Incumbents Have Tough Fights Ahead as Dallas City Council Campaign Season Officially Begins

Come June, the Dallas City Council could have a whole new look that might feature some familiar faces. Or not.Eleven of the 14 council races in the May 6 election will be contested. Two Dallas ISD seats will also feature multiple candidates on the ballot.Every Dallas council member south of the Trinity River has at least one opponent. And some of the races could turn out to be slugfests.Former longtime City Council members Tennell Atkins and Dwaine Caraway are back again after term limits forced them to step aside in 2015. Caraway will have a one-on-one showdown with Carolyn King Arnold, who he helped get elected. A proposed deck park spanning Interstate 35 near the Dallas Zoo will be a hot-button issue in that race. Atkins, meanwhile, will run in a crowded field that includes Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Erik Wilson and 2015 third-place finisher Gail Terrell.In southwestern Dallas, former teacher Joe Tave will get a rematch against council member Casey Thomas after losing by less than 200 votes in the 2015 runoff.In Pleasant Grove, council member Rickey Callahan will seek a third term against lawyer Dominique Torres, who lists prominent Friendship-West Baptist Church's senior pastor Frederick Haynes as her treasurer.And in South Dallas, Tiffinni Young has five challengers, including her 2015 opponent Kevin Felder and neighborhood activist Tammy Johnston. The campaign will likely focus on the fate of Fair Park and quality of life issues.  Continue reading...