Candidate: Kendal Richardson

Age: 46

Website: Kendal Richardson for Dallas City Council D11

Why do you want to be a member of the Dallas City Council, and why are you the best person for the job?

My name is Kendal Richardson, and I am running for District 11 City Council

I moved to Dallas 15 years ago, and Dallas has changed into a place that seems more about money rather than was raised, and this makes me sad.

Although I may not possess unlimited resources or solutions, I am dedicated to listening intently and driving meaningful change. I firmly believe I am the optimal candidate due to my unwavering commitment to advocating for others through my voice. While I may not always be present in the office, I will be actively engaged with the community on the streets.

What is the single greatest challenge for your district and how will you address it?

One challege for District 11 is the issue of homelessness which is a pressing concern. According to recent reports, there are approximately 4,600 individuals experiencing homelessness in our city. Personally, I have witnessed the challenges posed by homelessness in my own community, where some individuals have failed to behave as good neighbors. Last year, my apartment complex suffered four fires, resulting in the displacement of 11 families, all of whom were senior citizens. Despite my efforts to contact our current city councilwoman, Jayne Schultz, no assistance was provided to these vulnerable individuals. In contrast, my approach would have involved meeting with the affected seniors to assess their needs, collaborating with organizations like the Red Cross, and personally visiting local churches to secure assistance. Furthermore, I would have ensured that these individuals received help in relocating their belongings. This exemplifies my commitment to serving our community.

What do you see as the greatest opportunities to grow our city's tax base?

Prioritizing economic development through business attraction, job creation, and infrastructure enhancement. 

What is your political party affiliation and what role will that play in your job as a council member?

This bipartisan race has given me an open mind to hear all political party stances and make an informed decision based on facts and the community's best interests. My name is Kendal Richardson, and I am running for District 11 City Council

I moved to Dallas 15 years ago, and Dallas has changed into a place that seems more about money rather than was raised, and this makes me sad.

I want to address some areas of concern

Firstly, the issue of homelessness is a pressing concern. ess in proach would have involved meeting with the affected seniors to assess their needs, collaborating with organizations like the Red Cross, and personally visiting local churches to secure assistance. Furthermore, I would have ensured that these individuals received help in relocating their belongings. This exemplifies my commitment to serving our community

Candidate: Bill Roth

Age: 71

Website: rothfordallas.com

Why do you want to be a member of the Dallas City Council, and why are you the best person for the job?

I am running for Dallas City Council because I want our district to thrive. To me, that means fostering neighborhoods with single-family homes as their backbone—safe, stable places supported by efficient city services like well-maintained streets, parks, and reliable public safety. Residents deserve a council member who listens and acts in their interest.

Right now, Dallas lacks that harmony. Neighbors feel ignored - potholes linger, zoning changes disrupt lives, and tax spending lacks transparency. I want to change that by advocating for balanced growth, protecting residential integrity, and ensuring fair resource distribution. My goal is a Dallas where families are heard and their council member is a partner, not a figurehead. This isn’t about ambition - it’s about a city that works for its people. What sets me apart is my diverse experience as an attorney, real estate professional, business owner, trade leader, and nonprofit president. I bring practical skills and strategic insight to tackle complex issues. I understand legal intricacies - ordinances, contracts, state laws - and the impact of development on neighborhoods. I can balance investment with residential needs, a perspective often missing now.

I’m not one-dimensional. I see the legal, economic, practical, and human sides of issues connecting with homeowners, developers, workers, and leaders alike. I will turn understanding into action – whether it be writing policies, securing funds, or simply listening. That’s why I am running and why I am the best choice.

What is the single greatest challenge for your district and how will you address it?

We need to ensure security and safety for all residents while simultaneously addressing homelessness and providing essential city services that are currently lacking. These issues are deeply interconnected, and tackling them requires a comprehensive, compassionate, and practical approach.

Safety is the foundation of any thriving community. Residents deserve to feel secure in their homes, neighborhoods, and public spaces. However, rising crime rates, including property crimes and violent incidents, have left many feeling vulnerable. Our district is grappling with a growing homelessness crisis that strains resources and impacts public safety. The lack of adequate city services - police shortages, code enforcement, and efficient emergency response - only exacerbates these challenges. We cannot ignore that these problems feed one another: homelessness can contribute to crime, while insufficient safety measures make it harder to address root causes like addiction or economic hardship.

My plan to address this starts with strengthening public safety. I will advocate for increased funding and training for our police force, ensuring they have the tools to respond effectively while building trust with the community through transparency and outreach programs. Additionally, I’ll push for smarter use of technology, like improved street lighting and surveillance in high-crime areas, to deter illegal activity.

