When LaKashia Wallace applied to run for the Dallas ISD District 9 school board seat, she didn’t live at the address she wrote down, a house on Wendelkin in southern Dallas. And she hadn’t for months.
On the same day she submitted her application to seek office, the city posted on the property that it was “unfit for human habitation and a hazard to public safety.”
It’s set for demolition this month, at her expense.
Wallace says she’s lived at the house for years, raised her children there, and inherited the 1920s Greek Revival two-story home from her grandmother in 2018. She says a fallen tree limb from the 2021 ice storm smashed part of the roof. Other damage over time left the home in further disrepair and ruin.
Last year, Wallace moved in with her daughter nearby, also in District 9. She said she worked with the city of Dallas seeking repair help while also trying to raise money to fix damage. February’s city demolition notice surprised her.
“I was always told that the goal was to help me get back in my home,” Wallace said. “And all of a sudden here's this order. No more help, no more assistance, just boom.”
Wallace is still trying to repair the property.
“Even if that home is demolished, a new one will come back up at the same address,” she said.
As for listing the Wendelkin home on her Dallas trustee application even though she wasn’t living there, Wallace said it’s her permanent home that she always planned to move back into, once fixed.
Attorney Roger Borgelt, a Texas residency expert who’s heard all kinds of stories challenging candidate legitimacy, said Wallace "would easily survive a challenge to her residency" under the circumstances.
Wallace is one of four candidates running to replace current District 9 trustee (and board president) Justin Henry, who announced earlier this month he’s not seeking a third term. The election is on May 4.
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