Dallas Voter's Guide 2021: The City Council Seats At Stake June 5

DALLAS, TX — Voters in Dallas head to the polls Saturday, June 5 for the 2021 runoff election.

The election will not not determine who fills the District 6 seat in the US Senate left empty by the late Ron Wright, who died in February of COVID-related complications. That runoff, between state Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Dist. 10), and the Susan Wright, widow of the late Senator, will take place July 27.

In Dallas, six contested races for Dallas City Council are at stake June 5— three of which feature incumbents who didn't win outright on the May 1 ballot. The rest involve seats opened up by council members ousted by term limits.

Dallasites will be scrutinizing the incumbent contenders in particular, because all are acutely aware of what concerns their voters most: quality of life and issues relating to public safety.

Likewise, open-seat candidates are making a final push to secure seats in District 14 (encompassing parts of uptown, downtown and East Dallas), District 4 in Oak Cliff and South Dallas' District 7 in South Dallas.

None of the candidates in these six races was able to get over the 50 percent threshold to win a seat on May 1.

In terms of how, when and where to vote — and whether you're eligible — here's a handy checklist:

Registration

You can register, learn if you're registered, and find your polling precinct here. (There's also an option to change your address.)

Mail-In Voting

For future reference, you can find the state and county's provisions and regulations for mail-in voting here.

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Early Voting

Tuesday was the last day for early voting.

Voting on Election Day

Polls in Dallas are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Dallas County registered voters on Election Day can vote at any vote center location.
You can find out what ID is required, where to vote, learn about a new ballot marking device called Express Vote and the provisions for curbside voting here.

Key Races

Looking to dive deeper into the issues and candidates in this May's election? The Dallas League of Women Voters has assembled a detailed Voter's Guide to quickly bring you up to speed on what's being decided. You'll find candidate debates and clear impartial information intended to help you make the best decision you can.

DISTRICT 2

Jesse Moreno advocates ensuring police have the necessary resources to protect citizens — while simultaneously holding the department and its officers accountable. Moreno also favors affordable housing, helping seniors remain in the community, working to solve homelessness and advocates "conscious development" that would remain neighborhood-centric.

Dr. Sana Syed is basing her campaign on a platform of strengthening and reforming public safety, improving aging infrastructure and finding lasting solutions to homelessness.

DISTRICT 4

Carolyn King Arnold is already a member of the Dallas City Council and presently holds the seat in District 4 —an office she's held since December of 2018. She's also held the seat before — from 2015 to 2017. She rebounded from a defeat to win the special election in 2018 after the resignation of former council member Dwaine R. Caraway.

Maxie Johnson is running for a council seat in search of "a fundamentally new direction." Johnson cites crime rates, poverty and a lack of economic mobility that puts kids at risk of poor outcomes in adulthood.

DISTRICT 7

Adam Bazaldua is the incumbent. He currently serves District 7 and the city on committees targeting government performance and financial management as well as transportation and infrastructure and public safety. His focus: "the need for neighborhood safety improvements, solving the city's growing homeless population, and attracting local businesses which better serve each neighborhood's needs."

Kevin Felder is a former city council member who's focus is on fighting for voter and worker rights, targeting pollution and on building housing and job creation. He believes in supporting the Police and Fire Department, with starting pay of $60,000 annually. His past votes include voting against the Trinity River Toll Road for environmental reasons and against batch plants, which prevented further pollution.

DISTRICT 11

Jaynie Schultz intends to address panhandling and homelessness if elected. As a former member of the City Planning Commission, she also has an interest and experience in zoning issues. She seeks to grow the tax base without raising taxes and to lower crime in the area.

Barry Wernick is running to prioritize public safety and ensure that police and fire departments have the necessary resources to carry out their work. He also envisions repairing Dallas' existing infrastructure, cutting wasteful spending while fighting rising property taxes and take action against homelessness and panhandling by "getting people off the streets and back on their feet."

DISTRICT 13

Leland Burk is a business owner who vows to bring "a taxpayer's perspective to City Hall" and promises to root out waste and seek ways to optimize each dollar spent. As a strong police ally and former volunteer leader for Safer Dallas Better Dallas, he'll focus on public safety and smart economic growth.

Gay Donnell Willis is president & CEO of the Turtle Creek Conservancy, an organization she's spearheaded to help conserve historic Dallas green spaces. She wants, after the pandemic and February's Deep Freeze, to see the city better prepared for emergencies. Willis is also a proponent of neighborhood participation in smart growth plans and intends to work on "livability" issues, including the arts, libraries, parks and recreation.

DISTRICT 14

David Blewett is the incumbent, and has served District 14 since 2019. He currently serves on a number of committees including those dealing with public safety and COVID recovery. He's Vice-Chairman of the council's Economic Development committee, and his main areas of interest include property tax reduction, infrastructure and quality of life issues. Blewett also helped enact the Conservation District for the M-Streets to better preserve historic homes in the area.

Paul Ridley served on the Dallas Plan Commission for eight years representing District 14. While there, he also chaired the Thoroughfare Committee. In addition, Ridley represented the district on the Landmark Commission for four years, helping to preserve Dallas' historic neighborhoods in the process. His campaign site declares that, if elected, he'll push to provide police the necessary resources to control crime while holding officers accountable, promote transportation options and work to mitigate climate change, including solving the city's issues with air and water quality.

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