Simultaneously, we must tackle homelessness head-on. I propose partnering with local nonprofits and businesses to direct the homeless to permanent supportive housing that the city already provides. Dallas has seen some success with housing-first models, which prioritize getting people off the streets before addressing other needs like job training or mental health care. I’ll work to scale these efforts in our district, ensuring they’re paired with wraparound services - counseling, addiction treatment, and employment support - to help individuals rebuild their lives.

What do you see as the greatest opportunities to grow our city's tax base?

Growing our city's tax base lies in strategic initiatives that foster economic growth. Dallas is grappling with an enormous financial crisis, driven by a budget deficit and pension obligations. These issues have put us in a tough spot - raising taxes or slashing essential services are neither practical nor desirable options for our residents. We must focus on expanding our economic foundation by attracting new businesses, residents, and tourists while spurring development and supporting the growth of existing enterprises.

One key opportunity is to position Dallas as a magnet for new businesses. We can do this by streamlining permitting processes, offering targeted incentives for industries and investing in infrastructure that makes our city an attractive hub. If we foster a business-friendly environment that works fast and efficiently with job providers we’ll begin to see startups and established firms alike putting down roots here, bringing jobs and taxable revenue with them.

The Dallas Midtown project is a critical yet underperforming asset for District 11. It has the potential to generate millions of dollars in tax revenue and will revitalize the Valley View area in North Dallas if appropriately executed. The City of Dallas has postponed the project through delays in the needed sanitary sewer line upgrade, the overhaul of Montfort Drive, the slow permitting process, and conflicts with the developer. Having this project completed will significantly improve the city’s tax base and remove the blight that has been in the area for the past ten years.

We can’t overlook the potential in supporting existing businesses and encouraging new development. The city could offer grants or tax abatements for companies that expand their footprint here. Redeveloping vacant lots or aging commercial zones into modern retail or office spaces would not only increase property values - and thus revenue through property tax - but also signal that Dallas is open for business.

What is your political party affiliation and what role will that play in your job as a council member?

I’m running for a position that is, by design, nonpartisan - and I believe that’s exactly how it should be. The city council isn’t about towing a party line; it’s about serving the people of Dallas with practical, effective solutions. I don’t affiliate with a specific political party because I don’t think there’s a Democrat or Republican way to fix potholes, fund our police, or ensure our neighborhoods thrive. Party labels can divide us when what we need is unity to tackle the real issues facing our city.

That said, my lack of partisan affiliation doesn’t mean I lack conviction. I want to be judged on my positions. My focus is on what Dallas needs: expanding essential city services, being more responsive to neighborhood concerns, and improving public safety. These aren’t partisan ideas - they’re common-sense priorities that matter to every resident and where our focus needs to lie.

Candidate: Jeff Kitner

Age: 49

Website: jeffkitnerfordallas.com

Why do you want to be a member of the Dallas City Council, and why are you the best person for the job?

Our City has many opportunities and challenges, and we need elected officials who have experience in getting things done positively and collaboratively with all stakeholders. Through my experience as an attorney, the Chief Operating Officer of the North Dallas Chamber, and service for seven years on the City’s Park and Recreation Board, I bring a unique skill set to the City Council.

Through my work on the Park and Recreation Board, I’ve partnered with the community to complete some great projects, including the extensive expansion of the Northaven Trail. In partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, the Park Board developed the bridge over Central Expressway and connected the Northaven Trail to the White Rock Creek Trail and Cottonwood Creek. I also helped bring about new playgrounds at Arapaho Park and Anderson Bonner Park; the new pedestrian bridge at Kiowa Park; development of the Woods at Valley View nature area; new pickleball courts at Churchill Park; and other projects that enhanced the quality of life in District 11. I also created the Dallas Trails Coalition in 2022 to bring together all the trail friends’ groups every quarter to discuss best practices and shared advocacy opportunities.

At the Chamber I lead our advocacy efforts at the municipal, county, state, and federal level, I have worked extensively with other civic partners and elected officials to collaborate on projects important for our city and region. One recent example is leading the efforts with David de la Fuente, Jeff Mankoff, the League of Women Voters, and others for the inclusion of the Charter Amendment to move our local elections to November of odd-numbered years and then advocating for its successful passage. This amendment will benefit the city by increasing voter turnout, reducing voter fatigue, and saving the city over $400,000.

These are just a few examples that illustrate my accomplishments, and why I am the best candidate to serve District 11.

What is the single greatest challenge for your district and how will you address it?

The number one priority I have heard from residents in District 11 is public safety. We can do better. Everyone should feel safe in their homes, at work, or while enjoying all the amenities our city has to offer, no matter the time of day. Here are a few things I support when it comes to public safety:

The city manager’s proposal to increase the police budget by $7.7 million to support police hiring and retention. This proposal will be considered by the Council in May.

The Dallas Police Department, fire, and EMTs should be fully funded every year. The city should prioritize hiring a permanent police chief who is prepared to staff up the department with qualified and well-trained officers, oversee the construction and completion of the state-of-the-art regional law enforcement training, continue to invest in our first responders pension, and increase call response times.

