Anne Raymond's Letter To Mayor Tom Leppert

CITIZENS AGAINST THE TAXPAYER-OWNED HOTEL P.O. Box 227196 Dallas, Texas 75222 (214) 890-0952

The Honorable Tom Leppert Dallas City Hall 1500 Marilla Street – Room 5EN Dallas, TX 75201 March 4, 2009 Dear Mayor Leppert, It appears there is confusion regarding the nature of our organization and its intent – allow me to clarify. Citizens Against the Taxpayer-Owned Hotel is a coalition of concerned local citizens formed in response to the City’s ill-conceived, $550,000,000 convention center hotel. More than 60,000 residents signed a petition requesting the right to vote on the project and several thousand more contacted us directly asking how they can help ensure this financial folly does not proceed. Furthermore, more than one hundred individuals reached into their wallets during a severe recession which has forced an entire nation to eliminate non-essentials, and offered money to guarantee our organization could communicate our message of fiscal responsibility and ensure a yes vote on proposition 1. I am the spokesperson for Citizens Against the Taxpayer-Owned Hotel. Having been in the hotel business for 25 years, I speak several times each week to community associations discussing financial risks of constructing and operating a hotel. Our organization is committed to running an issue-based campaign. We endeavor to enlighten Dallas residents to the risks associated with the hotel and allow them to cast the final judgment on May 9th. It has become apparent you do not intend to run such a campaign. You aspire to run a negative, personality-centric campaign where you cast a “Park Cities Billionaire” as the villain and distract from the true topic with cries of “selfishness.” Your campaign of negative personal attacks is as disrespectful as your ongoing effort to deny taxpayers an up or down vote on the hotel, by rushing – too often behind closed doors – the project through in an attempt to break ground before May 9th. It was you who stated on September 24, “Dallas taxpayers will ultimately be responsible for the debt.” Why then are Dallas taxpayers being denied their voice on the hotel? If it is Dallas taxpayers who will ultimately cover the substantial and ongoing financial losses from the hotel, are they not entitled to an honest presentation of the risks? Allow today to be an opportunity to transform your crusade into a positive, educational, issueoriented operation. Furthermore, we politely ask you to refrain from attacking any more of the local citizens who demonstrated true altruism on behalf of their neighbors and financially supported Citizens Against the Taxpayer-Owned Hotel. Contributions, both large and small, are not an invitation to be slandered – not in a democracy.

Political Advertisement paid for by the Citizens Against The Taxpayer-Owned Hotel PAC P.O. Box 227196, Dallas, Texas 75222 • Vance C. Miller, Treasurer

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I have been informed by several organizations that you have refused to debate me. After initially declining, you have now agreed to a debate with me at the Stemmons Corridor Business Association’s April meeting. I look forward to that debate and any other requested by concerned citizens and curious civic organizations. Warmest regards, Anne Raymond Director Citizens Against the Taxpayer-Owned Hotel

cc: Dallas City Council Members