District 8 Candidates in Southern Dallas Vie for Tennell Atkins’ Termed-Out Seat

Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins is term-limited but his former appointed Plan Commissioner Lorie Blair is running to take his seat. Blair is up against retiree Ruth Steward, Realtor Erik Wilson, low voltage technician Eugene Ralph, and former candidates Subrina Lynn Brenham and Davante Peters. 

As a real estate-focused news outlet, CandysDirt.com is asking candidates about the housing issues their district neighborhoods face — and the more difficult question, what can be done as a city council member to improve housing affordability in Dallas.

May 3 Election: If you’re not sure what your city council district is, you can search your address for your city council district on the City of Dallas website. Alternatively, visit the city’s ArcGIS map to search your City of Dallas address.

CandysDirt.com extended these questions to each Dallas City Council candidate, offering them the opportunity to speak directly to our readers and their constituents. Here are unedited and unabridged responses for Erik Wilson, Davante D. Peters, and Eugene Ralph in the order they were received. Lori Blair, Ruth Steward, and Subina Lynn Brenham did not respond to our questions.

Erik Wilson: The most important pressing housing needs in District 8 are affordability, homeownership chances, and diversified housing options that can accommodate families, elderly, and people of all income levels. Many residents face raising housing costs, limited accessibility to great rental homes, and the difficulty of shifting from renting to purchase. Furthermore, we face difficulties such as aging housing stock, a scarcity of new housing developments, and the need for mixed-use, mixed-income communities that promote economic growth.

To fulfill these demands, as council member, I will take the following steps:

Encourage smart growth and infrastructure investment: Strategic development near transit hubs and commercial areas will result in lively, walkable neighborhoods with easy access to employment, schools, and necessary services.

Expand Affordable Housing Initiatives: We need policies that stimulate developers to produce affordable and workforce housing, such as tax credits, public-private partnerships, and zoning changes.

Increased Homeownership Opportunities: Strengthening first-time homebuyer programs, down payment assistance, and financial literacy initiatives will aid individuals in making the move from renting to owning, hence increasing generational wealth.

Encourage mixed-income, mixed-use developments. Updating zoning regulations to encourage a broad mix of housing, including single-family homes, townhomes, and multifamily apartments, will result in more balanced, sustainable communities.

Preserve Existing Housing Stock: Offering home repair assistance programs to low-income and elderly homeowners can help to minimize displacement and maintain neighborhood integrity.

Davante D. Peters: Public safety & Economic Development. Council can fund non-police violence prevention programs, fund more mental health and crisis responses teams and more Police accountability, fund the police oversite board and actually use it. Invest in Youth & Crime prevention programs and jobs training and invest money into finding the root causes of crime in our city and allocate the funds to improve the conditions that create crime

Economic Development Direct more City funds into the Southern Sector .

Eugene Ralph: The first issue is one of supply. District 8 struggles to provide desirable housing units for the middle-income buyer or renter. Whether purchasing or leasing, households are at significant risk of becoming cost burdened. But the greatest cause of our housing woes is not, per se, a lack of units. Rather, we have not properly developed the economic basis of much of the District. We have a Labor Force Participation rate that lags almost 11-points behind the City average, and property tax values in the District skew heavily toward residential lots – with less than half of the tax value assessed to properties in commercial use. If excess supply did come to market, the current make-up of the District may not be ready to take advantage of it and would risk displacement. The second issue, then, is to build a stronger base of prospective homeowners. The Council can explore where business might be planted in the District – working with the two 4-year universities that call it home – to create work that offers and requires scalable, transferrable skills. Further, we will initiate plans to develop local hubs for leisure and business. This will slow the velocity of money moving out of the District, enriching residents and conducing to more, higher quality housing.

Erik Wilson: Dallas needs to make sure short-term rentals (STRs), like Airbnb and Vrbo, don’t disrupt our neighborhoods while also being fair to homeowners. Recently, the City Council banned STRs in single-family neighborhoods, which was a win for many residents who were frustrated with noise, parking problems, and homes being turned into mini-hotels. But the big challenge now is making sure the city actually enforces the rules.

