Initially, the city government of Dallas consisted of one mayor and six aldermen. “…meaning that council members were elected on a neighborhood basis” (Phillips, 2006, p.95). The working class favored this system due to the responsiveness of the council members.
Then, in 1906, the elite and middle class initiated a campaign to adopt a commission government. This type of city government would involve electing a mayor and four commissioners in a city-wide election. The commissioners would be in charge of various services the city needed, including water, finances, and streets. 55% of the eligible voters did not participate in this campaign, and the proposal passed (Wisely, 2011).
This change in city government meant that the voice of minorities and poor and the working class would not have significant weight in city government because these groups could not launch city-wide campaigns. Instead, the commission government represented the commercial elite and ignored the need of non-wealthy neighborhoods. “White poor and working-class neighborhoods as well as black communities for years would lack basic services such as modern plumbing, electricity, and trash collection” (Phillips, 2006, p.96 ).
This event is one of several in the history of Dallas that demonstrates the inequities that have existed throughout the development of the city. Without representation and a voice in city government, the needs of marginalized communities are not a priority for city officials.
Below is an image that shows the breakdown of a commission government.
The video below explains the history of the commission government
Sources:
Kentucky League of Cities. (n.d.) Form of government. https://www.klc.org/InfoCentral/Detail/33/form-of-government
Phillips, M. (2006). White metropolis: Race, ethnicity, and religion in Dallas, 1841-2001. University of Texas Press. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/southernmethodist/detail.action?docID=3443275
Wisely, K. S. (2011). The “Dallas way” in the gayborhood: The creation of a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Dallas, Texas, 1965-1986 (Order No. 1520474) [Doctoral dissertation, University of North Texas]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.