We should invest in the competitive pay package and the pension our first responders deserve.

Infrastructure is the other issue residents told me is a priority. Below are a few ways infrastructure is being addressed or should be addressed moving forward:

City Manager Kim Tolbert made a good first step in addressing our infrastructure challenges by appointing Dr. Gus Khankarli as the Director of Transportation and Public Works, and former AECOM executive Dev Rastogi as the new Assistant City Manager overseeing Aviation, Dallas Water Utilities, Transportation & Public Works, and the Office of Bond & Construction Management.

The city must continue to invest in infrastructure and tightly manage bond projects to ensure the estimated cost matches the realized cost.

To the extent possible, I would also like to see the city prioritizing infrastructure improvements as part of our operating costs rather than relying extensively on bond elections to fund these items outside of the ordinary operating practices of the city.

What do you see as the greatest opportunities to grow our city's tax base?

The city should continue to invest in economic development efforts to attract new businesses to Dallas, and hire residents for new jobs. Strategic rezoning efforts and investments in our public amenities that create great quality of life like our parks, arts, and libraries must also be a priority. There are pockets of blight in District 11, which are either underdeveloped or in need of new development, including the site of the former Valley View mall and the area around it, now called the Dallas International District. To help address this, while on the Park and Recreation Board, I advocated in support of including $20 million in bond funds for the purchase of new park land in the area. Recently, the Park and Recreation Board approved the use of some of these funds for the acquisition of an older shopping center on Montfort which will be converted into green space. The city also has additional funds to spend in the area for park land acquisition during the next fiscal cycle. The goal is to purchase another piece of property towards the development of a much larger park. I hope that the city’s investment in park land will bring other developers and property owners to the table as we move toward a shared vision of redevelopment, much like the Hillcrest Village development has done at Hillcrest and Arapaho, but on an even bigger scale.

While most of our tax base is generated from the downtown areas and up into North Dallas, most of our city’s undeveloped land is south of downtown. As a result, we need to continue to focus on growing the tax base in areas of opportunity throughout the southern sector. Specifically, the city should continue to invest in development for housing, commerce, and infrastructure south of downtown to increase access to high-paying jobs for all residents.

What is your political party affiliation and what role will that play in your job as a council member?

The City Council election is non-partisan and residents want candidates addressing non-partisan issues. I am focused on the basics of city government - spending our tax dollars effectively and ensuring core services like public safety, sanitation, DWU, building inspection, and code compliance amongst others are fully funded and well-run. How I vote in partisan elections will have no bearing on how I would serve if elected.

Candidate: Mona “Andy” Elshenawy

Age: 39

Website: mona4dallas.com

Why do you want to be a member of the Dallas City Council, and why are you the best person for the job?

I have been characterized by many as “exceedingly passionate and intense” in all that I pursue. I have a moral obligation to channel this “fire in my belly” constructively in a neighborhood advocate role. I completed the UT Austin LBJ Women’s Campaign School as part of my journey to pursue a role in public office. As a former bureaucrat [supporting municipal and federal government], I sometimes witnessed contentious themes that I unfortunately could not control per the professional limitations of my role. These experiences fueled a deep sense of agency and conviction in my life to champion causes for neighbors, family, and friends.

I am best equipped to be your next D11 City Councilwoman because I vow to genuinely listen to my constituents, and I am not afraid to be “the squeaky wheel”; being the squeaky wheel requires tenacity to move the needle forward on key action items. Commitment to public service has always underpinned my career; public service NOT private interests, covert agendas, or corporate greed—this is what makes me the best fit.

What is the single greatest challenge for your district and how will you address it?

I have conducted focus groups and engaged in active listening with many of my constituents and they have indicated repeatedly that they feel disenfranchised by representation that doesn’t acknowledge their recommendations and input. By engaging constituents in the decision-making process and supporting them-- they will feel empowered to collaboratively tackle district priorities such as public safety, infrastructure, and stagnant development projects.

Communication is reciprocal and I plan to address the above mentioned challenge by routinely polling constituents to have a pulse on district strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

What do you see as the greatest opportunities to grow our city's tax base?

Eliminate the bureaucratic red tape that dissuades many commercial realtors from conducting business with the city of Dallas. In addition to revitalizing dilapidated and vacant strips/shopping centers by adding green spaces and amenities that attract new tenants [like restaurants and neighborhood-serving retail]. Many are intent on suggesting that high-density is the only solution to increase the tax base; I disagree.

What is your political party affiliation and what role will that play in your job as a council member?

Partisan affiliations are not permitted in municipal government. I promise to evaluate each policy and cause independently without the lens of party obscuring my judgement. Constituent and data-driven decision making is imperative.