Chairman: Place 10 city council Congress.
Ms.Thomas, If you'd like to go ahead,
three minutes, opening statement
Verna Thomas: I'm here tonight
and I'm thankful to be here.
And I thank you for giving me
the opportunity to be here with you.
I'm running for city council, place 10
Cause I feel like that I'm qualified
and that when elected I shall be an asset
to our city government.
My concern for Dallas stems from
my constant consistent dedication
for wanting to help people
and being a part of the city.
I have of course, my education.
I have three years of college.
I went to - I'm from Fort worth, Texas
where I went to school to TC JC
and Texas Christian university.
I went to Portico, the schools where I graduated
with four diplomas
in computer science and computer language.
I also have three certificates
of completion in law enforcement,
where I served with the Dallas County Sheriff's department
for about two years as a detention officer.
Prior to that job there, I,
well, In 1979
I founded the (indistinct) community center
here in Dallas.
And that community center was operated for six years.
Whereas we helped the community, the children
in the summertime and people that needed help.
We were not funded by any grants.
And I gave them my time for six years doing that
because I was concerned
about the neighborhood and the people in the city.
We brought the cheese program to Dallas.
We also stemmed and all that
I should say sparked the interest
of the need for Dallas to have a shelter home
for the people living on the streets with families.
When we found a family living in South Dallas
behind a signal service station
and the lady was pregnant and had nowhere to go.
That sparked the interest of many civic leaders
and at that time we had some of the people
that was sitting on the
Dallas City council as board members.
the people were Strauss, Mayer and Al Lipton.
They had worked with that center,
They was always aware what was happening.
And Carolyn Taylor, who was the mayor's wife
and other city leaders beside them.
I want you to know that I have the experience to work
with some of the richest people in the city.
I have worked with them for years.
I communicated with them, but I also
I listened to the needs of the poor people in the city.
More so than the rich.
I also founded the Ron Thomas Health Foundation after that.
Which brings every year to our City
the Dallas Juneteenth family day
where we try to bring families together
and people together promoting unity and love for our city.
The first time we did that
we brought 20,000 people together in the city
promoting love without any incidents.
Also that that foundation brings No Crime Day Dallas
which was just held for the first time last year.
So what I'm trying to say is that, okay,
that I am financially able to run for this, for this job.
And when I get elected,
I want you to know that I'm sensitive to all people
because I have been discriminated against too
three times and won each case.
And I want you to be aware of that.
Chairman: Thank you. And now I'll read
the responses to our questionnaire.
Question one, everyone does have a blank copy
of the questionnaire.
So I don't read the question itself, just the answer.
Number one: Yes. Because the law should protect
all people's civil rights
and God can only judge you and I.
It is up to me.
It is not up to me, nor man,
to deny your civil rights
nor assume judgment of an individual.
Number two. Yes. (dog barks)
Number three. Yes.
Number four. Yes.
Number five. I do believe that AIDS
is a handicapping condition
and this question is too broad
to answer with a yes or no.
AIDS is a deadly disease and precaution should be taken.
Number six.
I believe the fact, if a person qualifies and pass
all given tests, they should be considered.
A person cannot and should not assume
if you are gay, or have been.
It would be up to you to tell me, tell them that.
So, if all tests, including medical, are passed,
it's your business how you spend your private life.
Very Good. And now, questions from the floor
-: With regards to women's freedom
I'd like to know, certain municipalities
need to ram down need a car to pay for the cab
restricting women's access to abortion
by zoning, or,
or establishing waiting periods when
you go for an abortion.
how do you feel about the City's role in
Restricting access to abortions?
Verna Thomas: I do uh agree totally
with the choice program.
I, for instance, have high blood pressure.
If I should get pregnant, I could not carry much out.
Hopefully, hope, Hopefully I won't,
because I can't take birth control either
because of the blood pressure.
So I would have to, that would have to happen to me.
And not that I would want it to,
but under some conditions I think people
and women should have the choice to choose
what they want to do with their body.
And it's not up to the government or the courts
to tell you what to do with your body.
Chairman: questions
-: Are you going to be Willing to
build coalitions within the city council
generally speaking, get along with a lot
of different folks on city council
like Laurie Palmer and Craig Hall for instance
are you willing to really go out and work with those folks.
Verna Thomas: I am willing
and I will work with those folks.
(laughter) of course say it to say it,
but let me tell you something.
