Coalition for a New Dallas Hopes New Political Muscle Will Help Its Causes

The Coalition for A New Dallas made a splash when it hit the Dallas political scene in 2015. The group rallied anti-establishment support for its philosophy of new urbanism and its crusade against Interstate 345. And it touted big-name backers, including a magazine owner and a wealthy former state senator.But its strength began to fade even as support for its ideas grew. Now, with a new council in place that could be more open to its ideas, the group has now turned to two former mayoral candidates — former City Attorney Larry Casto and civic leader and wealthy philanthropist Lynn McBee — to add political heft. And its leaders believe the coalition can be a major player in local government and politics in the coming years.Wick Allison, owner of D Magazine and co-founder of the coalition, said he wants to tackle problems beyond City Hall and get many of the political bodies — such as Texas Department of Transportation and Dallas ISD — to work together to "move the ball.""It takes the civic leadership to say, 'No guys, we're going to work on the same page here,'" he said. "And that's what the coalition is for."  Continue reading...