Here’s what we need to do next:

1. Crack Down on Illegal STRs – The city must do a better job of catching and shutting down STRs that break the rules. Fines should be higher, and enforcement should be stronger.
2. Require STRs to Follow the Rules – Those allowed to operate in apartments or commercial areas need to be properly registered, so the city can track them and make sure they aren’t causing issues.
3. Keep Big Investors Out of Neighborhoods – There’s a big difference between a homeowner renting out a room versus investors buying up homes just to rent them like hotels. We need to stop that from happening in our communities.
4. Listen to Residents – Neighborhoods should have a voice in shaping policies that impact their quality of life. The city needs to keep working with residents on this issue.
5. Find a Fair Solution – Some people rely on STR income, so we should explore ways to allow responsible hosting without hurting the character of our neighborhoods.

At the end of the day, we need a balanced approach that protects our communities while making sure homeowners aren’t unfairly penalized.

Davante D. Peters: I believe it should be allowed however Dallas should hold short term rental companies accountable for neighborhood disturbances and toxic users on their platform. There should be an age requirement to book in Dallas. Residents should be allowed to build living ares in their back yards and rent them out or rent their homes out.

Eugene Ralph: The particular concerns they raise and their repeated centrality to instances of public disturbance means STRs cannot be left so lightly regulated. It may be too heavy handed to ban STRs in every District. In fact, the Fifth Court so says, with more restrictions on allowable regulation potentially looming from Austin. Future attempts must be more modest – immitating succesful ordinances from other cities so as to grab the proverbial low-hanging fruit.

Erik Wilson: Yes, I have a few concerns regarding the passage of the ForwardDallas 2.0 comprehensive land use plan update, especially as it relates to District 8. While the plan aims to modernize zoning, encourage economic growth, and address housing needs, we must ensure that it truly benefits our communities in Southern Dallas rather than opening the door to displacement and unchecked development.
My Key Concerns:

Economic Development for Local Residents – If we’re rezoning land for new businesses and housing, local residents and minority-owned businesses should be the ones benefiting—not just outside developers. We need stronger commitments to local hiring and homeownership programs.
Moving Forward:
I support progress, but it must be smart, fair, and community-driven. The city must ensure that ForwardDallas 2.0 uplifts residents of District 8 instead of pushing them out. I will continue to push for policies that protect homeowners, support affordable housing, and promote local economic opportunities.

Preventing Displacement & Gentrification – While updating zoning laws to allow for more housing diversity is important, we must ensure that long-time residents, particularly in historically Black and working-class neighborhoods, are not priced out of their own communities. Stronger anti-displacement protections and affordable housing requirements must be part of the plan.

Infrastructure & Services Must Keep Up – Rezoning for more density is only part of the equation. We need to ensure that roads, utilities, public transportation, and schools are properly funded to support growth in District 8. Otherwise, we risk overloading already strained services.

Community Input Must Be Respected – Plans like ForwardDallas 2.0 should reflect the voices of the people who actually live in these neighborhoods. The city needs to do a better job engaging residents, especially those who may not have had a say in past development decisions.

Davante D. Peters: Forward Dallas 2.0 Developer and big business are the biggest beneficiaries of this plan. Enormous profits and the residents of Dallas’s lamentations will continue to be enjoyed; environmental racism will have a new face. I agree, that Dallas needs more housing and housing options but I don’t think, like many others, it should be at the expense of traditionally single-family communities, historic communities nor at the costs of residents who may not be able to afford the area they live in. I do understand that the same concerns I have have been voiced over and over. I do agree with some commercial space uses however I don’t agree with doing away with parking minimums, especially in places like North Oak Cliff where parking is terrible anyway unless we can incentivize businesses to create Parking lots and or parking garages in the area. I also believe that more community input will be undermined, it’s not always easy to get all parties in agreement however the residents should not be overshadowed because our government will align with Dollars as opposed to its residents. I agree with transit-oriented spaces I do believe that some of the fears of the residents come from fear of change and that’s not always a good thing, we need change in our City so I am open to seeing change. Lastly and Obviously, Forward Dallas is looking into the future. Still, my primary concern is that it is doomed to repeat the history of the 30s, 40s, and even 50s of I-75 and I-30 being the racial Borders that separated races, displacement of Black Families near Fair Park and North Dallas under the guise of urban renewal. Forward Dallas doesn’t directly address how it will not further perpetuate nor exacerbate racial disparities and economic segregation, biases, and deliberate undermining of minorities in Dallas. If we are being more Equitable then how will it contribute to the restoration of areas and communities that are still affected by toxic Urban Planning of the past? My lingering concerns are will this be different from Urban Planning influenced by people like Robert Moses, will Forward Dallas compound these issues or will it live up to its promise to be more inclusive and equitable? I believe it’s lulling rhetoric, a promise that cannot be made without being honest about the past and disparities first.

