"Dallas needs a new kind of mayor, a mayor we can trust to champion our neighborhoods and our diverse communities and lead us to reclaim Dallas for the people of Dallas," Griggs told a crowd of supporters, media and onlookers at DEC on Dragon St. in the Design District on Thursday night. "This is why today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for the mayor of Dallas."
Griggs, a patent attorney, got involved in city politics as he advocated on behalf of neighborhood causes in Oak Cliff before eventually deciding to take on incumbent City Council member David Neumann in what was then District 3 in 2011. He won easily.
Two years later, redistricting forced him into a race against Delia Jasso, one of his council colleagues, and he survived easily.
During his time on the council, Griggs has aligned himself with fellow progressives like Philip Kingston and Adam Medrano, leading the fight against the Trinity toll road, changing the course of Fair Park privatization and pushing the city toward its settlement with police and fire pensioners. Kingston, also rumored to be considering a run for mayor this year, appears to be stepping aside to let his ally take his best shot.
If elected mayor, Griggs said, he intends to tackle the toughest remaining issues facing the city, including income inequality, infrastructure and Dallas' north-south divide.
"Let’s be the Dallas that fixes our crumbling infrastructure. Let’s be the Dallas that says right here, right now, that we will put our streets and parks and arts above city-owned hotels and designer bridges and white water rapids. " Griggs said. "Let us be the Dallas that reshapes our economy to create opportunities in every part of Dallas. Let’s be the Dallas that recognizes economic development is more than big projects. Let’s be the Dallas that invests in small opportunities in southern Dallas, just like the Bishop Arts District. Let’s be the Dallas that believes in the residents of southern Dallas. Let’s do this."Let’s be the Dallas that says right here, right now, that we will put our streets and parks and arts above city-owned hotels and designer bridges." — Scott Griggs
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Griggs is the second candidate to enter the race this week, following Dallas ISD Board member Miguel Solis, who got in on Monday. He's the eighth candidate to officially join the field, which should grow by at least one more before the Feb. 15 filing deadline, with former state Rep. Jason Villalba rumored to be getting into the race next week.