Source: ImgFlip.
Early voting for the 2025 local elections in Texas starts Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Election Day is Saturday, May 3, 2025. On the ballot will be two contested places on the City of Richardson City Council and two contested districts of the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees. Find more election information at the League of Women Voters of Richardson. Find your personalized ballot and the candidates' answers to the LWV-Richardson questionnaire at Vote411.org.
Here's the executive summary of The Wheel's recommendations:
For City of Richardson Mayor, I recommend Amir Omar.
For City of Richardson Place 6, I recommend Lisa Marie Kupfer.
City of Richardson Places 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are uncontested.
For RISD District 2, I recommend Vanessa Pacheco.
For RISD Place 5, I recommend Rachel McGowan.
The other RISD Districts and Places are not up for election this
year. To vote in either of these districts that are on the ballot, you
must live within the district.
Read on for the reasons I make these recommendations.
City of Richardson Mayor
The Wheel covered the Richardson Mayor's race extensively. I
attended several forums. I read the candidates' answers to the League of Women
Voters online questionnaire.
Alan C. North
The Dallas Morning News dismissed
Alan C. North's candidacy in one sentence: "North, 54, has made sweeping
allegations of corruption and a 'shadow government' but offers little in the
way of investigation, and is unfamiliar with the processes of local
government." I concur with the claim that he "offers little in the way of
investigation." I can't judge his familiarity with the processes of local
government, in part because he hasn't been accessible. He skipped forums put
on by the Richardson
Area Democrats, the UT-Dallas
Student Government, and the League of Women Voters of Richardson. He also
backed out of a meeting with me over coffee, but I swear that had no bearing
on my endorsement. ;-)
Bob Dubey
Incumbent Mayor Bob Dubey is running on the City's record during his term.
I examined his own record — that is, how he voted in City Council
meetings during his two-year term. I was disappointed often.
In early March, when I asked, "Should
the Coach Get a New Contract?", I didn't give an answer. Now, having seen
"Coach" Dubey defend his actions as Mayor in multiple forums, I've decided the
answer is "No."
Amir Omar
Amir Omar's campaign signs say, "Experienced. Accessible. Proactive." He's
all that and more.
His experience is deep and broad. He served two terms on City Council. He
started, ran, and closed two small businesses in Richardson, so he knows
exactly what that's like. He's working as an executive in corporate America,
so he has that perspective as well. He's been honored for his volunteer
service in the community, not just in management positions but by getting his
hands dirty, literally, in the case of tree-planting efforts.
He is accessible. Boy is he ever. He has met with hundreds of residents of
Richardson, one-on-one, over a cup of coffee. When he says he listens, it's
not just a campaign slogan.
He is proactive. While serving on City Council, he championed direct
election of the mayor (expanding democracy), he championed making a video
record of Council meetings (expanding transparency), he championed the "Tree
the Town" program, the paradigm for the current "Replant Richardson." It took
a storm to get Richardson to resume planting trees after "Tree the Town" was
suspended soon after Amir left the City Council. As mayor, he says he will
champion video recording meetings of boards and commissions. He will champion
adding transparency to the appointment process to boards and commissions. He is
personally committed to holding quarterly town hall meetings in all quadrants
of the city.
He has a nuanced view of development. He recognizes the need for it but not just any development anywhere. He supports smart development, including apartments, but they have to be the right apartments in the right place with the right form.
I strongly recommend a vote for Amir Omar for Mayor of Richardson.
The Wheel did not cover the Place 6 race. I did meet with both
candidates. (Thank you both for taking the time to sit down with me over
coffee.) I attended the League
of Women Voters of Richardson forum and wrote about it. I
read the candidates' answers to the LWV online
questionnaire. I think both candidates are qualified.
Arefin Shamsul
There have been votes by Arefin that I disagree with (too many), but he
voted against adding a body shop, car repair shop, and auto storage lot in the
Interurban District. He voted against cutting the street grid in downtown
Richardson to make room for a superblock with a 580-ft, 279-unit apartment
building. Both votes are praiseworthy stands against abandoning city plans
that were developed with so much thought and effort by hundreds of people.
But two votes out of the seven
votes that I thought the City Council got so wrong in the last
two years are not enough to merit my endorsement for another term.
He's had four years to change the trajectory of the City Council and it isn't
noticeably happening. If he wins re-election, I hope to see
more effort from Arefin to not just Plan the Work, but to Work the Plan as
well. But for now, I'm ready to give someone else a chance.
Lisa Marie Kupfer
I recommend Lisa Marie Kupfer for Place 6. Her extensive past service to
the City of Richardson qualifies her to serve on City Council. She has
demonstrated she can communicate well one-on-one (thanks again for sitting
down with me over a cup of coffee) and in front of a large audience (the LWV
forum). In both settings, she demonstrated poise and mastery of the issues. A
couple of her answers at the LWV forum won me over. One, she took a stand
against Dubey's support for longer terms for councilmembers, and thus, fewer
elections. "I think elections keep us healthy, keep us accountable, and also
provide the opportunity for good discourse." And two, she made a pitch for
more transparency. "We're very proud of the representation within our boards
and commissions in aggregate,...but when you look at our quasi-judicial
boards, they are overwhelmingly men...I think a step towards having more women
leaders at all levels is putting more women leaders in those quasi-judicial
positions. I think that comes into transparency and being able to articulate
why folks are appointed." She's already showing a wisdom that doesn't
necessarily come even after years of service in government.
I recommend Lisa Marie Kupfer for Place 6. I'm confident she'll make a
fine independent councilmember willing to speak her mind.
The Wheel did not cover the RISD races, but I attended the League
of Women Voters forum and read the candidates' answers to their questionnaire.
Vanessa Pacheco
Vanessa Pacheco has served admirably for the last three years. A perceived
lack of responsiveness to constituent communications is the one concern I
have. I don't remember any votes during her three years of service on the
Board of Trustees that I disagreed with. This even includes the controversial
decision to close four elementary schools. The biggest mistake in that was in
how the district engaged
the community. To the extent that the buck stops with the Board of Trustees,
Pacheco deserves some of the criticism. Despite that, Pacheco deserves another
term as trustee.
Pamela Hughes
Most of what I've learned about Pamela Hughes is positive. But I am
concerned that I can't find out more about her employment at the Heritage
Foundation, the conservative think tank largely responsible for assembling the
political playbook known as "Project
2025," a "900-page blueprint for a second Trump presidency [that] would
gut federal education funding, sanction discrimination against LGBTQ+
students, divert taxpayer funds to private schools, and codify book bans and
classroom censorship on a national level." Project 2025 was developed
subsequent to Hughes's employment, but how much of its ideology does she
share? I do know that I could never work for a think tank whose principles I
disagreed with. Pamela Hughes did work there. I can't say with confidence that
I believe that Hughes would make a fine trustee if elected.
Elaine Bonavita
The third candidate in this race, Elaine Bonavita, is open about her
ideology. I find it disqualifying. She doesn't respect the separation of
church and state. She supports the Blue Bonnet Curriculum for public schools,
which emphasizes Christian teachings and biblical references. She supports the
display of the 10 Commandments in every classroom, but not, say, principles
from Islamic law or other religions. She supports Education Savings Accounts
("vouchers" by another name), which would use taxpayer dollars to fund
religious schools. These are all deal-breakers for me.
The Wheel did not cover the RISD races, but I attended the League
of Women Voters forum and read the candidates' answers to their questionnaire.
Cristina Angelina Neria
Unfortunately I cannot say that I am confident that Cristina Angelina
Neria would make a good trustee, at least at this time. Her answers to
questions at the forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Richardson
were hesitant and vague. They struck me like she was hearing about some of
these issues for the first time. She has not served on any RISD committees and
has not had any involvement with other civic organizations. Such lack of
experience with government is a big concern for me.
Rachel McGowan
Rachel McGowan has served admirably for the last three years. I don't
remember a single vote in her three years of service on the Board of Trustees
that I disagreed with. She deserves another term as trustee.
"Over coffee mugs,
City of Richardson Place 6
RISD District 2
RISD District 5
Listening, absorbing all,
Trust built sip by sip."
—h/t ChatGPT
1 comment:
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
~ Sun Tzu
Post a Comment