May 6, 2023 Election - Information on the Candidates

Home  ============ Citizens Defending Freedom vs. AISD Lawsuit ============== Taxpayers' Funds at Risk ============ March 25, 2024 Newsletter ============= Arlington City CouncilGrades ============= AISD Board Grades ============ March 18, 2024 Newsletter ============ March 11, 2024 Newsletter =========== March 4, 2024 Newsletter ============ February 26, 2024 Newsletter ============ ================D1  Jacob Franklin, Candidate for ===District1=== Tim Goss, Candidate for ===District1=== Mauricio Galante, Candidate for ===District1=== ================D2  Raul Gonzalez, District2 ============= ================D6  Long Pham, District6 ============= ================D7  Bowie Hogg, District7 ============== Chris "Dobi" Dobson, Candidate for ===District7=== ================  Jim Ross, Mayor ============= Helen Moise, District1 ============= Nikkie Hunter, District3 ============= Andrew Piel, District4 ============= Rebecca Boxall, District5 =============  Barbara Odom-Wesley, District8 ============= ================P1  Sarah McMurrough, AISDPlace1 ============= ================P2  Kendall Orr, Candidate for ==AISDPlace2== Melody Fowler, AISDPlace2 ============= ================P3  Larry Mike, Candidate for ==AISDPlace3== Kathi Arocha, Candidate for ==AISDPlace3== April Williams Moore, Candidate for ==AISDPlace3== ================  Aaron Reich, AISDPlace3 ============= David Wilbanks, AISDPlace4 ============= Justin Chapa, AISDPlace5 ============= Brooklyn Richardson, AISDPlace6 ============= Leanne Haynes, AISDPlace7 ============= Fact Sheet - November 8, 2022 Election ============ ++++++++++++  ============= Kennedale Observer Homepage =========== Kennedale City CouncilGrades ========== Kennedale Observer - Latest Newsletter ============ Prior to That Newsletter ============== ================M  Jan Joplin, Kennedale Mayor ============ Brad Horton, Candidate for Kennedale Mayor ============= ===============P2  Matthew Dyer, Candidate for Kennedale Place 2 =========== Ebony Berry, Candidate for Place 2 =========== Thelma Kobeck, Candidate for Place 2 =========== ===============P4  Bryant Griffith, Kennedale Place 4 ============= Chris Gary, Candidate for Place 4 =========== =================  David Glover, Kennedale Place 1 ============== Ken Michels, Kennedale Place 3 ============== Jeff Nevarez, Kennedale Place 5 ============== Kennedale City Council Compare ========== 1083 Bowman Springs Road Kennedale ============ What to Know About the Texas Raceway Project ================ Kennedale City Council Agenda ============== Kennedale Financial Reports ============== P&Z agenda ============== EDC agenda ==============



Saturday, May 6, 2023 is election day. Arlington voters will be voting for Mayor, District 3 (southeast Arlington area), District 4 (west Arlington area), District 5 (central and east Arlington area) and District 8 (city wide). They will also be voting on bonds totaling $278,285,000 (Prop A (streets), Prop B (parks), Prop C (public safety), Prop D (downtown administration buildings), Prop E (library)).

 

AISD voters will be voting for Place 6 and Place 7 on the school board.

 

The city will also be entertaining bonds totaling $278,285,000 (Prop A (streets), Prop B (parks), Prop C (public safety), Prop D (downtown administration buildings), Prop E (library)). The city's tweet: (link).

 

Many Arlington citizens will get to vote in the TCC District 5 Trustee race between Leonard Hornsby (D) and Nikki Stroba (R).

 

KERA/Fort Worth Report story on the Arlington mayoral race (link).

 

KERA/Fort Worth Report story on the Arlington District 8 race (link).

 

KERA/Fort Worth Report story on the Arlington District 3 race (link).

 

KERA Mayor Ross finally pays his taxes (link).

 

KERA/Fort Worth Report story on the NAACP Candidate Forum (link).

 

KERA/Fort Worth Report story on the Bond Package (link).

 

 

Early voting is from Monday, April 24 - Tuesday, May 2.

