6 February 27 - March 5, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents of the DMV. Bhojani pointed to “easy to im- plement” call-back technology that could re- duce the amount of time Texans spend on hold with state agencies as another example of ways the state could lessen the burden placed on residents trying to engage with state agencies. But Bhojani thinks it’s important that Texans know this won’t be a mass axing of anything — or anyone — that could be seen as bureaucratic bloat. “In any business you’re profitable by mak- ing sure that you increase revenues and re- duce expenses, and that’s the kind of thinking cap I’m trying to bring into the committee,” Bhojani said. “We do want to be respectful of the people that have worked in our govern- ment for a long time. But at the same time, how do we bridge that and efficiency?” ▼ HOUSING HELLO, FRISCO THIS DALLAS SUBURB IS ONE OF THE TOP RELOCATION DESTINATIONS IN U.S. BY KELLY DEARMORE M ore than 500,000 people moved to North Texas from 2020-2023 ac- cording to a recent report. It’s a safe bet that a large portion of those movers told their friends and family they were “moving to Dallas,” even though it’s highly likely the relocators were settling in one of the grow- ing suburbs surrounding Big D. That’s why it’s of little surprise to find that Frisco has found itself near the top of the list of most popular suburbs for people to relocate to. According to a study from MoveBuddha.com, a moving resource web- site, Frisco is the fifth most desired suburb to move to, just behind Vancouver, Washing- ton, near Portland, Oregon. “When they want a place to call home, many Americans head outside the inner city beltways into quieter suburbs,” the Move- Buddha report states. “In fact, according to our 2025 moving survey, one-third of Amer- icans want to live in a suburban environ- ment this year.” In order to arrive at their findings, Move- Buddha mined data from its own Moving Cost Calculator to determine which suburbs Amer- icans are actively planning to move to this year. According to the study, the ‘burbs on the list “have the highest ratio of searches for moves in-to-out of cities across their metro area (and excluding the metro’s primary city).” With a “move-in-to-out ratio” of 1.82 Frisco was way ahead of the other Texas cit- ies on the list. Way down at No. 18, George- town, north of Austin has a 1.46 ratio and Conroe, just outside of Houston, has a 1.45 ratio to come in at No. 19 on the list. MoveBuddha says Frisco stood out in its findings as a popular city “to move-to and with high-valued real estate.” Frisco reportedly grew faster than any other city over 50,000 population in the U.S. during the decade from 2010-2019 accord- ing to a Census Bureau report in 2020. KERA reported at the time that Frisco “topped 200,000 people in 2019, up from 117,000 in 2010. That’s a 71% growth rate over the past decade.” If you’ve been paying attention to which school districts have been rapidly growing in North Texas, seeing Frisco high on such a list isn’t a surprise. Even with a number of corporate hubs moving to Frisco and its im- mediate environs, it was recently named as the city with the second largest remote workforce in the U.S. MoveBuddha says that Frisco symbolizes the bigger city it’s not too far from. “Frisco, TX mirrors Dallas’ explosive ur- ban and economic growth,” the report notes. “With a 1.82 move ratio and 1,001% annual growth (2022–2023), it’s now a business hub within a business hub, hosting everything from the Dallas Cowboys headquarters to FIFA’s 2026 World Cup.” ▼ CITY HALL IT’S NEVER NOT ELECTION SEASON 4 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL ELECTION BALLOT. BY EMMA RUBY V alentine’s Day was the last day for Dallas City Council hopefuls to file for a place on the May 3 election ballot, and file those hopefuls did. In all, 46 candidates will appear on Dal- las’ municipal election ballots come May, 10 of which are incumbent officials seeking an- other two-year term. Fifteen individuals filed for the ballot on Feb. 14 alone — two of those last-minute applications were denied by the City Secretary. Council member Paul Ridley, who has served two terms as the representative for downtown, uptown, Oak Lawn and parts of East Dallas, is the only sitting council mem- ber who escaped the filing period without drawing a challenger. While Ridley’s place at Marilla Street remains secured, the two- and-a-half-month long arm wrestling match over who is the best steward for Dallas’ fu- ture is on in