08/31/04    COUNCILMAN CHANEY WITHHELD INFORMATION

NEW INFORMATION TONIGHT ON A FIGHT OVER FOOTBALL - WHICH IS PROMPTING CLAIMS OF RACISM AT DALLAS CITY HALL.

TONIGHT, SOME DALLAS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ANGRY WITH A COLLEAGUE FOR WITHHOLDING KEY INFORMATION.

CBS 11'S SARAH DODD BROKE THIS STORY LAST WEEK... AND HAS THE LATEST TONIGHT.

MAXINE THORNTON REESE, DALLAS CITY COUNCIL
 
" DOGONE IT, LISTEN TO US, DON'T STEP on us//I think it's unfair, I think it's unfair, that every time you turn around, you are pushing whatever the white agenda is."

SEVERAL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY THIS 8 MINUTE TIRADE LAST WEDNESDAY - COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF COUNCIL MEMBER LEO CHANEY DIVULGED MORE INFORMATION.

VELETTA LILL, DALLAS CITY COUNCIL
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"There was a time at the end of the meeting when the mayor was called a racist, that information would have helped and pulled things back."

THE MEETING CAME UNRAVELED AFTER CHANEY AND OTHER AFRICAN-AMERICAN COUNCIL MEMBERS REFUSED TO VOTE ON GIVING CITY MONEY TO SUPPORT KEEPING THE TEXAS/OU FOOTBALL GAME IN DALLAS.  THEY DEMANDED THE COUNCIL ALSO PLEDGE $50,000 TO THE GRAMBLING/ PRAIRIE VIEW GAME...  A FOOTBALL CLASSIC FEATURING TWO BLACK COLLEGES.    

BUT, CHANEY DIDN'T TELL OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THE STATE FAIR HAD ALREADY RAISED $75,000 IN PRIVATE MONEY FOR THE EVENT.

LEO CHANEY, JR., DALLAS CITY COUNCIL
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"I hope my colleagues won't hold it against me...in my mind what i was attempting to do wasn't completed.")

CHANEY WILL STILL BE ASKING FOR $50,000 DOLLARS FROM THE CITY THIS WEEK.  HE SAYS IF THE CITY GIVES UT AND OU MONEY, THEN IT'S ONLY FAIR TO GIVE TO GRAMBLING AND PRAIRIE VIEW.  BUT, AFTER THE WAY THINGS WERE HANDLED LAST WEEK, HE MAY HAVE A HARDER TIME CONVINCING THE COUNCIL. 

THE OTHER ISSUE FOR MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS IS WHERE WILL THIS MONEY BE GOING?

CHANEY SAYS IT WILL GO DIRECTLY TO THE TWO UNIVERSITIES, JUST LIKE WITH THE TEXAS OU DEAL.

BUT, WHEN  I SPOKE TO THE GRAMBLING/PRAIRIE VIEW GAME PROMOTER, HE TOLD ME THE MONEY WOULD DEFRAY SOME OF HIS EXPENSES.

REPORTING LIVE IN DALLAS.

Sarah Dodd
CBS 11 News