Letters to the Editor — Negative campaigning, voting at the American Airlines Center, Stan Richards, Biden-Ukraine story, Klyde Warren Park

Let ads reflect candidate

I am so tired of people running for a political office bashing their opponents. I don’t want to hear what your opponent has done or hasn’t done. I want to hear what you want to do for our country.

Trivella Smith, Irving

Voting easy at AAC

Many thanks to Mark Cuban and American Airlines Center! We voted Friday afternoon. Free parking; no lines; helpful, friendly election officials; lots of room for social distancing; and super easy to use voting machines made for a great voting experience. Be a part of this record-shattering voting experience!

Jim and Suzanne Gaberino, Highland Park

May cooler heads prevail

Re: “Richards: ‘I am firing myself,’ — Advertising pioneer exits after outcry over ‘too Black’ remark," Friday news story.

The responses to the Richards Group are beyond politically correct. Because of two words —“too Black” — by a man attempting to diversify his advertising approach, his company is being systematically destroyed. Why can’t some adult stand up and say that the response to his words is an extreme overreaction? May cooler heads and sensible people prevail.

Annette Corman, North Dallas

Admiration for a friend

Stan Richards is a friend of mine. I ran many miles with him around White Rock Lake. I spent a long weekend at South Padre Island fishing with him. In all these very private settings, I did not hear a single inappropriate word. He had good stories and a positive outlook in what he said. He would never speak badly about anyone that was of a different race, religion or ethnic background.

As a newcomer to Dallas, he did not receive that same positive welcome. He didn’t hit back at his critics. He only let his work answer the critics. He was always available to young students if they had questions about a career in advertising. He was and is a man of class. I have nothing but admiration for my friend, Stan Richards.

Edwin Lafayette Jackson, Garland

Words matter

Of all people, Stan Richards, head of the largest independent marketing and advertising firm in the world, should understand that “words matter.” I am so disappointed in him for not remembering these very simple words, and I hope his age and lapse in judgment do not forever kill the hardworking people at this very successful firm.

Rick Schene, Dallas/Uptown

Too late for agency

I worked at the Richards Group for nine years and was a freelancer there for many years before that. I still freelance for the agency occasionally. I like Stan Richards. I like Glenn Dady. But I weep for their blindness to the issue that has finally brought the agency to its knees. Richards has said that the biggest mistake of his life was to comment that a certain campaign for one of his clients was “too Black.” No, his biggest mistake was years in the making.

Richards once wrote a book about creating a “peaceable kingdom” at his agency. But there is no peace when the agency is known throughout the industry as a white boys' club that doesn’t aim for diversity or even talk about it. I once tried to discuss this with Dady and got nowhere.

In the last couple of years, the agency set up a committee to investigate how to achieve the diversity that other agencies arrived at decades ago, but it was too little, too late. I have had many wonderful colleagues during my relationship with the Richards Group, and my heart breaks for the troubles they are now facing.

Carolyn Bullard, Dallas/Oak Lawn

Silence on Biden

Re: “Biden-Ukraine story back — Trump team touts report from New York tabloid,” Friday news story.

As one who tries to get both sides of each story, I have noticed how hard it is to find a good defense to scandals surrounding Democrats.

Recently, conservative media trumpeted CIA documents showing Hillary Clinton started the Russian conspiracy hoax, FBI notes revealing Joe Biden and Barack Obama met secretly to prosecute Michael Flynn and, now, Hunter Biden emails proving “big guy” Joe Biden lied repeatedly about his involvement in the family’s corrupt foreign business deals.

The response from the liberal media has been mostly silence and even censorship by Twitter and Facebook. This Associated Press story doesn’t report the Biden deal with China. Why are the media afraid even to mention it?

Ken Ashby, Dallas

Not a peep on Sunday

And the beat goes on, which is the total sellout to the Democratic National Committee and the left by The Dallas Morning News. In what normally would be a news-making event of epic proportions had this happened to President Donald Trump, there was not one story, letter to the editor or mention of the breaking story about the potential involvement of presidential candidate Joe Biden and his family in various pay-for-play scandals involving Biden’s wayward son Hunter Biden in the Sunday edition of the DMN. Since the Sunday edition and its accompanying opinion section reaches more readers than on any other day of the week, this lack of coverage is inexcusable and sadly, predictable.

Jack Bailey, Athens

Honor what came before park

Re: “Klyde Warren’s next phase has a name: Jacobs — Signature of engineer firm that helped bring deck park to life will grace its lawn,” Oct. 14 news story.

How can you speak of Klyde Warren Park reflecting inclusion and diversity when it has failed to reach out and reflect the multiracial history of the land the park is next to, and the very land it rests on?

Where in Klyde Warren Park is the history of the Freedman’s Town that became Hall-Thomas? Where is the history of Little Mexico?

Please explain how Klyde Warren reflects inclusion and diversity without celebrating the multiracial history of the place it occupies, the people who lived there before the freeway.

Bill Betzen, Dallas

Benefits of pro-business state

Re: “No place but Texas — Klyde Warren Park expansion is another example of California’s loss, our gain,” Monday Editorials.

Thank you for publishing this editorial. I applaud all efforts made to contrast Dallas and California. I hate to make it a political conversation, but I think it’s critical for The Dallas Morning News to illustrate the benefits of living in a pro-business state. I’m a social liberal and economic conservative, and so are most of my friends.

Logan Waller, Dallas

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