I want the people of this city to know
that place 10 means that I have to,
if I like it or not,
to be able to work with those people
because of the fact that I represent you.
And this is one of the reasons why I want people to realize
under the eight-three plan
they do not elect just one person
and the lower apartments district and (indistinct)
They have four people that's obligated to them
and they realize that and make
make those four people more accountable to them.
I have always been able to work with all people
of all races and I intend to continue that
the world is not built just with black people
and I can't, as a Christian person, hear myself
and think that I am more perfect than anyone else
or I'm superior to anyone else
or I can't be able to work with all people
and I have to treat them the way I want to be treated. Okay?
-: Thank you
-: You mentioned the (indistinct) redistricting issue.
How do you feel about the possibility of redistricting?
Verna Thomas: Well, to be very honest with you,
I liked the ten one concept.
But, the way the city has drawn up,
the ten one plan, I do not like that.
I don't agree with it.
Under that plan, I have some reservations
and until I can see better plans
I would want to go with the eight three.
If I didn't, I wouldn't be running in this race.
The reason why I'm running in this race is because
I want to see a person that all people can be able
to work with at large,
be sensitive to
whereas, I would be sensitive to all people
in this city and neutralize the City Council
to be sensitive as the same.
The ten one, as it is now, I wanted to show you
I want to give you an example.
One while in, I ran for place eight
(indistinct) and four more guys about three years ago.
And the people did not want liquor in the 7-11 stores.
They didn't mind it coming in in shopping centers
but they didn't want it on the corner stores.
On the Ten-One plan now, the way it's drawn up,
and I use Al Lipston for example, okay. Who's district.
if we wanted to make that area wet, under the ten one plan
even though he didn't want it, not even the mayor
he would have eight people that could vote yes,
he could vote no and the Mayor can vote no
and he would still get that.
So what I'm saying is that until Dallas itself
can get away from the racism and the racist attitude
and get back to being togetherness as a city, as a whole.
We not, we're not going to be able to accomplish very much
under the ten one plan because you may segregate
a lot of things in the city.
And if we're going to be as a city in one as one
we are going to have to realize that
we have four votes per district.
Whereas, those four votes can be lobbied
from you and other people in the community and myself
whereas they can swing the city council to
help get that person in that area.
Whereas that person can have those four votes,
plus maybe he can pick up three more
to get what you want and get what you need.
Whereas a ten one, it's just,
you have one person there and it's really obligated
to you and you have nobody else to happen.
So, until this city get back to the means of reality,
this city is a very conservative town (audience laughter)
and I'm not, I'm, I'm, I'm serious.
Y'all make, may laugh.
This is the most conservative city that was seen
in my life and whereas they do not
get, I mean, I mean, where I'm saying is
that you have to be really able to smile
and just realize that this was the page
of your life that you're dealing with every day
in this city, if you, I mean,
some people can not deal with it.
Until we can get back and make the city realize
that we are here and that they would have to change
because they're not on, that pay taxes in the city.
We then, I don't think we can go
with that ten one as is, as of today.
-: People in the gay community
have suffered the same kinds of discrimination
as people in the the black community
but we found it difficult sometimes in the past
to form good coalitions in the black community.
I'd like to hear your suggestions on how
the gay community and the black community
and those people who are in both
could work together more effectively.
Verna Thomas: What I would like to say is
I know you're, in fact, today I spoke on that
in one of my meetings I went to
and I spoke to some Republican conservative because
they liked my speech, but I did tell them that
and I was very serious and you all wasn't there.
So I want to let you know, I spoke about
the gay community today because I was concerned.
And that's one of my platforms when I'm elected
to see to it, that the city stop discriminating you.
Because, if they ask you, they never asked me.
Was I gay.
And my, when I got insurance for my son last year
they didn't ask me was he gay.
And they gave me insurance.
I was appalled to know
that that much discrimination goes on.
I have spoken to an attorney
and his name, I'd rather not call
but I would say his assistant is Pedro Ray.
We talked the other night
and I asked her why can't an attorney take the case.
This could be the biggest lawsuit Dallas ever seen
and he can make some money.
Because it's not happening to anyone else but the gays
and this and this and it's, and it's very,
It should not happen.
It should not be an assumption.
And I have worked with people in the Sheriff's department
and I didn't know what they were.
what I'm saying is very effective.
It is very strong it is very
It is very intelligent.
So it's not up to anyone, not a man to
to judge whatever you may be.
And I think that people
the black community, in the white community
both should be aware that you are taxpayers.
