Election News

Master list of campaign donations for upcoming Dallas election

Scott Griggs, looking very mayoral.

Scott Griggs/Facebook

Dallas will elect a new mayor and new city council on May 4 — an election that has drawn millions of dollars as 60 candidates court voters.

The mayoral race to replace Mayor Mike Rawlings is drawing the largest sums: Between eight candidates, $3.3 million was raised between January 1 and April 26.

Among the city council seats, the most expensive has been District 13 in North Dallas: Incumbent Jennifer Staubach Gates and challenger and former Mayor Laura Miller raised nearly $500,000.

At least a dozen residents have given to multiple races, sometimes to candidates in the same race. Not all the money came from Dallas.

Repeat donors include Park Board President Bobby Abtahi, Lucy Billingsley and family, developer and wife Craig and Kathryn Hall, D Magazine publisher Wick Allison, developer Frank Mihalopoulos, Swiss Avenue preservationist Larry Offutt, DISD board member Dustin Marshall, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, former Schepps Dairy head Pete Schenkel, Lakewood resident Barry Jacobs, and Arts and Culture Commission member Cannon Flowers.

The Texas Hotel and Lodging Assocation PAC, which receives donations from top executives of the troubled Visit Dallas, made contributions to nearly all mayoral candidates except one: Scott Griggs, the biggest critic of Visit Dallas and only council member running for mayor.

The final round of campaign finance reports is due to City Hall on May 31.

Here's our list of candidates with donor highlights:

Mayoral race
Michael B. Ablon. $560,181. He has 22 maximum ($5,000) donation contributors, the majority from real estate and development, including Shawn and Cheryl Todd, Jon Altschuler, Herb Weitzman, Michael Ochstein, Jonas Woods, Tom Hicks, and Bandera Ventures' principals Charles Anderson, Pryor Blackwell, and Thomas Leiser.

Albert C. Black Jr. $157,543. Many contributions from outside Dallas, while top donors include Austin lawyer Carlos Zaffirini; surgeon John Preskitt; Baylor supporters and Temple, Texas residents Drayton & Elizabeth McLane; the Cortez Law Firm; and former Sheriff Lupe Valdez.

Regina Montoya. $429,807. Donors include her daughter Jessica Montoya Coggins, husband Paul Coggins, Margot Perot, colorful entrepreneur Erika Nazem, Eric Johnson, former Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia, former Mayor Ron Kirk, and one-time mayoral candidate Tom Dunning. PACs include Health Care Service Corporation Employees PAC and HOTEL PAC, plus a $2500 contribution from Women Organizing Women Democrats.

Scott Griggs. $303,815. Dozens of individual donors indicative of a strong grass-roots campaign, plus two PACs: Citizens for Affordable Housing PAC and Dallas Retired Firefighters Association PAC.

Eric Johnson. $704,544. Johnson has the largest number of PAC contributors, including AT&T, Orrick Texas, Raytheon, Health Care Services Corporation Employees PAC, and BNSF Rail PAC. Other top contributors were construction magnate Henry Beck, commercial real estater David Corrigan, and four members of the Hunt family.

Alyson Y. Kennedy. $0.

Lynn McBee. $513,637. Numerous bold-faced donors include NorthPark co-owner David Haemisegger, real estate icon Allie Beth Allman, restaurateur Phil Romano, members of the Hunt family, and the Bass family from Fort Worth. Her campaign has spent more than $120,000 on Allyn Media, the favorite of the Dallas Citizens Council.

Miguel Solis. $613,945. Has the most out-of-state contributions in the race, including a Democratic party PAC called Cincinnatus PAC and $500 from presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's campaign, plus old-guard has-beens such as former Mayor Ron Kirk, former city manager Mary Suhm, and former state Representative Domingo Garcia.

Jason Villalba. $77,671. Donors include former state Senator John Carona, one-time city council candidate Leland Burk, the HOTEL PAC, and Metropolitan Anesthesia PAC.

District 1 - Bishop Arts/Oak Cliff
Sylvana Alonzo. $4,700.
Jeremy T. Boss. $0.
Giovanni "Gio" Valderas. $23,071. Donors include former mayoral candidate Marcos Ronquillo and New American PAC, located in the law offices of Domingo Garcia.
Chad A. West. $75,153. Donors include well known Democrat lawyer Lisa Baron, plus dozens of residents and business owners from West's own 75208 neighborhood.

District 2 - Deep Ellum and East Dallas
Barbara Eastwood Coombs. $2,836. Mostly self-funded campaign. Bought a map for $20.
Paul A. Freeman. $0.
Adam Medrano. $12,680. Spent nearly $3,000 for volunteer meals.

District 3 - Mountain Creek/Southwest Dallas
Denise Benavides. $0.
Charletta Rogers Compton. $1,985. Rented out the VFW.
Davante D. Peters. $1,114.
Britannica Scott. $0.
Casey Thomas. $31,700. Incumbent's donors include Dallas Black Firefighters PAC, the Real Estate Council PAC, and the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas PAC.

District 4 - Oak Cliff/South Dallas
Carolyn King Arnold. $24,305. Donors include outgoing D5 councilman Ricky Callahan, Park Board President Bobby Abtahi, and Dallas Black Fire Fighters Retiree PAC.
Dawn M. Blair. $5,155. Biggest donors were executives from Viceroy Investments, a commercial real estate investment firm.
Karon "K" Flewellen. $2,243. Most donors were from outside Dallas.
Obi E. Igbokwe. $0.
Keyaira D. Saunders. $2,150. Four households have donated.
Asa O. Woodberry. $1,544. Mostly family donors.

