It’s the Friday 5, and this time we lead off with a fracking good story that, as you’ll see, has our city manager in a spot of bother and me in a bit of a lather.

1. Mary Suhm should be fired.
In case you missed it yesterday, it came to light — only after some stubborn sleuthing by City Council members — that the person who actually runs the city, Mary Suhm, five years ago told the folks who wanna frack our parkland that everything would most likely work out just fine for them. To get up to speed, read Jim Schutze, who broke the story, and read Suhm’s response here, and read about the batshit council session that followed here.

Now, Suhm says it wasn’t a backroom deal, because she never promised anything, which is just semantic lawyerly bullshit. For one thing, if the city didn’t believe this was an implicit promise to grant drilling rights to Trinity East, then Mayor Mike wouldn’t be so scared of the lawsuit that will surely come if Trinity East isn’t granted drilling rights.

No. 2: Seriously? You think the letter meant nothing? Then why write it? Why put the city once again in a position that it would probably lose or have to settle a costly lawsuit? Did you have a letter-writing quota that day that had to be filled? Were you trying out a new printer?

In this case, Suhm is either lying or stupid, and either way she has once again, despite seemingly never getting heat for her missteps, proven that it is time for a less-arrogant hand on the City Hall tiller. In fact, I really think this sort of shell-game crap demands a look at our city charter and possibly a restructuring to a stronger-mayor system. (Having just seen such a system in Atlanta, let me tell you, I think it’s awesome.)

But one step at a time. Let’s get a new city manager in Dallas.

2. Energy Future Holdings is getting its bankruptcy ducks in order.
EFH brass have been wanting to do this for a while, but parent company KKR is holding out hope that natural gas prices will rise and offset some of the company’s debt. But they can’t wait much longer.

3. American Airlines CEO Tom Horton won’t be CEO much longer.
This story wonders how much power a non-exec chairman would have. FWIW, my source says his position in the new merged company will be “more than honorary, but not influential.” So there.

4. The Irving City Council thinks it runs a real city.
They want to build a convention center hotel to attract bigger, more important, bahahaahahahahaha oh, Lord, I’m sorry. I couldn’t get through it with a straight face. Irving, you’re so cute.

5. Mark Davis said something reasonable.
Who snuck into Mark Davis’ body and typed something reasonable about working harder to stop mental health problems before they cause deadly action? Was it a total-body switch, like in Freaky Friday, or was it more like a half-body takeover, like in All of Me? I think the latter would be more entertaining.

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Cuteness alert!

Mary Suhm told the folks who wanna frack our parkland that everything would most likely work out just fine for them.

  

Photo courtesy of Dallas City Hall

Mary Suhm told the folks who wanna frack our parkland that everything would most likely work out just fine for them.