Eugene Ralph: The row spun up around ForwardDallas finds its heart this idea that putting ugly, undesirable things next to beautiful ones – by some supercharged transitive property of architectural beauty – results in unparalleled vibrance, an immediate end to the housing crisis, and something like world peace. My speech may be unflattering to the plan’s supporters, but how favorable ought I be to this – in ForwardDallas 2.0 – reification of the same developmental concerns that residents in all corners of this City have been fighting for too long. Development is too often either highly concentrated or unreasonably encroaching. Dallas lives and dies on the strength of its neighborhoods. Surely, we need and want neighborhoods of different kinds but never at the expense of neighborhoods themselves. If I have any lingering concerns regarding this plan and its effects on the City, they all point back to the fact that the City’s leadership – and the activist class that leads them – is stuck on novel policies that are: known to damage neighborhoods, do not appreciably address legitimate housing concerns, and too much invite the further depletion of Dallas’ incredible landscape and architectural deposit. At the end, we are left with ugly, dangerous, deracinated places. There would be no victory found there, save for champions of the plan to huzzah that these places have found density – which I understand is also characteristically true of a hive or a prison. In either case, I will not accept living in such a place, and neither will the Citizens of Dallas be so forced under the slithering guise of ‘gentle density’.

Erik Wilson: Public safety and infrastructure are important part of any community, and District 8 residents have made it clear that these are top priorities. The City Council must take real action to improve safety and upgrade our roads, sidewalks, and drainage systems.
Public Safety: Making Our Neighborhoods Safer

Hold Contractors & Developers Accountable – When infrastructure projects happen, they should be completed on time and at high quality. We need stronger oversight to avoid waste and delays.
Moving Forward:
The City Council must put our tax dollars to work where they are needed most—keeping our neighborhoods safe and ensuring our streets, sidewalks, and drainage systems are properly maintained. District 8 residents deserve action, not excuses.

Fully Staff Our Police & Fire Departments – We need more officers and first responders in District 8 to ensure faster response times and stronger community policing efforts.

Invest in Violence Prevention – Crime isn’t just a policing issue—it’s also about opportunity. We need more funding for youth programs, job training, and mental health services to address crime at its root.

Strengthen Community Policing – Officers should be working with the community, not just responding after something happens. More foot patrols and neighborhood engagement will build trust.

Improve Street Lighting & Security Cameras – Well-lit areas reduce crime. We should expand lighting projects and support security cameras in high-crime areas.
Infrastructure: Fixing What’s Broken & Building for the Future

Repair Roads & Sidewalks – Too many streets in District 8 are full of potholes, and many sidewalks are missing or in poor condition. The city must prioritize repairs in our neighborhoods, not just in North Dallas.

Upgrade Drainage & Flood Control – Flooding is a major issue for many homeowners. The city must invest in better drainage systems to prevent property damage and standing water.

Improve Public Transportation – Many residents rely on DART, but service in Southern Dallas is often unreliable. We need more bus routes, better scheduling, and transit hubs that actually serve our community.

Davante D. Peters: Public Safety: The council should force police departments to prioritize neighborhood patrols, patrolling, and occupying in highly violent crime areas responding to calls over predatory policing, militarization of neighborhood, setting up speed traps, spending less time with low-level crimes, and lolli-gagging.

Infrastructure: it’s a huge issue, neighborhoods in our district near UNT don’t have sewage, Kleberg still exist with a fire station, and public transportation has expanded with the UNT extension however some communities are still without uncomplicated access to the rails and bus routes. Pots holes everywhere and we can’t seem to respond to extreme weather adequately. We just need the Council to be people who don’t mess around when it comes to the basic needs of our neighborhoods.

Eugene Ralph: District 8 does not lead the City in homicides – as I am so often reminded by professional point-missers, but let’s not be misled – statistics do not inform environments, experience does. And not every anti-social act is captured in the CompStat report.
The people of District 8 love their neighborhoods, but they do not feel they are well-guarded; and the nexus of economic dynamism is not billion dollar redevelopment projects, rather it is in the common small business with modest revenue and few employees that principally grows and specializes where the entrepreneur is confident that their harvest will not be devoured by wolves in the night. Likewise, the family who patronizes him settles where they are certain the street give nurture to their children and not menace.

