NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth - Dallas-Fort Worth and Texas State Political News

WATCH: Obama Speaks on IRS Scandal

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:30:23 -0500

President Barack Obama is delivering a statement on the growing IRS scandal.

Photo Credit: AP

Meet Plano's New Mayor

CATHERINE ROSS — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:51:23 -0500

After decisively winning his mayoral election, Plano Mayor-Elect Harry LaRosiliere said the focus of his four-year term will be economic development and the revitalization of older neighborhoods.

LaRosiliere, a former Plano councilman of six years, was elected over challenger Fred Moses on Saturday.

"The bar is high -- I realize that," LaRosiliere said. "We're right in the forefront of innovation. We're right in the forefront of bringing businesses."

LaRosiliere, who will be the city's first black mayor, said that what matters most is his effectiveness while in office.

He said the Plano's diversity is among its greatest assets.

"Plano has changed, and Plano is representative of our country," he said. "Forty-two percent of Plano is not Anglo."

LaRosiliere's family emigrated from Haiti to the United States when he was 3 years old. He moved to Plano from New York in 1994, planning to stay only three years before returning East.

But about two decades and two children later, Plano is home, he said.

"It was an environment that allowed someone like myself to be entrepreneurial," he said.

As mayor, he looks forward to promoting his city, especially to young families now faced with a plethora of options when considering a move to Collin County.

"When they look at Plano and gives us a hard look, I'm confident this is where they'll call home," LaRosiliere said.

The mayor-elect also supported the recently approved liquor-sales measure, which passed on the May ballot.

His priorities also include keeping a high level of city services and maintain a strong relationship with the Plano Independent School District.

Half of Alcohol Props Pass on Saturday's Ballots

FRANK HEINZ — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:10:11 -0500

Four North Texas towns had alcohol propositions on Saturday's ballot, though only half of them passed.

Plano passed an a proposal to allow the sale of hard liquor and liquor stores in city limits. Prior to the passing of this vote, the city only allowed the sale of beer and wine. The measure passed with 66 percent of the vote.

In Collin County, Lowry Crossing voters struck down the sale of alcoholic beverages, including mixed beverages, by 60 votes. Those 108 voters for the measure only tallied 39 percent of the vote.

In nearby Josephine, voters passed a proposition to allow beer and wine sales with 73 percent of the vote.

Also in Collin County, the decision of whether or not to sell alcohol in St. Paul came down to two voters. The measure failed with 87 voting against the proposal and 85 voting for the measure.

Photo Credit: NBC 5

14 Dallas City Council Seats Up for Election

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:10:43 -0500

All 14 City Council seats in Dallas were on Saturday's ballot and only four members ran unopposed.

26 Mayoral Elections Held Saturday

FRANK HEINZ — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:11:17 -0500

Mayoral races in Arlington, McKinney and Plano have been decided and nearly two dozen others are being counted Saturday night.

In Arlington, 72 percent of the voters voted for incumbent Mayor Robert Cluck who was challenged for the mayor's office by Jerry Pikulinski.

In Plano, with both mayoral candidates being black, the city was assured their first black mayor. The only thing left to decide was the winner. With 59 percent of the vote, Harry LaRosiliere defeated Fred Moses. Neither of the candidates thought their race was a terribly important issue and preffered the focus be on what they planned to do for the city of Plano.

A resounding number of McKinney voters picked Brian Loughmiller as their mayor. Loughmiller defeated challenger Derrick E. Johnson, who only earned 10 percent of the vote.

In Northlake, with 59 percent of the vote, Peter Dewing defeated Michael Savoie.

Hector Felton won a very narrow mayoral race in Watauga by defeating Robert Leon 44 percent to 42 percent.

In all, there were 26 mayoral races in North Texas on Saturday. To see results from all of them, visit our results page.

Local Election Results

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:32:23 -0500

On Saturday, North Texans voted in more than 300 local races including mayoral campaigns, local propositions, school trustees and more.

The polls closed at 7 p.m. and live results of elections returns will be available throughout the evening here on this page.

Results from all local races are below.

