City News Roundup

Controversy surrounding VisitDallas and more Dallas city news

VisitDallas CEO Phillip Jones

Courtesy photo

Candidates for public office in Dallas are officially filing, and some fresh faces are seeking a spot on city council. Dallas' teen curfew is under review, and there are some questions raised about VisitDallas.

These are the biggest news stories in Dallas this week:

Mayor-Palooza
Add former Texas State Representative Jason Villalba to the long list of people running to become mayor of Dallas, which now includes everyone from a local developer to nonprofit leaders to City Hall veterans to a Walmart employee.

Villalba represented Texas House District 114 from 2013-2018 as one of the few Dallas County Republicans to win office and reelection. He is an attorney who says he wants to "do more for those in our community who have not been able to fully participate in Dallas' tremendous success."

If you feel confused by who all is running, there's a candidate forum being hosted by LULAC and the Eco Latino Radio Program, set for February 12 at Texas Theater.

While the mayor candidates are actively campaigning, none has filed official election paperwork.

Several campaigns are underway for a place on the city council including:

District 1: Chad A. West
District 2: Paul A. Freeman
District 3: Casey Thomas II, incumbent
Dictrict 4: Corwyn Davis
District 7: Sade' Johnson
District 8: Tennell Atkins, incumbent, and Erik Wilson, former council member
District 11: Curtis T. Harris
District 12: Carolyn "Cookie" Peadon and Daniel Powell
District 14: Phillip Kingston, incumbent

Election Day is May 4, and we can probably expect to return to the voting booth for a runoff in July. May the force be with us.

Teen Curfew
City leaders are discussing what to do about a teen curfew set to expire in just a few weeks. City Council was briefed this week by Police Chief U. Renee Hall and two public hearings are planned for February.

The curfew prohibits children under the age of 16 from going outside without an adult after 11 pm Sunday-Thursday. On the weekends they cannot be out past midnight.

With authority from the Curfew Ordinance that has been in place since 1991, police officers can charge juveniles with a Class C misdemeanor, which includes a fine.

Some councilmembers say the curfew is unfair to minorities. Police officials said the curfew needs to be updated and renewed before it expires.

Visit Dallas kerfuffle
There are rumblings around Visit Dallas, the nonprofit convention and visitors bureau for Dallas. The organization - which received more than $146 million in city tax funds between 2013 and 2017, much of it from a hotel occupancy tax - was recently audited, which has brought attention to the accounting of its expenses and some loans granted to its CEO, Phillip Jones.

D Magazine figures that Jones, whose salary is about $670,000, owes $225,000 to the organization that includes a $35,000 "pay advance." Spokesperson Frank Librio told Candy's Dirt that the loan was tied to "a private family issue" with Jones' adult son, who is disabled.

State law requires that loans made to employees must benefit VisitDallas.

According to an email from Librio, the audit yielded "a collection of new recommendations and suggestions for supplemental reporting, and an added layer of oversight. In fact, of the 31 bullets across their 18 recommendations, almost 90% were new suggestions. Additionally, almost all of the recommendations were aimed at city departments’ review and oversight of our work to bring more visitors to Dallas."

Librio says that, "under the VisitDallas board of director’s leadership, along with executive management, we look forward to working cooperatively with the city to ensure any and all identified issues in the city audit are fully addressed and appreciate the opportunity to provide a fuller picture of what we do. The entire VisitDallas organization is committed to full transparency and fiscal responsibility when it comes to its use and application of funds generated by visitors to our city."

Librio says that Phillip Jones had a five-year contract from 2013-2018 that was negotiated and approved by the board. In that five-year contract, a retention bonus was included, equaling approximately $400,000. Jones drew board-approved advances on that retention totaling $225,000 over the five-year period. "Therefore, at the end of the five-year contract period (Sept. 30, 2018) the organization owed him the remaining balance of the retention, minus the advances and taxes. So, he does not owe anything."

"If he didn’t complete the 5 year contract term then and only then would he have owed the organization. But that was not the case," Librio says.

Working for VisitDallas seems like a pretty good gig, with the staff of 15 pulling six-figure salaries, ranging from $140K up to $414,812 to sales VP Brad Kent.

politics

Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

Houston has a problem
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

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