Even with a slight score dip, District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn has proven she is a force to be reckoned with, beating her peers in June’s Dallas Derby.
Now at its midway point, The Dallas Express’ monthly feature asking residents to weigh in on the effectiveness of City leaders has become a story of domination and dissatisfaction.
Each month, DX readers living in Dallas are invited to respond to a “Rate Your Council Member” survey. There, they can weigh in on how effective their council district leader has been in terms of crime reduction, homelessness reduction, aggressive panhandling reduction, litter reduction & city cleanliness, street repairs & maintenance, and park maintenance & cleanliness. A city council member can receive a rating between 0 and 10 for each category.
Similarly, survey respondents can assess the performances of Mayor Eric Johnson and Interim City Manager Kimberly Tolbert.
The latest survey results showed Mendelsohn averaging an overall rating of 8.7 out of 10, earning her the Dallas Derby winner’s title for June. This is the first time she has received an overall ranking below 9 out of 10. This slip is due to her score in reducing aggressive panhandling, which was just 7.4 out of 10.
However, Mendelsohn received better scores in crime reduction — her best showing, with a 9.6 out of 10 —and park maintenance, which received an average rating of 9.1 out of 10. She also received solid scores of 8.9 for homelessness reduction, 8.6 for street repair and maintenance, and 8.5 for litter reduction.
Since the inaugural Dallas Derby in January, Mendelsohn has raced ahead in the year-to-date ratings. She currently has an average score of 8.9, roughly double that of second-place District 10 Council Member Kathy Stewart. Stewart has an overall average score of 4.1 out of 10.
In fact, the rest of the board exemplifies mediocrity at best and inefficiency at worst.
June’s Dallas Derby has a new loser: District 2 Council Member Jesse Moreno, who also “boasts” the lowest average score year-to-date: 1.6 out of 10. Moreno has also found himself at the rock-hard bottom by demonstrating poor effectiveness across the board.
Mayor Johnson has a year-to-date rating of 5.0 out of 10 for his handling of critical issues such as crime and homelessness, with survey respondents giving him an average score of 5.1 out of 10 in June.
The scores plummet from there, with council members Adam Bazaldua (District 7), Tennell Atkins (District 8), and Omar Narvaez (District 10) already finding themselves in last place in the monthly races.
It is worth noting that last month’s survey featured Tolbert, who was selected to serve as interim city manager in the wake of T.C. Broadnax’s departure for Austin. Respondents found her efficiency in reducing homelessness, facilitating the city’s growth, and more to be lackluster. Her average score in June was 3.0 out of 10.
If you are a City of Dallas resident, DX encourages you to click here to ensure you can take the “Rate Your Council Member” survey so your local representative knows how you feel about their performance. Also, be sure to spread the word and refer a friend who lives in Dallas so they can help hold city officials accountable.