cowan is a candidate that transcends racial concerns? That non-hispanic Oak Cliff dwellers are flexing their slowly growing political might? That public schools that are overwhelmingly Hispanic won’t have representation that understands their particular concerns and issues? That racial politics don’t matter when it comes to making good decisions about local schools? Or that Cowan actually cared about winning, and with low-turnout DISD school board elections, that’s what counts?

4. And, finally, Rudy Bush points us to the briefing DART will give to the Dallas City Council today, which basically says that the transportation system is broke. Happy Monday.