The idea of City Hall can feel daunting for many residents to understand. Between endless scheduling, zoning plans, budget discussions, town hall meetings and other government jargon, some Dallas residents may steer away navigating local government.
Photography by Victoria Gomez
However, for Scott Goldstein, those complexities presented an opportunity to help bridge the knowledge gap surrounding City Hall.
Goldstein, a Maryland native and current Lake Highlands resident, understands firsthand how complicated local government can be.
“I worked for the last mayor, Mayor Rawlings, from 2015 to 2019,” he says. “After that, I served time on the park board, where I recently just stepped down.”
Goldstein says his decision to step down from the park board was largely personal, stemming from the challenge of balancing volunteer public service with his growing consulting business.
“These volunteer positions, if you want to do them right, can be really difficult when you have a full-time job,” he explains.
Still, Goldstein’s interest in local government never faded. Instead, he found a new way to stay engaged through his public-facing newsletter focused on Dallas City Hall.
Goldstein’s connection to Dallas is deeply personal. He and his wife, Sam Goldstein, have lived in Lake Highlands for more than a decade, first purchasing their home in the L Streets before later moving just a mile and a half away within the same neighborhood.
“We’ve ended up in Lake Highlands twice now,” he says. “It just kind of draws you in. It feels like a small town within a big city.”
His newsletter, Meetings of Interest, also marked a return to Goldstein’s journalistic roots.
“From 2006 to 2014, I worked at The Dallas Morning News, where I covered Dallas police, courts and Dallas City Hall,” he says.
Naturally, the routine of researching and studying all government memos and committee agendas each week was already familiar to him from his earlier reporting days.
“I just felt like (government) information would be of value to a segment of our community and would support good government,” he says.
The beginning of Meetings of Interest traces back to Downtown Dallas Inc., where Goldstein worked full-time about three years ago.
During his time there, the organization produced an internal memo called “Meetings of Interest,” which later inspired the name of Goldstein’s newsletter.
“I give DDI and the folks that worked on it there a lot of credit, because they had that internal mechanism to report out to the staff,” he says.
According to Goldstein, readership and engagement quickly exceeded his expectations.
Today, the newsletter has around 5,500 subscribers.
“Usually Sunday night, sometimes Monday morning, there will be a dispatch from me reporting out on what’s to come and why it’s important,” he says.
Goldstein breaks down dense City agendas and development discussions by using bullet-points, table-of-contents, highlights and recaps of previous agendas. The newsletter is also available on a website for those who aren’t subscribed to access.
Although the newsletter draws heavily from his reporting background, Goldstein says he no longer considers himself a traditional journalist. Instead, he views his project as a way to complement local reporting and highlight the work of Dallas news organizations.
“I appreciate very much the journalists who actually do the day-to-day work,” he says.
Former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says Goldstein’s ability to explain intricate city issues made him an important part of his administration.
“Scott is a relentless worker who knows exactly how the gears of City Hall turn,” Rawlings says. “He was a vital part of my office because he can take the most complex policy and translate it into what matters for residents. He’s spent his career as a journalist, a policy advisor and a communicator explaining this city to itself. His newsletter is a natural — and necessary — extension of that work.”
With thousands of local subscribers, Goldstein has become a resource for Dallas residents who want to stay informed even when they cannot attend City meetings.
“If I can bring someone factual information, even though I can be snarky and sometimes insert my opinions, then I’ll do it,” he says. “I think information and awareness helps your government and helps a democratic system thrive.”
Former Dallas Park and Recreation Board President Joan Walne says Goldstein’s ability to combine information with humor keeps his readers engaged.
“We are so thankful Scott spends all weekend considering all important city and City Hall news and actions,” Walne says. “The most enjoyable part is his very quick wit and humor added to the crazy things happening.”
Meetings of Interest is currently not affiliated with any other organization. Editing support comes from Goldstein’s wife and co-founder Vana Hammond at his company, The GoldHam Group, as he continues building the newsletter each week.