Photo Credit: AP

Plano Elects First Black Mayor

MARK SCHNYDER and REGINALD HARDWICK — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:11:59 -0500

Plano voters elected former city councilman Harry LaRosiliere the city's next mayor. He ended up winning Saturday's election with 59 percent of the vote.

The fact that he is Plano's first black mayor is not that big of a deal to him. Only seven percent of Plano's 259,000 residents are African-American.

"It's great having the storyline about the having first black mayor, but Plano's had a history of great leaders and I really look forward to being the next,” said LaRosiliere. “First is great, but the next effective and great leader is what I look to be."

According to his campaign website, LaRosiliere was born in Haiti. At age three, his family moved to New York City. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, he ran a photography studio. He moved to Plano in 1994 and became a financial advisor. He and his wife Tracy have two teenaged daughters.

LaRosiliere faced Fred Moses, the Collin County Republican Party Chairman.

"Dr. Martin Luther King talked about getting the country to the point where we judge people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin," said Moses. "I think we've grown up here in Plano and seen a lot of changes here and I'm proud and pleased we've grown that much here in Plano."

Moses focused his campaign on keeping taxes low but said it's time to spend money on improving the city's aging infrastructure. LaRosiliere's primary goal is economic development.

"I've had six years experience, held leadership experience, Mayor Pro-Tem and really the community's come around and the last four mayors and the current mayor have endorsed me as the best candidate," said LaRosiliere.

U.S. 75 to get Presidential Name Change?

GREG JANDA — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:14:53 -0500

A portion of U.S. 75/Central Expressway may be renamed for former President George W. Bush.

Texas House Bill 3520 by State Rep. Dan Branch passed with a unanimous vote in the Texas House of Representatives Wednesday.

The bill renames a stretch of U.S. 75 from Knox-Henderson to Northwest Highway in Dallas to honor the former president.

That stretch includes the portion of the expressway that leads to the campus of Southern Methodist University, where the George W. Bush Presidential Center is located.

However, the name change may create some confusion -- the President George Bush Turnpike, named after the first President Bush, intersects with U.S. 75 further north.

The portion of U.S. 75 would be named George W. Bush Expressway and the cost of changing road signs on the highway, if approved, would be covered by private donations.

The bill still requires approval from the Texas Senate and the signature of Gov. Rick Perry, who was Lt. Gov. under George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas.

Photo Credit: AP

Five Open Seats in Dallas City Council Election

KEN KALTHOFF — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:29:10 -0500

A total of 21 candidates are battling for five open seats on the Dallas City Council in Saturday's municipal election.

The contest to replace term-limited Councilwoman Angela Hunt drew seven candidates, but four other races have four opponents.

In her eight years on the City Council, Hunt was known for speaking up, sometimes opposing mayors and the city manager.

"And [I] would think constituents in that district will expect a new representative to play a similarly active role," said Matthew Wilson, Southern Methodist University political science.

"It's highly likely there will be a runoff," he said. "I don't see one candidate running away with things to put it away early on."

Out of the 15 people who sit at the council table, only Mayor Mike Rawlings is not for re-election.

The five vacant seats are the result of term limits, redistricting and one member who chose not to seek re-election.

Three incumbents are unopposed.

Two incumbents -- Councilman Scott Griggs and Councilwoman Delia Jasso -- face each other as the result of redistricting. Both now both live in District 1.

Councilwomen Pauline Medrano and Linda Koop are also leaving the council because of term limits.

Councilwoman Ann Margolin is not seeking re-election.

"With a city that's becoming more ethnically diverse, more Democratic, I think that turnover will reflect some of that new diversity in the city," Wilson said.

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote Saturday, the top two finalists will face a June 15 runoff.

Many North Texas cities and school districts are conducting elections Saturday.

Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

HS Student Running for Irving City Council

CHRISTINE LEE — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:28:11 -0500

A senior in high school is hoping to get a job as a city councilmember.

Francis Schommer, 18, who attends North Hills Preparatory in Las Colinas, said he wants to represent the next generation and has been altering his college plans to make sure he's in town to take the job if elected.

Schommer has a packed schedule ahead.

"Next week is my busiest week because all of my AP and IB exams happen to be next week, and the election is next Saturday," he said.

