When term-limited District 3 Dallas City Council Member Casey Thomas announced in December, “He’s got next” in a photo with longtime public servant and pastor Zarin Gracey, he wasn’t wrong. It just took a while.
With all precincts reporting around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Gracey claimed the D3 seat in the City Council’s only runoff, earning 62.57 percent of the vote over five-time candidate Joe Tave.
After coming up just shy of the required 50-plus percent of the vote to win the May 6 election outright, Gracey garnered 1,063 ballots to Tave’s 636 ballots in Saturday’s race.
A swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for all Dallas City Council members at 10 a.m. June 20, at Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St.
Election Results
The District 3 race was the only City Council contest forced to a runoff. Every eligible incumbent returned to their seats, and the District 10 position, vacated by term-limited Adam McGough, was sealed outright May 6 by former Uptown Dallas Inc. Executive Director Kathy Stewart.
The breakdown May 6 in the District 3 race was Gracey (46.22 percent), Tave (25.6 percent), John Sims (14 percent), Denise Benavides (10.51 percent), and August Doyle (3.45 percent).
Dallas ISD
Voters also decided Saturday a hotly-contested District 2 Dallas ISD board race.
Longtime education volunteer Sarah Weinberg defeated small business owner Jimmy Tran with 53.21 percent of the vote in the runoff. The District 2 seat was vacated by Dustin Marshall, who announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election.
Tran received more votes (40 percent) than Weinberg did in the general election last month. Weinberg brought in 37 percent of the vote May 6 in a three-person race.
Meet Zarin Gracey
Gracey worked for the City of Dallas for 15 years as director of the Office of Business Diversity, manager of Business Inclusion Development, and a cash and investment manager, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was the first president of the Dallas Public Facility Corporation board and served as the District 3 city plan commissioner.
Gracey has outlined where he stands on major housing issues such as PFC projects and short-term rentals, but it looks like he may not have to cast a vote on the latter from the horseshoe, as the Dallas City Council is slated to decide on STRs at its June 14 meeting.
Check daltxrealestate.com for a full interview with the new District 3 councilman coming soon.