And when elected, I would propose the same things
I'm doing there to bring you together
with all communities and people
can not assume what you are.
That's an assumption.
It's up to you to tell people what you are, if you desire.
But I do know that coalitions can be formed where people
and I think that it comes from head of organizations
being willing and being sensitive
to the needs of all people and being reality.
I mean, this is a reality, okay?
Some people in the black community are drug addicts.
Some people in the white community are drug addicts.
People hit and run when they drive,
and you know, and they post about the call
Are they singled out?
But they start to say when they have a problem.
But do they be singled out like gays?
Okay, you have something, I mean,
there's all types of people that we can refer to
and for example, you can give examples and show.
So, it's not that you're single out it's that
I think that you need to be
stand together and fight together
because you have a good fight and you can win.
Okay. Everybody now is talking about AIDS.
Husbands and wives.
One time they said gays had it.
Now husband and wife have AIDS.
So if, you understand what I'm saying?
So people can't say that you're the victim.
There's a lot of people that's the victim.
Okay. So I will do whatever is necessary
and I will need your help once I get elected
to help me form the coalition that you want
and to do what you would like to see me do.
Chairman: Thank you very much, the time has expired.
Thank you very much
Verna Thomas: I want to be- (applause)
Thank you.
(audience chattering)
Chairman: And our candidate
appearing before us at this moment is Mr. Marvin Steakley.
Mr. Steakley you have three minutes.
Marvin Steakley: Well, I suppose at my age,
I shouldn't be surprised at anything
but I guess I continue to be appalled at the
the narrow-mindedness and the bigotry that I encounter.
Particularly, in society where there's
some pretext of being able to be a whatever you want.
In fact, I'm going to volunteer to go back over there
and give them a lecture on democracy and decorum some time.
In fact, if we get through,
I'm going to go back tonight
and see if they're still there. (laughter)
-: which group?
Marvin Steakley: Ridgewood, the Republican Women's club
or something.
(laughter)
I'll tell you what, at the risk of bragging,
and of course I like what old busy Dean said one time,
it ain't bragging if you've done it and I've done it.
I told him I'm the first one
when we had the pledge of allegiance.
I was the first one.
I got down to question number three.
And I said, I start to detect the tenor of the question.
But I said, it costs me every vote in the house,
I'm going to tell you how I feel.
I said I just happened to have a copy
of the constitution with me.
I didn't read 'em any of it.
I presumed they knew what it meant.
(laughter)
And I said that we've just had the pledge of allegiance.
And I said, I spent four years, four months
and 21 days of my life in the Marine Corps in world war II.
And I said if you ever get the idea
that you think you're better than somebody else,
simply because you disagree with them,
I said, you're no better than Hitler.
So at least once in their life they've been told
someone woman back there was shaking her head.
If I find her I'm going to ask her
how loud it rattled when she shook it.
(laughter)
I'm a Texan, a Baptist who has studied (indistinct)
(laughter)
I'm Lorraine and I don't know,
I guess I'm fiercely independent.
I guess I got my problems too but
oh sometimes it really is discouraging.
But on the positive side,
if some of you are free Monday
I would solicit your coming down
to the mayor's criminal justice task force
at nine o'clock because I'm going to explode that thing.
No one has criticized it up to this moment.
I've alluded to it,
it has misspellings and has poor grammar.
And his conclusion at the end is that crime
is a result of illiteracy,
(laughter) drugs and unemployment.
And the crime that was 15 times more numerous
in Dallas last year than murder is not even in it.
Plus, hopefully we can file a suit against them
on deprivation of our civil rights because
the four horsemen of the apocalypse
were invited to the first session
and the rest of us are eating at the second table.
Maybe you don't know what it is to eat at the second table
but that's when he have more company than will fit at one
so if you're, if you're a surplus
then you eat at the second table so that's what we done.
But we'll see, if I can pull this off,
I can destroy the credibility of
Meyer, Strauss, Burger and Collins.
And I think I can.
Thank you very much.
Chairman: Mr. Steakley, the three minutes has elapsed.
Marvin Steakley: Okay, fine.
Chairman: It was pointed out,
I neglected to point out that
Mr. Steakley is a candidate for mayor.
And the response to our questionnaire.
As I stated, everyone has a blank copy of the questionnaire
and I'll just read the responses.
If you would follow along.
Question one: without a doubt
question two: absolutely.
Question three: By all means.