Our grades for candidates with voting records can be found at: http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_39.html

 

City Council Filings:

Mayor:    Amy Cearnal   Jim Ross

District 3:   Nikkie Hunter   Marvin Sutton  

District 4:   Andrew Piel    Chris "Dobi" Dobson

District 5:   Rebecca Boxall

District 8:   Barbara Odom-Wesley    David Mosby

 

AISD Filings:

Place 6:   Sinsey Johnson    Robert Blake    Brooklyn Richardson

Place 7:   Kathi Arocha   Hunter Crow    Watson Robinson   Corliss Bunkley    Bridgett Davis    Leanne Haynes

 

These are the questions that have been sent to the candidates for the city:

1. Protection of Taxpayers' Dollars – please respond by March 2, 2023

How much of a priority should be placed on protecting taxpayers' dollars? If we are granting dollars for “economic development” should the company be vetted? Should an “economic development” grant require an actual application? Why or why not?

 

2. Density – please respond by March 9, 2023

How do you feel about changing commercially zoned properties to multi-family zoned properties? What if the area already contains many, many apartments such as southeast Arlington in the Hwy 360 corridor? How do you feel about RMU (Regional Mixed Use) zoning and its potential 100 units/acre? Why?

 

3. Transportation – please respond by March 16, 2023

VIA's current funding has taxpayers paying about 60% and federal grants paying 40%. What are your thoughts on how much is coming from the general fund and why?

 

4. Corporate Welfare – please respond by March 23, 2023

The City Council has given away millions of dollars and/or potential revenues to companies to encourage development. At what point has there been enough “encouragement” and the taxpayers-- and lowering tax rates-- should become a higher priority than development? Why?

 

5. Communications – please respond by March 30, 2023

If you receive an e-mail from a constituent similar to the top of this webpage

[ http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html ], will you respond to the constituent? Why or why not? What actions will you take?

 

6. Issues – please respond by April 6, 2023

Other than public safety what is the most important issue the city council is currently facing? Why? What are your suggestions for addressing this issue?

 

These are the questions that have been sent to the candidates for the AISD:

1. Taxpayers' Dollars – please respond by March 2, 2023

Currently the AISD has the highest M&O rate of any ISD in Tarrant County. In February staff did a budget adjustment of close to $1 million to start planning for the paying recapture (“Robin Hood”). How fiscally responsible should the board be with taxpayers' dollars? How high of a priority should fiscal responsibility be? What are your suggestions to be more fiscally responsible?

 

2. Transgender – please respond by March 9, 2023

Which locker rooms/restrooms, etc., should transgender students be using? Should there be a District policy? Why or why not?

 

3. Teachers' Salaries – please respond by March 16, 2023

Is having the highest teachers' salaries in the north Texas area a good thing? Why or why not?

 

4. Citizen Speakers – please respond by March 23, 2023

Currently citizen speakers are given a two minutes to make their points on a subject. Do you feel that is an appropriate amount of time? Why or why not?

 

5. Communications – please respond by March 30, 2023

If you receive an e-mail from a constituent similar to the top of this webpage [ http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html ], but concerning an AISD issue and/or problem, will you respond to the constituent? Why or why not? What actions will you take?

 

6. Issues – please respond by April 6, 2023

Other than selecting a new superintendent, what is the most important issue the board is currently facing? Why? What are your suggestions for addressing this issue?

 

 NOW GO VOTE

We have given every opportunity for you to make your decision on who to vote for in this election. However, some still wish for our analysis. Our analysis follows:

 

 

Our Analysis - City Elections

by Richard Weber, Arlington Spectator, editor

 

How did we get here? Six months ago, rumor had it we were going to have a former conservative council person running for mayor.

 

[Now treat this as hearsay, since I got the information second- or third-hand and NOT from this potential candidate, although based on what I know of Arlington politics, it is certainly very believable.] This potential candidate had one of the public safety associations willing to back the candidacy. However, the association wound up using it as a chip to get the current mayor to give them something and left the potential candidate with nothing.

 

By repeatedly having low voter turnout, we, the citizens, have lost our power. The associations have more power in determining races than typical citizens. PLEASE GO OUT AND VOTE!!!

 

These associations are a small group of political types and do NOT necessarily represent all the rank and file. Basically, they look at races, or potential races, project the winner, then try to get their projected winner to commit to certain policies the associations want in exchange for their support. These associations do NOT talk to all the candidates when selecting a best candidate, but only have discussions with the ones they wish to win.

