The Dallas Express hosted a Dallas City Council Candidates Forum on Monday night, featuring multiple candidates seeking to be elected to the Council in the May election.
The full list of candidates at the event, including the district in which those candidates are running, was as follows:
- District 3
- John Sims
- Dr. Jesseca Lightbourne
- District 4
- Kebran W. Alexander
- District 5
- Elizabeth Matus
- District 6
- Machelle Wells (arrived near end of forum)
- Tony Carrillo (arrived near end of forum)
- Monica R. Alonzo (arrived near end of forum)
- David Blewett (arrived near end of forum)
- District 7
- Jose Rivas Jr.
- Cydney Walker
- District 11
- Kendal Richardson
- Bill Roth
- District 12
- Cara Mendelsohn (arrived near end of forum)
- District 13
- Ally Raskin (Filling in for Diane Benjamin)
More than 800 people tuned in live (over 1,200 views at time of publishment) to the event either by attending in person or streaming on X. The full recording of “The Dallas Express Dallas City Council Candidates Forum” is available here.
Crime and Accountability:
The event opened with emcee Louis Darrouzet asking all candidates a general question about the ongoing issues with crime in Dallas, specifically the lack of police officers required in the City.
Sims opened this discussion by pointing to the accountability issues within City Hall, noting that current City Council members voted to change a 1988 ordinance to avoid honoring Proposition U.
“For me, it’s a huge problem. We need to bring accountability back to City Hall. And I’m for funding police as far as whatever they need,” Sims explained.
Lightbourne offered a similar answer, claiming that Dallas must “put people in City Council that are familiar and understand what is going on in our communities,” adding, “We have to hire people in City Council that can actually understand, analyze, and implement proper policies and solutions in our districts.”
These comments resonated throughout the panel, with every candidate pointing to the lack of police officers as one of the leading causes of violent crime in Dallas.
Multiple candidates, including Rivas and Richardson, noted that the ongoing pension issues and the lack of benefits provided to officers are the root causes of the City’s police officer shortage.
Additionally, Alexander pointed to the expanded responsibilities of officers in Dallas and explained that officers should be allowed to focus on “exclusive police work.”
Economic Development and Safety:
Candidates were then asked about the economic development in Dallas and how they would work to help small businesses in the City.
Walker opened this portion of the discussion by saying that the potential for rezoning in District 7 would help the area “flourish” with more businesses.
“Once we get the zoning changes. Once we get more officers. Then, we can start looking at opening things up to the small businesses there and clean up MLK. And put those businesses there. Then you’re gonna start seeing more traffic coming in from other communities to visit those businesses.”
Roth went in another direction with the answer, saying the key to growth is having a functional city government that is “safe and that creates a significant priority for providing city services.”
“If we don’t have a city processing that allows for businesses to proceed and progress, then we’re going to have difficulty growing the economic base of this city,” Ross explained.
Matus pointed back to the safety issues in Dallas and said these issues directly correlate to issues for small businesses.
“I believe that in order for us to succeed in our neighborhood, as far as economic growth, we definitely need to address the safety issue. We’re not gonna grow if we don’t have that in place. There are several businesses, like Mr. Rivas said, that are saying they’re getting robbed, and police are not responding on time. And that is hurting us.”
Homelessness Concerns:
Darrouzet then moved to the third question of the event, asking candidates about the types of solutions that could help to reduce the issues with homelessness.
Raskin, filling in for Benjamin, noted that “what we’re doing now is not working” and that many properties and services are being unused in Dallas.
“We also have laws that people need to follow. If people aren’t following the laws, they need to be put in jail. And if people need help, then they need to be put in the hospital, and they need to be helped. But we need to stop spending money and throwing money at the problem like that’s going to help the problem.”
Roth provided a similar answer and said there are “plenty of laws in Dallas that allow for the elimination of the homeless encampments that are plaguing our parks, our neighborhood, and our intersections.”
“We have to enforce the laws. We have to arrest people that are breaking the laws and help them access and divert them into facilities and into places where there’s wraparound services to provide them the help that they can get,” Roth added.
Budget Woes and Waste:
Darrouzet proceeded to ask candidates about the City of Dallas budget and potential savings that the candidates would pursue.
Sims noted that fixing the City’s budget could be “painful” and that making sacrifices to address all the financial issues could be necessary.
“I don’t know what that something’s [sacrifice] gonna be, it gonna be dependent on the Council. But with $17 billion of deferred infrastructure maintenance and $13 billion in unfunded police and fire pension liabilities, we can’t continue to handle the budget the way we’ve handled it the last 20 years. It’s gonna be painful. We’re gonna have to cut some services. Again, I don’t know what they’re gonna be. But we can’t run ourselves into bankruptcy,” said Sims.
Lightbourne followed this answer by stating that eliminating waste and duplication will be paramount for managing the budget.
