Election Watch 2021: Texas Election Day, May 1

We’re not taking any breaks this year. On May 1, 25 RFS-endorsed candidates are running for local office in the great state of Texas. Among them are 8 School Board candidates, 16 City Council candidates, and 1 candidate running for mayor!

There’s still time to support their campaigns — learn about them below and find a way you can help them get out the vote before polls close.

Candidates

Adam Bazaldua
Dallas City Council, District 7

Adam Bazaldua was elected June 2019 as the youngest person to ever serve on the Dallas City Council. For the past two years, he has been delivering for the residents of District 7, maintaining his commitment to transparency and accountability.

Adam is focused on improving neighborhood safety, solving the City’s growing homeless population and attracting local businesses that better serve each neighborhood’s needs. He is a dedicated advocate for economic growth that benefits the existing residents of the community.

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez
San Antonio City Council, District 2
Volunteer With Jalen!

Jalen is an educator who has committed himself to serving and empowering his community through representative policy-making. As the son of two veterans, and the oldest of three, he was raised to value service to others, empathy, and integrity.

Two years after graduating from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a BA in Communication, Jalen decided to continue living by the principles his family instilled in him by volunteering full-time as an AmeriCorps member with City Year, and then began his career as a high school math teacher on the eastside of San Antonio. Through working closely with students and families in District 2, Jalen saw how heavily the environment could impact a child’s future — how their housing, access to transportation, and access to recreational activities played a huge role in these critical years of their lives.

Now, in his fourth year in the classroom, he’s on the northeast side, where he has witnessed first-hand the stark inequities in education, economic opportunity, and public health that his community faces, further perpetuated by economic segregation. These observations are what inspired Jalen to run, and to make a difference for his students and their families outside of the classroom. Jalen believes working class families deserve working class representation and has said “No” to contributions from developers and corporate PACs.

Paige Dixon
Lewisville ISD School Board, Place 1

Adopted to a family of working parents struggling to make ends meet, Paige overcame poverty and homelessness. Her family filled her with love, religious values, and principles to treat all with the utmost respect. In a working family of housekeepers, she helped from a very young age after school by cleaning homes. At the young age of 15, Paige was labeled as non-University material. Her senior year, Paige found herself homeless, a teacher and role model that believed in her, drove her to school each day and was essential in her graduating high school.

Paige Dixon’s story is one of perseverance and resilience. From a young age, she learned to overcome the odds and to have faith. She went from traveling 14 miles to go to school, from her one traffic light rural town, to traveling the globe where she served two tours of combat duty in Iraq in the Army. Paige received her bachelor’s degree, in preparation for life after the uniform, at Dallas Baptist University. Paige has great pride in knowing she beat the odds to become a first-generation graduate, paving the road for her progeny. With this position, she sees an opportunity to pay it forward.

Cydnei Drake
Carrollton Farmers Branch School Board
Volunteer With Cydnei!

Cydnei is a proud Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD parent, nonprofit leader, and lifelong resident of Texas. She is a wife, mother, and community leader dedicated to helping her community thrive! Cydnei looks forward to bringing her experience, knowledge, leadership, relationships, passion, and commitment to the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School Board. As a first-generation college student, Cydnei understands the importance of a quality education and the opportunities afforded by that honor. With hard work, dedication, and perseverance, Cydnei earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, graduating with honors, and went on to complete a Masters degree in Social Work with a concentration in Mental Health and Substance Abuse from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at Arlington, respectively.

Cydnei is passionate and dedicated to serving our students, teachers, faculty, and staff and believes she can bring a unique perspective to the board as a mother, social worker, first-generation and low-income student of color, and nonprofit professional serving middle school, high school, and college students across the state. Cydnei’s lived experiences offer a new lens and advantage to the school board. Cydnei shares many similarities with CFBISD students, and will be an ardent champion for their success.

Janneke Parrish
Round Rock City Council

Janneke is an activist and advocate who fights for social equity and climate justice in central Texas. In walking the streets of Round Rock and helping her neighbors, Janneke hears the same stories over and over — rents are climbing, traffic is worsening, and when residents need help, the city council is nowhere to be found. She is running to bring the focus of Round Rock politics back to the people. She believes that good public transit, improved social services, and an accessible, transparent government will make a difference in the lives of everyone in Round Rock.

If elected, Janneke would be the youngest person ever elected to the Round Rock city council. She would also be the first LGBTQ elected official in her county.

