With municipal and local elections just over a month away, it is essential that voters familiarize themselves with the candidates and their priorities.

To assist residents in making an informed decision, The Dallas Express sent surveys to every candidate running for office in Dallas and Collin counties. As of the writing of this article, nearly 70 candidates have answered questions about why they decided to run for office and what they hope to achieve if elected.

“Information is power, and we at The Dallas Express firmly believe that a better-informed citizen is a more powerful citizen,” explained Karin Dyer, the editor-in-chief of The Dallas Express.

“One of our core missions is to provide the people of Dallas with the facts, figures, and coverage that helps them make the best decisions possible across a wide range of topics,” she continued. “And nothing is arguably more important than information needed to make the best decision for leadership in our local governments.”

The ballots in May will include mayors, city council members, and school board trustees. This election cycle will see involved citizens make decisions about what type of cities they want to live in and what type of schools they want their children to attend.

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Unfortunately, municipal and local elections have historically poor turnout, meaning that a small minority of people pick and choose who will run local institutions.

For example, when Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson defeated Scott Griggs in a runoff election in 2019, Johnson earned 41,247 votes to Griggs’ 32,918—a difference of only 8,329. Out of a city of roughly 1.3 million people, only 5.7% participated in the election. Johnson won by a margin of less than 1% of the city’s population.

The participation levels in city council elections are even smaller, with the margins of victories razor-thin. In 2021, Council Member Jesse Moreno won by only 420 votes, while Carolyn King Arnold only received 268 votes more than her challenger.

Public participation in the civic process is vital for a healthy and accountable local government. The Dallas Express encourages citizens to examine the candidates, get involved at a local level, and vote in the upcoming elections.

Candidate answers may be viewed here.

The responding candidates include:

  1. Valerie Van Pelt (City Council, Addison)
  2. Johnny “Red Cloud” Cox (City Council, Balch Springs)
  3. Yemi Salau (City Council, Balch Springs)
  4. Jason Carpenter (City Council, Carrollton)
  5. Daisy Palomo (City Council, Carrollton)
  6. Adam Earl Polter (Mayor, Carrollton)
  7. Steve Babick (Mayor, Carrollton)
  8. Young Jun Sung (Mayor, Carrollton)
  9. Darian Pace (City Council, Cedar Hill)
  10. Ramesh Premkumar (City Council, Coppell)
  11. Jimmy Tran (Trustee, Dallas ISD)
  12. Kevin Dion Malonson (Trustee, Dallas ISD)
  13. Felix Mariana Griggs (City Council, Dallas)
  14. Christopher Boone Carter (City Council, Dallas)
  15. Katherine Easton Stewart (City Council, Dallas)
  16. Sirrano Keith Baldeo (City Council, Dallas)
  17. Priscilla Evelyn Shacklett (City Council, Dallas)
  18. Sukhbir Kaur (City Council, Dallas)
  19. August Doyle (City Council, Dallas)
  20. Yolanda Faye Williams (City Council, Dallas)
  21. Okema Deshay Thomas (City Council, Dallas)
  22. Brian William Hasenbauer (City Council, Dallas)
  23. Marsha Roberson (Trustee, Desoto ISD)
  24. Erika Estes (City Council, Desoto)
  25. La’Trena Barrett (City Council, Duncanville)
  26. DeMonica Gooden (City Council, Duncanville)
  27. Jaime Rivas (Mayor, Farmers Branch)
  28. Daphne Stanley (Trustee, Garland ISD)
  29. Jed Reed (Trustee, Garland ISD)
  30. Scott LeMay (Mayor, Garland)
  31. Jeca Williams (City Council, Grand Prairie)
  32. Sergio Harris (Trustee, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD)
  33. Richard Wayne Newton (Trustee, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD)
  34. Mark Richard Wollin (Trustee, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD)
  35. Mary Beth Humphrey (Trustee, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD)
  36. Theresa Stayer (City Council, Grapevine)
  37. Mark Cronenwett (City Council, Irving)
  38. Mathew J. Varble (City Council, Irving)
  39. Bonnie Abadie (Trustee, Richardson ISD)
  40. Ken Hutchenrider (City Council, Richardson)
  41. Richard Chandler (City Council, Sachse)
  42. Lackey Sebastian (Mayor, Seagoville)
  43. Candy Madrigal (City Council, Wilmer)
  44. Kerry Dabney Jr. (City Council, Wilmer)
  45. Tarrah Lantz (Trustee, Plano ISD)
  46. Khalid Ishaq (Trustee, Plano ISD)
  47. Michael Cook (Trustee, Plano ISD)
  48. Cody Weaver (Trustee, Plano ISD)
  49. Katherine Chan Goodwin (Trustee, Plano ISD)
  50. Rick Horne (City Council, Plano)
  51. Brett Cooper (City Council, Plano)
  52. Shelby Williams (City Council, Plano)
  53. Michelle Boren (Trustee, Allen ISD)
  54. Kelly Herndon (City Council, Anna)
  55. Danny Ussery (City Council Anna)
  56. Elden Baker (City Council, Anna)
  57. Jeff Gravely (City Council, Celina)
  58. Mary Berry (City Council, Farmersville)
  59. Susan Boyd Kershaw (Trustee, Frisco ISD)
  60. Laura Rummel (City Council, Frisco)
  61. Jeff Cheney (Mayor, Frisco)
  62. Mark Piland (Mayor, Frisco)
  63. Amy Dankel (Trustee, McKinney ISD)
  64. Brittany Hendrickson (Trustee, McKinney ISD)
  65. Rachel Elliott (Trustee, McKinney ISD)
  66. Laura Deel (City Council, Murphy)
  67. Jim Reed (City Council, Parker)
  68. A. J. Pontillo (Trustee, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
  69. Eileen Riverside (Trustee, Prosper ISD)

 
The Dallas Express would like to thank all the candidates who completed the survey. The candidate surveys provide a helpful tool for voters to evaluate their choices.

For readers who do not see local candidates in the list of respondents, and for candidates who have not yet sent in their answers, there is still time to ensure that voters get the full story before election day rolls around.

The DFW metroplex will hold its elections on May 6, 2023.