What’s Next For The Dallas City Council? Where do Returning Members Stand on Housing Issues?
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Lackluster voter turnout culminated in few surprises as Dallas City Council election results rolled in Saturday night. All who led during early voting emerged victorious as the final results were posted shortly after midnight.
Former City Plan commissioner and Public Facility Board president Zarin Gracey will face retired teacher and radio talk show host Joe Tave in a June 10 runoff for the District 3 seat. Casey Thomas, who could not seek re-election due to term limits, has endorsed Gracey.
Mayor Eric Johnson and incumbent council members Chad West, Jesse Moreno, Carolyn King Arnold, Jaime Resendez, Omar Narvaez, Adam Bazaldua, Tennell Atkins, Paula Blackmon, Jaynie Schultz, Cara Mendelsohn, Gay Donnell Willis, and Paul Ridley will return to the horseshoe.
Kathy Stewart took a strong early lead over District 10 candidates Brian Hasenbauer, Chris Carter, and Sirrano Keith Baldeo. She maintained it throughout the evening and easily won the open seat vacated by Adam McGough, who could not seek re-election due to term limits. McGough endorsed Stewart early in her campaign.
The next Dallas City Council meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday.
District 3 Race
Gracey is a clear frontrunner for the District 3 seat, earning 46.22 percent of the vote to Tave’s 25.76 percent, but he’ll have to clear one more hurdle in the June runoff.
Gracey told CandysDirt.com in an April 13 interview where he stands on short-term rentals and Public Facility Corporation projects.
Short-term rentals: As the District 3 Planning Commissioner, I voted to restrict short-term rentals in residential areas, because the City unfortunately had no way of properly managing the regulation of short-term rentals.
PFC projects: I was the former (and first) president of the Dallas Public Facilities Corporation. I was excited to be a part of a tool that created another housing option for the City. I want to make District 3 a place where everyone can experience their “first”: First apartment, first home, or first dream home, and the PFC is just another option that gets that much closer.
Tave did not respond to the CandysDirt.com candidate questionnaire.
District 10
Former Uptown Dallas Inc. Executive Director Stewart also answered questions about STRs and PFCs. She had the following to say:
Short-term rentals: During my many conversations and meetings with D10 residents, short-term rentals always came up. In D10 most single-family homeowners do not want short-term rentals in their traditionally residential neighborhoods and I agree … I would support a ban on short-term rentals in neighborhoods that are zoned single-family residential. I do recognize that multi-family property owners have a different perspective and experience with short-term rentals, and they want to retain the right to this use. There may also be property owners supplementing their fixed income with short-term rentals and property owners in neighborhoods with more density or proximity to entertainment areas that want to preserve their right to short-term rentals. The solution must recognize these differences.
PFC projects: Public Facility Corporations (“PFC”) are a relatively new housing tool that provides property tax exemptions for private apartment developers. They are a tool for mixed-income housing with a general rule of 50 percent market-rate units and 50 percent affordable units. We know Dallas needs more affordable housing units and the PFCs with the right developer and location seem to be a viable tool.
Where The Returning Council Members Stand on Housing
We took a look at the housing issues by district and where recently re-elected council members stand.
District 1 — Chad West has long been an advocate for more housing, economic development, and thoughtful policy.
In a statement to CandysDirt.com, West thanked voters for re-electing him and said he plans to continue working for Oak Cliff residents.
“I am honored that my neighbors voted me back for another term to represent the best community in Dallas,” he said. “I look forward to working with each of them over the next two years to continue our priorities of public safety, neighborhood preservation, thoughtful, community-driven development, and enhancement of our parks and trails.”
District 2 — Jesse Moreno was caught in the middle of a zoning battle in which Elm Thicket/Northpark residents fought against massive “McMansions” that were creating issues of displacement and gentrification. The residents prevailed, and Moreno was handily re-elected to his D2 seat with almost 85 percent of the vote.
District 4 — Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold sailed to re-election with 64.88 percent of the vote over challenger Jamie Smith. Arnold has been a staunch advocate for repairing decayed infrastructure and recruiting economic development in District 4.
District 5 — Jaime Resendez avoided a runoff, garnering 53.6 percent of the vote over two challengers. Resendez, an attorney and former Dallas ISD trustee, doesn’t engage in a lot of public debate and it’s been unclear thus far how he’ll vote on STRs. Resendez, along with a majority of the council, has supported additional housing in all districts and listed it among his top three priorities for District 5.
District 6 — Omar Narvaez has said publicly that he rents his home and has advocated for all types of housing with a “Yes In My Backyard” philosophy. Narvaez’s name appeared on the five-signature memo calling for a vote on STRs in April. The councilman garnered 53.29 percent of the vote in Saturday’s election over three challengers.
District 7 — Adam Bazaldua had a rocky road to re-election with constituents firing attacks at him related to the proposed automatic renewal of the Austin Batch Plant special use permit in Joppa, citing environmental concerns. He issued a press release through a spokesman during early voting stating that the plant permit would not be automatically renewed.
The councilman, who has proposed an alternate solution to allow some neighborhoods to opt out of STR use in residential areas, won his seat with 51.57 percent of the vote.
District 8 — Tennell Atkins, the “elder statesman” of the Dallas City Council, won big, garnering 78.6 percent of the vote over two challengers. Atkins has recently been vocal in recruiting new development to RedBird.
District 9 — Paula Blackmon easily won re-election to her District 9 seat, defeating Kendra Denise Madison with 79.71 percent of the vote.
Blackmon took a quiet “listening and learning” role during the first PFC project to draw public attention, the Standard Shoreline, proposed for a church property near the Lochwood neighborhood.
Thomas Buck, communications chair for the Lochwood Neighborhood Association, said in an interview with CandysDirt.com last month that Blackmon has generally been responsive and supportive of the D9 neighborhoods.
“If offering constructive criticism, I wish Paula or her staff would be more communicative early in the process with potential developments that arise near us and in our district — not to give her feelings or opinions on matters at hand, but just to alert us of new developments,” Buck said. “I’ve learned the city is surprisingly responsive to questions raised. The problem is you have to know the right questions to ask, the right way to ask them, and the right time to ask them.”
District 11 — Jaynie Schultz won against CandysDirt.com publisher Candace Evans with 58.63 percent of the vote. A contentious issue on the campaign trail was Valley View Center, which has been designated a “habitual criminal property.” A press conference is scheduled next week to announce plans for demolition and redevelopment of the property.
District 12 — Cara Mendelsohn was the only council member to run unopposed. We always know where Mendelsohn stands on issues related to housing. She supports removing short-term rentals from residential neighborhoods and is not a fan of adding apartment complexes to her already-saturated district, particularly under the PFC structure, which allows developers to secure a 75-year lease with no property tax payments.
District 13 — Gay Donnell Willis emerged with 67.1 percent of the vote over Priscilla Shacklett in Saturday’s election. Willis’ name also appeared on the five-signature memo calling for an immediate vote on STRs. The former CEO of Turtle Creek Conservancy has been steadfast in asking questions and gathering data about STRs before announcing her position.
District 14 — Paul Ridley, who secured his District 14 seat with 62.52 percent of the vote over two challengers, has advocated for the “Keep It Simple Solution” to STRs, which would effectively ban them from residential neighborhoods.
