Election results for Dallas City Council show several incumbents ahead; a few headed to runoffs

UPDATED: Sunday, 12:10 a.m.: This story has been updated throughout with the latest results and comments.

Dallas voters appear to have rewarded several of their elected officials with two more years at City Hall while it’s possible that half the races could head to a runoff in a month.

Seven of 11 incumbents were surviving challenges to their council seats on Saturday based on the latest election returns posted after midnight.

Council members Carolyn King Arnold, Jaime Resendez, Adam Bazaldua and David Blewett appeared to be headed to June 5 runoff elections — with Blewett being the only one trailing behind one of his challengers. The three open council races in Districts 2, 11 and 13 also appeared close. A runoff is held between the top two vote getters when no candidate can claim more than 50% of the vote.

Incumbents Chad West, Casey Thomas, Omar Narvaez, Tennell Atkins, Paula Blackmon, Adam McGough and Cara Mendelsohn appeared poised to reclaim their seats.

Fourteen of the Dallas City Council’s 15 seats were up for election this cycle and all were contested, with 56 candidates total in the running. Three council members won’t return after serving four consecutive terms (eight years total): Adam Medrano in East Dallas’ District 2; Lee Kleinman in North Dallas’ District 11; and Jennifer Staubach Gates in Northwest Dallas’ District 13.

[Full May 2021 election results]

Mayor Eric Johnson, who was elected in June 2019 and is halfway through his first four-year term, wasn’t eligible to seek reelection until 2023. He publicly endorsed two challengers seeking council seats held by first-term incumbents in Southeast Dallas’ District 5 and South Dallas’ District 7. The spots are held by Resendez and Bazaldua, respectively.

“I love elections, and I have always appreciated and respected the will of the people,” Johnson said in a statement late Saturday. “In several districts, they spoke decisively tonight in favor of returning their incumbents for another term.

“I congratulate them and look forward to continuing to work with them over the next two years.”

Voters also rejected propositions that would have changed Dallas’ charter to allow non-U.S. citizens to be appointed to four city advisory boards and commissions.

Proposition A would have removed the requirement that only registered or qualified voters be appointed to the Park and Recreation Board as well as the city’s plan and redistricting commissions. Proposition B would have repealed a requirement for Civil Service Board members to be a qualified taxpaying citizen.

Voting machines at three polling sites in South Dallas were down for at least an hour Saturday, leading to voters being turned away and directed to other locations. The affected sites were in District 7, which has the largest field of candidates with eight people seeking the council seat.

District 1

Incumbent Chad West opened led against his three challengers in the race to represent District 1, southwest of downtown Dallas. The area includes the Bishop Arts District and north and west Oak Cliff.

His challengers included digital marketer Stephani A. “Skyle” Kyle, auto technician Gerardo Sánchez and art gallery manager Giovanni “Gio” Valderas.

Kyle and Sánchez were first-time candidates. Valderas ran for this seat against West in 2019.

First-time candidates Jesse Moreno and Sana Syed appear likely to advance to a June runoff to determine District 2′s first representative in 16 years who isn’t a member of the Medrano family.

The V-shaped, 18-square mile stretch includes the Cedars, Deep Ellum, Oak Lawn, parts of downtown and Dallas Love Field.

Moreno, a restaurant owner and former Park Board member, holds a lead over Syed, real estate investment firm executive and former Dallas city spokeswoman. Early results showed attorney Raha Assadi in third, followed by community organizer Jennifer Cortez and health care staffing firm worker Michael Fetzer.

Incumbent Casey Thomas led by a significant margin against first-time candidate Irby Foster in the District 3 race.

In addition to other issues, both candidates ran on platforms regarding public safety concerns and code enforcement: Thomas addressed concerns about gunfire and street racing, while Foster, a small business owner, aimed to bolster law enforcement and provide them with mental health services.

This would be Thomas’ fourth consecutive term leading the southwest Dallas district.

Incumbent Carolyn King Arnold looked to be headed to a runoff in a race against four competitors, with Dallas ISD trustee Maxie Johnson in second to represent District 4.

Johnson is a first-time candidate. Trailing Johnson were Lelani Russell, a corporate trainer; Matt Canto, a landscaper and Edible Arrangements shop owner; and Johnny Aguinaga, a real estate developer.

Incumbent Jaime Resendez eked out ahead of his three challengers, including the mayor-endorsed Yolanda Faye Williams.

Resendez, a former school board member, widened his lead just before midnight, making it appear much more likely he’ll avoid a runoff.

Resendez used Mayor Johnson’s endorsement of a challenger to drum up money and momentum in the final days of the race. Based on Saturday’s incomplete results, he said it doesn’t appear the mayor’s involvement had “the effect he intended.”

