District 3’s current City Council member, Casey Thomas, is wrapping up his fourth and final term. Five candidates have eyes on his seat. District 10 City Council member Adam McGough is also on his way out after serving four consecutive terms. Residents will have to choose among four others to replace McGough. If candidates don’t get at least 50% of the votes in their races, they will go into a runoff election.
District 3:
August Doyle
August Doyle has lived in Dallas for more than 50 years. Doyle has run for City Council before, once in 1983 and again in 1985. In a social media post announcing his candidacy, Doyle said he has experience at City Hall that gives him “the unique ability to know the problems our citizens experience.”
Denise Benavides
Denise Benavides is a Latina community advocate in Dallas who ran for the District 3 seat in 2019. She has lived in the district for nearly seven years. In a Facebook post on her campaign page Feb. 19, Benavides said the district needed more Latino representation. “The Latino community has been ignored and underserved for many many years in District 3,” she wrote. “Our people need someone to fight for them in City Council and I am ready to fight the good fight for all people, especially the people that have been ignored and underserved.”
Joe Tave
Joe Tave said he was asked to run for City Council by District 3 residents. Tave is a retired teacher and current radio talk show host. He’s lived in the district for over 30 years and has run for the district seat twice, in 2015 and 2017, losing to Thomas both times. He told the Observer that some residents in the district have felt left out of certain decisions. If elected, he said he would focus more on providing community engagement in decisions that will affect District 3 residents.
John David Sims
John David Sims didn’t respond to a request for comment. But in his filing to run for District 3’s City Council seat, Sims said he is an entrepreneur and that he has lived in the district for 13 years.
Zarin Gracey
This is Zarin Gracey’s first time running for City Council, but he has worked for Dallas in various capacities over the years. Starting as a debt manager for the city in 2005, Gracey eventually became the assistant director of the city’s economic development office. He’s also a former member of Dallas’ Public Facility Corporation for District 3. These days, he's the executive pastor at Concord Church. Public safety and equity are two areas Gracey plans to focus on in his candidacy. According to his campaign website, that means increased funding for law enforcement and first responders, and ensuring access to affordable housing and city services for all Dallas residents.
Two council members, however, have reached their term limits, so those seats are destined for some new blood.
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District 10:
Chris Carter
Chris Carter didn’t respond to a request for comment. He told local publication candysdirt.com that his family has lived in the district for 57 years. Carter graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 1981 and the University of Texas at Austin in 1985. He worked on Wall Street until 2010, when he became an international investment broker. He told candysdirt.com that he was running on an anti-corruption, pro-police platform. If elected, he would advocate for the immediate firing of Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax, as well as a 30% pay raise for police officers.
Brian Hasenbauer
Brian Hasenbauer has lived in District 10 for 17 years. Throughout that time, he’s garnered experience as a community advocate and at City Hall. From 2018 to 2021, Hasenbauer was the community development commissioner under the incumbent council member. He chaired the Economic Development, Housing Home Program committee in 2018 and formerly served on the city’s Citizen Participation and Rules Committee.
Hasenbauer is vice president of marketing at Astanza Laser, a company focused on laser tattoo removal, laser hair removal and aesthetic laser technology. Hasenbauer told the Observer he’s worked alongside McGough in the district for years. “I was excited to always support him and when the seat opened up, I wanted to help continue some of the things he’d been doing and make a few changes of my own,” he said. “I’ve got a passion for helping those that are unsheltered and trying to make our neighborhoods a more beautiful place to live, and make them safer.”
Kathy Stewart
Kathy Stewart, an attorney, has lived in District 10 for more than 40 years. In 2014, she became the executive director of the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District and served in the role until 2019. She also served as the executive director of the North Lake Highlands Public Improvement District in 2018 and 2019. “Through these leadership experiences, I learned how to serve the community,” Stewart wrote on her campaign website. “Specifically, I learned to listen. Whether standing in school libraries, cafeterias, or parking lots, I learned the importance of listening to concerns of the community about our schools, families, and neighborhood.”
Sirrano Keith Baldeo
Sirrano Keith Baldeo ran for the District 10 City Council seat against McGough in both 2019 and 2021. He earned less than 10% of the vote each time, according to Advocate Magazine. He operates an online publication called Dallas Pulse News and Opinions and often posts on social media about his desire to root out corruption in local politics. He told the Observer he's running for City Council because he's been upset with McGough's leadership in the district and doesn't think any of the other candidates are up to the task of filling the District 10 seat. Two priorities he has for the district are lowering taxes and improving public safety.
Residents have until April 6 to register to vote in the municipal elections.