 

Now before I get labeled anti-public safety, let it be known I have a son who is firefighter/EMT in another city and a daughter who is a police officer in a different city.

 

One other point: if a candidate refuses to answer your questions while asking for your vote, do you believe their response will improve after they get into office?

 

In the Arlington Mayoral race, I strongly recommend the challenger, Amy Cearnal. She is a Christian businesswoman who cares about all areas of the city (see Question 6, the issues response).

 

Jim Ross has a proven record of working for:

120% privileged comrades,

(-10%) Christian values,

(-10%) Open government/transparency.

 

If you are voting in the mayoral race, you are also voting in the city-wide District 8 race. This race has a very left liberal incumbent vs. a conservative challenger. [Let us at least give Dr. Odom-Wesley credit, she did answer our questions, something none of the other incumbents did.]

 

I strongly recommend the challenger, David Mosby. Taxes are a major issue. Look at the responses to Questions 1 and 6. Just because the city drops the tax rate by 3%, if our home values jump by 10%, we are paying a lot more in taxes.

 

The incumbent, Odom-Wesley has a strong, very liberal, anti-citizen voting record.

 

District 3 is the single-member district for southeast Arlington, basically everything east of Matlock Road. The current incumbent, Nikkie Hunter, won the seat in a runoff two years ago, because the then incumbent, Marvin Sutton, unsuccessfully ran for mayor. The two now run against one another as Sutton tries to reclaim the seat. So, both candidates have a voting record (our grading). Sutton graded a little higher with a “C” while Hunter scored as a high “D”. The difference could be categorized as Sutton voting against unwise spending more often.

 

For District 3 residents who feel their district has far too many multi-family developments, there is some good news, both candidates have voted against them. Of course the problem is the council has District 1 Moise, District 6 Pham, and the four other incumbents running this May who are more than willing to dump on District 3.

 

I recommend Marvin Sutton.

 

The District 4 single-member district is generally considered west Arlington. The incumbent is Andrew Piel. The challenger is Chris “Dobi” Dobson.

 

Piel has a strong anti-citizen voting record, often siding with his privileged comrades’ buddies. He has never seen a local tax he has not just fallen in love with. He has not responded to an e-mail of mine since being on the city council. He makes up facts to fit his purpose. He even decided to skip a city council meeting to go see a movie.

Dobson has run for city council unsuccessfully many times. He and I are opposites on national issues; however, on local issues, we are often the only two speakers when the council is about to do something stupid again. He is a strong believer in transparency and citizen involvement.

 

I recommend Chris “Dobi” Dobson.

 

Rebecca Boxall is running unopposed in District 5, generally considered central and eastern Arlington.

 

The city will also have five propositions totaling $278,285,000 in bonds. Again, I feel failed by our current council members who have NOT held townhall meetings telling us the specifics of these bonds. My philosophy is if we have lived this long without it, you need to convince me we need it. If I get convinced, I vote for it.

 

Proposition A is $219,460,000 in bonds for streets, with Randol Mill Road probably being the most expensive. The good is they are getting matching funds from the county (also our tax dollars) and/or COG (Council of Government) for some of the projects. The bad is the city basically holds us hostage to either approve the bonds or have the worst streets around. When the citizens approved a 1/4-cent sales tax for road repairs [it cannot be used for new lanes, just repairing of existing ones] we thought we would be freeing up dollars so we would not need so much in bonds. This has not happened. It seemed to free up funds for more corporate welfare which certainly has NOT helped funds for new roadways. I am undecided. I will probably vote for it, but I hate being held hostage.

 

Proposition B is $24,645,000 in bonds for parks and park facilities, including a new public aquatic facility, trails, and some improvements. I use trails more than the average citizen. I almost never use facilities, which of course are the high dollar items. My belief is the city struggles to maintain what it has. I am leaning to opposing this at this time.

 

Proposition C is $30,080,000 for capital expenditures for public safety. This will transform a building north of Hurricane Harbor, already purchased, for a police substation for the north and will create another fire station (looks like Mayfield Road, west of Fielder Road area). I will support this item.

 

Proposition D is $3,000,000 for Downtown Administration buildings. Again, with the lack of information provided, I believe this is for aesthetic improvements, something Jeff Williams wanted. I will oppose this item.

 

Proposition E is $1,100,000 for Library, called facility improvements. With a lack of information supplied, I will oppose this item.

