De León vows: ‘I will not resign.’ Council president says apology isn’t enough, but offers to resign.
— City leaders in Dallas have reached the end of an increasingly rocky week, with council member Sylvester Turner calling a meeting and offering to step down and council chairmen telling her she’s “fired.”
Turner, who last December supported an anti-immigration proposal that ultimately failed, says he’s disappointed with the way his position on the issue has been covered in recent days.
“I am truly sorry,” Turner said Wednesday. He said he’s offered to resign, but city officials are telling him, “I am not going to fire you.”
“I need to resign because this is very important to this city and the citizens of Dallas,” Turner said. “My colleagues and I have not done a good enough job for the citizens of Dallas.”
Council members have been at loggerheads over the future of the city’s new Immigration and Customs Enforcement district, but a vote has not been scheduled.
Earlier this week, council members voted to hire an independent commission with limited power to decide the fate of the ICE detention facility — a proposal the city’s mayor and other council members initially rejected.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, Turner called for an end to the dysfunction, with all members of the council being allowed to vote on the matter “with no fear or intimidation.” And he urged a “compromise” that would lead to “a fair and open discussion.”
Mayor Mike Rawlings and other members of the city’s city council, including Dallas’ most powerful Republican, have said they are open to compromise.
In response to Turner’s statements, the mayor on Wednesday issued an apology, saying, “I am not ready to give up my strong principles and I respect everyone’s position and respect everyone’s decision on the future of the City. I will not resign.”
Rawlings issued a similar statement on Wednesday night, saying, “I believe every member of the