Paul Reyes, Adam McGough and James White

Paul Reyes, Adam McGough and James White

It was just a Meet and Greet, a chance for Dallas City Council candidates to introduce themselves to the Lake Highlands Exchange Club Friday, but members say they got a good look at the three men vying to replace Jerry Allen as District 10’s rep at City Hall.

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Adam McGough described himself as service-minded, recalling his grandfather, Dallas Baker, who enlisted just after Pearl Harbor was attacked.

“When we hear a call we have a duty,” he said, “and I believe the council is where I can be used most.”

McGough, raised in Nacodoches, went to UT, then law school at SMU and Pepperdine. He admitted he took a cut in pay to leave dispute resolution and become a community prosecutor, but said “systematically, we were able to make these properties better. It’s all about relationships. We watched these neighborhoods transform.”

More recently he headed Mayor Rawlings’ Grow South initiative, working with local developers and city staff.

“If you haven’t yet, drive down to Trinity Groves, to West Dallas, to Bishop Arts, to Sylvan 30. At a certain point, I realized I’m doing a whole lot of work all over this city. I really want to do it here in Lake Highlands.”

Paul Reyes said being an advocate for the community is something he’s learned, from both his family and his work environment.

“For me, it wasn’t really a question of if and when you’re going to serve. It’s just something you did.”

Reyes has had the same boss – former State Senator John Carona and President of Associa – for 13 years, and he said he’s learned a lot from Carona’s 26 years as a public servant in Austin.

Reyes is a proud first generation American, raised in the Washington, DC area. His father, an immigrant from the Phillipines, recently retired at 80 from his work as a physician. His mom was a nurse, and he has two siblings.

Reyes said he knows enough to know he doesn’t know it all.

“We have tremendous resources in this community,” he said, “and you need to tap the knowledge and resources in this community.”

Reyes went to Tulane Law and has an MBA from SMU.

James White went to public schools in the Dallas area, and his children graduated from Dallas ISD schools. He graduated from UT and got a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He bought and runs a mid-sized manufacturing firm, where he “worries about making payroll and managing other issues of the real world” on a daily basis.

White founded a nonprofit theater and is a marathon runner. He has served on the Dallas County Trail and Preserve Board and advocates for the parks and trails system. He’s active in his homeowner’s association, and he organized a community arts festival.

White is strongly against the Trinity Toll Road and strongly for investing in Skillman/635 improvements, he said.

“I don’t say that we can change the world,” said White, “but we can brighten the corner we’re in.”

You can find coverage of future candidate forums here on the blog, along with a planned video Q&A hosted by Advocate staffers. The election will be held May 9.