Election News

More than 40 candidates file to run for 2023 Dallas City Council election

More than 40 candidates are vying to work in this building.

Photo courtesy of PCF

The next election for Dallas City Council election is May 6, and 43 candidates have filed to run for office.

Two representatives - Adam McGough and Casey Thomas - have reached the end of their term limit, leaving those districts open to a new council member. One council member, Cara Mendelsohn, is running uncontested, as well as Mayor Eric Johnson.

All 14 council districts will be on the ballot for two-year terms.

Place 1 - Oak Cliff

Chad West - incumbent
Mariana Griggs - teacher, neighborhood activist, ex-wife of former council member Scott Griggs
Albert Mata - former telecom engineer, Hispanic advocate

Place 2 - Deep Ellum, Love Field, Casa View

Jesse Moreno - incumbent
Sukhbir Kaur

Place 3 - Southwest Dallas, vacant seat left by Casey Thomas

Zarin Gracey - director of the Office of Business Diversity for city of Dallas
Joe Tave - radio host and return candidate who ran in 2017
August Doyle - previously worked for city of Dallas in code, public works, and recycling, and DISD teacher
Denise Benavides - former president of LULAC Grand Prairie who has a nonprofit, ran in 2019
John Sims - entrepreneur, owner of a podcast/radio studio in Oak Cliff

Place 4 - South Dallas

Carolyn King Arnold - incumbent
Jamie Lynn Smith - accountant and first-time candidate

Place 5 - Far southeast Dallas

Jaime Resendez - incumbent
Yolanda Faye Williams - former city council assistant, repeat candidate
Terry Perkins - retired pastor, return candidate who ran in 2021

Place 6 - West Dallas

Omar Narvaez - incumbent
Tony Carrillo - return candidate who ran in 2017
Monica Alonzo - former council member defeated by Narvaez
Sidney Robles-Martinez - community activist and elections political consultant

Place 7 - Far east Dallas, Just south of I-30

Adam Bazaldua - incumbent
Okema Thomas - community activist and get-out-the-vote advocate
Tracy Dotie Hill - realtor and loan officer
Marvin E. Crenshaw - repeat candidate
Delmar Lamar Jefferson - one of two twin brothers running for office (his brother Jrmar filed to run for Mayor)

Place 8 - Far southeast Dallas

Tennell Atkins - incumbent
Subrina Brenham - income tax professional and return candidate who ran in 2021
Davante Peters - community organizer, return candidate who ran in 2021 and 2019 (in District 3)

Place 9 - Northeast Dallas, Lakewood

Paula Blackmon - incumbent
Kendra Madison - marketing professional, Houston transplant

Place 10 - Northeast Dallas, Lake Highlands, vacant seat left by Adam McGough

Sirrano Keith Baldeo - litigious and eccentric, was a candidate in 2019
Brian Hasenbauer - marketing professional, one-time City of Dallas Community Development Commissioner
Katherine Stewart - lawyer and former director of Uptown Dallas, Inc.
Chris Carter - wasted taxpayer money with lawsuit to keep Confederate monuments, got thrown out of neighborhood meeting by cops
Barbara Markham - former police officer in The Colony

Place 11 - North Dallas/central

Jaynie Schultz - incumbent
Candace Evans - founder of Candy's Dirt real estate blog, return candidate

Place 12 - Far North Dallas

Cara Mendelsohn - incumbent

Place 13 - North/northwest Dallas

Gay Donnell Willis - incumbent
Priscilla Shacklett - realtor, developer, poll watcher anxious about "voting fraud"

Place 14 - Oak Lawn, Greenville Avenue, downtown Dallas

Paul Ridley - incumbent
Amanda Schulz - AKA Amanda Tenpenny Schulz, former Parks Board appointed by David Blewett (who lost to Paul Ridley)
Joseph Miller - retired engineer

Place 15 (Mayor) - City of Dallas

Eric Johnson - incumbent

The candidate filings are here. Candidates who ran in 2021 are here, and candidates who ran in 2019 are here.

politics city-news-roundup

Camp Mystic News

Bankrupt Camp Mystic seeks to sell the property as legal troubles grow

Funeral Held For Sisters Killed During The Flooding At Camp Mystic In Hunt, Texas

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

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The owners of Camp Mystic have proposed selling off the riverfront property as part of a bankruptcy plan, with hopes that a buyer will preserve the camp's “historic mission” following the death of 27 campers and counselors swept away by a 2025 flood.

The century-old private Christian girls' camp filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan on September 25 that would auction off the 749 acres (3 square kilometers) it owns and other assets.

The sprawling campus, nestled among rolling wooded hills on the banks of the Guadalupe River, had several single-story cabins that housed some of the youngest campers and a recreation hall near the riverfront. A second campus on elevated ground was not flooded.

The Eastland family has owned the camp for decades and initially sought to reopen this summer. But they faced fierce opposition from victims’ families and some state lawmakers, lawsuits, and legislative investigations into what went wrong.

A buyer would likely get a portion of the camp frozen in time. Families of the victims have fought to stop any demolition of damaged cabins and buildings and stop repairs as part of their lawsuits.

The bankruptcy plan said the owners expect a purchaser would be backed by a group of families that support the camp.

“Nothing in the plan requires any buyer to operate the property as a camp,” the filing said, “but the plan states an express preference, in determining the highest or otherwise best bid, for a buyer that will maintain the historic mission of the camp.”

Twenty-five campers and two counselors were killed when the river surged over its banks in the pre-dawn hours of July 4, 2025. Camp owner and director Richard Eastland was also killed. At least 136 people were killed along a several-mile stretch of the river.

Earlier this month, state police investigators sought search warrants for the electronic communications of the camp's owners, saying they could provide evidence of manslaughter, negligent homicide, child abandonment, or other crimes.

No charges have been brought.

A probe by state lawmakers determined the camp’s young and inexperienced counselors were not trained for floods and other emergencies. It said an earlier decision to evacuate could have saved every life. Most of the victims were under age 10, and some were attending camp for the first time.

The camp's bankruptcy proposal would have to be approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher M. Lopez. Officials with Camp Mystic did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Monday.

All creditors, including the families who have sued Camp Mystic over the deaths, will have a chance to respond to the plan.

“The Eastlands are now attempting to determine the future of the Camp Mystic property, but the victims' families including my clients, will fight to protect their rights and ensure any sale is fair and transparent,” said Tim Ferguson, attorney for the family of 8-year-old Mary Grace Baker, one of the campers who died.

“The Bakers intend to continue fighting for answers, accountability and justice for their daughter,” Ferguson said.

bankruptcy chapter 11 deaths eastland family guadalupe river richard eastland texas flood victims families negligent homicide for sale real estate hill country campers killed camp mystic flood

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Camp Mystic News

Bankrupt Camp Mystic seeks to sell the property as legal troubles grow