“When we eliminate waste and duplication from the services that we provide, that’s one way that we can save funds. A second way is looking at public-private partnerships and potentially contracting out,” she said. “There are certain things that the City can do amazingly. However, there are other things, such as making copies, that they’re not so keen on doing… So you can save costs by looking at contracting out certain services in addition to identifying the duplication and waste in our City.”
Displacement, Zoning, Infrastructure, and Growth:
Darrouzet then proceeded to district-specific questions, beginning with a question directed to District 3.
Candidates were asked about the efforts to expand “affordable” home ownership in District 3 and how to avoid the hindrance of new development.
Lightbourne opened by saying that policies to prevent displacement will be important throughout this process.
“The one thing that we look at is these partnerships with, who created a toolkit working on policies to prevent displacement. Getting a clear understanding of the definition of displacement. The definition of gentrification. And how those can adversely impact our residents, both renters as well as homeowners.”
Sims then responded that focusing on zoning laws would prevent residents from being pushed out of certain areas of the district: “So, I think the City just needs to be consistent in the zoning and the historical plan that developers have for the City.”
The next question was directed at District 5, with Matus being asked how infrastructure neglect would be addressed if she were elected.
“We cannot live and let our residents live in this turmoil. It’s horrible. It’s not fair that they’re suffering while they’re paying taxes like everyone else, and nothing is being done,” said Matus.
Darrouzet then asked Rivas and Walker of District 7 about the best way to ensure that economic development benefits the area’s current residents.
Rivas said City Council members “need to listen to our residents” and work with businesses that come into District 7.
“If we’re going to give them tax abatement, I want them to create living wage jobs. Whether that’s construction or whether that’s a manufacturing company. To give them an opportunity to stand up on their own and earn a living in our district. Not outside it.”
Walker addressed this question, explaining that the growth of Fair Park would be the most important part of improving the economic growth in the area while helping residents.
“There’s gonna be competition. We need to use that to our advantage to get those business owners up and running, providing the services and goods and jobs the district wants.”
Candidates from District 11, Richardson and Roth, were then asked about strategies to manage congestion and aging infrastructure in North Dallas.
Richardson said he would meet with developers to improve the situation, noting that he would allow the community to decide what is best for the area.
“Bring them to community and let the community decide what they want in the community first. Not making a deal with the developers. Not making a deal with the City,” Richardson explained. “Making sure that everybody in the community is coming together on one accord to making sure the City is better.”
Roth responded that District 11 has “some of the most valuable real estate in the City” and that there are opportunities for major development.
“But the single most important priority is that the neighborhood has to honor the single-family residences in that neighborhood. Strong neighborhoods are made up of strong single-family residences. And they have the priority.”
Alexander of District 4 then addressed a question about attracting retail and grocery options to the area while ensuring the long-term benefits reach residents.
“One of the things that has to happen is we have to create fertile ground for new investments to come in. That fertile ground is new families. That fertile ground is opportunities for new things to happen in the district that benefit all,” said Alexander.
Finally, Raskin was asked about zoning and balancing public opinion and development needs for the district.
On behalf of Benjamin, Raskin said she would “not do what the incumbent has done, which is not listen to the neighbors.”
“I would listen to the constituents on zoning, and I know Diane would, speaking for her, protect single-family homes,” Raskin added.
Brief Statements, Closing Remarks:
Candidates proceeded to answer a variety of questions from the audience before providing closing statements about the upcoming elections.
Multiple candidates for District 6 arrived near the end of the forum. Machelle Wells, Tony Carrillo, Monica Alonzo, and David Blewett provided a brief statement about their campaigns.
Wells opened the string of statements by saying she chose to run because she is a “pissed-off voter” looking for real change in the City.
“I’m just here to be a voice for District 6. I’m here to actually fund the police officers. I’m here to lower our taxes and help with homelessness. And to make sure our business areas are thriving and are vibrant for visitors as well as our residents,” Wells added.
Carrillo then took the stage, saying he wants to “manage District 6 properly.”
“My job is to focus on pollution, crime, education, and code. Those are the four departments that I need to focus on. And that’s my mission.”
Alonzo spoke next and said she is passionate about helping the district and ensuring the City is run correctly.
“I have over 20 years of experience in the community. Not only do I have experience and knowledge, but I also have a lot of passion. I want to make sure we represent everyone in District 6 and not just a select few,” Alonzo explained.
Blewett said many candidates say the same things, but his experience will separate him from the others running for the open seat.
“You have to know pretty much everything about the City, from public safety to infrastructure. You’ve gotta know where the potholes are. You’ve gotta know where the code shows up. And you have to know how to work well with the other members on the Council. I worked very hard at that when I was there. You also have to know how to work with City staff because City staff are the ones who deliver the services that y’all want.”
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn of District 12 then gave a short statement, saying many great ideas were discussed during the portions of the forum that she heard. She encouraged attendees and listeners to get involved in the City to help implement change.
Elections are scheduled for May 3, and the full list of candidates running to represent districts is available here.
The Dallas Express sincerely thanks our esteemed event sponsors: M&A DevCo, Rigney Financial Services, and Basin Ventures.