2007 Dallas Mayoral Election Interview: Tom Leppert

by Alan Cohen

Tom Leppert stopped by the Pegasus News offices to discuss how he would approach being the Dallas Mayor if elected. During the conversation we discussed:

Interview with Tom Leppert

Dallas mayoral interviews

-His assessment of the job being done by Dallas ISD

-The metric he uses to judge improvement within our education system

-His approach to fixing DART routes

-How Tom responds to those that perceive he is trying to buy the election through billboards and television ads

-His position on the Farmers Branch immigration ordinance

-Whether coming from a background in construction, he felt that he had benefited from the work of illegal immigrants

-How his business background can help him fix problems in South Dallas

-His vision for developing housing for the homeless

-Opportunities he sees in Deep Ellum

-How his business background can help him in attacking crime in the city

-Whether Wade Phillips was a good choice as the next Cowboys coach

We're inviting all local candidates in the May election to come in for interviews. If you want to take us up on that, drop us a line.

Staff
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Anonymous

hakoop, says:

Dude is slick, slick, slick. Seemed like he didn't answer half the questions.

Anonymous

2 years, 9 months ago
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I take issue with Tom Leppert on red light cameras, when he said he hasn't "seen any evidence that they create more wrecks." Actually, I'll take him for his word that he hasn't seen any evidence. But that doesn't mean it does not exist.

Below are reports of red light cameras, in fact, creating more wrecks:

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/03/AR2005100301844.html"> Washington Post story</a>

<a href="http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=99929&ran=82908">Virginian-Pilot story</a>

<a href="http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/10/1050.asp">Atlanta Journal-Constitution story</a>

<a href="http://www.motorists.com/issues/enforce/articles/philadelphiaweekly.html">Philadelphia Weekly story</a>

<a href="http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/04_02-72/TOP">Wrecks have not decreased story, in the The Capital of Annapolis, Md.</a>

There's <a href="http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/04/430.asp">this list of seven research studies</a> about the number of wrecks increasing at red light intersections.

By all means, someone feel free to dispute all these claims. I'm just linking to what's out there.

On the other hand, Denton says that the number of wrecks <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2006/dec/03/four-denton-red-light-cameras-cost-drivers-423000/">has gone down</a> since they installed cameras there.

Tom Leppert seems like a reasonable, intelligent candidate. Certainly not the most slicky-slick politician, thankfully, who ever campaigned. Just trying to keep it real like American Idol super judge Randy Jackson.