These points are true in Preston Hollow just as they are true in Kleberg/Rylie. In every place, then, what people demand is society. What I stand for is society. In all cases, in all circumstances, everything by and for society. And the basis of society is that same thing that we in government must assess as our sacred, inalienable duty: the Security and Good Order of the Commons. That is, public order and the rule of law. District 8 languishes with insufficient services, underimproved infrastructure, and lagging economy because of poor public order and the de facto abridgment of the rule of law.

The Council must be made to understand that no City projects are sacred apart from the Rule of Law and the Good Order of the Commons. To restore the Good Order of the Commons, the City must aggressively trim nonessential projects from its budget and post a vigilant watch against waste, fraud and abuse. To restore the Rule of Law, the Council must take similarly radical action to comply with the voters’ will as expressed in the passage of Proposition U.

Erik Wilson: I want voters in District 8 to know that I am committed to real change, not just talk. I have served this district before, and I understand both the challenges and the opportunities we face. My focus is on action, accountability, and advocacy—making sure that the people of District 8 get the investment, resources, and respect we deserve from City Hall.
How I Plan to Serve You:

Prioritize Environmental Justice – District 8 has been overlooked for too long when it comes to clean air, water, and green spaces. I will work to:
o Fight illegal dumping and pollution that disproportionately affects our neighborhoods.
o Push for more parks and green spaces to improve air quality and public health.
o Hold polluters accountable so that industries in and around our district don’t harm our health and environment.
o Support sustainable development that doesn’t just bring economic growth, but also protects our environment.
This election is about who will truly fight for District 8. I have the experience, the relationships, and the drive to deliver results for our community. I’m not running to continue the status quo —I’m running to make a real difference. Let’s work together to build a safer, stronger, and more sustainable District 8.

Fight for Safer Neighborhoods – Public safety isn’t just about policing. I will push for more officers on the streets, better street lighting, and investments in youth programs that keep our communities safe.

Improve Our Roads & Infrastructure – Potholes, flooding, and crumbling sidewalks are unacceptable. I will fight to make sure District 8 gets its fair share of funding to fix our streets and drainage issues.

Increase Affordable Homeownership Opportunities – Too many families are stuck renting. I will advocate for down payment assistance programs, financial education, and responsible development to help more residents become homeowners.

Support Small Businesses & Job Growth – Our community needs more jobs and economic opportunities, and that starts with supporting local businesses and bringing new investments to District 8.

Be Accessible & Transparent – I will be a council member you can reach and rely on. I plan to hold regular informal and formal community meetings to help keep residents informed about decisions that affect them.

Davante D. Peters: I am committed to a no-nonsense approach to driving economic growth and infrastructure advancement in the Southern Sector. My mission is to amplify neighborhood voices in City Hall and bring City Hall directly to the community—ensuring real engagement, not just empty promises.

We will work alongside local businesses, stakeholders, and residents to fix long-standing issues without displacing the people who call these neighborhoods home. My focus is on bringing real investment to the South while upholding integrity and accountability.

As a business owner with locations in both Oak Cliff and Plano, I see firsthand the stark disparities between these two worlds. That’s why I will champion transparency, innovation, and relentless advocacy to ensure that Southern Dallas gets its fair share of opportunities and resources.

Eugene Ralph: I want to Restore the relationship between the government and its people. The Citizens of Dallas deserve assurance that the Council has a sensible and dynamic vision that truly considers the needs of our neighbors — both great and common. Simply put, the Council has not worked as a zealous, unified advocate for the people; nor has it conducted itself with appropriate regard for its essential and sacred duties: Providing a safe, orderly, clean commons; Defending the People from criminal predation; Engaging the public in humility, clarity, and transparency; and Establishing systems and norms for the common questions of Our Government that ensure the Citizens of Dallas are always the first to see clear benefits from development and are not expropriated in pursuit of development and tax receipts.
I am running because nobody else has such clarity in these priorities. Further, I am the only candidate who understands — as do the Citizens of District 8 — that our relationship to government does simply need tweaking or reemphasis but rather requires wholescale reform and philosophical realignment along the lines I have stated above.

My guidance is always the well-being of the people, which is the Supreme Law. I am the only candidate who will carry such an emphasis into City Hall.