{"id":1932,"date":"2019-01-12T18:25:32","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T00:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1932"},"modified":"2019-01-12T18:27:35","modified_gmt":"2019-01-13T00:27:35","slug":"who-thanks-themselvesa-tall-tale-about-a-dog-park","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1932","title":{"rendered":"Who Thanks Themselves?A Tall Tale About a Dog Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who Thanks Themselves?
A Tall Tale About a Dog Park
By Susan M. Halpern
Former Addison Councilmember (1992-1999) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those using the Mayor Lynn Spruill\nDog Park may have noticed bricks with inscriptions on them installed in the\npark.  The \u201csale\u201d of these bricks is a common\nfundraising method, where \u201cpurchasers\u201d don\u2019t actually own the bricks, but are typically\nafforded the opportunity to inscribe a name on the brick.  In fact, many years ago, Mayor Lynn Spruill,\nfor whom the dog park is named and with whom I worked at the 1996 Olympic Summer\nGames, purchased a brick in my name in the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.  It was a wonderful gesture and it made the\nOlympic Park even more special to me. \nSo, I know firsthand that the brick thing can be a neat experience for\nall concerned.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of which brings me to the\nissue at hand, which is the bricks being installed at the publicly-owned Mayor\nLynn Spruill Dog Park.  I\u2019m guessing that\nthe expectation was that the bricks would be inscribed with the names of\nbeloved pets and\/or their owners.  And, for\nthe most part, that\u2019s what seems to be happening.  But, as is too often the case in Addison, the\ngroup of negatives and naysayers is trying to take the experience in a\ndifferent direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I speak, of course, of two bricks at the Spruill Dog Park that purport to \u201cthank\u201d Addison\u2019s misguided ex-mayor, one of them even going so far as to thank him for the park.  Amazingly enough, publicly available documentation obtained by Truth in Addison confirms that these two bricks were purchased by none other than the ex-mayor himself.  <\/a>That\u2019s right, he purchased two bricks and inscribed them to thank himself<\/strong>.  Who does that?  And, acting on behalf of the Addison Legacy Foundation, the inscriptions were approved by the ex-mayor\u2019s political ally, Blake Clemens, who the ex-mayor supported in his losing 2017 mayoral campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start here: the Spruill Dog Park\nis public property and it should not be subjected to political advertising or\npolitically-motivated inscriptions.  In\nfact, if the ex-mayor again becomes a candidate, then this would likely be\nconsidered a use of public resources (i.e., the park) for political\nadvertising, which is prohibited by Title 15 of the Texas Election Code.  But even if I\u2019m wrong in my strong suspicion\nthat this is yet another setup for a looming political campaign, it\u2019s just\nplain wrong on many levels.  After all,\nif the ex-mayor wants to thank himself, then there must also be room for other\nopinions about his misguided tenure as Addison\u2019s mayor.  I\u2019ve written much about all that, and how\nwe\u2019re finally digging out from under all the issues and damage and\ntoxicity.  Maybe I should buy a brick or\ntwo and express my opinions . . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of which makes my point.  This is not a road we want to travel, nor\nshould we tolerate anyone who tries to force us to travel it.  So, if the Town\u2019s naming policy isn\u2019t clear\nthat bricks installed in public places can\u2019t be used for political purposes,\nthen it needs to be amended immediately. \nAnd these two politically-motivated bricks need to be removed.  Bricks are for names, in this case, dogs and\npeople.  That\u2019s it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, there is also the\npoint that many, many people were involved in conceptualizing, developing and\nconstructing the very fine Lynn Spruill Dog Park, aptly named for an\nextraordinary woman and dog lover who we were fortunate to have as our\nmayor.  Mayor Spruill was a great leader\nwho brought out the best in those around her, encouraging them and regularly\ndeflecting credit for achievements to them, exhibiting a brand of humility that\nis characteristic of all great leaders.  Mayor\nSpruill would surely wish for recognition not for any one person in connection\nwith the park bearing her name, but for the teamwork that made the vision a beautiful\nreality.  Because that\u2019s how great\nleaders lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I applaud those who made the Mayor\nLynn Spruill Dog Park happen, and I urge the Council to ensure that this\nwonderful public park is not politicized, including by those who seek personal\naggrandizement at the expense of others. \nI urge the Council to act swiftly and firmly on this issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that will end all efforts to\ntell tall tales about the Mayor Lynn Spruill Dog Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Addison Way is back!  Let\u2019s keep that momentum rolling in 2019!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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