MNP forum features DeSoto mayoral race, Dallas city and school board positions

By David Wilfong, NDG Contributing Writer

Monday Night Politics (MNP) featured a wide array of political races in its forum held on April 15 at the African American Museum in Fair Park. The event, hosted by the Dallas Examiner, looked at races for Dallas City Council, Dallas Independent School District (DISD) Board of Trustees, and the mayoral race in DeSoto.

The Dallas City Council race was the first on the floor at Monday night’s event. There are five candidates on the ballot for District 9; however, only Sarah Lamb and Erin Moore were able to attend. Also on the ballot are Paula Blackmon, Tamara Brown Rodriguez, and Jacinto Valdespino.

Lamb entered the public policy arena in Dallas through her work on traffic design issues, co-founding the Lakewood Citizens for Responsible Traffic. Through her efforts, she says she engaged more than 2,000 citizens in helping to determine the future of public road projects in her area. She says she wants to take that engagement to a seat on the city council to help determine the direction of the city as a whole.

Moore is a long-time advocate for the homeless and civil rights issues. She currently works in Dallas County administration as an executive assistant to Commissioner Theresa Daniel. She has been politically active as a member of the Stonewall Democrats. Affordable housing, working with disenfranchised populations, and in her own district, the future of White Rock Lake is at the top of her priorities.

Lamb and Moore shared opinions on many of the questions asked by audience members. In refreshing contrast to some of the more heated previous races at MNP, the two shared mutual respect, and each responded positively to appointing the other to particular boards if elected.

In the race for DISD Board of Trustees District 4; Karla Garcia, Omar Jimenez and Camile White were present at the forum. Candidate Amalia Lozano was not present.

Garcia described herself as a first-generation child of immigrants who grew up in the district and is a product of DISD schools. She said she is luckier than many of the other students who were raised in her area of Dalla, having been able to go on to college and make a professional career for herself, and she is running because, “I want to be the expectation, not the exception.”

Jimenez has been present at many MNP forums in the past and has been one of the audience members to speak up and ask candidates questions. He noted it was a different experience being the one on the stage. A graduate of Booker T. Washington, Jimenez said he began advocacy in the district as a student 10 years ago when the district considered cutting funding to magnet schools.

White is a DISD parent and a product of the district herself. She has experience as a teacher, both in the public school system as well as at the community college level, and is a realtor in the local area. She sees public perception and outreach as one of the critical problems in DISD, saying “Dallas has a lot of great things going on in our schools, but it’s not marketed.” With a Master’s Degree in Politics, she also says she has he longtime experience in the public arena to get the job done.

The final forum for the evening was the race for Mayor of DeSoto. All three candidates were in attendance. In DeSoto, current Mayor Curtistene S. McCowan is fending off challenges from Councilmember Rachel L. Proctor and local businessman Byron D. Sanders.

McCowan noted she is a 42-year resident of DeSoto and has been active in the community through a wide range of civic endeavors, including time spent on the school board. She is the first female mayor of the city and has been on the council since 2012. Responding to her opponents call for change, McCowan recalled having a local school named for her.

“I don’t think a school would bear my name if I had not been the kind of leader to receive that type of recognition, so I am very honored,” McCowan said. “I have not stopped serving my community since we arrived in DeSoto 42 years ago. So what I would like for you to do is look at my record. Look at my record of experience. Look at my record of accomplishments. Look at my platform. Look at the people who are endorsing me in terms of their endorsements hat I have been able to get. I believe the reason for that is because they believe in my platform.”

Proctor is a long-time resident of DeSoto and a graduate of the DeSoto ISD. She has been on the DeSoto City Council for six years and is currently the Mayor Pro Tem. Proctor says many members of the community have common frustrations and needs that aren’t being met. She says she is in a position to move the city in a positive new direction.

“Having a seat on the city council for that amount of time has really given me the opportunity to see many of the things the City of DeSoto has done well, but it’s also given me an opportunity to see a lot of the things I feel like we can improve upon,” Proctor said. “I’m running on a platform of accountability, economic development, community engagement and programming for our youth and seniors. And the reason that I’m really focused on those four areas is because, again, I’ve talked with our community, and we’re still having the same conversations about what we’re frustrated with.”

Sanders is a local businessman and running against two established council candidates. He has public service experience as the communications director for his local PTA. Sanders says it is time for DeSoto citizens to put their hopes in new city leadership.

“These are amazing ladies,” Sanders said of his competitors. “But they’ve been in office for six years. They’ve not been telling you what they’ve done, really.

“I’m running for mayor of DeSoto for the hopers, those who hope for a better DeSoto experience. After my six years of being the mayor of DeSoto, we will have better shopping, eating and entertainment experiences. We will have better educational experiences. We will have better safety and policing experiences. We will have better health and social experiences.”

The city and school board elections will be held on May 4. Early voting begins on Monday.