Question four: Belief in equality would be
inconsistent with any answer except yes.
Question five: Yes.
Question six: No.
We will now open the floor to questions.
Yes, sir.
-: On question 3, (indistinct)
Marvin Steakley: Do you support city ordinances
favoring the gay community?
(audience laughter)
Announcer: Very Important question to this group as well.
-: What was your answer?
Marvin Steakley: I told them if they thought
they were better than somebody else,
that they were no better than Hitler.
And I said, I don't care
if it cost me every vote in the room.
and I've taught about that,
at the pledge of allegiance,
and I just happened to hold up the constitution.
I took it in. Thank God, I took it in!
(audience laughter)
But I want to even the score with those folks, I say, well
I'll clean it up a little bit,
but being brought up in a small town
that we had an expression:
"There's only one way to break a dog from sucking eggs.
You pick up the two before and hit the SOB in the head."
And I just don't like to be treated that way.
My motto is don't get alcers, give them.
(laughter) I'll go there and give them some.
Yes.
-: Some of the candidates from the area
come up with large long list of proposals and programs
that they're going to do when they become mayor.
What are your proposals or how do you see yourself
as mayor of the City of Dallas?
Marvin Steakley: Well, I've, I've been
tilting against this windmill for 28 years.
I have accomplished some singular things.
I'm glad you asked the question
because if you hadn't brought it up
I probably wouldn't have though of it.
But I've run twice, I spent $500 one time,
and then I spent 369 the other.
But I submit to you that I have accomplished more
than all of these other folks put together.
Because 12 years ago, I raised a ruckus
about the fact that the utilities were charging off
their charitable contributions in the rate structure.
They've been doing it for decades.
Neither paper and none of the electronic folks
ever transmitted a word that I said, not a word.
I came in second in the election.
Dallas was still doing its own
utility regulation at that time.
As soon as the election was over,
without a word being said publicly,
it was changed because it doesn't make any sense
that they could give away your and my money
and take all the credit for it.
Plus this facilitated their ability to
get a rate change anytime they wanted.
But the last 12 years, everybody in the state of Texas
that uses electricity or telephone or natural gas
benefited from something this old boy did
by himself on a $500 expenditure.
One person can make a difference.
I was the one who talked about the fact
that the morning briefing session were
really in violation of the state law.
And that's something else that bothers me.
Eric Johnson was mayor, I mean
he has the biggest white hat that anybody ever wore.
And I got around the government
like he ran TI, but he was a hypocrite
because they got together on those morning sessions
and decided how they were going to vote.
Then they let us come in and make our 15 minutes petition
and last time that took the walk two rows
and sit down in the MC,
he would call for a motion to second the vote.
And they would unanimously overturn the plan.
Logically, no one will ever convince me until the day I die.
If they hadn't already decided what they're going to do
and to comply with the law, that's the way they did.
I don't know how folks like that can
look in the mirror and shave, if they shave,
or whatever they do in the mirror,
knowing that that's their style.
If I tried that my conscience would chew me alive.
I couldn't face it, but people are different, I guess.
But they seem to have this insatiable ego that,
and I got one too, but at least I'm willing
to get out there and try to persuade people
that they'll give me a shot.
Yes sir.
-: Do you feel that the Dallas Police Department
is too sensitive to public scrutiny
of its actions and ideas?
Marvin Steakley: At another Republican group,
a few days ago, I jerked him up to a halt on that.
And I said, having been a teacher for eight years,
teachers got looked at now and then,
we're now testing teachers for competency.
I said, maybe we ought to test office holders and appointees
on their knowledge of the constitution as well.
But I said any tax supported entity
belongs to the tax payer.
And anytime we want to go look at it,
then we ought to go look at it.
And anyone who wonders about that,
and I use this expression too,
they oughta read Shakespeare who said
"Me thinks thou protesteth too much."
That's a fundamental right that belongs to the taxpayer,
we own the police department.
Maybe they have something to hide.
But they're no better than the general population,
they got their bad apples too.
Just like the guards who were
filing prisoners down in the jail.
They weren't in the Dallas Police Department
but they were in the police complex.
And this happens all the time.
And I said, I feel sorry for them
if they don't want to be investigated.
Because as long as we pay the taxes that supports it,
then we're going to check it whenever we want to.
I don't care if that costs me some votes either.
Maybe they're gonna ticket me, but uh.
