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May 1, 2021 Local Election - Ballot

WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT?

All voters who live in the City of Richardson will vote on the:

Richardson Mayor and City Council (All 7 Places are on the ballot; Places 4 and 6 are contested)

All voters who live in the Richardson ISD will vote on:

At-large Place 7 (Contested)
RISD bond proposal

Voters who live in Single-member District 1 of the Richardson ISD will vote on:

Single-member District 1 (Contested)

All voters who live in the Collin County portion of Richardson will vote on the:

Plano ISD Board of Trustees (Places 1, 2, 3, and 6 are on the ballot; all places contested)
Collin College Board of Trustees (Places 7, 8, and 9 are on the ballot; all places contested)

All voters who live in the City of Garland will vote on the:

Garland City Council (Mayor and Districts 1, 3, 6, 7 and 8; three districts contested) The mayor is elected at large, meaning that all voters in the city vote for the mayor. All council districts are single-member districts. You must live in the district to vote in that race.

All voters who live in the City of Dallas will vote on the:

Dallas City Council (Districts 1-14; all districts contested) All 14 council districts are single-member districts. You must live in the district to vote in that race.
Special Charter Amendments

RichardsonMayorCityCouncil

RICHARDSON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL

The Richardson Mayor and all six councilmembers are on the May 1, 2021 ballot. All registered voters living in the City of Richardson vote in all seven places. Candidates from the two contested places are listed below in ballot order:

Place 4:

Incumbent Kyle Kepner
Joe Corcoran

Place 6:

Daniel Burdette
Marilyn Frederick
Arefin Shamsul

According to the city’s website, Council members are responsible for:

hiring the City Manager,
appointing the City Attorney, City Secretary, Municipal Court Judges, City Health Officer and citizens to the City’s boards and commissions,
passing City ordinances,
planning for capital improvements,
issuing and selling municipal bonds,
purchasing and selling property,
establishing City departments,
determining City services,
approving the annual budget, and
setting the City’s tax rate.

The City Manager is responsible for the City’s daily operations, hiring department heads, supervising the City personnel, directing and coordinating all municipal programs, enforcing all municipal laws and ordinances, and recommending an annual budget.

The Richardson City Council consists of the Mayor, two at-large seats and four place seats (that have a geographical requirement). Though members representing Places 1 thru 4 must reside in those areas, all members of the City Council are elected at-large by voters. Once elected, councilmembers choose the Mayor Pro Tem from among the elected members. The Mayor, as well as all City Council seats, carry two-year terms and are up for election during May of every odd year. Term limits for the Mayor and all City Council seats are limited to 6 terms, or 12 consecutive years.

View the Richardson City Council Boundaries map.

For more information, visit the city’s Elections web page.

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RichardsonISDBoardOfTrustees

RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The May 1, 2021 election will finalize the move to the 5-2 system (5 trustees voted from single-member districts and 2 trustees voted at-large). All registered voters living in the Richardson ISD may vote for candidates running in At-Large Place 7. Only registered voters living in Single-Member District 1 of the Richardson ISD may vote for candidates running in Single-Member District 1. On the ballot will be Single-Member District 1 and At-Large Place 7.

View the Richardson Single-Member Districts map to learn about districts.

Candidates from the two contested races are listed below in ballot order:

Single-Member District 1. You must live in District 1 to vote in the District 1 election.

Vicky Suárez
Tony Mario Casagrande
Megan Timme

At-Large Place 7. All voters in the RISD may vote on this race.

Nicole Foster
Amanda Clair
Blake Sawyer
Eric Stengel
Christopher J Poteet
Gavin Haynes
Nicholas LaGrassa

According to the RISD website:

The Board of Trustees has the executive power and duty to govern and oversee the management of RISD. Acting as a collective body, the Board sets the direction for the school district. Some of the Board’s general responsibilities include:

Setting district policies and supporting administrators and teachers in the execution of those policies.
Employing and evaluating the superintendent.
Adopting the annual budget.
Levying/collecting taxes and issuing bonds.
Performing specific duties imposed by the state.

