Southlake City Council and Carroll ISD Board Trustee filing period open
The current election cycle is proving to be more interesting than usual.
The filing period for local elections opened on January 18, and it proved an interesting day. Southlake City Council members Kathy Talley and Randy Williamson filed for re-election in the only two spots up this term. At the Carroll ISD administration office, however, things were more interesting.
Eric Lannen filed for re-election to Place 2 while Dudley Jordan filed for Place 3, the seat currently occupied by Sheri Mills. (I’m taking broad liberties here since Mills, a former president, has not attended a CISD board meeting in a year.)
In Place 1, three residents filed for the seat on the first day of filing, which is currently held by Michelle Moore, who until 2021 was the board president. First to file for the seat was Natan Ton who was followed by Angie Dawkins and Marissa Mahon. (Dawkins withdrew from the race on Jan. 20. However, Heather Steele Curtis entered the race, filing for the seat on January 23.)
The Mahon, Dawkins, and Ton filings made for an interesting 48 hours, as supporters of each of the candidates—who are on the same side of the political aisle—privately made the case for their candidate being the best option. By Friday morning, some clarity had been gained, as Dawkins dropped out. (Full disclosure: Angie Dawkins was my campaign manager during my re-election bid in 2022.)
How I see things shaking out
I expect the city council candidates to run unopposed. There is simply no sane reason for anyone to file against Talley or Williamson. Both are longstanding members of the community who have given thousands of hours of service to Southlake. In addition to having the full support of the council, they have myriad votes behind them. Running against either candidate is akin to setting cash on fire to call attention to yourself. There are better ways to spend your money.
For the school board elections, however, I don’t think the path is river rock-smooth for any candidate but Lannen, who is an incumbent in Place 2. While there was some saber-rattling (that’s all it was, too, because he would have trounced the competition) in recent years from a small group of folks about running someone against Lannen, this much is true: He’s a great guy, well-liked by people on all sides of the political aisle, and he’s proved a hard worker and willing listener for the board. (Personally, he is a great guy, awesome friend, and he has my family’s votes.)
Jordan previously ran for the CISD school board in 2018 as part of a heavily contested field that included Lannen and Matt Bryant, who won the seat and served one three-year term. I’ve known Jordan for more than four years; I’m super happy he’s running and will be the eventual winner in Place 3. Like Lannen, he’s a popular, hard-working businessman who brings a depth of expertise (legal and accounting) to the board. (Jordan is a great guy, someone I’ve called a friend for years, and he’ll be a great addition to the board.)
Because Place 3 is an open seat, it’s possible that someone jumps into the race to challenge Jordan; it’ll be a regrettable decision.
A race between Ton, Curtis, and Mahon would be very interesting, to say the least, for Place 1, the seat currently held by former president Michelle Moore. (At the time of this writing, neither Moore nor Mills had filed for re-election.) All three of the candidates share many political friends and would-be supporters, so campaigning against one another would be awkward. Do you attend three meet-and-greets? Do you give money to all three candidates?
The answer is a resounding no. I personally know and think highly of each of the candidates so, selfishly, my desire is for them to work it out before the end of the filing deadline on February 17.
Here’s what I do feel strongly about: On election day, Talley and Williamson will be re-elected to city council; Eric Lannen will be re-elected as the Place 2 school board trustee; Dudley Jordan will be elected as the Place 3 school board trustee; and either Nathan Ton or Marissa Mahon or Heather Curtis will be elected to Place 1. Barring some unforeseen changes, that is.
What I’m reading
Adrift: America in 100 Charts, by Scott Galloway
Galloway is one of my favorite authors and thinkers. His latest book is an excellent read, too. The work is a narrative told with charts, many of which highlight the enormous progress the world—especially the U.S.—has made in the preceding decades.
“The world is significantly wealthier, freer, healthier, and better educated than it was forty years ago. In 1980, over 40% of humanity lived in extreme poverty. Today, less than 10% does. In 1980, 44% of humanity had no democratic rights. Today, it is less than 25%. A child born in 1980 had a life expectancy of 63 years. A child born today should live a decade longer. In 1980, 30% of people fifteen years and older had no formal education. By 2015, that share had been cut in half.”
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen, by David Miller
I’m just starting this book, but I can already see its value for nascent businesses struggling to create a consistent, resonant framework to deliver a message to their customers.