Elizabeth Beck
Fort Worth City Council, District 9
Volunteer With Elizabeth!

Elizabeth is a single mother, veteran, lawyer, community leader. At seventeen, Elizabeth enlisted in the Army Reserves. In 2005, she deployed to Taji, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

She earned her BA and Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Arlington then her J.D. from Texas A&M School of Law. Elizabeth is an employment lawyer, representing employees across the country in overtime claims.

Serving her community is one of her core values, and she is committed to ensuring that all of Fort Worth has the tools and infrastructure necessary to thrive.

Mina Davis
Hutto Independent School District Board of Trustees

Mina Davis is a data scientist and lifelong community organizer running for Hutto Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees. Hutto ISD is a diverse district that is one of the fastest growing districts in the state of Texas. Mina’s passion for public education started in her debate days as a junior in HS and has since been highly involved in a variety of campaigns that aimed to fight for public education all over the country.

Mina is highly focused on promoting smart growth in the community, equity and inclusion and also bringing more of the community into the conversation. Mina believes that in order to be a good steward to the community, a more active presence is required.

She is running for a second time after narrowly losing her election for the same spot in 2020 by 40 votes because the love for her community is fierce. Her commitment to her community includes being precinct chair in Williamson County, President of Williamson County Young Democrats and also currently serving as the Interim Chief of Staff for the Young Democrats of America. Other local boards she is involved in include Eastern Williamson County Boys and Girls Club and the Austin Community College Regional Advisory Committee — North Region.

Roxanne Martinez
Fort Worth ISD Board of Trustees, District 9

Roxanne is running for Fort Worth ISD School Board to champion the needs of all students and ensure that its schools are a place where all kids can thrive. A product of Fort Worth ISD, a mother of two children in the district and a community advocate with a decade of service in public schools, Roxanne knows first-hand the challenges that many students and families in the district face.

Roxanne is deeply rooted in her community. She is a local small business owner, nonprofit leader, community advocate, wife and mother. After working over a decade in nonprofit and corporate marketing, Roxanne launched her marketing agency, Roxstar Marketing. Since 2012, she has been assisting small businesses and mission-driven organizations in driving results through social media, email and online marketing. Most recently, she served as a marketing consultant for Read Fort Worth, a local coalition working to ensure that Fort Worth ISD third-graders are reading on grade level.

Roxanne has dedicated countless hours to improving the well-being of children and families in the Fort Worth community. She serves on numerous nonprofit and civic boards and committees. As a first-generation college graduate, Roxanne knows that students like herself can succeed with the right resources, guidance and tools. She is ready to work to improve the quality of education for all students in Fort Worth ISD.

Diana Saleh
Arlington City Council, District 3
Volunteer With Diana!

Diana is a Texas transplant with business acumen and a heart for community service. Having chosen to make Arlington her home nearly a decade ago, Diana will bring both years of experience and a fresh perspective to the City Council to help ensure the City government works for all Arlington residents! She will strive to serve with equity, empathy, and action as her guiding principles.

The granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, Diana is a first-generation Palestinian American with strength and resilience in her DNA. As the eldest of five siblings, Diana assumed the role of interpreter, negotiator, and healthcare advocate for her family at a very young age. This experience taught Diana the importance of showing up for those you love with empathy and commitment. She is the embodiment of the promise America holds, and her background inspires her work to extend opportunities to succeed in Arlington, where Diana chose to move after college. Access to quality education with adequate preparation for college and the workforce has been critical in helping Diana’s whole family achieve their dreams, and she wants to make this a reality for all Arlington families.

Crystal Davila
Pasadena ISD School Board, Position 2

Crystal Davila is an educator committed to creating opportunities that are not present in the community she grew up in. As a daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico, she learned the value of helping the most in need. She returned to her community after graduating from University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Mathematics, Urban Studies, and a teaching certificate. Teaching high school students for five years, she realized change wasn’t going to happen with the current school board. The school she graduated from and has been teaching for five years has had a leaking ceiling, missing bathroom doors, and mold. Yet, the current School Board has started the process of making a new administration building with a tag of $27 million dollars. If elected, Crystal and her peers can stop this.

After working with seniors, Crystal has witnessed how their environment impacts a student’s future. Deteriorating schools, schools in close proximity to chemical plants, lack of recreational and activities, and a segregated city influence why she is running for school board. She will improve the conditions for students and teachers. The city is 80% Latino, yet the school board is composed of older affluent white people that do not represent the majority of the population. Her district pushes students to college without preparing underserved communities with the tools to strive. Only a select pool of students gain entry to a career training high school. She will advocate students with multiple opportunities to prepare for life after high school.