(laughter)
-: If you're elected mayor,
how would you go about persuading
the other members of the council to include
the repeal of 21 Zero Six on the City's legislative agenda
Marvin Steakley: I'd challenge them to fish or cut bait.
And I'd do it publicly.
I'd hang them out to dry.
I would call them hypocrites, bigots, whatever it took.
And then some of them that wanted something out of me,
I'd say, if you do, then
you got a chip you gotta hand me.
I don't care what it took.
And I didn't spend four years in the Marine Corps
not to learn a few dirty tricks.
(laughter)
Oh, I didn't get an answer well at all,
maybe you'd rather read it.
I would just leave the sheet with you
but there's some positive goals there
and they don't take away from anybody
except in case of iniquities.
there's some unique things there.
One that nobody's saying anything about that but
I thought it was a tremendous idea on the coal hole.
I suggested that we force developers
to make a bottom so if they go belly up,
then their insurance company can fill up the hole
so the taxpayer doesn't have to do it.
But I mean, I'm practical, so.
But I'm dealing with the media all the time.
Carolyn Barta I'm going to take care of her.
(laughter)
I'm on the hot seat down at the press club on the 24th
and I'm going to say when Carolyn crowns she lights up.
See if she can understand that.
But any rate, she called me a perennial runner.
First of all, her vocabulary is lousy, so.
I carry an unabridged dictionary with me
every now and then for the media
who doesn't understand words.
Having run only three times, I'm hardly perennial but
I'm having fun out of the race.
Even though I get upset now and then.
But anyway, it's a, it's
it's a person's right
to run anytime they want to, you don't
have to have the Dallas Morning Provider
give his permission. (laughter)
Yes, Ma'am.
-: why don't you tell us a little bit about
how you think Dallas City's role
regarding women's rights to abortion
some cities have too restricting
Marvin Steakley: Well, I'm glad you ask.
because Bill Brash and I would have a public confrontation.
I'd ask him what he's doing to feed hungry children.
Second question.
What are you doing to clothe naked children?
Third, what are you doing to house homeless children?
Fourth, what are you doing
to take care of sexually abused children?
And if he couldn't give me a yes answer
for all four, all hell would break loose.
And that's a proposition I've got in here too.
That, in fact, I was the first one to call
for that taskforce on the commission
on the status of women a long time ago, but,
I'm suggesting that we create a body to do two things:
lead in the examination of what
we would like Dallas to be by 2010
and also my own idea which is,
which I call the invention of Dallas
which would be a periodic and regular series
of public meetings to Arab community problems and concerns
and not situations where we talk down to somebody
or we talk at somebody, but we talk with somebody.
And I think, I think the community leaders are gutless
because abortion is the law of the land
and the city is powerless,
and the State's powerless to change it,
even if we wanted to.
So Bryce and his crowd,
they have all the qualities of a dog,
except loyalty in my opinion.
(laughter)
They, they all have to go take care
of something in Washington and so forth.
Chairman: Excuse me, the time has expired,
if you could wrap up your statements.
or if you were finished.
Marvin Steakley: Well, I guess we'll have to
wrap it up right there. (laughter)
-: Okay.
Marvin Steakley: Well, I commend you for
for your willingness to do something
because the sad thing is that
over 80% of the people that are out there
they're not going to do anything.
And they expect if they do nothing,
maybe the best will happen,
but that's not going to be the case.
There's no such thing as a vacuum politically
because if you don't do something,
somebody's going to do it for you.
And hopefully you can live with it.
I really haven't intend to be flippant tonight,
but I came in with my motor going a little too fast
and I'm not sure it's going to slow down for a while.
That's just luck of the draw.
But I didn't go out (indistinct) like you guys.
Hopefully we'll all meet another day.
(applause)
Charles Tandy: Okay. Are we ready?
Chairman: Our candidate at the moment is
Dr. Charles Tandy,
who is candidate for district one.
Charles Tandy: correct. How long?
Chairman: About three minutes.
Charles Tandy: All right. I'm pleased to come tonight
and I apologize for our needing to come late
and I hope you haven't, I hope you've been
busy up to this point and then
maybe this 15 minutes will go by pretty quickly,
and you'll, and you'll be able to get home too.
One of the neat parts about this,
for me, has been the meeting all the diverse folks
that I've been able to meet in Oak Cliff.
And if you know much about Oak cliff is a diverse community
and that's its strength really.
And you got a lot of wonderful folks over there
who care about their city.
And I've been a part of that for many, many years.
