Dallas ISD Board Member Miguel Solis Is Running for Mayor

Stephen Young January 7, 2019 11:34AM

Dallas school trustee Miguel Solis, left, at a press conference Tuesday at Cesar Chavez Learning Center. John Turner, Democratic candidate for Texas House District 114, is in the background. Jim Schutze

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And then there were six. Or is it seven? Nine maybe? Whichever it is, former Dallas ISD School Board President Miguel Solis announced Monday morning that he's joining Dallas' burgeoning herd of mayoral contenders. Solis, rumored for months to be looking at a run, officially kicked off his campaign on Facebook.

"As a former Dallas public school teacher, school board member, and nonprofit leader, I’ve heard from hundreds of people across our city who believe the old ways of doing things just won’t work anymore. Like me, they’re proud of the progress being made in Dallas but recognize the many challenges still left to overcome. They want

"The wait is over. I am announcing my candidacy for Dallas Mayor to transform our city into one that benefits everyone." — Miguel Solis
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to create paths to prosperity and equity for everyone — but they’re waiting for new leaders and ideas that will bring hope and change," Solis writes. "The wait is over. I am announcing my candidacy for Dallas Mayor to transform our city into one that benefits everyone."

Solis, 32, got his start in Dallas as part of the Teach for America program, eventually running for a spot on the Dallas ISD board. With his victory in a May 2013 special election, he became the youngest ever Dallas ISD trustee.

During his time on the school board, Solis has been a strong supporter of reform efforts, like the controversial plan backed by former Superintendent Mike Miles to link teacher's pay to their performance in the classroom.

More recently, Solis made multiple appearances in support of Beto O'Rourke and other Democratic candidates during the 2018 midterm elections and co-wrote with his wife a children's book about his infant daughter Olivia's heart transplant.

Solis joins a field of candidates that includes businessman Albert Black, former Dallas City Attorney Larry Casto, philanthropist and Highland Park-expat Lynn McBee, Design District developer Michael Ablon and attorney and former Hillary Clinton aide Regina Montoya. Additional candidates, including Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs and former Texas state Rep. Jason Villalba, are reportedly deciding whether to run.

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