Schommer said he is planning to attend UT Dallas in the fall but first he wants to add another title to his plate, Irving City Councilmember.

"I want to make a website where the resident's voices can be heard," he said. "So that if they are unable to attend the meetings, they could still have their input heard by a councilmember who will vote based on what they want."

There is a total of four candidates running for the City Council Place 2 position. While Schommer's opponents said that they are impressed by the young man's passion, they're not sure he is ready for the job now.

Allan Meagher, who has served a total of seven years on the City Council, said experience comes with time.

"I'm very passionate about the city. I've worked for the same company for 25 years. I'm not doing this for a resume or any other reason besides I care," said Meagher.

Candidate Rene Castilla issued a statement in which said, "Frances, and others like him, are our leaders of tomorrow. We need more young people like him showing an interest in serving in public office. Having said that, I believe my years serving on various boards have prepared me well to serve on the Irving City Council and to be a mentor to young people with a demonstrated interest in public affairs."

Candidate Kensley Stewart said he's been an active observer at City Hall for years and is ready to help make some positive changes.

"We have a contingent on the council that are absolutely against passing an ethics policy. And that needs to be passed so that the citizens can have some level of trust with the city council," he said.

The candidates will be out looking for votes until Election Day, May 11.

Protest Over XL Pipeline Ads at Facebook HQ

CHRIS ROBERTS and SCOTT BUDMAN — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:32:51 -0500

Mark Zuckerberg has clicked "Like" on the Keystone XL Pipeline — and now his timeline is going to be chock-full of angry.

The Facebook founder and CEO recently started a political advocacy group called FWD.us — and the group is running a series of television ads in support of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

His PAC was created to support immigration reform, but it is also going to support such things as drilling. There are those in Congress who support immigration reform, but who also support drilling, and some say that the PAC funding might be a means to an end.

Feared and loathed by environmentalists, the pipeline would open up Canadian tar sands for oil and gas exploration.

Activists in the San Francisco Bay Area say they are "angered and mystified" over Zuck's turn for the pipe, and a group of about 50 protested Wednesday at Facebook's world headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. The protest was timed just before the company released its first-quarter earnings. . Wednesday is also "May Day," a day where many took up immigrants' rights and a path to citizenship as the key causes of the day.

The protesters questioned why Zuckerberg would "spend millions in support" of the pipeline, "among the dirtiest projects on Earth."

And they created an online petition to stop "running ads supporting fossil fuels" which as of Wednesday afternoon had collected more than 18,000 signatures.

Zuckerberg did not come outside the building when the protect occurred about noon, nor did he issue any statement on his Facebook news website.

Supporters, however, point out that that building the pipeline means thousands of jobs.

FWD.us's ads feature Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) bashing President Barack Obama for not being supportive-enough of the pipe.

Credo Mobile, the socially-active mobile carrier, says that Facebook has refused to run its ads that blast the pipeline and FWD.us's support for it.

Even though experts say Zuckerberg's primary directive in effecting change in social policy is immigration reform, some are not going to agree with using the pipeline ads as "cover" for that change.

"But invariably there is going to be people who don’t understand and the inevitable result is going to be this type of press fire," Dan Schnur, a political science professor at the University of Southern California, told the Los Angeles Times.

Ironically, the Zuckerberg critics have a Facebook page dedicated to their cause.

Photo Credit: Scott Budman

Ted Cruz Mulls 2016 Presidential Run: Report

FRANK HEINZ — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:04:40 -0500

The National Review Online is reporting Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is considering a bid for the nation's top office in 2016.

According to the article, Cruz is already discussing a presidential run with supporters. If he makes a run, he'll likely face senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Paul Rand of Kentucky as contenders for the Republican nomination.

Supporters argue the 42-year-old attorney would be a Barry Goldwater-type who would rattle the GOP establishment.

Although he was born in Canada, Cruz feels he's eligible to be President of the United States since his mother was a U.S. citizen.

Before running for the senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2012, Cruz was the Solicitor General for the state of Texas between 2003 and 2008.

Cruz has said nothing publicly about any plans to run in the next presidential election.

Photo Credit: Getty Images