Local area mayoral and council seats up for May 10th Election

The Dallas Morning News - Sunday, February 10, 2008

Here's a look at other selected mayoral and council seats up for election May 10:


•Arlington: Four of the nine council seats are up for election. Veteran at-large members Steve McCollum and Ron Wright, the mayor pro tem, have said they don't intend to run. The other incumbents up for re-election are Mel LeBlanc and Sheri Capehart.


•Duncanville: The balance of power could shift if the mayor's seat or the District 2 council seat changes hands. Mayor David Green and District 2 council member Scott Cannon routinely vote together when the council splits 4-3. Both plan to run again, as does one of their opponents, District 4 member Deborah Hodge.


•Flower Mound: Mayor Jody Smith is expected to seek a third term. In Place 2, Planning and Zoning Board member Steve Dixon is running, and incumbent Al Filodoro has indicated he probably will, too. In Place 4, incumbent Laurie Long isn't running; Planning and Zoning Board member Jean Levenick is expected to run.


•Garland: The council seats held by Douglas Athas in District 1, Laura Perkins Cox in District 2, Larry Jeffus in District 4 and Jackie Feagin in District 5 are up for election. All four incumbents are expected to run again.


•Grand Prairie: District 1 council member Lee Herring has said he won't run again. At-large member Ruthe Jackson and District 3 member Bill Thorn have said they will.


•Highland Village: Mayor Dianne Costa faces a challenge from Fred Busche, who left the council last year because of term limits. The two have sparred in the past over development projects at the FM2499-FM407 intersection. Two open council seats also are up for election: In Place 2, Don Combs can't run because of term limits, and in Place 6, Scott McDearmont has said he won't run again.


•Lancaster: Five-term Mayor Joe Tillotson's decision not to run has prompted District 5 council member Clyde Hairston to declare for the seat. The District 2, 4, 5 and 6 seats will also be up for election.


•Lewisville: Two council seats are up for election. Place 1 representative Lathan Watts plans to run again, and Place 3 incumbent Greg Tierney said he's leaning toward doing so. No challengers have surfaced.


•Park Cities: The mayors and all council seats are up for election. In University Park, all the incumbents but Harry Shawver (term limits) can run again. In Highland Park, Mayor Bill White and council members Andy Smith and Webber Beall face term limits, but Gail Madden, George Reynolds and Bruce "Smokey" Swenson are eligible to run again.


•Plano: Three council seats are up for election. Incumbents Loretta Ellerbe in Place 3 and Harry LaRosiliere in Place 5 are seeking re-election. In Place 1, term limits will keep Shep Stahel from running again.


•Rockwall: Three council seats will be on the ballot. Incumbents Stephen Straughan in Place 2, Cliff Sevier in Place 4 and Margo Nielsen in Place 6 have said they plan to seek re-election.
Read more in the Dallas Morning News

TxDOT Presents Conceptual Toll Plan for SH 121 through Collin County

TxDOT - July 18, 2006

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is presenting an opportunity for public input on the Conceptual Toll Plan for SH 121 from the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) to US 75 at a public meeting on Tuesday, July 25, at the Plano Centre, located at 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway in Plano. This public meeting will be held in an open house format from 4 to 8 p.m. with no formal presentation.

During the meeting, TxDOT officials will be available to discuss the proposed tolling of SH 121 within the 13-mile corridor that passes through the cities of Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney and the town of Fairview. The SH 121 main lanes through the corridor are in various stages of construction.

There are no proposed changes to the locations or sizes of the previously designed ramps and main lanes. The proposed tolling would not require additional right of way, displacements or relocations. The re-evaluation of the previously approved environmental documents will research and identify potential changes to the natural, social and economic environment that could occur as a result of tolling SH 121.

Informational handouts will be available at various stations at the meeting as well as a display of a video simulation of the new toll road. The Conceptual Toll Plan schematic, project timeline, location map and a toll gantry map for the project will be on display at the meeting.

Schematics are available for viewing and copying at the Dallas District Office, located at 4777 E. Hwy. 80 in Mesquite, and at the Dallas County Transportation and Planning Division, Dallas County Public Works Administration Building, 411 Elm St., 4th Floor, in Dallas. The schematic drawings can also be viewed online.

The Denton County section of the SH 121 corridor opened as a toll road in Lewisville and Coppell on July 6 and 7. Tolls are being waived as a trial offer to the public until Sept. 1. For more information, visit our SH 121 Toll Road Web site.
NEWS RELEASE