City Elections

Master list of all the candidates in the May 2019 Dallas elections

Many vying to get into this building.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau

The paperwork is in for individuals running for Dallas City Council, and a record number of candidates have filed.

The deadline to file was February 15. Candidates have the option to withdraw by February 22. Otherwise their names will appear on the ballot. The election is on May 4.

Given the bounty of candidates, a runoff election seems almost certain for some of the seats. The mayor's race has a whopping 12 candidates, with many heavyweights seeking the helm.

Some of the highlights include:

District 1 City Council member Scott Griggs is running for mayor, and five first-time candidates are aiming to fill his spot to cover North Oak Cliff.

District 4 City Council member Carolyn King Arnold is again being challenged by Keyaira Saunders. They faced off last fall during a special election which ended in a runoff that Arnold won.

District 7 has an unusually large slate of nine candidates vying to replace incumbent Kevin Felder, representing Fair Park and South Dallas.

District 9 which covers Lakewood has five candidates to replace Mark Clayton, who is not seeking reelection~~, including Paul Sims, who serves on the Park and Recreation Board~~. *On February 22, Sims withdrew from the race, stating that the timing wasn't right.

Districts 8, 11, and 13 have the smallest number of candidates, with each drawing only one challenger to unseat the incumbent.

Along with Mark Clayton, Sandy Greyson (D12) and Ricky Callahan (D5) are not seeking reelection.

The full list is below. We've highlighted the best candidate in each race. Names are spelled as the candidates requested to appear on the ballot, including middle names and nick names. A map showing locations of each district can be found here.

Mayor candidates
Michael B. Ablon. Real estate developer, managing development of the Trinity River park.
Albert C. Black Jr. Oak Cliff businessman.
Regina Montoya Coggins. Former assistant to Bill Clinton.
Scott Griggs. City Council member for District 1 since 2011, saver of taxpayer money.
Eric Johnson. Member of the Texas House of Representatives, backed by meddling "business elite."
Alyson Y. Kennedy. Candidate from the Socialist Workers Party, also ran for U.S. President.
Debra L. McBee. AKA, Lynn McBee, philanthropist and Highland Park resident.
Miguel E. Solis. Member of the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees.
Jason Villalba. Attorney, former member of Texas House of Representatives.

District 1
Sylvana Alonzo. Sister-in-law to former council member (and current candidate) Monica Alonzo.
Jeremy T. Boss. Founder of Dowdy Ferry Animal Commission, warrior against animal cruelty.
Giovanni "Gio" Valderas. Artist and former member of Dallas Cultural Commission.
Chad A. West. Attorney and small business owner, member of City Plan Commission.

District 2
Barbara Eastwood Coombs. Owner of Environmental Benchmarking, a consulting firm.
Paul A. Freeman. Former member of Dallas County School Board and chair of the Budget/Finance Committee during the corruption scandal.
Adam Medrano. Beloved incumbent since 2013.

District 3
Denise Benavides. Activist and former president of LULAC Grand Prairie.
Charletta Rogers Compton. District 7 member of the Dallas County Community College District Board of Trustees.
Davante D. Peters. Community organizer, youngest candidate.
Britannica Scott. Supervisor for Dallas Independent School District, community advocate.
Casey Thomas. Incumbent since 2015.

District 4
Carolyn King Arnold. Incumbent since 2018.
Dawn M. Blair. Property manager for city of Dallas Department of Aviation, also ran in 2018.
Karon "K" Flewellen. Salon owner, motivational speaker, and community activist.
Obi E. Igbokwe. Club owner, also ran in 2018.
Keyaira D. Saunders. Member of Next Generation Action Network activist group, came in second in 2018.
Asa O. Woodberry. Newbie who tried unsuccessfully to run in 2018.

District 5
Jaime Resendez. Member of the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees since 2016.
Ruth Torres. Author and founder of SuccessfulCareers.org an academic intervention and motivation program for at-risk youth.
Yolanda Faye Williams. Member of the Park and Recreation Board since 2014.

District 6
Monica R. Alonzo. Ex-council member, trying to regain seat she lost to Omar Narvaez.
Tony Carrillo. Returning candidate from 2017, when he earned 42 votes.
Omar Narvaez. Popular incumbent since 2017.

District 7
Adam Ryan Bazaldua. Teacher and community advocate who ran in 2017.
Sandra Crenshaw. Served on City Council previously, has run for Texas House of Representatives twice.
Kevin Felder. Incumbent since 2017.
Yvette Gbalazeh. Best known as Deep Ellum street character "Will Rap 4 Weed."
Calvin D. Johnson. Lawyer, radio talk show host.
Sade' Johnson. "The People's Progressive Candidate," co-founder of non-profit Helping Hands Healing Hearts.
Korey Deon Mack. Admissions officer at St Marks School of Texas, served on City Plan Commission.
Joseph Thomas. Video specialist for the City of Dallas, associate minister at College Park Baptist Church.
Tiffinni A. Young. Former one-term council member trying to get seat back.

District 8
Tennell Atkins. Incumbent since 2017.
Erik Wilson. Former council member running to get his seat back.

