Reporting Highlights
- Small-Government Advocate: Art Martinez de Vara is a South Texas lawyer and historian who has helped push a theory of limited government across the state.
- Curtailing a Big City’s Power: He was the lawyer for a successful campaign to force Dallas to hire more police officers while also stripping the city of its immunity from lawsuits.
- Hometown Troubles: He’s mayor of a town that embraced his small-government ideals but struggles to provide basic services and has no sewer system.
These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
In February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit accusing Dallas officials of failing to adequately fund the city’s police department and violating a voter-approved measure requiring it to hire up to 900 new officers.
“I filed this lawsuit to ensure that the City of Dallas fully funds law enforcement, upholds public safety, and is accountable to its constituents,” Paxton said in a news release demanding that the city adhere to a 2024 change in its charter. “When voters demand more funding for law enforcement, local officials must immediately comply.”…