District 5 - Pleasant Grove
Jaime Resendez. $19,866. Ascend PAC, a 527 that provides financial support to emerging Democratic candidates; and The Real Estate Council PAC.
Ruth Torres. $5,320. Biggest donor is Sarahi Quintana, a resident of Chicago. Received training from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C.
Yolanda Faye Williams. $13,315. Donors include incumbent Ricky Callahan, Park Board President Bobby Abtahi, Walt Humann, five "unknown donors," and the Dallas Black Firefighters Retiree PAC.

District 6 - West Dallas
Monica R. Alonzo. $52,078. Donors from Plano, Addison, Frisco, Cedar Hill, Duncanville Mansfield, Arlington, Colleyville, and other Dallas suburbs.
Tony Carrillo. $0.
Omar Narvaez. $51,185. Incumbent's donors include the Dallas Police Officers PAC, Citizens for Affordable Housing PAC, United Food & Commercial Workers, and the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization Greater Dallas Chapter.

District 7 - Fair Park/South Dallas
Adam Ryan Bazaldua. $15,874. Donors include the New American PAC.
Sandra Crenshaw. $0.
Kevin Felder. $12,800. Donors include Lucy Billingsley, airport concessionaire Gilbert Aranza, and Jean Dean who serves on a variety of boards including the North TX Crime Commission. Felder spent more than $18,000 in the first quarter, and has expensed meals at Hillstone and Olive Garden.
Yvette Gbalazeh. $0.
Calvin D. Johnson. $0.
Sade' Johnson. $0.
Korey Deon Mack. $32,620. Has the most individual donors in this race.
Joseph Thomas. $4,070. Nearly half of his donors are not in Dallas.
Tiffinni A. Young. $3,925. Spends campaign funds to Uber around the district.

District 8 - Red Bird/Far South Dallas
Tennell Atkins. $63,135. Donors include Dallas Police Officers PAC and Dallas Fire Fighters Association Public Safety Committee.
Erik Wilson. $2,100. He had six individual contributors.

District 9 - Lakewood/East Dallas
Paula Blackmon. $75,749. Donors include Max Wells, former president of the Park and Recreation Board who was accused of conspiring to limit debate on the future of Fair Park, plus developers Daniel Deichert and Craig and Kathryn Hall.
"TAMI" Brown Rodriguez. $6,860. Has more loans than donations.
Sarah Lamb. $21,090. Majority of donors live on or near Gaston Avenue, dating back to Lamb's participation in the 3G road project.
Erin Moore. $40,788. Donors include the ever-present Lupe Valdez.

District 10 - Lake Highlands/Northeast Dallas
D'Andrala "DeDe" Alexander. $27,605. Many small-donor donations, including some from out of state, and one PAC contribution from Ascend PAC.
Sirrano Keith Baldeo. $0.
Adam McGough. $78,102. Donors include the Dallas Firefighters Association and the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas - PAC. His expenses include $95 he spent at a Trump Hotel bar during a City Council trip to Washington, D.C.

District 11 - North Dallas
Curtis T. Harris. $0.
Lee M. Kleinman. $64,730. The Real Estate Council donated $2,500, along with PAC support from Texas Instruments PAC, Metrotex Association of Realtors PAC, and HOMEPAC, the political action committee of the Dallas Builders Association.

District 12 - Far North Dallas
Cara Mendelsohn. $28,185. Donors include council member Lee Kleinman and PACs from Citizens For Affordable Housing, Dallas Police Officers, Dallas Retired Firefighters Association, Metrotex Association of Realtors PAC, and the Dallas Firefighters Association Public Safety Committee.
Carolyn "Cookie" Peadon. $30,434. Donors include outgoing council member Sandy Greyson and the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas PAC.
Daniel Powell. $4,044.

District 13 - North Dallas/Preston Hollow
Jennifer Staubach Gates. $218,223. Incumbent has received PAC money from Comerica and Safari Club's SCI PAC, the largest sportsmen-led PAC in America. Other donors include mayoral candidates Lynn McBee and Mike Ablon; Dallas Regional Chamber CEO Dale Petroskey; Michael Boone of law firm Haynes and Boone; the Hunt, Perot, and Billingsley families; developer Craig and Kathy Hall, Beck Group Executive Chairman Peter Beck; and a woman named Patsy Cline.
Laura Miller. $190,149. Gates' challenger has donations from former state Senator John Carona, D Magazine Publisher Wick Allison, attorney Lisa Baron (this time donating as Lisa Blue), and Harwood District kingpin Gabriel Barbier-Mueller.

District 14 - Downtown/Uptown/East Dallas
David Blewett. $50,656. Donors include Pete Schenkel, Highland Park Village owner and high-profile Republican Ray Washburne, Jose restaurant owner Brady Wood, and the PAC for the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas.
Warren Ernest Johnson. $39,430. Biggest donor is himself. Among his expenses were consultants from Florida and Washington, D.C.
Phillip Kingston. $61,400. Contributors include an array of independent donors and neighbors, plus lawyer Lisa Baron, and PACs such as Citizens For Affordable Housing PAC, Dallas Fire Fighters Association PAC, and United Food and Commercial Workers Union PAC.

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

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.

nature

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Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture