Voters in Lake Highlands and Hamilton Park made a strong showing in Saturday’s election, returning incumbent Adam McGough to the Dallas City Council for a third term.
McGough earned 77 percent of the vote compared to DeDe Alexander’s 20 percent and Sirrano Keith Baldeo’s 3 percent. District 10’s 7,119 voters comprised 9 percent of Dallas’ 80,625 total. The only neighborhoods with higher vote totals were D13 in Preston Hollow, where former mayor Laura Miller unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Jennifer Staubach Gates (17 percent of Dallas’ total); D14 in Uptown and East Dallas, where combative incumbent Philip Kingston came in second to newcomer David Blewett and must now face him in a runoff (12 percent of voters); and D9 in Lakewood, where multiple challengers sought to replace retiring Mark Clayton (11 percent of voters). Paula Blackmon will face Erin Moore in the June 8 runoff there.
In the 9-candidate mayor’s race, state representative Eric Johnson was the only contender to earn more than 20 percent of the vote – not enough to take the helm without a runoff. He’ll face second place finisher Scott Griggs, a current member of city council and Kingston’s closest ally.
The billion-dollar bond proposition for Dallas County Community College District passed with 71 percent of the vote.
Dallas ISD held school board elections Saturday, but Richardson ISD voting was postponed until November due to settlement of the Voting Rights Act lawsuit filed by former trustee David Tyson. The settlement created a new 5-2 method of electing trustees in RISD, with 5 single-member districts and 2 members elected at large.
In the new District 2, incumbent Eron Linn is running in the mostly-Berkner area. In the new D5, incumbent Karen Clardy is running in the mostly-Lake Highlands area. In the new D4, Richardson High PTA President Regina Harris and Young Generation Leader Taler Jefferson are running in the mostly-Hamilton Park area, created as an “opportunity zone” to encourage minority candidates to run. (If you also plan to run for any of these seats, please email me at ctoler@advocatemag.com.)
Other trustees will be elected in May of 2020 and May of 2021.
A few mayoral runoff forums have already been scheduled between Johnson and Griggs (more may be coming), and you can find those listed on the League of Women Voters Facebook page here. The two nearest to Lake Highlands are at 6 p.m. May 23 at the Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road (register here by May 16) and at noon May 29 at Communities Foundation of Texas, 5500 Caruth Haven Lane. The runoff is June 8.