 

 

 

Our Analysis – AISD Elections

by Richard Weber, Arlington Spectator, editor

 

How did we get here? Low voter turnout has also occurred in school board elections. Lack of candidates from 2018-2020 did not help.

This year, however, there are nine candidates on the ballot vying for the two positions, Place 6 and Place 7. PLEASE GO OUT AND VOTE!!!

The total tax rate is comprised of two pieces, M&O (maintenance and operations) tax and the debt service piece. M&O pays for all the salaries and operations, while the debt service pays for the bonds that were approved.

 

The AISD has the highest M&O rate in Tarrant County.

 

 

Back on February 27 we ran the following:

ISD Comparison

A Newsbreak story comparing Tarrant County ISDs: https://local.newsbreak.com/tarrant-county-tx/2931297136710-20-school-districts-in-tarrant-county-tx?s=dmg_local_email_bucket_19.web2_fromweb . See how the AISD and the MISD matches up.

The AISD was 270th, certainly better than some districts (I think there were six, including FWISD, in the 600s or above), but also behind many others within the county. It would lead one to believe all those high dollar salaries are not producing good results as well as we would like.

 

I discussed the financial situation with a current board member and my interpretation of what was said was the school district and its high salaries are fine for now, but when the ESSER funds (federal funds issued because of COVID), are gone then the district could be in financial trouble. ESSER funds must be spent by September 30, 2024.

 

AISD could very easily be in a situation much like the one that the FWISD is currently addressing. The last two weeks we've run this story:

FWISD Downsizing

The FWISD, the largest school district in Tarrant County, is downsizing. Student numbers are dropping, thus creating a deficit. They are chopping high paying administration positions. The Fort Worth Report story on the FWISD (link). Will it work? Another Fort Worth Report story where they ask an expert (link).

 

The district has also started budgeting money to pay into recapture (Robin Hood). We basically are taxing ourselves so highly, including with extremely high salaries, thereby causing ISD inflation, that we will be paying our tax dollars to help other districts to compete against us. Unfortunately, the current board and a great majority of the candidates running for election would rather continue spending even more. Rather than do the right thing and fix the problem (the overspending), the action they take is spending our tax dollars with lobbyists and try to change the parameters of the law. [I hope at least the two new board members remember the YMFA recruitment/retaining discussion rather than just “going along” and throwing our tax dollars at the problem.]

One other thing to note is there will be NO runoff election. The AISD elections are plurality races. You do NOT need a majority to win, just the most votes. So the Place 7 race with six candidates could mathematically be won with less than 17% of the vote, though realistically the winner will probably have somewhere above 30%.

If you have some reason to believe any polls (I am not a pollster), in plurality races, you should vote for the better of the projected top two.

My analysis includes two candidate forums (ARC and YMFA), responses to the Arlington Spectator's questions, and iVoterGuide.com (which only came out late last week).

 

My question 4 regarding the two-minute limit for citizens speakers was meant as a “give me”, but I was so underwhelmed by many of the responses to many of the questions, it will be what I look at as far as splitting hairs, as many of the candidates are that extremely close in my analysis.

 

In the AISD Place 6 there are three individuals running. Sinsey Johnson answered all the questions and scored the highest but attended neither candidate forum. It does not take a rocket scientist to project her third in this race. Therefore, I will choose one of the other two.

Brooklyn Richardson answered one, and only one question. iVoterGuide had information that I did NOT like in a candidate.

Robert Blake answered none of the questions. We already have several board members who claim to be conservative, but refuse to answer questions. We don't need more.

I am so undecided and would prefer Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse, but will probably go with Robert Blake.

 

In AISD Place 7 there are six candidates. The top three are close, and the bottom three leave room for improvement.

 

The bottom three are:

4. Hunter Crow

5. Corliss Bunkley

6. Walter Robinson

 

This leaves:

3. Leanne Haynes. Going to my hair-splitting question, #4, she falls to third.

2. Bridgett Davis. Missing the second candidate forum hurt to some degree. In my opinion, she did give a good response to the financial question at the ARC forum (my words, too much spent on the top positions).

1. Kathi Arocha. I certainly believe the AISD needs more transparency. Many current members have trouble responding to simple questions and basically ignore the citizens. She also responded to the questions in the iVoterGuide which boosted her as the clear number one choice.