Former Constable Candidate Tries to Upset Lee Kleinman for North Dallas Council Seat

Two years ago, the Dallas Police Association's political arm plastered North Dallas' council District 11 with campaign signs and mailers in an unsuccessful effort to unseat their agitator, Lee Kleinman.This year, as Kleinman seeks a fourth term, the law enforcers have gone silent — even as one of their own seeks to unseat him.The DPA’s focus on its other enemy, Laura Miller, and shift away from Kleinman is a reflection of political reality. Even though police issues are again pronounced in the campaign, Kleinman in 2017 beat his opponent, real estate blogger Candy Evans, by a margin of nearly 2-to-1. And the irascible Kleinman is a prolific fundraiser who appears well positioned to win a fourth term.But juvenile detention officer Curtis Traylor Harris, 31, hopes he can capitalize on his law enforcement background to pull off an upset. And if he pulls it off, he might not even seek re-election. “It’s not a disaster to lose a race,” Harris said. “I plan on just doing two years, getting the ball rolling in the right direction, molding somebody to come after me. And then running for constable in 2022.”Harris, who lost a bid for a county constable job in November, makes less than $40,000 a year in his job and can barely afford his unit in a luxury complex off the Dallas North Tollway, he said.Harris said first responders should be able to afford to live in the district. He wants to raise starting police and firefighter salaries above $70,000, and offer tax incentives to complexes that dedicate at least 10 percent of their units to affordable housing.  Continue reading...