Voting News

Dallas City Council May 2025 election results in 2 runoffs

Dallas City Hall

Wikimedia

A new Dallas City Council was elected at an election on May 3, with two seats that will require a second runoff vote.

According to figures from Dallas County, the total turnout was 70,187 votes, with 68,701 in person and 1,469 by mail.

Nearly 50 candidates ran for the city's 14 districts. Out of those 14 districts, 10 had incumbents that were all re-elected for another two-year term.

Of the remaining four districts where a new council member had to be elected, two were successful:

District 4, the southern Dallas seat previously occupied by Carolyn King Arnold, was won by Maxie Alexander.
District 6, the west Dallas seat previously occupied by Omar Narvaez, was won by Laura Cadena, Narvaez' chief of staff.

Two will have to be determined in runoff elections. (In order to win, a candidate must earn 50 percent of the votes.):

District 11, covering Far North Dallas, previously occupied by Jaynie Schultz, will go to a runoff between Bill Roth and Jeff Kitner.
District 8, the southeast Dallas seat vacated by Tennell Atkins, will go to a runoff between Lorie Blair and Erik Wilson.

The biggest turnouts were in north Dallas, in Districts 11, 12, and 13.

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UPDATE 6-7-2025: The runoff elections resulted in the following winners in the Dallas City Council race:

District 8: Lorie Blair won with 1,143 votes or 56.14 %, against Erik Wilson, who lost with 893 votes or 43.86 %.
District 11: Bill Roth won with 4,093 votes or 53.78 % against Jeff Kitner who lost with 3,517 votes or 46.22 %.

DALLAS CITY COUNCIL RESULTS
Here's the 14 districts, with total votes counted and winners in bold:

District 1: 4,039 votes

Just south of downtown Dallas, includes North Oak Cliff, Bishop Arts

Chad West - incumbent: 2,374 or 59%
Katrina Whatley - realtor: 1,582 or 39%
Jason Vanhof - tech sales: 83 or 2%

District 2: 2,305 votes
Weird propeller-shaped district extends from Love Field on the West, through Deep Ellum, to Casa View on the east

Jesse Moreno - incumbent: 2,073 or 90%
Sukhbir Kaur - repeat candidate: 232 or 10%

District 3: 2,923 votes
Southwest Dallas

Zarin Gracey - incumbent: 1,589 or 54%
Jesseca Lightbourne - assistant professor at UNT Dallas: 479 or 26%
John Sims - repeat candidate, owner of a podcast/radio studio in Oak Cliff 585 or 20%

District 4: 2,971 votes
South Dallas. Seat vacated by Carolyn King Arnold who has reached the end of her term and cannot run again, despite her efforts.

Maxie Johnson, pastor and DISD board of trustees representative: 2,228 or 75%
Kebran W. Alexander, Dallas County Sheriff Department employee and returning candidate who ran in 2018: 635 or 21%
Avis Hardaman, teacher: 108 or 4%

District 5: 1,585 votes
Far southeast Dallas

Jaime Resendez - incumbent: 1,329 or 84%
Elizabeth Matus - Health Unit Coordinator at Children's Medical Center: 256 or 16%

District 6: 2,109 votes
West Dallas, with seat left vacant by Omar Navaerz, who has reached the end of his term.

Laura Cadena, Navaerz' Chief of Staff: 1,064 or 50%
Monica Alonzo - former council member prior to Narvaez: 522 or 25%
Machelle Wells - flight attendant and minister: 201 or 10%
Linus Spiller - success coach and repeat candidate: 137 or 6%
David Blewett - one-term council member, but in in a different district (District 14): 106 or 5%
Gabriel Kissinger - "filmmaker": 23 or 1%
Nicholas "Nico" Quintanilla, youthful entrepreneur: 21 or 1%
Tony Carrillo - return candidate who ran in 2017 and 2023: 21 or 1%

District 7: 2,642 votes
Far east Dallas, just south of I-30 including Buckner Terrace

Adam Bazaldua - incumbent: 1,497 or 57%
Jose Rivas Jr. - deputy ombudsman: 436 or 17%
Cydney Walker - repeat candidate and host of Coffee & Politics talk show: 379 or 14%
Brian O'Neil Hesson - community activist: 209 or 8%
Lamar "Yaka" Jefferson: 110 or 4%

District 8: 2,700 votes
Far southeast Dallas, finally vacant now that Tennell Atkins has reached his term limit.

Erik Wilson - one-time city council member, running again: 1,129 or 42%
Lorie Blair - current member of the Zoning & Planning commission: 1,056 or 39%
Subrina Brenham - income tax professional, repeat candidate who ran in 2021 and 2023: 262 or 10%
Eugene Ralph - son of "Christian conservative" Eugene Ralph, is pro Proposition U, requiring Dallas to hire hundreds more police officers: 129 or 5%
Eliza Ruth Steward - has worked as a notary: 61 or 2%
Davante Peters - community organizer, return candidate: 43 or 2%

District 9: 3,947 votes
Northeast Dallas, Lakewood

Paula Blackmon - incumbent: 3,094 or 78%
Ernest P. Banda - served on the Red Light Camera commission in 2014: 853 or 21%

District 10: 3,763 votes
Northeast Dallas, Lake Highlands

Kathy Stewart - incumbent: 3,537 or 94%
Sirrano Keith Baldeo - litigious eccentric repeat candidate ran in 2019 and 2023: 226 or 6%

District 11: 6,178 votes
North Dallas/central — left vacant by Jaynie Schulz who chose not to run for another term.

Bill Roth - Lake Highlands lawyer who sued over an affordable housing project: 2,984 or 48%
Jeff Kitner - COO at North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, bicycling and schools advocate: 2,781 or 45%
Kendal Richardson - motivational speaker: 213 or 3%
Mona Andy Elshenawy - health care professional: 200 or 3%

District 12: 5,845 votes
Far North Dallas

Cara Mendelsohn - incumbent: 3,729 or 64%
Marc Rossouw - accountant and financial advisor: 1,775 or 30%
Jose Cavazos - poet-philosopher, anti-war & climate crisis activist: 341 or 6%

District 13: 7,457 votes
North/northwest Dallas

Gay Donnell Willis - incumbent: 4,860 or 65%
Diane Benjamin - the realtor in favor of "taking the liberal Marxist trash out in Dallas County and the city of Dallas": 2,597 or 35%

District 13 loser Diane Benjamin, once dressed up in an Indian outfit to portray U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.Facebook

District 14: 2,099 votes
Downtown and Greenville Avenue

Paul Ridley - incumbent: 2,099 or 100%

election 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.

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