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    RIP Steve

    Steven Wollard, political activist dedicated to Dallas, dies at 55

    Teresa Gubbins
    May 4, 2020 | 9:40 pm
    Steve Wollard
    Steve Wollard in his downtown Dallas milieu.
    Courtesy photo

    Steven Wollard, a Dallas political activist who cofounded an influential Facebook group called Reform Dallas, died unexpectedly on May 4; he was 55.

    Wollard was known for his outspoken, forceful personality, and his ability to not just embrace but also bring together people with opposing views. On the Reform Dallas page, he became a father figure and ringleader who helped engage local political leaders and steer the conversation towards causes he championed, including transparency and accountability in Dallas city government.

    He was also irreverent and unfiltered in a way that made him unique in Dallas — and never shy about calling out traits or actions that he found unjust.

    Barry Jacobs, who was a close friend, says that Wollard was driven by his values.

    "He didn't much care about anything else: he was content to let someone else make the policy, but he wanted absolute transparency as to how the money got spent," Jacobs says. "He absolutely could not abide public corruption."

    Wollard was born on August 3, 1964 and grew up in Waco. He attended UT Austin, then worked in construction and roofing.

    "Steve was a mess of apparent contradictions," Jacobs says. "He was a college dropout who went from running a roofing business to being a pioneer of bitcoin mining. He was a redneck from Waco who cared deeply about racial equity. He was a strangely apolitical man who, somehow, became a political force in our city."

    Wollard also had an irreverent, bawdy side which included salty language and over-the-top pronouncements. For example, when a friend posted a photo of a vintage Mustang, Wollard's comment was "So tits."

    The Reform Dallas page was originally founded by a group of downtown Dallas residents, of which Wollard was one. Their efforts began with a radical vibe that sometimes bordered on unhinged — but Wollard's outreach to people from different neighborhoods transformed the page into a place where all walks of life could interact, thereby lending it more credibility.

    Perhaps the most valuable outcome that Wollard and the page effected was the way it formed a community and encouraged the same kind of political activism that Wollard possessed; he was a generous mentor to many political newcomers. And in a world that feels like the cards are stacked against the little guy, he made it seem like the little guy stood half a chance.

    The page also became a powerful campaign tool in the 2017 and 2019 Dallas City Council elections, helping to spotlight candidates such as Scott Griggs, who ran for mayor in 2019, and Adam Bazaldua, who was elected to the city council that same year.

    When a public figure did something Wollard approved of, he would proclaim them to be "a Goddamned American hero," and made that phrase a recurring motif on the Reform Dallas page, used any time someone wanted to acknowledge a good deed.

    Mark Melton, another close friend, described Wollard as "just a regular guy with charisma to outpace his station."

    Part of that charisma sprang from the fact that he put on absolutely no airs, Jacobs says.

    "He was a Central Texas cracker who had graduated from the school of hard knocks and absolutely did not give a damn who knew it," Jacobs says. "He was also wildly imaginative; he always had a hundred crazy projects in mind — 99 of which were batshit crazy, but one of which would have this little germ of brilliance. Bitcoin was one of those, and it apparently did well by him. Reform Dallas was another, and here we are."

    During these polarized times, Wollard's approach was an inspirational example.

    "He was a rare 'cross the aisle' kind of leader," Melton says. "He yelled loudly to motivate his base, and then went and actually tried to reason with his opposition. Sometimes they would move. And sometimes he would. It's a rare set of qualities in modern politics that I wish we could see more of."

    "While he certainly thrived on controversy, his primary motivator was simply to get to the right answer, whatever that was and at all costs," Melton says. "Like all of us, he was subject to his own biases and the lens of his own life experiences, but he genuinely cared about his fellow man. And he spent a great deal of his time working for the betterment of others, whether that was lobbying politicos to move policies he cared about or handing a burger and fries to the homeless guy that hung out on his block."

    CJ Gresh, another friend, said he admired Wollard because he was not fearful.

    "He was a force of nature," Gresh says. "He pushed, cajoled, hell-raised, and delivered the most eloquent 'fuck off's in a town that champions itself on getting along — and he made it work."

