To Win Re-election, Dallas Council Member Will Have to Vanquish Predecessor Tennell Atkins

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Erik Wilson's campaign wants voters to know that he is not Eric Williams.Wilson's campaign signs make clear that when they go to the ballot box, he's Erik with a K, something he repeats at forums.But Williams, a candidate who has raised no money and finished with less than 5 percent of the vote in 2015, is probably not Wilson's biggest political concern this year. Still, Wilson doesn't want to take anything for granted in what promises to be a tough race against his predecessor, businessman Tennell Atkins.Atkins, a tireless campaigner, says he never intended to run for City Council again after he left because of term limits in May 2015 but was compelled to do so after voters asked him repeatedly. Wilson, on the other hand, never believed Atkins would or could stay away from the limelight of City Council and has been readying for the fight for much of his first term.The race for the council seat in the sprawling southeastern Dallas district also features 2015 third-place finisher Gail Terrell and newcomer Moctezuma Seth Gonzalez. But with less than a month to go until the May 6 election, Atkins and Wilson have all the money and the major backers.The two aren't taking many direct shots at each other, and they've mostly been cordial on the campaign trail.They do take indirect shots, though. Wilson says he's "not trying to build a kingdom" — a thinly veiled smack at Atkins' bid for a fifth term in the district. And Atkins, a former running back at Southern Methodist University, said the district's voters "need a visionary" like him because they're lacking one now."I feel like I have much more to give my district," Atkins said. "It's about the voters ... The city needs an experienced leader."  Continue reading...