“We’re obviously hoping to get over the hump tonight to avoid a runoff,” Resendez said, “but we feel good about the work we’ve done.”

Former pastor and Park Board member Terry Perkins appeared slightly ahead of Williams Saturday night. Also in the race was human resources consultant Ruth Torres.

Incumbent Omar Narvaez led over former City Council member Monica Alonzo and three other challengers in the District 6 race. This election is the third time Narvaez and Alonzo have faced off to represent the West Dallas seat.

Alonzo and another challenger, Wendi Macon, sharply criticized Narvaez for not leading on the council. Other challengers included pastor Earl D. Thomas and residential real estate developer Tony Carrillo.

Incumbent Adam Bazaldua was ahead of seven opponents in this year’s most contested race but appeared headed to a runoff.

Covering South Dallas and Fair Park, District 7 has been at the center of public safety discussions for the past year. As Bazaldua seeks a second term, he’s faced heat from his competitors about reinvesting $7 million from the police overtime budget to other safety projects.

Though Bazaldua showed a large initial lead, results showed that either former City Council member and real estate broker Kevin Felder or pastor Donald Parish Jr., who was backed by the mayor, could force a runoff.

Also in the race were: community activist Tramonica Brown; consulting firm owner Walter “Changa” Higgins; attorney Calvin Johnson; pastor James “JT” Turknett; and realtor Israel Varela.

Longtime Councilman Tennell Atkins held a decisive lead in the race for South Dallas’ District 8 seat.

Atkins, an incumbent hoping to win an overall seventh term, served on the council from 2007 to 2015 before winning reelection in 2017. His challengers were business owner Subrina Lynn Brenham, delivery driver Lakolya London and health store owner and musician Davante Peters.

Incumbent Paula Blackmon was ahead of challengers John Botefuhr and Judy Kumar in the race for East Dallas’ District 9 seat. Blackmon is seeking her second term after being elected in 2019.

Kumar, a project manager in information security, and Botefuhr, a local chiropractor, said they decided to challenge her based on a vote last summer to redirect funds from the Dallas police budget. The vote also split the council and put Blackmon at odds with the mayor.

Incumbent Adam McGough appeared successful in his re-election campaign against two-time challenger Sirrano Keith Baldeo for North Dallas’ District 10 seat.

McGough is an attorney who teaches mediation and negotiation at Dallas College and serves as the deputy mayor pro tem on the council, where he has held the seat since 2015. Baldeo is publisher of Dallas Pulse News, a small publication that primarily posts his campaign messages on Facebook.

Former City Plan Commission member Jaynie Schultz and attorney Barry Wernick appeared to be headed to a runoff election next month.

In the race to represent North Dallas, homelessness, property taxes and redevelopment of Valley View Mall have been among the topics that have taken center stage.

Political organizer Hosanna Yemiru and online real estate blog publisher Candy Evans also were in the race. Evans was seeking the seat for the second time in four years while the rest of the field were all first-time candidates.

Incumbent Cara Mendelsohn far outpaced first-time challenger Elva Curl for the District 12 seat in Far North Dallas. Mendelsohn was seeking her second term after being elected to the council in 2019.

Curl is a former staffer of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn who previously worked in City Hall for the city manager’s office, public works and the department of aviation.

Gay Donnell Willis, Turtle Creek Conservancy chief executive, Leland Burk, a real estate developer were neck and neck for this open seat that drew five candidates. The winner will represent the northwest part of the city, which includes Preston Hollow and Vickery Meadow.

Burk held a small lead over Donnell Willis, and the close margin suggested the race may not be decided until a runoff election between the two next month.

Rounding out the field were retired engineer Mac Smith, attorney Ryan Moore, and music teacher Da’On Boulanger-Chatman. Burk ran for this seat in 2013 and lost.

Incumbent David Blewett was likely heading to a runoff against newcomer Paul Ridley, who took the early lead in the race to represent Dallas’ District 14 Ridley, a former planning commissioner, won a sizeable lead over Blewett but didn’t capture the needed votes to win outright. Former attorney Elizabeth Viney was in third place.

Blewett, who works in real estate finance, was seeking a second term in the wishbone-shaped district that includes parts of Oak Lawn, downtown and neighborhoods in Old East Dallas.

Viney has slammed Blewett’s commitment to funding public safety while Ridley has said Blewett lacks the expertise to meaningfully address neighborhoods’ needs.

Staff writers Brooklynn Cooper, Charlie Scudder, Emily Donaldson, Nataly Keomoungkhoun, Nic Garcia and Talia Richman and contributed to this report.