Same Stuff Different Day is the moniker for Dallas after an abysmal turnout in yesterday’s city and school board elections.
Incumbent mayor Eric Johnson and D12 city council member Cara Mendelsohn won uncontested races – though Johnson had almost 7 percent of his races voters go to write in candidates.
Same Stuff Different Day Not New For Dallas
Incumbents won across the board leaving only open races to be decided.
City council members earn two year seats during elections whereas the mayor will fill a four year term.
District 1
Chad West beat both Mariana Griggs who ran a campaign without fundraising and Albert Mata, a political newcomer and data engineering professional.
This will be West’s third term on city council.
District 2
Jesse Moreno, the popular former Park Board member and owner of La Popular Tamale House easily beat challenger Sukhbir Kaur.
District 3
Outgoing city council member Casey Thomas publicly endorsed Zarin Gracey to replace him and Gracey will go to a run off with Joe Tave. Gracey is a pastor and served on both the City Plan Commission and the Dallas Public Facility Corporation.
Tave is a retired teacher and talk show host.
The two held off a field of five.
District 4
District 4 voters will continue to have Carolyn King Arnold speaking for them on the record. She handled first time challenger and accountant Jamie Smith for her fourth election victory.
Ms. Arnold also serves as Mayor Pro Tem on Dallas City Council.
District 5
Jaime Resendez, the former school board member and lawyer, easily beat Terry Perkins and Yolanda Faye Williams.
The two have previously faced Resendez – always coming up short in the Pleasant Grove district.
District 6
Like District 5, Omar Narvaez beat a familiar opponent. This is his fourth election to city council and fourth time beating former city council member Monica Alonzo.
Narvaez has also been selected to serve as Mayor Pro Tem.
District 7
Adam Bazaldua narrowly avoided a runoff election against Tracy Dotie Hill, a local real estate broker.
The four person race finished with Bazaldua just over the fifty percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
Bazaldua previously challenged Tracy Dotie Hill for Democratic Precinct Chair 1084 – losing that race almost two to one.
District 8
Tennell Atkins continues on city council. He beat Subrina Lynn Brenham and Davante Peters for his second fourth term.
Atkins was elected in 2007 and served through 2015 when he was term limited out of office. He was then elected again in 2017.
Atkins is a perfect example of the same stuff different day Dallas mentality.
District 9
Former Chief of Staff to Mayor Mike Rawlings Paula Blackmon was re-elected to her third term.
Her district includes White Rock Lake and far East Dallas.
District 10
The former Uptown Dallas Inc. executive director Kathy Stewart won this four way open race without a run off.
Other candidates included former city community development commissioner Brian Hasenbauer, online news site publisher Sirrano Keith Baldeo. Baldeo had previously run for the seat.
Outgoing city council member Adam McGough had endorsed Kathy Stewart in the race.
District 11
Perhaps the ugliest race this year was in D11 where three time candidate Candy Evans lost to Jaynie Schultz.
Schultz won her second term and Candy Evans lost her third race for the seat in six years. She previously challenged Lee Kleinman in 2019 and didn’t make the runoff in 2021.
District 13
Like in District 11, Gay Donnell Willis won her second term.
She was opposed by rental property manager Priscilla Shacklett.
District 13 includes large swaths of northwest Dallas and wraps the Park City area.
District 14
Paul Ridley, a retired lawyer, staved off two opponents in District 14.
Amanda Tenpenny Schultz, a real estate broker, and Joseph F. Miller, a retired transit engineer, combined could not keep Ridley from winning without a runoff. Schultz is a former park board member.
All in all it appears city voters were unmoved by crime numbers and exploding property taxes enough to get out and vote.