Dallas City Council Member Steaming Over Appointee's Labor Ties, Residency Issues

Dallas City Council member Lee Kleinman was recently asking colleagues to support his choice for the Civil Service board when he received some pushback he hadn't expected.Others were already set on council member Philip Kingston's choice, Nirav Sanghani, who was unknown to Kleinman."I couldn't figure out why people were so stuck on him," Kleinman said, "and then I saw the AFL-CIO background." Sanghani, 32, is a community organizer and labor advocate in Dallas. He doesn't work for the AFL-CIO, although he does some work with the group. And his appointment represents labor activists' efforts to become more involved in city government.Last week, Sanghani won an 8-7 vote, leaving Kleinman upset and demanding answers. For one, he doesn't believe Sanghani's residency is in order. And a labor activist on a board overseeing employment issues in the city is anathema to Kleinman."I hate organized labor," Kleinman said. "They've done more to damage this country than many other things."Kleinman's position on labor isn't new. He has publicly clashed with police and fire associations and pushed for changes to Civil Service.Kleinman's choice was Eastfield College professor Glynn Newman, who recently served on the Mayor's Task Force on Confederate Monuments. Newman has lived in Far North Dallas for years.Sanghani's driver's license, which he used to apply for the position, was issued by Illinois. Sanghani said he's working on getting a Texas license. And when Kingston, who could not be reached for comment, initially had Sanghani apply for a board appointment back in October, Sanghani didn't qualify because he had not yet lived in Dallas for six months.  Continue reading...