Teen Runs for Dallas City Council

When some Dallas voters head to the polls in May, they'll see the name of a 17-year-old candidate for Dallas City Council. Robert Foster is on the ballot for District 9, which is just east of White Rock Lake.

Foster, who said he wants to shake things up at City Hall, drew the No. 2 spot on the ballot Friday. He's never attended a City Council meeting, but he wants to change the way things are done.

"I stand for positive politics. It just seems like everything's so cut and dry, and everything's just kind of the same," said Foster. "I would appeal to the younger generation and try to get them more involved, maybe into their community."

The home-schooled high school senior said don't underestimate him. He has a 4.5 GPA and wants to be a meteorologist. If elected, he said he'll cut through the red tape to improve the way his district looks, which includes the aging recreation center and broken parking lot at Harry Stone Park.

While other kids are taking it easy for spring break, Foster is thinking about how to make government more accountable to taxpayers.

The youngest candidate now running for City Council wants to replace the oldest one in the chambers -- Sheffie Kadane. The two-term incumbent said he's old enough to be Foster's grandfather.

"I've got seven children. If it was one of my children, I would want to make sure he went through college first and got a little bit more experience before he jumped into that. My hats off to the young man for doing that," said Kadane, who met his young opponent for the first time Friday.