Angela Hunt and James Nowlin
Dallas, Fort Worth mayors’ races head to runoff; Hunt sails to re-election; Griggs upsets incumbent; Hightower also in runoff
DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
Mike Rawlings will face David Kunkle in a runoff for Dallas mayor on June 18. The two will meet in a debate sponsored by Dallas Voice on May 24 at Cathedral of Hope at 6 p.m.
Rawlings, who outspent all three of his opponents combined, drew 41 percent of the vote. Kunkle, who was endorsed by Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, received 32 percent of the vote.
DGLA endorsed Ron Natinsky, who got 25 percent of the vote.
Both Kunkle and Rawlings have supports from the LGBT community, but in heavily gay Oak Lawn and Oak Cliff precincts, Kunkle drew more votes.
Dallas City Council
In City Council races, Angela Hunt sailed to a re-election victory with 65 percent of the vote against three challengers. Gay candidate James Nowlin received 30 percent and Vernon Franko and Brian Oley split the remaining 5 percent.
“I was humbled by the support, especially in the Oak Lawn precincts,” Hunt said. “It meant a great deal to me.”
Because of term limits, this will be Hunt’s last two years on the council. But she said she hasn’t thought about future plans.
“We have some serious challenges we need to address over the next two years,” Hunt said.
In a rare upset, challenger Scott Griggs defeated two-term incumbent Dave Neumann in District 3.
“It’s a new day for District 3,” Griggs said. “Our message resonated with voters.”
His message included wise use of tax dollars for small economic development projects in his district and stopping gas drilling within the city limits.
Pauline Medrano who represents parts of Oak Lawn was re-elected with 75 percent of the vote.
Delia Jasso, who represents a large section of North Oak Cliff, ran unopposed.
Casie Pierce, a lesbian who was challenging Carolyn Davis for District 7 in South Dallas and Pleasant Grove, lost her race.
In District 6, Stonewall-backed Monica Alonzo defeated DGLA-backed Luis Sepulveda in the race with the lowest voter turnout.
Tarrant County
In Fort Worth, former Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Betsy Price will face former Mayor Pro Tem Jim Lane.
Of the five mayoral candidates, Price’s answers to a right-wing religious voter guide were the least LGBT-friendly, but Price said this week her answers were inaccurately represented (see story, Page 4).
In the non-partisan race, Price is running with the most Republican support, including that of U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, who is a former Fort Worth mayor.
The candidates will meet in a debate on June 1 at Four-Day Weekend Theater, 312 Houston St., Fort Worth at 5:30 p.m. Fairness Fort Worth and the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the event that will be moderated by Dallas Voice Senior Editor Tammye Nash and Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Bud Kennedy.
Chris Hightower, District 5 City Council candidate in Arlington, also made it into a runoff. He will face incumbent Lana Wolff and if elected would become that city’s first openly gay elected official.
Hightower was the top vote-getter with 39 percent in a five-way race.
“We feel good about where we are,” he said. “We have a broad base of support in the district, and we are going to just keep at it, keep delivering that positive message to the voters. We are ready to go. We came into this prepared for a runoff. We will still be doing some fundraising, but we are in good shape. We just have to put our heads down and keep going.”
