Leppert mishandled Love Field contract debate, says Dallas mayoral candidate David Kunkle

March 29, 2011
By
Steve Thompson / Reporter
In endorsing David Kunkle for Dallas mayor this morning, former Dallas Mexican American Bar Association president Marcos Ronquillo said race relations in the city have taken a step backward.
"Within the last tenure, we've had a racial vote split down the middle, with whites on one side and minorities on the other side," Ronquillo said.
Ronquillo, attorney for Love Field concessionaire Hudson Retail, was likely referring to the Love Field contract debate.The issue came under scrutiny when the City Council considered awarding Hudson Retail and longtime Love Field concessionaire Gilbert Aranza no-bid contracts for more than half the concessions space at a renovated Love Field for a term of at least 12 years.
The no-bid contracts were further complicated by their political connections. Hudson is owned in part by state Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, and a blind trust that controls the assets of U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas.
Former Mayor Tom Leppert narrowly won a bitter fight to put the contracts out to bid.
Asked how he saw the matter, Kunkle said he didn't know the issue well enough to know how he would have voted. But he said Leppert mishandled the matter.
"I didn't agree with the way Mayor Leppert conducted his campaign," Kunkle said. "I believe that the mayor should have debated that issue with his colleagues in the council chambers, not taking it out to the public - not, in my opinion, demonizing people on the council who disagreed with him.
"I'm not familiar enough with how the contract should be broken up, whether it can be bid that way to get qualified vendors and open up the process," Kunkle said.

The entry "Leppert mishandled Love Field contract debate, says Dallas mayoral candidate David Kunkle"is tagged: contracts , david kunkle , love field
Categories: Dallas City Council, Dallas City Hall, Steve Thompson
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