I have been quite critical of various members of the Dallas city political establishment this summer, using terms like un-savvy and “least politically sophisticated in 25 years” to describe their behavior during the budget crisis, the debate over the convention center hotel, and the renaming Industrial fiasco.
Neil Emmons, on the other hand, apparently understands something the rest of them don’t. Emmons is a local, Angela Hunt’s appointee to the plan commission. His solution to the Industrial/Ross/Chavez mess? Rename the tollway for the Hispanic farm workers leader, since it cuts through what used to be the Little Mexico neighborhood. He told the city hall blog at Dallas’ Only Daily Newspaper: “This would be a far more important presence. AND it was this tollway that basically wiped out the important and well-established early community and caused it to relocate.”
This is a stroke of genius.
Emmons’ suggestion solves all of the renaming problems:
• It honors Chavez and does so in a sensible and sensitive manner. (And that most of the tollway doesn’t go through Little Mexico, but through mostly Anglo Preston Hollow, North Dallas and the northern suburbs is a clever bit of irony. And if Emmons doesn’t realize that, I’ll give him the credit anyway.)
• It doesn’t step on any toes. Who could possibly be offended by changing the name of the Dallas North Tollway, a name most of us don’t use and don’t know?
• Most importantly, it gets the council off the hook and puts the tollway authority on it. The council has absolutely no standing to change the name of the tollway. All it can do is ask the tollway authority, a state agency, to consider the change. It would be up to the authority to make any final decision, and who knows? Maybe we can even get the legislature involved. This is buck passing of the highest bureaucratic order –- tremendously impressive. How much fun would it be to watch the tollway authority (seven of the eight directors are Anglo men) squirm and crawfish under that spotlight?
Neil, I think Dave Neumann, who chairs the council committee overseeing the naming silliness, owes you lunch.