thirteen other districts. Here are four key takeaways now that the ballots are set. District 7 Incumbent Faces Heavy Opposition Council Member Adam Bazaldua earned the title of most-challenged council member, drawing five opponents for the District 7 spot. No other incumbent candidate faces more than two challengers. One of those opponents, Marvin Cren- shaw, is running a write-in campaign, mean- ing his name will not be printed on the ballot. Among Bazaldua’s other challengers are Lamar Jefferson; Cyndey Walker, the host of the Coffee and Politics 101 podcast; Jose Rivas Jr., a retired Navy officer who has served on the Community Police Oversight Board; and O’Neil Hesson, co-founder of the environmental group Clean the Block Initia- tive. The crowded field isn’t anything new for Bazaldua. In 2021 he faced seven challeng- ers, Ballotpedia shows, and in 2019 he faced eight. Bazaldua is eligible for a final two-year term before his time on the council con- cludes. In his last election, Bazaldua claimed nearly 52% of the vote to avoid a runoff. The Elephant in City Hall Municipal elections are rarely high voter turnout affairs; but then, when was the last time people cared as much about city char- ter amendments as they did this last Novem- ber? The November election solidified Dallas HERO as an influential and motivating orga- nization in Dallas’ political climate, but which role the group will play during the upcoming election season remains unclear. Will the group issue candidate endorse- ments? What issues will those endorse- ments hinge on, and should Dallas voters gear up for a campaign as thorough as the one that pushed Propositions S and U into being? (Proposition S allows residents to sue the city. Proposition U requires hiring more police officers and sets aside additional money for police and firefighters’ pensions.) The Observer asked those questions, but all we were able to confirm is that Dallas HERO is under new leadership. Former Dallas HERO Executive Director Pete Marocco has set sail for Washington, D.C., and the Observer has confirmed that Damien LeVeck, a filmmaker with a propen- sity for creating flashy short films disparag- ing those on the City Council he disagrees with, is now heading the organization. “Dallas HERO is focused on ensuring Props S and U are implemented in Dallas,” LeVeck said when we asked about the up- coming election. “The people spoke in No- vember and Dallas HERO will work to make sure the will of the people is carried out, particularly on Prop U.” Four Districts Guaranteed a New Faces Four sitting council members will not re- turn to the horseshoe after the election: Dis- trict 4’s Carolyn King Arnold, District 6’s Omar Narvaez, District 8’s Tennell Atkins and District 11’s Jaynie Schultz. Arnold, Narvaez and Atkins have each served the maximum number of council terms allowed by Dallas’ governing city charter — although Arnold has voiced her disagreement with a recent charter amend- ment on how terms are measured that loops her into the term-limited bunch. Prior to November, Arnold would have been eligible to run for a fourth consecutive term. It’s generally clear, when a council per- son terms out, which candidate they might feel most comfortable handing the reins to. In District 6, — the largest race with eight approved candidates on the ballot, Narvaez’s long-time staffer Laura Cadena launched her campaign on the first day of the filing period. In District 8, Atkins’ former pick for the City Plan Commission Lorie Blair al- ready touts the representative’s endorse- ment on her website. Then there is District 11, where Schultz has served only two terms and is eligible for two more. Schultz announced last summer that she would not seek reelection, citing strained relationships within City Hall and the feeling that she’s accomplished what she set out to do. Schultz’s decision to step down has cleared the field for four candidates in District 11. Second and Third Chances are Aplenty This election season won’t be the first rodeo for 14 council candidates, who have vied for positions within the municipal government in the past with varying degrees of success. In District 7, Jefferson’s ballot approval comes after being denied in 2023 by AndriiKoval/Adobe Stock Ten incumbents hope to keep their City Council seats, while four districts are guaranteed new representation. Artist rendering courtesy of Kaleidoscope Park Maybe the pretty new parks in Frisco attract new residents, like this one introduced recently? Unfair Park from p4 >> p8
