Three candidates have filed to run for the District 10 Dallas City Council seat, which represents most of Lake Highlands, ahead of the May 3 citywide election.
Photo by Austin Wood.
In accordance with the city charter, citywide elections are held every two years with each council seat up for election. Candidates had from Jan. 15 to Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. to file to be on the ballot.
Incumbent Council Member Kathy Stewart was the first of the three candidates to file. Stewart is a one-term incumbent who won her first election in 2023 to replace term-limited former Council Member Adam McGough. Endorsed by her predecessor, the former Lake Highlands Public Improvement District (LHPID) executive director won in a landslide with 3,883 votes cast in her name, representing close to 68 percent of the vote.
As the council member representing District 10, Stewart serves as the chair of the Parks, Trails and the Environment Committee and vice chair of the Public Safety Committee. Earlier this year, Stewart played a role in negotiating the contract of new Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, owing to her legal experience.
Ahead of the election, Stewart has named public safety, transformational projects, and parks and green space as her top election priorities. Her website lists continuing work on the Skillman Corridor Master Plan, reducing speeding on major arterials and developing a public improvement district for the Forest Corridor as major goals for her prospective second term.
“These initiatives will lay the foundation for a stronger, safer and a more vibrant District 10,” a letter posted on Stewart’s campaign website states.
L.D. Pullen will oppose Stewart as a write-in candidate, as he did not collect the required number of signatures to be placed on the ballot. Pullen is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University who works as a consultant in the educational field. He is a resident of District 10 who grew up in north Lake Highlands along Forest Lane.
Pullen is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at SMU’s Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. His father was involved in union leadership growing up and his grandfather was a pastor and community leader in Waco.
“I want to do the same here, and not just be subjected to the pulpit, but I want to teach the masses about love, respect, everything that makes the world go around in a positive way,” Pullen told the Advocate. “And so I just want to spread love like my grandfather did.”
His top priorities headed into the election are economic development and financial literacy, health equity, homelessness, community development and public safety. Pullen says he supports Stewart’s plans for economic development along the Forest Corridor. He also stated his desire to see more equitable housing in D10.
Sirrano Keith Baldeo has run for the D10 seat in the last three elections and will run in 2025. He recorded his best election result as McGough’s sole challenger in 2019 when he received close to 10 percent of the vote. In the 2023 election, he received 93 votes.
The election will be held on May 3. For more information, visit the Dallas County Elections Department website.
