Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price smiled, glared and rolled his eyes as he listened to several speakers Tuesday accuse him of being deceitful and duplicitous in his behind-the-scenes maneuvering to replace the county’s popular elections administrator.
But when the final speaker, Dallas lawyer Jeff Turner, took the podium and referred to Price repeatedly as the county’s “chief mullah” and used the word “tribal” in his remarks, Price’s famous temper got the better of him.
He bluntly told Turner he took offense and challenged the lawyer to speak to him in private. That led to a shouting match between Price and audience members during which Price told them several times to “go to hell.”
The outburst was the first such incident involving this Democratic-controlled Commissioners Court, which vowed to improve decorum and civility. It also signaled that the backlash from longtime Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet’s unceremonious ouster last month shows no signs of easing up.
When Turner finished his remarks, Price asked the audience, “Why are all the speakers white?”
The speakers had criticized Price for his involvement in Sherbet’s resignation. Sherbet has said he left because of a lack of support from Price.
As County Judge Clay Jenkins gaveled the meeting to a close, several audience members told Price he should show them respect.
“You’ve asked respect of us. We demand respect from you,” someone yelled.
Price replied: “All of you are white. Go to hell.”
Jenkins told them to take their private discussions outside. “But no yelling, no cursing in this courtroom,” he said.
Price then headed toward a side exit and challenged his critics to follow him outside.
“You, too, fat boy,” he said to the Rev. Bill Lovell, a Republican election judge who approached the dais to protest Price’s conduct.
Price’s top assistant, Dapheny Fain, also got into an exchange of words with some audience members, some of whom were wearing “I Support Bruce” T-shirts. Fain told them they were not being respectful toward Price.
When Price walked out, the county’s chief of security and one of his officers blocked the exit so Lovell couldn’t leave. He was directed to the main exit at the back of the room. Security and county officials then turned off the lights and told everyone to leave.
Lovell said he showed up Tuesday because he’s concerned about the integrity of future elections.
“I’ve never heard such behavior,” he said of Price. “He completely lost it.”
Later, Price was unrepentant.
“I would do the same thing again,” he said.
Price said Turner’s use of the word “mullah” is “racist as hell.”
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines “mullah” as “an educated Muslim trained in religious law and doctrine and usually holding an official post.”
Attempts to reach Turner for clarification of his remarks were unsuccessful.
In an e-mail Price sent to all county employees Tuesday afternoon, he said he was called “Chief Moolah,” which he said is rooted in slang that was used against Italian immigrants and, later, African-Americans.
“The speaker continued to use terms like ‘tribal,’ and his intent to make race an issue was obvious,” Price wrote in his e-mail.
“My history and record will reflect that I am one whose tolerance is limited or non-existent when it comes to racial slurs. The comments were bad enough, but to have them hurled by a member of the tea party, known for their racial insensitivity, was more than I plan to absorb,” Price’s e-mail said.
“This is in no way an attempt to apologize to those with who felt the need to infuse race into an otherwise orderly meeting. But all of my friends, black, white and brown alike, are well aware that I am always willing to debate, but never at the expense of my race and my heritage.”
Ken Emanuelson, a lawyer who is active in the Dallas tea party, confirmed that Turner is active in the group and said he was disappointed by Price’s characterization of the party. He said that his party has mostly protested the actions of white Republicans and that those on the left prefer to portray members as being motivated by race.
“It’s just one more episode in the continuing smear job,” Emanuelson said. “John Wiley Price sees just about everything through a racial lens.”
The county has a policy on audience conduct during meetings, which a county administrator read aloud before the public comments portion of Tuesday’s meeting.
It says visitors who make “personal, impertinent, profane or slanderous remarks” or become “boisterous” while addressing the court will be removed if the county judge orders it. If the county judge fails to act, a majority of commissioners can vote to force the person’s removal.
Jenkins said he will be more forceful with his gavel in the future if speakers resort to name-calling and personal attacks. He said it’s important to work through issues in a non-partisan and non-racial way.
“There is strength to our diversity here in Dallas County,” he said.
A couple of the speakers mentioned Dr. Martin Luther King as they criticized Price, which agitated Price further.
Price, an outspoken civil rights demonstrator in his younger days, has been known to lose his temper and resort to name-calling during heated discussions. For Commissioner Maurine Dickey, whose family owns a barbecue restaurant chain, he chose “Barbecue Barbie.” And he referred to former County Judge Jim Foster as “Judge Foster Gump,” a reference to the mentally challenged movie character.
Cecile Newberry-Fernandez, who signed up to speak at the end of the meeting, told commissioners she has been appalled by Price’s behavior in the past.
She said she’s seen him roll his eyes and mutter insults as people spoke. She also questioned recent statements Price made about Sherbet in The Dallas Morning News.
“Dallas County voters do not believe you are telling the truth,” she said, as Price rolled his eyes.
Charles Lingerfelt, chairman of the North Texas freedom rally, a Republican pro-military organization, approached Price after the meeting.
“We will not respect that kind of outburst,” he told Price. “We are not going to hell.”
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