Vote Pro-Housing in June 7th City Council Runoff Election!
Jeff Kitner led a coalition for more trails. Bill Roth blocked affordable housing at every turn. Your vote decides the future of North Dallas.
Early voting in the City of Dallas runoff election runs from May 27 to June 3. Election Day is Saturday, June 7. Two city council races are headed to a runoff—District 8 and District 11—but the contest in District 11 is especially significant because the two runoff candidates have sharply different visions not just for North Dallas, but for the future of the entire city.
For a high-level look at each candidate, you can read reports from Dallas Morning News and Candy’s Dirt about the race. You can read the DMN’s unabridged interviews with Kitner and Roth if you want to draw your own conclusions.
But if I may cut to the chase…
EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN DISTRICT 11 NEEDS TO GO VOTE!
Tell your neighbors, friends, coworkers, employers, classmates, everyone you know in District 11 to go out and vote on Saturday, June 7th.
It’s really important.
Like my friend Adam at Dallas Neighbors for Housing, I can’t go so far as to say I speak on behalf of all 100 members of Dallas Urbanists STLC. Everything I express here is only my opinion and does not represent the views of Strong Towns nor our Strong Towns Local Conversation as a whole.
With disclaimers out of the way, allow me to be blunt:
Bill Roth winning D11 would be a catastrophe for us all. For everyone’s sake, please vote for Jeff Kitner.
In my 3.5 years of advocating for housing and transportation in Dallas, I’ve crossed paths with both candidates on multiple occasions.
I first met Jeff in September 2023 at a speaking event organized by Dallas Bicycle Coalition, which had just been revived that summer after a years-long hiatus. He founded the Dallas Trails Coalition the year before, and he helped grow “Friends Of” trail groups across the city. While I can’t say I’ve interacted with him a ton, my few interactions with him match what I consistently hear from others: he’s genuinely passionate about cycling, trails, and making neighborhoods safe and enjoyable places for kids and families to live and play outdoors.
Reading his answers to DN4H’s housing questionnaire, he’s a few bold answers short of what I’d consider “super urbanist” (I wish he had smarter responses for parking reform and public safety). That said, most of his answers touch on hallmarks of good urbanism: housing first, smaller lot sizes, mixed-use development, plugging sidewalk gaps, and rezoning for duplexes.
There’s always room for improvement, no councilman is perfect. Yet looking at Jeff’s words, actions, and community involvement, I have no doubt his head and heart are in the right place facing the right direction.
Then there’s Bill Roth.
In March 2023, I and a handful of people with Dallas Neighbors for Housing (barely a year old at the time) went to Forest Green Branch Library to attend a public meeting about an affordable housing project nestled between Forest Lane Station (one of the most active DART rail stations outside of downtown) and Highway US-75. Adam Lamont’s blog post explains in detail how, through lies, lawsuits, and hypocrisy, Bill Roth ultimately succeeded at killing the housing project.
Now Bill has his sights on a new target: Pepper Square, a proposed mixed-used redevelopment that would convert a mostly-empty strip mall into 950 apartments (down from 1,550 proposed originally). This election will most likely determine Pepper Square’s fate.
I could write an entire article about how Pepper Square is a much bigger deal for the city in both the short- and long-term than most people realize.
But right now, I want you to consider what’s at stake: Bill Roth is a seasoned expert at killing housing projects even without holding public office.
Location doesn’t really matter: the Forest Lane project he killed was in District 10, yet he was and is in District 11. According to public data, Pepper Square is three times farther than Forest Lane from Bill’s home.
So if Bill can kill any project any where before being elected, what happens after?
Vote now before it’s too late. Please vote Kitner.
I haven't known Jeff Kitner long at all, but I've been blockwalking for him this election. He's a good man. I live right across the street from Pepper Square, and it was the first question I asked him when I first met him. He's a reasonable, smart, and accomplished person, and the City of Dallas would be better with him as a council member.