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RichardsonISDBondProposal

RICHARDSON ISD BOND PROPOSAL

On February 8, 2021, the Richardson ISD trustees voted to place two bond propositions on the May 1, 2021 ballot.

According to the Richardson ISD website:

“Bond 2021 will be the first phase of RISD’s transition into a middle school model that will eventually lead to all eight junior highs being transformed into campuses serving sixth, seventh, and eighth grade,” Dr. Stone said. “This also would open up space at our elementary campuses that would be used to expand our Pre-K for All initiative. Bond 2021 is the beginning of RISD’s long-range facilities vision.”

“Some of the anticipated projects the proposed Bond 2021 package would fund include:

Repair and maintain schools
Expand schools experiencing enrollment growth
Begin the process of transforming junior highs as RISD moves to a middle school model
Renovate aging campuses based on condition assessments
Provide safety and security enhancements for schools
Update instructional materials and equipment for students
Provide new school buses and district vehicles for maintenance and security
Provide updated computer devices for students and staff, and upgrades to the district’s technology infrastructure

Proposition A – $694 million: Includes projects related to capital construction, infrastructure, repairs, safety and security, student instruction, and equipment.

Proposition B – $56 million: Includes student and staff technology.

(Ballot language)

Proposed projects in Bond 2021 include the first phase of a long-range facilities vision to replace or renovate RISD schools based on age and condition. RISD campuses are as old as 69 years, with an average age of 53 years. Bond 2021 also begins RISD’s middle school transformations to accommodate the move of sixth graders from elementary schools to junior high buildings, creating middle schools to serve students in grades 6, 7 and 8.”

For more information, visit the RISD’s web page on the 2021 bond proposal.

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PlanoISDBoardOfTrustees

PLANO ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES

From the Plano ISD website:

“The Plano ISD Board of Trustees consists of seven members elected to serve, without compensation, for overlapping terms of four years each. Operating within the legal parameters of the state and federal constitutions, statutes, courts and administrative agencies, the board is charged with the responsibility of providing the finest educational program possible for the students in the district. School trustees make all final decisions regarding school district priorities, policies, personnel, textbooks, expenditures and growth management. Trustees adopt a budget which is necessary to maintain and operate the schools, levy taxes to support the budget and submit bond issues to the citizens of the district to finance construction projects. The board employs and evaluates the superintendent of schools, and selects and supervises the internal auditor.”

“To be elected to the Plano ISD Board of Trustees, a candidate must receive a plurality of votes, meaning more votes than any other candidate, except as otherwise provided by law.”

Candidates are elected at large, meaning that they do not represent specific geographic districts. All voters in the school district vote in all races. The candidates in contested races are listed in ballot order:

Place 1:

Lauren Tyra
Shafik Ben Guesmia
Semida Voicu

Place 2:

Dayna Oscherwitz
Ajikwaga Felli
Incumbent Angela Powell

Place 3:

Incumbent Nancy C. Humphrey
Lynn Walling

Place 6:

Marilyn Loughray
Incumbent Jeri Chambers

For more information about the school board election, visit the Plano ISD election web page.

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CollinCollegeBoardOfTrustees

Collin College Board of Trustees

Collin College is led by a nine-member, elected Board of Trustees along with the district president. Board members serve six-year staggered terms and are not subject to term limits.

Candidates are elected at large, meaning that they do not represent specific geographic districts. All voters in the county vote in all races. The candidates in contested races are listed in ballot order:

Place 7:

Incumbent Jim Orr
Helen Chang

Place 8:

Misty Irby
Incumbent Dr. James Robert “Bob” Collins

Place 9:

Incumbent Andrew Hardin
Jacoby Stewart

For more information about the election, visit the Collin College Board Elections web page.

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GarlandMayorAndCityCouncil

GARLAND MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL

The mayor is elected at large, meaning that all voters in the city vote for the mayor. All council districts are single-member districts. You must live in the district to vote in that race.