Election News

Dallas runoff elections give the city council new lease on life

Newcomer Jesse Moreno (left) and incumbent Adam Bazaldua celebrate their win.

Photo courtesy of Soraya Santos

A runoff election on June 5 gave Dallas a meaningful update to its city council, installing a new slate of council members that have the potential to effect powerful change.

Four newly elected members share a more progressive profile than the incumbents they replaced, and also represent the potential for a unified majority, combined with like-minded council members who were re-elected.

In Fort Worth, they elected a new mayor in Mattie Parker, who at age 37 will be one of the youngest mayors in the U.S.

Fort Worth also elected a new slate of especially young council members: The average age of the Fort Worth city council dropped from 60 to 45.

Below are some of the key races; NBC has all the results listed here.

MAYOR RACES

Fort Worth
The mayoral race saw a huge turnout, with former Betsy Price staffer Mattie Parker winning with 53.55 percent (47,283 votes) over former Tarrant County Democratic Party chair Deborah Peoples 46.45 percent (41,012 votes).

Arlingon
Attorney Jim Ross won over former city council member Michael Glaspie, taking 54.45 percent (11,320 votes) to Glaspie's 45.55 percent (9,470 votes).

DALLAS CITY COUNCIL
Six seats went to a run-off. Four out of six winners are newcomers. One current council member got ousted by a wide margin.

District 2 - Deep Ellum/Love Field
Longtime activist and volunteer Jesse Moreno won over Sana Syed: 57.51 percent (1,609 votes) to 42.49 percent (1,189 votes).

"Thank you for your support, #TeamD2! I’m honored, and I look forward to getting to work for you!" Moreno said.

District 4 - southeast Dallas
Incumbent Carolyn King Arnold won 54.96 percent (1,484) over Maxie Johnson who earned 45.04 percent (1,216 votes).

No idea what Arnold may have said since she has blocked me on Facebook.

District 7 - far East Dallas
Incumbent Adam Bazaldua won with 63.59 percent (1,785), beating Kevin Felder's 36.41 percent (1,022 votes).

"It's an exciting new day and maybe now we'll have the opportunity to break a barrier between the north and south divide that has gone on for too long," Bazaldua said at his victory party.

District 11 - North Dallas
One-time planning commission member Jaynie Schultz earned 53.93 percent (4,436 votes) over Barry Wernick 46.07 percent (3,789 votes).

"I’m so honored to be elected Councilwoman! After a long & challenging race, honesty, integrity, and experience prevailed. Thank you to all of my volunteers, supporters, and family for everything you’ve done. I cannot wait to represent this district around the horseshoe," she said.

District 13 - North Dallas
Turtle Creek Conservancy CEO Gay Donnell Willis got 53.51 percent (5,243 votes) over Leland R. Burk's 46.49 percent (4,555 votes), and will take the seat vacated by Jennifer Staubach Gates.

Willis tweeted, "Thank you all so much for electing me to represent you on Dallas’ City Council! I am so proud of everyone involved with the campaign from our donors and volunteers to our staff and voters. You made this happen, and I promise to deliver for D13."

District 14 - downtown, Uptown, Oak Lawn
Former Park Board member Paul E. Ridley won big with 60.58 percent (4,769 votes), stomping incumbent David Blewett who got 39.42 percent (3,103 votes).

FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL

District 6
Jared Williams 50.97 percent (7,190 votes) beat incumbent Jungus Jordan who got 49.03 percent (6,917 votes).

District 7
Leonard Firestone, cofounder of Firestone & Robertson Distilling, drew 55.2 percent (8,401 votes) versus Zeb Pent who got 44.8 percent (6,819 votes)

District 8
Community leader Chris Nettles won with a majority of 52.20 percent (3,591 votes), beating the 47.80 percent (3,288 votes) of longtime incumbent Kelly Allen Gray.

Nettles said at his victory party that his campaign was about making change.

District 9
Attorney and military vet Elizabeth Beck won big with 61.92 percent (5,340) vote against Fernando Peralta, who garnered 38.08 percent (3,284).

"I am truly honored that the people of District 9 put their trust in me," Beck said. "I promise to wake up each day and work to maintain that trust."

politics city-news-roundup

Sobering statistic

Texas ranks No. 9 among deadliest states for New Year’s crashes

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At more than 314,000 miles, Texas boasts the largest system of public roads among the 50 states. It also holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of the deadliest states for New Year’s car accidents.

An analysis of 2014-2023 traffic data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows Texas is the ninth worst state for traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

During the 10-year period covered by the analysis, commissioned by AutoAccident.com, Texas tallied 280 traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — the highest total of any state. The 280-person toll in Texas works out to 9.61 deaths per one million residents, a rate that’s 37 percent above the national average of 6.99 deaths per one million residents.

The analysis reveals that nearly three-fourths (64 percent) of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traffic deaths in Texas were drivers, nearly one-fifth (19 percent) were pedestrians, and 16 percent were passengers.

“New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights on American roads,” says Edward Smith, managing attorney at AutoAccident.com, a personal injury law firm.

“With impaired driving incidents spiking during holiday celebrations, every driver has a responsibility to make smart choices that protect themselves and others sharing the road,” Smith adds. “Even in states with strong safety records, one preventable death is too many.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), more than 2,000 drunk driving-related crashes happened during the 2024 holiday season. Last year, December ranked as the No. 1 month in Texas for wrecks caused by drunk drivers.

“The holidays are a wonderful time to be with family, and yet they can also be a painful reminder for those who have lost loved ones to preventable crashes,” says Marc Williams, executive director of TxDOT. “Let’s make a new holiday tradition to drive like a Texan: kind, courteous, and safe. That means always getting a sober ride.”

TxDOT offers these four tips for staying safe on the roads as the calendar switches from 2025 to 2026:

Designate a sober driver before the celebrations start.
Ask a sober relative or friend to pick you up if you’re too tipsy to drive.
Use public transit or rideshare services.
Stay off the roads until you’ve sobered up.

Several organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth are offering ways to get home safely around New Year’s if you’re too drunk to drive:

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has teamed up with Coors Light to provide free rides on New Year’s Eve. To get a free ride, enter the promo code COORSNYE25 in the GoPass app. The offer is available to the first 10,500 riders who enter the code in the GoPass app.
Trinity Metro will offer free Trinity Railway Express rides in Tarrant County from 6 pm-midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Various bars and entertainment venues in Dallas County are supplying QR codes for one free Lyft ride worth up to $35. The EpicCentral entertainment district in Grand Prairie is among the participants.
In collaboration with TxDOT and the Frisco Police Department, Uber is offering $30-per-ride vouchers for people in Frisco who aren’t sober enough to drive. Frisco ranks first on Allstate’s 2025 list of the Texas cities with the best drivers.
Fort Worth Limousines provides designated-driver services in Dallas-Fort Worth via limo, luxury sedan, SUV, and bus.
Pro-Tow Wrecker Service is offering free tows to tipsy motorists in Denton County who need a ride on New Year’s Eve.

traffic fatalities crime holidays new year's day new years eve traffic