On Saturday, October 19, a diverse group of civic leaders and elected officials — including former Dallas Mayors Laura Miller, Mike Rawlings, and Tom Leppert — used up a valuable weekend day in a grassroots effort to warn voters about three propositions that will be on the ballot on November 5.

The propositions are S, T, and U, and the widespread opposition is bringing together political veterans from all sides.

More than 60 members of the “Vote No On S, T, U, Dallas” coalition canvassed neighborhoods door-to-door to raise awareness of the potential negative impacts of the propositions, calling them disastrous for the city’s future and urging voters to reject them in the election.

"The proposed charter changes would threaten the very foundation of our city's governance and hinder the progress we’ve made," said former Mayor Laura Miller in a statement. "We must come together to protect Dallas and ensure its continued growth and prosperity."

The three propositions are from Dallas Hero, a mysterious, seemingly unhinged political group that gathered enough signatures to get them on the November 5 ballot.

Coalition leaders say the changes will undermine Dallas’ progress, governance, and economy.

“Every living mayor that was elected in Dallas, all the city council members, thirty-seven ex-city council members, all five Dallas County Commissioners, any many of our state representatives have come out and said these are going to be bad, they are going to hurt taxpayers. They are going to hurt the services that are delivered to those taxpayers," said former Mayor Mike Rawlings.

The propositions include mandating the immediate hiring of hundreds of new police officers, which city officials say would be unsafe and impossible to accomplish with proper training, as well as putting the city at risk of millions of taxpayer dollars to defend against frivolous lawsuits if the city fails to meet the mandated quota.

Cuts to priority service areas including fire, EMS, parks, arts, streets, and homelessness would also be forced under these amendments.

“You have people from very different backgrounds politically, but everyone is united in saying this is the wrong course for Dallas,” said former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. “Everyone is in favor of accountability, and everyone is in favor of strong public safety, but these charter amendments are not the way to do it.”

The problem with propositions of any kind is that voters often approve them because voting yes for something is a feel-good thing.

The “Vote No On S, T, U, Dallas” coalition has launched a website at votenodallas.com, with voter information and a growing list of people and organizations signing on to oppose.

The Dallas Citizens Council is leading the campaign effort through the Together for Dallas PAC.

According to a release, the list of those opposed to the propositions includes:

Former Dallas Mayors:

• The Hon. Mayor Laura Miller
• The Hon. Mayor Mike Rawlings
• The Hon. Mayor Tom Leppert

10 Current Dallas City Councilmembers:

• The Hon. Carolyn King Arnold
• The Hon. Tennell Atkins
• The Hon. Adam Bazaldua
• The Hon. Zarin D. Gracey
• The Hon. Jesse Moreno
• The Hon. Omar Narvaez
• The Hon. Jaime Resendez
• The Hon. Paul Ridley
• The Hon. Chad West
• The Hon. Gay Donnell Willis

Current Dallas County Commissioners:

• The Hon. Theresa Daniel
• The Hon. John Wiley Price
• The Hon. Andy Sommerman

23 Former Dallas City Councilmembers:

• The Hon. Monica Alonzo
• The Hon. Lois Finkelman
• The Hon. Sandy Greyson
• The Hon. Craig Holcomb
• The Hon. Mark Housewright
• The Hon. Angela Hunt
• The Hon. Vonciel Hill Jones
• The Hon. Philip Kingston
• The Hon. Linda Koop
• The Hon. Veletta Lill
• The Hon. Chris Luna
• The Hon. Craig McDaniel
• The Hon. Adam McGough
• The Hon. Adam Medrano
• The Hon. Pauline Medrano
• The Hon. Ed Oakley
• The Hon. Diane Ragsdale
• The Hon. Mitchell Rasansky
• The Hon. Steve Salazar
• The Hon. Maxine Thornton-Reese
• The Hon. Alan Walne
• The Hon. Erik Wilson
• The Hon. Tiffinni Young

Current State Legislators:

• The Hon. John Bryant
• The Hon. Yvonne Davis
• Sen. Nathan Johnson

Former State Legislators:

• The Hon. Helen Giddings
• The Hon. John Turner

Other Dallas Leaders:

• Bobby Abtahi, Former President, Dallas Park Board
• Arcilia Acosta, Chair, Dallas Citizens Council
• Steve Atkinson, Former Board Chair, Equality Texas
• Albert Black Jr., Founder of On Target Supplies & Logistics
• Harrison Blair, CEO Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce
• Peter Brodsky, Developer of Redbird Mall
• Craig Davis, President and CEO of Visit Dallas
• Patti Fink, Founding member, Dallas LGBT Task Force
• Ted Hamilton, Vice-Chair, Downtown Dallas Inc. Board
• Charles Ku, Honorary President, Greater Dallas Taiwanese Chamber
• Michael Hinojosa, Former DISD Superintendent
• Willis Johnson, JBJ Management Founder
• Sam Coats, Former Board Chairman, North Dallas Chamber of Commerce
• Lynn McBee, City of Dallas Workforce Development Czar
• Rick Ortiz, CEO, Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Tom Perkins, Former Dallas City Attorney
• Miguel Solis, Former DISD Board President

Early voting starts on Monday, October 21. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.