By David Wilfong, NDG Contributing Writer
Several local elections are headed into runoffs, and candidates in these races were given one more opportunity to face the Monday Night Politics crowd at the African American Museum in Fair Park. The forum is hosted by the Dallas Examiner and is routinely held during weeks leading up to elections.
There were five races featured at the forum. Dallas City Council races in Districts, 4, 7, 9 and 14; as well as the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) Board of Trustees seat in District 4 was introduced, and all prospective candidates were present. A forum featuring the mayor’s race is scheduled for June 3.
District 14
The first race presented was the city council runoff for the District 14 seat, where incumbent Philip Kingston is looking to retain the position against challenger David Blewett.
Blewett ran for council before when the seat was open, and Kingston was elected for the first time. He sat out since then and has gotten to know Kingston over the time since. Blewett indicated his observations of Kingston have led him to believe it is time for a change.
“I watched him as he interacted with other city council members, as he interacted with friends and neighbors of mine,” Blewett said. “And quite frankly I found his personality to be a bit too divisive. And I think it’s gotten to the point where it’s harmed us in getting things done.”
Blewett was not in attendance at the first forum held for the race before the election and took exception to some of the statements Kingston made regarding him and the other challenger in the race; namely the suggestion they opposed the removal of Confederate monuments and the name changes of local schools. Blewett said Kingston’s earlier remarks are simply untrue, and he actually supported the monuments being removed, and while he had issues with the procedural way the school district went about the renaming process for his child’s school (formerly Stonewall Jackson Elementary), he served on the committee to choose a new name. He noted Kingston had the opportunity to be on the committee as well but was not.
“I voted for Mockingbird Elementary, and am proud to have done so,” Blewett said.
Kingston relied on his past performance on the council as the reason to continue his role at the horseshoe.
“I have a six-year track record of creating the most progressive policy changes in the City of Dallas of anyone who’s currently on council, and I’d be willing to be argued with about previous members of council,” Kingston said, citing rest breaks for construction workers, preservation of historic buildings and paid sick leave. He also touted himself as a solid supporter of the LGBT community and people of color.
“I have a really thoroughgoing commitment to not just quality, but also equity,” Kingston said. “And that means investing more where we haven’t invested, where we’ve deprived people. And that means really paying attention to a racial equity lens around the council.”
Dallas ISD District 4
The race for the DISD school board position in District 4 features a runoff between Karla Garcia and Camile White, both looking to sit on the Board of Trustees for the first time.
Garcia, a first-generation American, said she is running for students like her; who are coming from low-income backgrounds and looking for a way up. She is a product of DISD schools and was able to reach her collegiate educational goals successfully. Garcia’s stated goal is to be the “expectation and not the exception.”
White is a long-time active DISD parent, as well as, a DISD graduate herself. She has 19 years in education, and 23 years in political activity, helping to elect others in the local area. She emphasizes “I’m not new here,” and says her experience in seeing how the process moves up close will give her an advantage for her constituents.
Garcia and White are what is left of a field of four candidates in the original round of voting, with Garcia receiving 1,093 votes to White’s 847.
District 9
District 9 on the Dallas City Council covers an eastern section of the city, which includes the White Rock Lake area. Erin Moore and Paula Blackmon survived the first round of voting and are headed to a runoff for the seat.
Blackmon, who led the race in the early round of voting with 3,200 votes to Moore’s 2,761, were present at the first forum for the race. She has experience serving on the staff of former Dallas mayors Tom Leppert and Mike Rawlings, and as an adviser to former DISD Superintendent Mike Miles.
“I believe I have the best understanding of how all these things work and don’t work,” Blackmon said.
Moore is currently an employee of Dallas County, working with Commissioner Theresa Daniels, and has extensive experience “on the other side of the mic” addressing the council on various issues. The daughter of an immigrant, and a member of the LGBT community, Moore said she wants to be a strong voice for minorities at city hall.
“I’m used to fighting the hard fights for communities that are traditionally underrepresented, and communities that simply don’t have a voice,” Moore said.
District 7
In District 7, Adam Bazaldua and Tiffinni A. Young are vying for the seat currently occupied by Kevin Felder. While the spot is still being contested, Felder was eliminated in the first round of voting and will not return to council.
Bazaldua is a teacher in DISD and ran unsuccessfully for the seat in the last election. His stated campaign focus is on affordable housing, building coalitions, increasing transparency and accountability in local government. He also pointed to past problems in the district’s leadership and said it was time to move forward.
“We need to restore the trust in the public,” Bazaldua said. “We have lost it. We have had too much corruption in our city, and we need someone who is going to stand for integrity and moral leadership, and I hope to be that for you.”
Young is a former council member who grew up in the district and has been active in local politics since she was in high school. She was instrumental in getting the city’s youth council up and running, and then as a councilmember getting it back after a hiatus. She echoed some of the same issues Bazaldua brought up, adding that her experience will be vital when it comes to potentially redrawing the city’s political lines.
“We really want to stay focused on this redistricting issue,” Young said. “We know it’s a very important issue, We’ve got to press that issue. We know for a number of years South Dallas has been looked at. We’re talking about the eastern part of the district, but we really need to stay focused on what’s happening in South Dallas.”
District 4
In District 4, Carolyn King Arnold — who only recently won back her seat after the resignation and conviction of Dwaine Caraway on corruption charges — is in a runoff race against Dawn Blair. Arnold held the lead in the first round of voting with 1,747 votes to Blair’s 841. In regards to the district’s recent problems, Arnold rebuked an audience member’s question about the district’s troubled past and rumors of her being involved, stating she was not afraid of answering any questions regarding her past performance on the council.
“In this position, you have to be a strong warrior,’ Arnold said. “You must be, and I’m going to stay strong and true. And any conversation we have, you don’t have to worry about trying to belittle me as an individual. You come talk to me.”
Blair comes to the table with a history of working inside city hall. She said she and her coworkers supported Arnold when Blair first arrived, but now thinks the district needs a stronger leader.
“My opponent has experience in asking staff for answers,” Blair said. “I know how to provide those answers. Because that’s what I’ve done for over 20 years with city experience.”
The runoff election will be held on June 8, with early voting running from May 28 through June 4.
