After Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua successfully referred a proposed ban on horse-drawn carriages back to the Quality of Life, Arts & Culture Committee, Mayor Eric Johnson stripped him of his chairmanship.
“Over the last year, we have united as a City Council to address the basic needs of the people of Dallas and strategically plan for the future of our city,” Johnson wrote in a June 28 memo. “This collective unity has been instrumental in achieving significant progress and improvements for our city’s residents. City council committees play a pivotal role in the effective management of our city and the work that is done by the committees is indispensable in addressing the evolving needs and challenges of a fast-growing city.”
Johnson went on to institute committee assignment changes that immediately went into effect.
The members of the Quality of Life, Arts & Culture Committee will keep their seats on the body, but Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14) is now chair. Council Member Jaime Resendez (District 5) remains vice chair. The others on the committee include Council Members Paula Blackmon (District 9), Zarin Gracey (District 3), Jaynie Schultz (District 11), and Gay Donnell Willis (District 13).
On Instagram, Bazaldua (District 7) took Johnson to task for the reassignment.
“Our weak Mayor is also a petty one!” he posted. “Today Eric removed me as Quality of Life Chair, as he has done to several other colleagues when he is throwing a tantrum. He believes in bully tactics because he doesn’t know what real leadership is, just like the president he supports or the failing party he recently joined. Make no mistake, I don’t need a chairmanship or to kiss anybody’s ring to continue the work for District 7 and our city, because unlike our mayor, I can count to 8 votes.”
Johnson did not return a message seeking comment.
On Wednesday, Bazaldua was instrumental in sending a proposed ordinance banning the use of horse-drawn carriages during a Dallas City Council meeting back to the committee, The Dallas Express reported. However, the vote was not unanimous, and some council members reluctantly agreed to give the committee more time to consider the ban, fearing the ordinance would have otherwise been adopted.
Ridley offered a compromise through an amended ordinance that would have placed more regulations on the horse-drawn carriage industry. However, Bazaldua opposed the proposal, telling Ridley, “I was reminded of the pot calling the kettle black when I heard ‘that in the interest of small-business owners’ because that wasn’t the sentiment from the same council member when we discussed short-term rentals.”
The statement garnered a chuckle from Ridley.
Asked in an email whether Bazaldua would like to comment further on his reassignment, he offered no response.
Bazaldua also convinced council members earlier this month to approve a resolution condemning SB 4 — the state law that allows peace officers to arrest individuals suspected of entering the country illegally.
“We can’t change state law here at a local level, but we can tell our residents through our action that we prioritize their safety and condemn this atrocious bill that seeks to encourage profiling and discrimination,” he said during a council meeting on June 12.
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) was one of three council members to oppose the resolution.
“I am trying to understand the point of this entire conversation,” she said. “The resolution is simply political performance that will degrade the relationship we have with state leaders and change absolutely nothing. It’s a divisive effort that oversteps the boundaries of our elected office.”
Johnson and Ridley also voted against it.
“I do condemn SB 4,” Ridley said. “It is bad legislation — so bad that I believe it to be unconstitutional and ultimately will be overturned by the courts on that ground. At the same time, I see this resolution as not remedying the passage of SB 4. It cannot — and no one should expect it to — because we don’t have the authority to overturn [the Texas Legislature]. So, I cannot support it in its current form.”
Bazaldua and Ridley are also members of the Workforce, Education & Equity Committee, which also underwent a shakeup per the mayor’s June 28 memo.
Schultz was relegated to vice chair, the position previously held by Council Member Carolyn King Arnold, who is now chair of the committee. The other members are Blackmon, Resendez, and Willis.
The Dallas City Council and its committees are in recess until August.