When City Councilman Bill Roth nominated a professor from Southern Methodist University to the Ethics Advisory Commission, the council denied her appointment because some members disapproved of her husband’s involvement in particular issues.

Natalie LeVeck is an adjunct professor at SMU Dedman School of Law and senior counsel for Google.

Her husband, Damien LeVeck, is the executive director of Dallas HERO, a nonprofit organization that played a crucial role in the passage of Proposition U in 2024. This proposition aimed to increase the pay and staffing requirements for the Dallas Police Department. However, the City of Dallas has not fulfilled the voters’ mandate in either of these areas.

Roth nominated Natalie for the ethics commission in a council meeting on October 1, calling her “very qualified.” However, Councilman Chad West expressed concerns about Damien, and the council ultimately rejected her appointment 6-9.

Damien told The Dallas Express he thinks this sets a “dangerous precedent.”

“I’m concerned this kind of vindictive behavior from council members will have a chilling effect,” Damien said. “Qualified residents may think twice about serving on volunteer boards or commissions for the City of Dallas for fear their family’s social media history will be used against them.”

Roth urged the council to evaluate Natalie’s qualifications rather than basing their decision on their feelings about her husband.

“I am not appointing her husband to this position,” Roth said. “My appointment and any of our appointments should be based on their qualifications, not on the applicants’ spouses, family members, or friends.”

While West said he could cite a “dozen” concerns about Natalie, he decided to focus on one: her husband.

“Normally, I think it’s important to remember that spouses and family members can be starkly different people,” West said. “But the LeVecks appear to be a unified force, whether it be social media presence, electoral activities, political donations, or speaking at city hall.”

After the council rejected Natalie’s nomination to the Ethics Advisory Commission, Damien posted on X, calling it “RETALIATION …. That’s an ethics violation in itself.” 

Damien often testifies at council meetings and has previously filed an ethics complaint against West for allegedly using campaign funds at a men’s bathhouse in Washington, D.C.

City code bans retaliation for “filing a complaint, or for testifying, assisting, or participating, in any manner, in a proceeding or hearing under this chapter.” 

“It’s no coincidence that the very council members I’ve filed ethics complaints against and spotlighted in videos are the same ones who voted ‘no’ on my highly qualified wife’s appointment,” Damien told The Dallas Express. 

The Nomination

When Roth nominated Natalie to the ethics commission, he said she would help represent District 11. He said the role required specific criteria, as the inspector general would submit proposed cases to the commission for evaluation of claims and recommendations of sanctions.

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“The process requires private deliberations, it’s confidential, it requires integrity, it requires recognition of legal process, fiduciary responsibility, and adherence to a code of ethics,” Roth explained. “My choice in this appointment covers all of these criteria.”

The council recently hired a new inspector general, who drew public scrutiny because he was not a licensed attorney, as required by the city charter. According to KERA, less than three months after the hiring, the council fired him. Before him, the prior inspector general claimed he was wrongfully fired for exposing government waste.

Roth said Natalie passed a city background check and was a licensed attorney, citing her work at SMU and Google. 

“In that capacity, she’s subject to adherence of rules of confidentiality, codes of ethics, and fiduciary responsibility,” Roth said. “She is an active and vocal participant in community relations and in local, neighborhood, and city issues.”

While Roth acknowledged Damien was active in city issues and gained “some notoriety,” but asked the council to consider Natalie based on her own merits. He called Natalie “very qualified” and believed she would represent the district well. 

“I would ask you to please approve the appointment of Natalie LeVeck,” Roth said. 

The Debate

The council had been considering Natalie on a slate of other nominees, but West successfully moved to separate her nomination from the others. 

“These approvals are typically a matter of course, where we defer to our colleagues’ judgment even at times where we might not agree with them, or particularly like the candidate,” West said. “This is a different situation.”

West said he did not think Natalie could be “beyond reproach” or a “neutral actor,” considering she was married to Damien. 

West took issue with Damien posting AI-generated videos, one of which mimicked the voice of City Manager Kim Tolbert. 

“The imitation of our city manager is in one of his trash collection videos,” he said. “It shows that Mr. LeVeck will stoop to any means necessary, even creating fake statements that sound real, in achieving his goals.”

In the video about Dallas ending alley trash pickup, Damien included the following disclaimer: “Calm down, media watchdogs – this is a parody.” 

“If you’re clutching your pearls, maybe focus on the city breaking its promises to residents instead of me poking fun with a robot voice.”

“Mrs. LeVeck cannot be immune from such behavior and does not need to be in a position where she has access to confidential information about council appointees and city staff,” West said. “I do not believe the ethics commission is the right place for her.”

City Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn, however, called Natalie “extremely qualified.”

Mendelsohn said if the nominee violated ethics or confidentiality standards, she could not have held her current positions at Google or SMU.

“The question of if we turn down a resident who’s willing to give their time voluntarily and is qualified, because they have a family member you might not like, is really shocking,” Mendelsohn said. “She’s incredibly bright, knowledgeable, ethical, and I think she would serve the city well.”

Mayor Eric Johnson initially opposed West’s motion to divide Natalie’s nomination for the others and supported her bid for the position. 

“When we say we’re going to just shut down the talking, because we’re tired of it, is an extraordinary measure. I’ve never voted for that, ever,” Johnson said. “Similarly, I’ve never taken a position to be against an individual council member’s nominee to one of these boards or commissions.”

Johnson said he allows commission members with whom he disagrees, since he respects council members’ ability to choose officials who represent their communities. Though he called West’s points “extremely valid.” 

For the sake of precedent, Johnson said he would support Natalie’s nomination, adding that he wanted to avoid unnecessary debate about qualified candidates.

“Unless there’s a real issue with their qualifications, I think you have to overcome not liking their politics or not liking their personality,” Johnson said. 

He called Natalie “extremely qualified” for the position.

“I definitely don’t want to have somebody have to account for the beliefs or position of someone’s husband or wife, and have that be part of the debate,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, the council shot down Natalie’s nomination.

Calls For Accountability

Damien said City Hall has been working under a “cloak of apathy” for years, but now, more people are paying attention.

“It’s exposing the decades of corruption that have run rampant,” he told The Dallas Express. “My goal online has always been simple: to call balls and strikes on ethics, no matter who’s involved.”

Several council members have recently sparked ethics concerns. 

In an August meeting, Councilwoman Paula Blackmon made comments suggesting she might use a city lobbyist for her private interests in West Texas, as The Dallas Express reported. In the same meeting, Councilman Adam Bazaldua attempted to pay that same lobbyist $85,000 more than she had requested to close the “gender pay gap.” The duo recently barged into a meeting of other council members and homeless advocates, claiming violations of open meetings laws.

Bazaldua also recently took a reportedly taxpayer-funded trip to Japan, while the council was working to cut taxes ahead of the city’s annual 2025-2026 budget vote. He attended the budget vote virtually, as he had not yet returned from the trip. The Dallas Express has submitted a public records request for expenses related to this trip; however, the city has yet to provide the requested documents.