District 9
Paula Blackmon. Former assistant to Mayors Rawlings, Leppert.
Tamara "TAMI" Brown Rodriguez. Has four names.
Sarah Lamb. Founder of Lakewood Citizens For Responsible Traffic.
Erin Moore. Former president of Dallas Stonewall Democrats, executive assistant to Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel.
~~Paul Sims. Member of Dallas' Park and Recreation Board, married to former council member Angela Hunt~~.
~~Jacinto Valdespino. DISD teacher.~~

District 10
D'Andrala "DeDe" Alexander. Mental health clinician for Dallas County Juvenile Department.
Sirrano Keith Baldeo. Independent Christian conservative, publisher at Dallas Pulse News.
Adam McGough. Recumbent since 2015.

District 11
Curtis T. Harris. Juvenile detention officer at Dallas County Juvenile Justice; ran for constable in November.
Lee M. Kleinman. Incumbent since 2013.

District 12
Cara Mendelsohn. Executive Director at Rebuilding Together North Texas, has served on multiple homeless-related boards.
Carolyn "Cookie" Peadon. Served on City Plan Commission, endorsed by outgoing incumbent Sandy Greyson.
Daniel Powell. Has served on 5 different boards and committees including Civil Service Board.

District 13
Jennifer Staubach Gates. Incumbent since 2013.
Laura Miller. Former mayor from 2002-2007, former city council member.

District 14
David Blewett. Repeat candidate ran in 2013.
Warren Ernest Johnson. Confederate statue fan.
Phillip Kingston. Dashing incumbent since 2013.

lists politics

Park news

New I-35 deck park in southern Dallas moves closer to spring 2026 debut

Courtesy rendering

Renderings for Halperin Park.

A massive deck park spanning Interstate 35E in southern Dallas is set to open in late spring 2026. Called Halperin Park, the five-acre community space has been under construction since 2017 and will be completed in two phases:

Phase One (finishing in late spring) will include the section from Ewing Avenue to Lancaster Avenue and will feature a pavilion, amphitheater, playground area, interactive fountains, a second level overlooking the Dallas Zoo and the highway, and a large event room for every dining and special events.

Phase Two (to be completed over the next five years) will add the park section toward Marsalis Avenue, with an additional pavilion and extra gathering space.

The project is being developed by the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation and built by the Texas Department of Transportation. Funding comes from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, as well as the private Halperin Foundation, which donated $23 million in 2024 and secured naming rights.

In January, the Dallas City Council approved spending up to $8 million to complete Phase One for spring completion.

The public-private initiative will create $1 billion in economy impact over the next five years, according to a study by UNT Dallas.

Rendering of Halperin ParkCourtesy rendering

A park with purpose
Developers say the park aims to integrate the west side of Oak Cliff, which was somewhat segregated with the construction of I-35 in Oak Cliff in the 1960s, leading to low-income communities and generational poverty.

The project started nine years ago, when the Texas Department of transportation planned a reconstruction of I-35 and began gathering neighbors’ feedback. The result was a plan to widen bicycle and pedestrian lanes in the service roads alongside the highway, and to build a deck over the highway between Ewing and Marsalis avenues, adjacent to the Dallas Zoo. (Similar Klyde Warren Park's "deck park" concept.)

While the project faced some skepticism at first, it later gained momentum as private supporters continued to join.

“Forty percent of the Dallas population lives in South Dallas, yet this segment only accounts for 15 percent of the tax base,” says April Allen, President and CEO of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, citing the opportunity to address the economic equality in the area through the development of the park and all the business it can bring.

Rendering of Halperin Park.Courtesy rendering

Neighborhood pride
For Allen, this project is personal. The Toronto-born executive first moved to Dallas 22 years ago to work at Neiman Marcus, after getting her engineering degree in Canada and her MBA at Harvard. Oak Cliff felt like the right place for her as an intown neighborhood, with a confluency of cultures, local pride and an entrepreneurial spirit, as she describes it. Her first Realtor told her Oak Cliff was “not the right place for her." Instead of choosing a different neighborhood, Allen chose a new Realtor.

She has lived on the same street in North Cliff since, now raising her two kids with her husband, an Oak Cliff native, whom she credits for her further understanding of the neighborhood, its roots and civic dynamics.

Under Allen’s leadership, Halperin Park is focused on a community-first approach that provides support to the neighbors through programs around health and wellness, after-school activities, local food trucks and markets, and educational workshops to help expand homeownership and financial acumen.

To highlight the history and culture of Oak Cliff, they will feature an annual Walk of Fame, lifting up the stories of those who contributed to Oak Cliff history, with the first one happening as part of the inauguration of the park, organizers say.

They will provide their own 24-hour security team to ensure a safe place for families and kids, with clean and well-lit crosswalks.

Given their proximity with the zoo, parking will be available on the East side of the park at the zoo site, with a walkway to the park. They are working on parking options for the West side.

“We want to create a space for community growth and more business in the area," says Allen. "We are already seeing this come to life with projects such as East Dock, and we are excited for future investment that the park will bring."

parks

City Elections

Master list of all the candidates in the May 2019 Dallas elections

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