I've practiced medicine here.
I came to Dallas in 1949 to school
expecting to leave immediately,
and I been here ever since.
And I've had a super time as part of the
medical practice at Methodist medical center.
And that's enabled me to, to, to not only enjoy that
but also to participate in the community.
And it's that participation in the community
that led me to this.
Took me a long time to decide, well,
is this really an important way to spend my time?
And I'm, I have convinced myself at least
and hopefully enough people that would
make that possible in the voting process,
that, that, that would be the case.
So, I'm offering myself to the community
hopefully to go to the city council and address issues
that that need to be addressed in this city.
And with that, that's why I'm here.
Chairman: Thank you.
And you are seeking the endorsement
of the Lesbian/Gay political coalition.
Charles Tandy: I'm seeking, I'm seeking,
the vote of anybody who feels that
that I have something to offer the the community.
Chairman: We have not received
Dr. Tandy's questionnaire, so,
I will ask him the questions from the questionnaire.
Audience Member: That is my fault, I hope you let me
explain to you I was the one who put the envelope
on the verification I didn't put (indistinct) I forgot it
Announcer: That's fine, thank you, thank you.
(audience member speaking) that's fine thank you.
You're taking up the 15 minutes.
As long as you understand, though,
that we must receive a signed questionnaire
requesting our endorsement by candidates tonight,
which is March 3rd.
So first question, do you believe that gay men
and lesbians should have the same civil rights
as non-gay men and women?
Charles Tandy: when civil rights are in question
I think we're all entitled to the same,
same rights as anybody else, no matter what.
Chairman: Number two, do you as an individual citizen,
support repeal of section 21-0-6 of the Texas penal code
which criminalizes the private sexual behavior
of consenting adult gay men and lesbians.
Charles Tandy: Well, I think that probably,
I should say upfront that I'm not necessarily
the fellow that's going to be carrying the,
the flag on that issue because that's a state issue,
one which I understand your concerns about
and I certainly would not, you know,
I would voice those concerns, but I think that that
since it is a state issue, it's not necessarily
one that I personally could nor would openly address.
Chairman: However, that leads to our next question.
Number three, do support inclusion of the repeal of
section 21 zero six of the Texas penal code
as part of the city of Dallas legislative agenda.
Charles Tandy: Well, I would have no,
no objection to that
and I think that if that, if,
if six votes were there to see
that that could be included, that,
there would be nothing lost and possibly
some understanding gain by, by inclusion in that Report
Chairman: Do you support increased city
and other public funding for AIDS healthcare,
social services and public education?
Charles Tandy: Let me explain to you what I feel like is
a position which possibly you could understand
and possibly you could support.
If elected, I think that I would be the only
elected official in this in this County,
as far as that's concerned, who understands,
who appreciates, the problem of AIDS.
Who recognizes that AIDS is not a, not,
it's not your problem, it's a universal problem.
And one which that is not perceived by very many people.
And, not only do I know that as a practitioner
who treats folks with AIDS but who also sees that,
that this is a major, major problem
in not only in this country, but around the world
and the, and the real problem comes in that, that the,
with my contact with people who are experts in the field,
the possibility of solving it is not great.
And therefore we need desperately educational processes
increased research in the area and an understanding
that, that enabled everybody to get
behind what is a public health issue
which, one, is not going to go away,
at least in the foreseeable future,
and one which must be addressed.
Now, typically, I think that the
that a typical example of what's happened
C Everett Coop who I've known in the past
an extremely right-wing conservative sort of fella
who now has moved himself to the middle of the road
because he's been able to understand what the problem is.
Well, there are not a lot of folks who
who at least in the public arena who are
either willing to attack the problem or who do understand.
And I think a lot of them don't understand.
And I think that I would have that ability to do that
and I can assure you that from that standpoint,
that I would, I would be leading the charge to,
for the recognition for the education, for the treatment,
for the research, that's going to be necessary to do that.
Chairman: And question number five.
Do you agree that AIDS is a handicapping condition
and that persons with AIDS or AIDS related complex
should not be discriminated against in employment,
housing, insurance, education,
public accommodations and public services?
Charles Tandy: AIDS is a disease and,
as a physician, people with disease are to be treated.
And, and as far as discrimination is not part
of my armamentarium in the treatment of the disease.
Chairman: And number six.
Do you believe that a qualified gay man
or lesbian should be denied employment
including employment by the police and fire departments
by the city of Dallas solely because of sexual orientation?
Charles Tandy: No.
Chairman: And now we'll open to
questions from the floor, Don?
-: May I please ask two questions or
do I have to just ask one?
Chairman: No, we will allow it. The chair will allow it.
(laughter)
-: Tandy, have you been advised or are you aware of
the significant migration of Gay men and lesbians
from district two and district five
into district one in the numbers of hundreds or thousands?
Charles Tandy: Well, I'm aware that
there are significant numbers.
I have no idea how many.
You see my approach to this election
has been not to go to the City Council as Charles Tandy.
I want to go to the city council as
a qualified, capable, understanding
representative of district one.
And if I can do that, then, then, and
and I have literally been from one end
of that community to the other seeking input
at every level I could even think of.
And will continue to do that for the next few weeks.
And so I have no, the answer to your question is,
I have no idea of what we're talking about number wise,
and I'm not even, I don't, I'm not sure I even care
because your interest has to be
the same as if everybody else
in the vast majority of instances,
everybody wants a safe city.
They want a job they want in, in, in Oak cliff,
we desperately need code enforcement
and we need rational city services
for the taxes that we're paying.
And sure, we've all got special interests that we have.
And, and, and I'm gonna listen to those
and hopefully be able to do at the end
of the two year period, when the report card comes,
to say, put, that guy did what he said he'd do,
that he's been a reasonable representative,
he's listened, he's tried to find the middle road,
that most, I've invited controversy, you know.
And I feel like that by doing that
then we at least find a common ground.
-: Well, maybe just to follow up to that
I was born and raised in Oak Cliff,
I went to High school 1965.
And I guess my concern is that
there may be some other young gay people
over there growing up in families.
And do you feel that you could provide that kind
of leadership that would make the young person who
realizes that his or her orientation homosexual
would be made to feel comfortable being a part of this city?
In your communicating, the things you say,
the things you do, that people feel like they know
just because they're gay they're not going
to be excluded from society?
Charles Tandy: Well, I think you'd have to
know my background and know, know me and my
relationship to folks to determine that
I've never discriminated against folks for,
for whatever reason.
And, and that it wouldn't be, it would be a new beginning
for me to discriminate against
You, if that's your, if that's your preference.
Or, if you were black or if you were Brown or anything else,
that's not part of it.
-: In regards to, women's reproductive freedom,
some cities have restricted women's access to
abortion clinics
by means of zoning restrictions or establishing (indistinct)
On the other hand Dallas
actually, the city protected women's rights
to access those kinds of groups
when they required them, that was the role, or just
How do you feel about the City's role in that area?
In legislation for access to abortion clinics
Charles Tandy: Well, I frankly am not totally aware
of what's been done or what, you know,
what the concern is, that seems
an inappropriate use of the
of City activity to try to, to try
to adjust where that can be done
or under what circumstances that can be done.
I am not a, not a proponent of that, as such,
but on the other hand, I'm, I'm totally aware
as a physician of the, of the, the need for,
for that type of service and,
and it did, it seemed inappropriate to,
for the city to interfere with how that's done
as long as it's done in a safe medical context.
And I have a big problem,
I'm making certain that that's true,
because I've seen the results
and I've treated the results
of inappropriate medical treatment.
-: Okay.I wanted to hear a little clarification
on question number three, a bit more on that
it had to do with supporting the repeal of 21 zero six
and including it in the Dallas city agenda.
You have a situation now where
five people on the council were opposed to its inclusion
and five people were in support of it
(laughter)
you're the deciding vote (indistinct)
(inaudible chatter)
Charles Tandy: Yeah, really, if that's the case
then I think that number one,
I'd try to try to see that that wasn't the case.
I'd try to see that it got settled
before it ever gets up there.
And, and then, and I think I have the
I think I have some expertise in dealing with folks
and that means other members of the city council.
So if I were, if that were the case,
I probably would be supportive of it because I, again,
I'll tell you that nothing would be,
you're not going to, the fact that
Dallas puts that on its agenda
doesn't mean it's going to get anywhere.
And you know that as well as I do.
if you're polit, you're not politically naive
because I can tell you that the
guy from Waxahachie is not going to support that.
And so, you know, what you, what you've done
is raised the level of awareness that that's
that that's a problem, and that's all you've done
but, I have no, you know, I think
I think that, that, that the, the awareness
of concern for other people and, and then also the
the Problem of AIDS has to be a major, major concern.