Here Are the Neighborhoods Where Dallas Mayoral Candidates Got Their Money

The money in the current Dallas mayoral election flows almost entirely from the north.An analysis by The Dallas Morning News of the campaign-finance reports filed Thursday found that the overwhelming majority of donations made to eight mayoral candidates — in number and dollar amount — were clustered in the city’s northern half.Sorting donations in that fashion poses some challenges; contributors sometimes use their work address on campaign finance reports, skewing the fundraising to show up in concentrated business centers, such as downtown.But the maps do tell a clear story for the candidates.Four-term City Council member Scott Griggs came in sixth in fundraising for the period, which covered contributions from Jan. 1 until March 25, but his reports show that much of campaign is driven by his power base: North Oak Cliff.Griggs had the second-lowest average donation amount during the period behind Albert Black Jr. — a fellow North Oak Cliff resident. Both men’s median donation was $100.But Griggs was the only candidate in the race to show a rich cluster of donations south of Interstate 30, a landmark often used as a proxy to describe the wealth imbalance between the northern and southern halves of the city. A sizable chunk of change came from the wealthier Kessler Park and Winnetka Heights neighborhoods.Griggs also had several donations from Central Oak Cliff and the southern portion of West Oak Cliff.Maps of donations from the campaigns of lawyer Regina Montoya, state Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, and Dallas ISD trustee Miguel Solis all shared characteristics: a smattering of donations from southwest and northwest Dallas; very little — if any — money from southeast Dallas; and healthy contributions from downtown, the Park Cities, North and Far North Dallas, Old East Dallas and Lakewood.Nonprofit CEO Lynn McBee’s donations reflected her Park Cities ties; she moved from Highland Park to an Uptown condo less than a year ago. Since Jan. 1, no other candidate received as much money from University Park and Highland Park.Real estate developer Mike Ablon’s campaign was heavily funded from the northern corridor between the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. Highway 75. According to The News’ analysis, only two of Ablon’s donations between Jan. 1 and March 25 came from south of I-30. Similarly, all but one of Jason Villalba’s donations came from northern Dallas.Brian Mayes, Ablon's campaign strategist, said Friday he wasn't surprised by the lack of donors in southern Dallas. Ablon's focus in that part of town, Mayes said, was to engage voters, knock on doors and listen to the community — not fundraise.While Black’s campaign struggled to keep the fundraising edge that he had earlier in the race — the businessman was the first to announce his candidacy in summer 2018 — a map of his donations wa the most geographically diverse. Black’s donations came from all parts of the city, including South Dallas, Pleasant Grove and Redbird.  Continue reading...