Voters’ voices heard through election results

Irving, Grand Prairie, Coppell, Cedar Hill—After months of buildup and campaigning, the unofficial results of Dallas County’s 2023 Joint and Special Election on Saturday, May 6 are in. The following is an overview of results within the Rambler Texas Media’s coverage area.

Irving

After running unopposed, sitting Mayor Rick Stopfer remains mayor and will be sworn in on Wednesday, May 17.

With no candidate in the city council races for Place 3 and 5 receiving over 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates of each district are headed toward a runoff election on June 10.

The Place 3 runoff election will be between Abdul Khabeer, who received 48 percent of the vote (772 votes), and current councilman Mark Zeske, who received 33 percent of the vote (528 votes). Candidate Paul Bertanzetti received the remaining 19 percent of the vote (312 votes).

Meanwhile, the Place 5 runoff election will be between Mark Cronenwett, who received 41 percent of the vote (731 votes), and Heather Stroup, who received 28 percent of the vote (495 votes). The remaining candidates were Matt Varble at 25 percent (443 votes), Jesse Koehler at 5 percent (83 votes) and Anthony Stanford at 3 percent (46 votes).

Ten home-rule propositions were on the ballot with each one of them passing.

Propositions A-J covered a variety of amendments including term limits for city council members, increased authority of the city manager, lobbying and ethics standards, easier implementation of economic development bonds, and the correction of non-substantive errors in the Irving City Charter.

Irving ISD had a bond package on the ballot with five propositions totaling $702 million.

Propositions A-E encompass school improvement with the replacement of three schools, internet and technology upgrades, replacement of the student transportation and logistics center, the construction of three new multi-purpose indoor facilities for extracurriculars, and the construction of a new performing arts center.

Voters approved propositions A (school improvement/replacement), B (technology upgrades) and C (transportation and logistics center replacement).The passed bond totals $573.75 million with Proposition A being the lion’s share of investment at $538.75 million.

“We feel like the election was a great success for our district,” Randy Randle, president of the Irving ISD board of trustees, said. “We knew it was not going to be an easy election since the district had not called for a bond in 16 years, and it takes work to educate the public on school bonds and their effects.”

The district is currently focused on the implementation of the passed propositions.

“We haven't come together since the election, so there are currently no plans in place for the future of those facilities [in Propositions D and E]. [We want to] start doing great work to do good things for our district as soon as we can,” Randle said.

Grand Prairie

Grand Prairie voters decidedly voted councilwoman Jorja Clemson back into her Place 1 seat, giving her a 79 percent majority (814 votes). Her opponent Jeca Williams received the remaining 21 percent of the vote (225 votes).

Place 3 candidate Mike Del Bosque ran unopposed and received 527 votes.

At-Large Place 7 on the city council will be decided in a runoff election on June 10. Jeff Copeland and Bessye Adams held the top two positions in the election, receiving 37.8 percent of the vote (2,226 votes) and 34.7 percent (2,046 votes) respectively. The remaining voting share went to David Espinosa at 15.1 percent of the vote(891 votes), and Wendy Nguyen Anaya at 12.3 percent (783 votes).

Grand Prairie ISD also held elections for three positions on its board of trustees.

District 2 went to Bryan Parra, who received 51 percent of the vote (474 votes) over opponent Terrance Jones, who received 49 percent (456 votes).

Place 3 At-Large went to Gloria Carillo at 50 percent (1,693 votes) with Patty Harris trailing behind at 41 percent (1,385 votes) and Joshua Hooten taking the remaining 9 percent (320 votes).

Place 4 went to Nancy Bridges at 71 percent of the vote (468 votes), beating out Mike Riley who took the remaining 29 percent (192 votes).

Coppell

Coppell’s city council held an election for Place 1. Jim Walker won the seat at 62 percent of the vote (3,340 votes), and his opponent Ramesh Premkumar received the remaining 38 percent (2,076 votes).

Voters passed Coppell ISD’s four bond propositions, which covered general school improvements, technology upgrades, renovation of Buddy Echols Field, and renovations/improvements to the Coppell HS field house turf and tennis center. The bond totals $321.511 million. Proposition A (school improvements) is the largest investment at $169.584 million.

Voters elected two new members to the Coppell ISD board of trustees.

The election of Place 4 was inconclusive, as none of the three candidates received over 50 percent of the vote. Ranna Raval led the race at 40 percent percent of the vote (2,360 votes). Jonathan Powers followed at 38 percent of the vote (2,236 votes) and Samit Patel received the remaining 22 percent (1,264 votes).

Place 5 decidedly went to David Caviness, who received 54 percent of the vote (3,280 votes). Julie Waters received 46 percent (2,746 votes).

Cedar Hill

Place 2 of Cedar Hill’s city council was taken by Daniel C. Haydin Jr., who ran unopposed and received 3,327 votes.

The At-Large position of Place 6 will be decided in a runoff election. The top two candidates were Bertha Middlebrooks, who received 30.71 percent of the vote (1,156 votes), and Maranda Zuzenne, who received 30.45 percent (1,146 votes). The remaining candidates were Gerland L. Malone at 29.52 percent of the vote (1,111 votes), Darian Pace at 6.38 percent (240 votes), and Kiphani Allen at 2.95 percent (111 votes).

Cedar Hill ISD’s board of trustees held an election for Place 5. Denisha Williams won the seat with 52 percent of the vote (1,929 votes) over Kim Rimmer at 28 percent (1,055 votes) and Will Campbell at 19 percent (721 votes).

Cedar Hill ISD held a bond election with a single proposition encompassing school safety and security as well as capital improvements across 13 facilities. The $208 million bond was narrowly rejected with 51 percent of the vote against (2,066 votes) and 49 percent for (2,004 votes).

For more detailed summaries of election results across Dallas County municipalities, as well as access to the final election reconciliation once it is signed and confirmed, visit https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/election-results-and-maps/election-results/ .