    Friends said that the cause of death appeared to be a heart attack. He was preceded in death by his brother, Chris Wollard, and grandparents Dorothy and Jim Lassiter. He's survived by his girlfriend Kelly Graham; mother Sherry Lewis; father and stepmother Bob and Karen Wollard; his sister Catherine Wollard; sister Lauren Pruitt and her husband Todd, nephews Kyler and Caleb, and niece Ainsley; and nieces Katie and Grace Wollard.

    According to family members, due to the coronavirus, services will not be held at this time.

    deathspoliticscity-news-roundup
    news/city-life

    Animal News

    Advocates find false info being fed to Texas legislators on pet store law

    Teresa Gubbins
    May 8, 2025 | 10:30 am
    Puppy mill dogs do not have a great life.
    Puppy mill dogs do not have a great life.
    undefined

    A national pet store chain has been implicated in a dishonest campaign to try and influence Texas lawmakers on an upcoming bill making its way through the legislature.

    The pet store chain is Petland, and they're engaged in a battle against The Ethical Pet Sale Bill (SB 1652 / HB 3458), which would encourage pet stores to stop selling at-risk animals from puppy mills and support shelters and rescue groups instead.

    The Ethical Pet Sale bill has support from rescue and animal groups across Texas, who are all grappling with a glut of animals on the streets and in overcrowded shelters. That pet overpopulation problem gets even worse when pet stores import more animals from puppy mills in states like Missouri and Ohio.

    If Texas passes the bill, it will join a growing number of states and cities who've already passed similar laws including Dallas, Austin, Bryan, College Station, El Paso, Euless, Fort Worth, Houston, New Braunfels, Pasadena, San Antonio, The Colony, Sherman, and Waco.

    Most reputable pet store chains such as PetSmart and PetCo do not sell cats and dogs. Petland does. The company operates 84 stores in the U.S., and fights bills like this by hiring lobbyists to discourage legislators from supporting these bills.

    Phony list
    In this case, a two-page summary was distributed to some Texas state senators listing reasons why they should oppose SB ("The evidence from other states, especially California, demonstrates that these types of bans do more harm than good"), plus a list of organizations that are opposed.

    Most of the organizations opposed to the bill profit directly from animals, such as Petland and Puppy Dreams, a North Texas chain that also sells animals.

    But the list also had surprising names including PetSmart, PetCo, and Pet Supplies Plus — the three largest pet store chains who all have a history of supporting adoption of shelter animals.

    Their presence on the list caught the eye of animal advocacy groups such as Texas Humane Legislation Network and Humane World For Animals, who've worked with the big three in the past.

    "We became aware of Petland Inc.’s lobbyist apparently sharing the attached document with legislators, claiming the listed pet and pet product industry leaders are opposing this legislation," said a spokesperson from Humane World of Animals (HWA). "We checked in with contacts at Petco, Petsmart, and the American Pet Products Association, and all of them deny opposing this legislation or giving Petland permission to list them on this opposition letter. It’s very possible others listed in this letter also did not give their permission to be included — we only connected with the those listed above at this stage."

    CultureMap also contacted the three major pet store chains and received similar responses that they had not been consulted nor did they issue a rejection of the bill, although none wanted to be quoted.

    The misrepresentation is concerning because it muddies the water with false information at a time when the bill is still under consideration:

    HB 3458 — the version going through the Texas House — passed a House Committee with a 10-1 vote and has been moved up the chain towards passage.

    SB 1652 — the version going through the Senate — still needs to get through the Senate Committee, Calendars, and a floor vote.

    "By creating a false narrative about the position of the above industry leaders, this letter has the potential to sway lawmakers at a critical juncture in the legislation’s journey," the HWA spokesperson says.

    Two Petland stores in the Dallas area — in Frisco and Tyler — have been the subject of undercover investigations. Petland Webster recently settled a lawsuit with several families that the store allegedly sold sick puppies to, and several lawsuits have been filed against Petland Woodlands in Texas, claiming the store sold sick puppies. One pet owner told the House Committee that he'd spent $20,000 on medical care of a puppy he bought at a pet store.

    "Banning the retail sale of puppies and kittens is a common-sense solution to protect both animals and Texas consumers," said Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, who filed the bill. "My SB 1652 would help reduce pet overpopulation, promote responsible breeding practices and prevent families from unknowingly purchasing sick animals. With varying local ordinances in place and further action at the city level now restricted, it is important for the state to provide a clear and consistent approach that prioritizes both animal welfare and consumer protection."

    politicsanimals
    news/city-life

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