Dallas City Council member Omar Narvaez is running for a third term in District 6

Two ballot initiatives and fourteen council seats were on the ballot in today’s Dallas municipal election. Runoffs are expected in a number of the races because of the large number of candidates that ran. Every incumbent had a challenger.

Of particular interest in the LGBTQ community is District 13. Leland Burk, who is gay, is running against Gay Donnell Willis who runs the Turtle Creek Park Conservancy.

Two gay city councilmen are up for re-election — Chad West in District 1 is running for a second term and Omar Narvaez in District 6 is running for his third. Mayor Pro Tem Adam Medrano, who represents District 2, was not able to run for re-election due to term limits.

In early voting, District 1’s Chad West has 56 percent of the vote. His next closest opponent is Giovanni Valderes who has 37 percent. If West maintains more than 50 percent when Election Day ballots are counted, he’ll avoid a runoff.

In District 2, Jesse Moreno has 43 percent of the vote in a 5-way race. Sana Syed has 24 percent. They will head for a runoff if no one achieves 50 percent.

Narvaez is leading District 6 with 59 percent of the vote. His predecessor, Monica Alonzo, has 18 percent, but Wendi Macon also has 18 percent with one more vote.

Willis and Burk each have 43 percent in District 13. Willis is ahead by 34 votes.

There is one upset in early voting. District 14, which includes the Round-Up Saloon side of Cedar Springs Road. Challenger Paul Ridley has 48 percent of the vote while incumbent David Blewett has 32 percent. Elizabeth Viney is in third place with 20 percent. Ridley is close enough to eke out a win tonight with Election Day votes. If Blewett and Ridley meet in a runoff, Viney’s voters will be the deciding factor. Two years ago, Blewett won in an upset over three-term incumbent Philip Kingston.

In other races, Casey Thomas, District 3, has 87 percent of the vote. District 4 incumbent Carolyn King Arnold has 52 percent against four challengers. District 5 freshman Jaime Resendez has 48 percent over three challengers.

Adam Bazaldua, District 7 first termer, has 40 percent over seven challengers including Kevin Felder in second place with 18 percent. Bazaldua defeated Felder two years ago.

Tennell Atkins, District 8, has 77 percent with three others in that race. Paula Blackmon also appears safe with 65 percent of the vote in District 9. Her two challengers each have less than 20 percent. Adam McGough ran away with the early vote with 93 percent in District 10. In Distrit 12, Cara Mendelsohn is safe with 81 percent.

The hotly contested District 11 four-way race to replace Lee Kleinman appears headed for a runoff. Jaynie Schultz has 40 percent and Barry Wernick has 36 percent. Two hundred votes separates them. Kleinman is term limited.

The two ballot initiatives appear to have failed by wide margins.

— David Taffet