Gabrien Gregory
San Antonio City Council, District 10
Volunteer With Gabrien!

Gabrien Gregory is an Army Reserve officer, community and campaign organizer, and service industry worker. He is running for San Antonio City Council District 10 because he believes people across the political spectrum are ready for a new generation of elected officials — someone who will serve proactively, with humility, with a fresh perspective, and with the will to empower small business leaders and neighbors. With Gabrien, everyone has a voice at the table.

Gabrien is challenging a two-term incumbent in the most historically conservative seat in San Antonio. He is running to bring COVID19 relief and recovery for small and locally operated businesses. He advocates for Housing First policies that aim to keep families in their homes and provide permanent resources to chronically homeless residents. As the son of two Army veterans, he sees an opportunity to expand mental healthcare access, educational potential, and career opportunities for veterans and their families in Military City. Gabrien is eager to address inequities within the community, push for police accountability, follow science and further limit San Antonio’s carbon footprint.

Gabrien holds a degree in Political Science and a minor in Military Science from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. He is a proud graduate of MacArthur High School in District 10.

Alison Maguire
Denton City Council, District 4
Volunteer With Alison!

Alison is a second-generation public school teacher, a mom, and a progressive running for City Council in Denton, Texas.

As a teacher, Alison found herself frustrated trying to meet the educational needs of students who were facing food and housing insecurity. After making the difficult decision to leave the classroom, she decided to dedicate her time to volunteering on campaigns that fought to improve conditions for folks like her students, such as Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

Alison believes that housing, healthcare, and food are human rights. If elected, Alison will prioritize affordable housing, responsible development, environmental sustainability, and public health. She recognizes that the wellbeing of each Denton resident is bound up with the wellbeing of the community at-large, and she believes that every Denton resident deserves a voice in City Hall.

Alison, her husband Sean, and their two dogs became Dentonites seven years ago. They have since welcomed two children, Thomas and Eleanor, and are so grateful for a vibrant, engaged, and caring community in which to raise them.

Hosanna Yemiru
Dallas City Council, District 11
Volunteer With Hosanna!

Hosanna is an organizer running to represent her home district in the Dallas City Council. Hosanna was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and moved to Dallas with her family at just 11 years old. Growing up in a working family, she relied on her city to survive: using the bus to get around, the libraries for wifi, and city services for utility payment assistance. Yet, year after year, these necessary services are always first for the chopping block. Now, she’s running to ensure that all Dallasites have access to a city that invests in us as much as it demands from us.

On Council, Hosanna will be a champion for working families, and will fight to ensure that every Dallasite has a good home, access to good jobs and living wages, clean air to breathe, public transit that meets our needs and a neighborhood where we can raise our families in dignity. As an organizer, Hosanna knows that we only get what we fight for, and on Council, she’ll always be ready to demand more for our city: more accountability, more urgency and more creative solutions to our biggest challenges.

When elected, Hosanna will be the youngest member of the Dallas City Council, and the first woman of color to represent District 11.

Mary D. Harris
Wylie City Council, Place 4
Volunteer With Mary!

Community leader Mary D. Harris is running for City Council of Wylie, Texas.

Harris is most devoted to issues and policy changes related to community, small business, equity, and inclusion. Her goal is to grow the Wylie community and further cultivate and enrich a city that is neighbor-focused and inclusive to all.

Today Mary extends her talents in communication, relationship management, and consulting to cities and local governments as an insurance account executive and marketing expert. Mary also volunteers in the public sector, a former CASA (Court Appointed Advocate for Abused Children), and serves as a leader on the City of Wylie Ethics Board.

Mary is from Dallas, TX, and has been a resident of the Wylie and Collin County area for 10 years.

Clayton Tucker
Lampasas City Council, Place 1

Clayton Tucker is a rancher, beekeeper, former teacher, former water researcher, author, and a community organizer with Jim Hightower. He is running to end the digital divide in his rural community. It’s nearly impossible to do anything without the Internet — from finding jobs to telehealth and more. The lack of reliable broadband hurts working families, especially those in rural areas, more than most. Clayton fights to ensure everyone in his community has fast, reliable, and affordable Internet.

