Election News

Dallas elections send Scott Griggs and Eric Johnson to mayoral runoff

Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs will get another chance at being elected mayor in a runoff on June 8.

Courtesy photo

An election to determine the new mayor of Dallas ended in a runoff that will require another election on June 8.

In an election on May 4, the two candidates who earned the most votes from a crowded field were City Council member Scott Griggs and Texas State Representative Eric Johnson. Johnson received 20.3 percent of the vote, while Griggs got 18.5 percent.

Griggs has served on the Dallas City Council since 2011. Johnson was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2010 during a special election.

In addition to the mayoral seat, four city council races are also headed to a runoff:

District 4 in far southeast Dallas, between incumbent Carolyn King Arnold and Dawn Blair
District 7 in south Dallas/Fair Park, between Adam Bazaldua and Tiffinni Young, who held the seat for one term in 2015
District 9 in east Dallas, between Erin Moore and Paula Blackmon
District 14 in downtown/East Dallas, between incumbent Phillip Kingston and Davit Blewett

Newcomers to the Dallas City Council include Chad West, who will take the seat in District 1 being vacated by Scott Griggs; Jaime Resendez, who beat former Park & Recreation Board member Yolanda Faye Williams to take the District 5 seat being vacated by outgoing Ricky Callahan; and Cara Mendelsohn, who won the seat in District 12 formerly occupied by Sandy Greyson.

Incumbents who kept their seats include Adam Medrano in District 2, representing Deep Ellum; Casey Thomas in District 3, southwest Dallas; Omar Narvaez in District 6, West Dallas; Tennell Atkins in District 8, far south Dallas; Adam McGough in District 10, northeast Dallas; Lee Kleinman in District 11, north Dallas; and Jennifer Staubach Gates in District 13.

Gates won in a high-profile race, beating former mayor Laura Miller with 65 percent of the 13,000 voters.

In District 7, incumbent Kevin Felder was voted out of office, earning less than 15 percent.

Voter turnout was 4.4 percent across Dallas County. District 13 between Gates and Miller was the most active at the polls. Most council races drew between 5,000 and 9,000 voters, though some races attracted just 2,000 people.

The last day to register to vote in the runoff election is May 8. Early voting will be May 28 through June 4, and Election Day is June 8.

Voter percentages for mayor were as follows:
Lynn McBee 14.03%
Jason Villalba 6.75%
Scott Griggs 18.48%
Mike Ablon 13.47%
Miguel Solis 10.72%
Alyson Kennedy 0.58%
Regina Montoya 10.45%
Eric Johnson 20.31%
Albert Black 5.22%

politics

Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

dance clubs fun cities nightlife parties recreation wallethub