Dallas mayor talks politics with government student

How often do we hear her name in the local news or see her face on our television screens? How often do we think about her and the job that she's doing for the city of Dallas? Early last December, I had the privilege to sit in the mayor's office and talk with Dallas mayor Laura Miller, and I left the meeting with something totally unexpected - respect and admiration for her.

When she walked in, she carried this grace about her that I would dare compare to the likes of Audrey Hepburn, and she looked like she had just stepped off a magazine cover for the modern working woman.

Prior to the interview, I did not think much of her. In my mind, she was egotistical and cared only about furthering her political career rather than caring about the city she serves. I was wrong, very wrong!

She came across as being open and honest with me about her family history and the things that matter to her. Her family did not want her to run for mayor. In fact, she had to take family votes daily and beg her husband to let her run for office. This showed to me where her true priorities lie.

When she ran for council member she went from door to door in her district, over 2,400 homes, and talked personally to people to understand their concerns. It was a hard-fought campaign, especially since The Dallas Morning News endorsed her opponent.

"To be a leader," said Miller, "you have to know where you're going: the Trinity River development plan, the smoking ban in public places, new ethics policy in publicservice, the non-fi nancing of the Cowboys relocation, the Uptown renovation, the West Village, the Trinity River bridge, the Mercantile Project, the new Performing Arts Center ..."

One thing she has been unable to do as mayor is to stop spending ?taxpayers' money. "We're constantly giving that money to businesses to subsidize them and I think we do too much of that ... The Dallas city council is made up of 14 council members who primarily think of their district, and the Council has a city manager running things for them."

I expected her to say "no comment" to my question on the ongoing FBI investigation: "... better that we have the FBI in the building making sure we don't have corruption ... Either the publicity will convince the people doing it to stop or somebody in law enforcement will take notice."

And what about all the namecalling? "I usually let it roll. I have a much tougher skin than most human beings. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do this job. You just have to realize that you live in a total fish bowl."

The strong mayor debacle? "You look at New York, you look at Chicago, they have very strong mayors. These mayors have a vision and they come in and they're able to execute the vision and I think it would have benefitted Dallas."

When asked about her future plans, she said she would seek reelection but not any other political office.

"This is the only job I was ever interested in doing because I like city issues, and I like writing about it so much I wanted to come inside to see what it was like on the inside," she said. "So, I have no interest in federal or state office."

I realized that beneath the media portrayal and the mixed perception in the community, this lady is truly a leader that deeply cares about two things: making Dallas a better city for everyone and being there for her family. This is a mayor who, given the chance, will accomplish many great things.

- Laura Thomas was a student in Dr. Gabriel Bach's government class last semester.