Dallas residents are concerned about City leadership’s business ethics, according to a new survey.
The 2024 City of Dallas community survey revealed that 43% of residents disagree that “[g]overnment leaders at the City of Dallas are ethical in the way they conduct business.” Only 21% of respondents said they agreed, and 37% said they were neutral.
The city council attempted to address ethics concerns last year when it unanimously passed eight changes to its ethics code, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. One of the accountability measures required paid campaign staffers of city council members to reveal potential conflicts of interest in business.
Another lowered the standard of proof for complaints of ethical violations against City officials from “clear and convincing” to a “preponderance of the evidence” suggesting the claim is more likely true than not.
Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14) opposed changing the standard of proof for the Office of Inspector General during a council briefing preceding the vote on the measure. Notably, an ethics investigation was launched into Ridley when he was elected that was dismissed due to a lack of “clear and compelling” evidence, as previously reported by DX.
Ridley did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did the City of Dallas.
Speaking in favor of the measure at the time, Dallas Inspector General Bart Bevers urged, “If we stay on this path — clear and convincing — it’s going to mean less substantiated cases and I think that translates into an incentive to violate [the ethics code].”
He noted amid city council debates that five members were convicted felons over the past 16 years.
Former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway was sentenced to 56 months of prison in 2019 for taking roughly $450,000 in bribes and kickbacks.
Former Dallas City Council member Carolyn Davis pleaded guilty in 2019 to taking bribes from a real estate developer while she was the chairwoman of the Housing Committee.
This corruption from city officials dates back decades, as noted by The Dallas Morning News. Former Dallas City Council member Al Lipscomb pleaded guilty in 2009 to 65 counts of bribery and conspiracy. Still, part of Grand Avenue is named after him as Al Lipscomb Way.
Polling by The Dallas Express last year revealed politically moderate and conservative Dallas residents want more transparency in their government.
Relatedly, when respondents to the recent community survey asked if “[t]he City of Dallas government welcomes resident involvement,” 36% disagreed.