Clayton also wants to bring more and better-paying jobs to his rural community. Rural Texas has been in an economic recession for a long time. This is causing our communities to crumble and undue stress and suffering. While ending the digital divide will be critical to creating new jobs, boosting the tourism industry as well as creating a renewable energy industry will be key. Some communities in Texas use their revenues from wind turbines to fund their local schools and give their teachers raises. The same can happen in Lampasas, but only with the right amount of vision and leadership.

Nassat Parveen
Plano City Council, Place 4
Volunteer with Nassat!

Nassat Parveen is ready to bring a fresh perspective, and nearly a decade of community service leadership experiences, to City Hall. Originally born in Bangladesh and migrating here to America with her parents at just 6 months, Nassat is a perfect example of what the American dream is all about and will be able to represent the immigrant experience.

Nassat has been a resident of Plano since she was four years old, and plans to call Plano “Home Forever.” She is a proud graduate of our public schools, an educator in our school district, and has volunteered in the city since she was a teenager. Her dedication to making sure all voices are heard is the reason she stepped up to volunteer in local elections when she was just 17 years old. Her ability to speak 7 languages is all it took to get more people involved in the democratic process by having just a simple language translation. On top of volunteering in local elections, She has also been advocate for mental Health and Suicide prevention and even worked hard along with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to help get legislators to sign the Suicide crisis hotline Act into law last year. Her motivation for running comes from her own experience of working in many underserved communities in Plano where many still don’t have a voice and she aims to finally give a voice to those voiceless populations. As a millennial, Nassat brings a unique perspective from a demographic that has never been reflected in our council before.

If elected, Nassat Parveen will make history as the youngest to be on city council and will finally give a voice to the youth populations. Her mission to live by, “service above self,” experiences working with marginalized groups, and an ability to understand and collaborate with people of all backgrounds and ideologies make Nassat the best choice for Plano City Council Place 4 during this time when unity is needed.

Jennifer Long
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, Place 5

Jennifer Long is a music educator with 17 years of experience as a children’s choir director, musical theatre instructor, classroom music teacher, substitute teacher, and private instructor. She currently runs a private music studio and also works in quality assurance.

Jennifer is a single mom who is familiar with the educational needs of everyday families, especially needs highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. She brings diverse life experiences and a fresh perspective as a school board candidate. Jennifer wants every student in the district to have easy access to private music education and college success.

Ali Ramos
Amarillo City Council, District 13

Ali was born and raised in Amarillo, TX which heightens her passion for the care of the citizens. She recently graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Social Work degree and is always looking for ways to give back to the Amarillo community. Ali decided to run for city council so that she could put her social work degree to good use while advocating for others as a progressive, queer woman in one of the reddest districts in Texas. She will fight for equal representation and diversity in local political leaders and will make sure that the voices of all communities are heard.

She is a member of several nonprofit and local city commissions which focus on disability and oppressed population issues. Due to Ali’s neuromuscular disability, she feels that this has given her the ability to adapt to societal pressures and offers a unique perspective on client care. She takes pride in showing others how to successfully navigate a system that was not made for people with disabilities.

Stephanie Bell
Mayor of Flower Mound

Stephanie is a Business Executive in Corporate America; she helps grow businesses through strategic initiatives. Stephanie is the elected President of a DFW Toastmasters chapter, where she trains and develops folks around DFW in leadership, communication, and negotiation skills. As the President, Stephanie sets the agenda and effectively runs the meetings. She also enjoys volunteering at Habitat for Humanity and North Texas Food Bank.

Mark Vargas
San Antonio City Council, District 3

Mark Vargas is an educator, advocate, and a life-long District 3 resident who is proud to be in the race to serve as the next councilman. Mark has been fighting for causes to better his community for nearly half of his life, where he has represented District 3 on the San Antonio Youth Commission, and other public organizations. After graduating from St. Mary’s University with a B.A. in Political Science, he became the College and Career Readiness Counselor at Brooks Academy of Science and Engineering, working with students grades 5th-12th.

When the pandemic began, the inequities and inequalities that exist in his district became apparent. Something as simple as an internet connection became a luxury for many families as their worlds turned upside down. Here in District 3, the pandemic has hit the hardest. District 3 has lost a year of progress in 2020, that is why it is important that they have a councilmember that is ready to take the big and bold action necessary to not just get them back on track but better than they ever have been. Mark’s commitment is that the future of San Antonio will run through District 3. He will be a full-time councilman who will only owe the people of this district. He will always come to the table to meet with people and listen to residents, while being open and transparent.

