Oak Cliff City Councilman Scott Griggs announced his campaign for Mayor of Dallas Thursday, bringing the field to seven candidates, including two other Oak Cliff residents.
“Dallas needs a new kind of mayor,” Griggs told hundreds of supporters at a campaign party in the Design District. “The mayors of the past have not worked.”
Griggs, 44, lives in Winnetka Heights. He ran down a few of his accomplishments. He had a hand in stopping the Trinity toll road, prohibiting gas drilling in city parks, removing the Dallas Police and Fire Pension system from crisis and settling a decades-old backpay lawsuit from police and firefighters. He also has pushed for transparency in government, made sure all committee and board meetings are broadcast on the internet and pushed for occasional evening City Council meetings.
He also went toe-to-toe with former City Manager A.C. Gonzalez, who retired in January 2017. And instead of passing the job to the next person in line, the city hired T.C. Broadnax from Tacoma, Washington.
In our neighborhood, Griggs’ tenure has seen an explosion of economic growth, the streetcar, many street and public works projects and the renovation of Kidd Springs Park.
Griggs’ platform points:
- Recruit more police and fire fighters, and pay them the wages they deserve.
- Encourage more single-family housing and release the city’s land-bank holdings — 1,500 empty lots — to the market.
- Set aside “vanity projects” and address public infrastructure like streets, streetlights and potholes.
- Bring economic development money to every corner of Dallas.
- Work with Dallas ISD to improve public education.
- “Stand up to DART” so that anyone can use public transportation to get to work without “a two-hour commute.”
Griggs ousted David Neumann in 2011 to take the District 3 City Council seat. After redistricting drew his residence into the new District 1, he ran against and beat former City Council member Delia Jasso. Term limits prohibit him from running again, and it’s long been rumored he would make a bid for mayor.
He is one of three candidates for mayor who live in our neighborhood.
Albert Black Jr., 59, is the CEO of On Target Logistics, who lives on Kessler Lake Drive. He was the first to enter the race, in July 2018. He’s the first black chairman of the Dallas Regional Chamber and has served as chairman of the Dallas Housing Authority.
Larry Casto, 54, is a former Dallas city attorney who lives in Kessler Park. Casto helped the city through the Dallas Police and Fire Pension crisis, settling the backpay lawsuits and the privatization of Fair Park.
The other candidates are:
Regina Montoya, 64, a lawyer from North Dallas, who worked in the Clinton administration.
Mike Ablon, a 54-year-old real estate developer from North Dallas.
Lynn McBee, 50, who lives in Downtown. She’s the CEO of the Young Women’s Preparatory Network and current chair of the board for the Bridge homeless center.
Miguel Solis, 32, who lives in East Dallas and is the youngest person ever elected to the Dallas ISD board of trustees.
