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

pet protection

How to protect Texas pets against the dangerous New World screwworm fly

MPhoto by Tran Mau Tri Tam ✪ on Unsplash

Make sure these guys are up on their flea and tick meds.

Two New World screwworm cases in dogs are among more than 30 confirmed instances in Texas and New Mexico, prompting warnings Wednesday, July 8 from veterinarians and humane societies that pet owners need to remain vigilant to protect their animals.

The parasite reappeared in cattle in the U.S. in June, more than 50 years after it had been largely eradicated from the country. The pest is actually the larvae of the New World screwworm fly. It eats live flesh and fluids rather than dead material, as the larvae of most fly species do.

Here is what to know about the parasite, the threat it poses to pets and how to protect them:

Screwworm fly larvae can infest any mammal
The fly's migration north from Panama starting in 2024, and through Mexico in 2025, has agriculture officials warning that it poses a threat to the $113 billion U.S. cattle industry, but the larvae can hatch and breed in any mammal, including wildlife, dogs, cats and occasionally humans.

The problem develops when a female fly lays its eggs in open wounds and mucus. After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed for about a week before maturing, dropping to the ground and continuing to develop into an adult fly.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says newborn animals and animals with open wounds or who have undergone surgery or other medical procedures recently are especially vulnerable. Even a tick bite can host an infestation, Aaron Grady, executive director of the Houston Humane Society shelter, said during a webinar on the screwworm.

Screwworm fly close-up The goal is to stop these flies from successfully breeding. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife

Infestation signs include restlessness and bad smell
Animal health experts say pet owners in areas where the screwworm is present — southern and southwestern Texas and southeastern New Mexico so far — should watch their animals closely and examine them for wounds, cuts and bites regularly.

Pet owners should look for any maggots or movement in a wound. Other signs include a foul smell and restlessness or anxiety in an animal, or an animal “hyper-fixating on looking or chewing in a certain area of the body," said Melissa Stansell, a veterinarian at the shelter Austin Pets Alive!

Any one of those is reason enough to go to a veterinarian. The affected animal is likely in a great deal of pain, and that can cause death from shock. The larvae also can cause death if they move into vital organs or by causing infections that turn deadly.

Flea, tick medications can stop an infestation
Humane society officials and veterinarians said shelters across Texas are trying to prevent infestations in animals by giving them prescription flea and tick medications. They recommend that pet owners do the same.

“It will kill the larvae as they ingest the blood and tissue,” Stansell said. “The chemical compositions of those products are what kill the actual larval stages of these flies.”

Veterinarians also can treat infestations and animals can recover if pet owners contact them quickly. Stansell said the treatment could include antibiotics.

“It is only fatal if left untreated,” she said.

An effort to eradicate the fly again is underway
The New World screwworm fly is a tropical species and decades ago would disappear each year when colder weather arrived with the fall or winter.

But state and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials aren't waiting for the weather to turn. They've returned to an eradication method that worked decades ago, breeding sterile male flies and releasing them into the wild. The female New World screwworm fly mates once in her monthslong life, and if her partner is sterile, her eggs won't hatch — causing the population in an area to drop and then disappear.

For years, the only factory breeding sterile flies in the Western Hemisphere was in Panama, but the USDA invested $21 million to convert a site in southern Mexico from breeding fruit flies to recently start breeding screwworm flies. The agency also plans to spend $750 million on a new fly factory in Texas, set to open next year.

screwworm fly pets

City Elections

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

pet protection

How to protect Texas pets against the dangerous New World screwworm fly

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