Everything You Need to Know About The May 6 Dallas City Council Election

Now that the most wonderful time of the year has come and gone, buckle up for election season and a full slate of Dallas City Council seats up for grabs. 

Election Day is May 6. 

City council members serve two-year terms, and elections are held on odd-numbered years. There are no staggered terms, so all 14 seats are on the ballot every two years unless a vacancy comes up due to something like mid-term resignation. 

According to the city’s elections website, the Mayor (Place 15) can serve two four-year terms and council members can serve up to four two-year terms. Once termed, a member of the Dallas City Council cannot run for re-election, but may, after one term has passed, run again for office.

Candidates can begin filing paperwork to appear on the ballot Jan. 18. The filing deadline is Feb. 17. 

But nothing’s stopping them from announcing their candidacy and holding fundraisers now. 

Most Incumbents Have Announced Candidacy

Mayor Eric Johnson and several sitting council members have already announced their candidacy and are rapidly building support in anticipation of the May election. 

District 1 Councilman Chad West, District 2 Councilman Jesse Moreno, District 4 Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold, District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua, District 9 Councilwoman Paula Blackmon, District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn, and District 13 Councilwoman Gay Donnell Willis already are pounding the pavement. 

District 11 Councilwoman Jaynie Schultz and District 14 Councilman Paul Ridley told CandysDirt.com on Monday their announcements are forthcoming.

“I do plan on seeking re-election and will be officially launching my campaign Jan. 22 with a drive-through petition-signing party at my home,” Schultz said.

District 5 Councilman Jaime Resendez replied to our inquiry early Tuesday morning and said he will seek another term.

“I’m excited about the upcoming campaign season,” Resendez said.

Other council members are eligible to run again but don’t appear to be actively campaigning yet. Those potential candidates include District 6 Councilman and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Omar Narvaez and District 8 Councilman Tennell Atkins. The word on the street is that all sitting council members eligible to seek re-election will do so.

Newcomers, Challengers, And Endorsements

District 3 Councilman Casey Thomas is term-limited and has endorsed candidate Zarin Gracey, a pastor who worked in the city’s Office of Business Diversity and Business Inclusion Development offices for 15 years. 

District 10 Councilman Adam McGough, first elected in 2015, also is term-limited. Astanza Laser vice president of marketing Brian Hasenbauer, who has chaired the city’s HOME and Economic Development Committee and served on the Citizen Participation and Rules Committee, has thrown his hat in the ring for District 10. Former Uptown Dallas Inc. Executive Director Kathy Stewart, who was active in the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District, also joined the D10 race.

Outgoing Councilman Casey Thomas has advocated for serving in a volunteer capacity before running for elected office.

“Over the next month, you will hear names you have never heard of announce they are running for city council, school board, and mayor,” Thomas wrote in the popular Reform Dallas Facebook group. “Advice to anyone considering running for public office in 2023: serve BEFORE you run. Serve not only on a school board committee or city board or commission, but serve in the community that you plan to run in. Know the issues that are important to the people you will ask to vote for you. Spend some time listening to what’s important to them.” 

Political newcomer Kendal Richardson has announced his intent to join the mayor’s race. While many expected former Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa to challenge Johnson, Hinojosa announced in December he would not enter the race. 

How Will Redistricting Impact The Election?

The Dallas City Council in June approved new city council district boundaries just two days ahead of the U.S. Justice Department redistricting deadline.

Elected officials struggled to reach a compromise on the new boundaries, which redistribute population so each council member has about 91,000 constituents. It means some residents who worked closely alongside an elected official on a rezoning or other matter might no longer be represented by that council member. 

The new district boundaries will become effective in the May 2023 council election and remain in effect for 10 years, when adjustments are again made to account for changes in population as recorded by U.S. Census data.

Blackmon, who introduced the map that ultimately was approved, told CandysDirt.com that her district moved west, and she lost the east side of District 9, including a chunk of Ferguson Road.  

Housing Ranks High as an Election Year Issue

Several candidates have mentioned housing, infrastructure, transportation corridors, and public safety as priorities for the coming year. 

The Dallas Neighbors for Housing group met Dec. 15 to discuss its endorsement process for the upcoming Dallas City Council election, along with races in other area municipalities. 

“The goal is to foster greater community and collaboration,” said Adam Lamont, one of the group founders. 

The nonprofit allowed a CandysDirt.com reporter to observe the discussion last month, which included talk about housing, short-term rentals, parking reform, accessory dwelling units, and state legislation. 

“Dallas Neighbors for Housing is a grassroots organization that advocates for more housing, more opportunity, and more compassion in the City of Dallas,” its website states. “We are bringing together Dallas residents from all walks of life because housing policy affects us all.” 

The group plans to issue questionnaires to candidates in late January or early February and release its endorsements in March.