Junior Ezeonu
Grand Prairie City Council, Place 8

Junior Ezeonu is a passionate young man motivated by his community and determined to improve the lives of each Grand Prairie resident. He has served as a retail store clerk, youth basketball trainer, and currently a substitute teacher and tutor for low-income students throughout the DFW metroplex. These jobs may not have been generous in pay but they gave Junior the opportunity to learn and experience the day-to-day trials that many folks face here in Grand Prairie. And from those experiences a passion for public service developed and motivated Junior to serve his community.

Junior believes that Grand Prairie has a bright future with the right leadership. Progressive Leadership that listens to the concerns of each resident and meets them where they are rather than lecture them about what they should be doing. Grand Prairie is a vibrant and beautiful city but there is so much more to be achieved, and this is possible if we move towards progress.

Dr. Jared Williams
Fort Worth City Council, District 6

Dr. Jared Williams grew up in southwest Fort Worth and was raised by two working parents: both were public school teachers, and his dad a pastor here in the neighborhood. Dr. Williams is a graduate of North Crowley High School and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from Fort Valley State University — a historically black college and university, a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Texas Christian University, and a doctorate in Environmental Science and Science Education from the University of North Texas.

Dr. Williams has extensive experience leading education initiatives, organizing nonprofit and corporate stakeholders around common good and vision-casting equitable public education reform. He currently serves as the Regional Director for Leadership ISD and is a board member for many organizations such as the Tarrant Area Food Bank and DRC Housing Solutions. He recently celebrated his 11th anniversary as a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Rooted in the values his family instilled in him, Dr. Williams has dedicated his life-work to making a difference in Fort Worth on local and state issues like public education, hunger, housing and the environment. And now, he is ready to serve you and our community on the Fort Worth City Council for District 6.

Ariela Martinez
Castleberry ISD Board of Education, Place 3

Ariela Martinez is a candidate for Castleberry ISD School Board. She is a college access professional, community organizer, and doctoral student with nearly 10 years of experience in education, counseling, and leadership. Because of her experience serving students and families from various academic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds, Ariela brings diversity of thought, perspective, experience, and strengths from a student-centered, equity lens. Ariela is running to activate marginalized voices, serve as a community bridge, and strengthen educational experiences and opportunities for Castleberry ISD students, families, and staff.

Chelsea Pavey
Grand Prairie City Council, Place 8, At Large

Chelsea is a Grand Prairie transplant, who loves serving and helping her community. Moving to the city, from Atlanta, because it was close to her job, she has fallen in love with Grand Prairie and all it has to offer. Running for City Council, place 8, she wants to serve all members of the community. She is running because the City Council currently does not reflect the population of Grand Prairie and she, as a 35 year old, wants to more accurately represent all members of the community, especially the youthful population.

Chelsea has worked with non-profits since she was 18, serving on numerous boards across the country in leadership positions. She currently serves on the Keep Grand Prairie Beautiful Commission, striving to make the community better. As a youth camp leader, she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of young people across the nation, giving them tools to believe in themselves, and make changes in their community. She hopes to bring that passion to Grand Prairie, and make a difference to the community. As the 15th largest Texas city, Grand Prairie is growing, and Chelsea wants to make sure that citizens are not lost in that growth.

Rafael “Rafa” Diaz
Judson ISD, District 7 At-Large

Rafael, 37, currently serves as a Judson ISD Trustee for the District 7 At-Large seat. He is a father, EdTech executive, small business owner, former post-secondary instructor, School Board Partner fellow, and active servant-leader focused on helping tapping into the potential of people through education and workforce development.

He has served for over 15 years at the intersection of education, public policy, community service, and business. He brings the intersection of these positionalities to his service to re-build a stronger student-centered educational system.

His ultimate goal is to improve Judson and public education by reimagining the system and how we serve scholars of all ages. He envisions a system that increases choice and access to diverse academic programs that provide scholars, families, and educators providing stronger agency over the academic journey. Additionally, he believes that the educational system must leverage cultural and identity wealth to increase student engagement and outcomes. Lastly, the educational system must implement more and stronger anti-racist and equity policies to ensure that all scholars succeed.

He is driven by his dedication to his children but equally so to children across the country that need more servant-leaders in positions of power to implement change.

Rafael is a first-generation citizen with Cuban and Mexican parents. His wife, Hon. Marisa Perez-Diaz (D) is a ten-year elected member of the Texas State Board of Education. They have two children, ages three and four, with another baby on the way.