District 3 Council member Nikkie Hunter is seeking reelection to a final term against challenger Kelly R. Burke.
Both candidates responded to a KERA News questionnaire with details about themselves and their stances on different issues important to voters in this election.
Nikkie Hunter (Incumbent)
Age as of election day:
49
Years as an Arlington resident:
47
Campaign Website:
www.votefornikkiehunter.com
Email:
nikkie2900@sbcglobal.net
Phone:
817-456-4200
Best way for voters to contact:
Phone or email
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a felony?:
No
Have you ever declared bankruptcy? If yes, please provide context including date, reason and anything else you'd like voters to know:
Yes- Filed in 2017
Have you held elected office before? If yes, please list along with the start and end dates of your time in that office along with any accomplishments while in office you'd like voters to know about:
Yes, elected in 2021, Re-elected in 2023.
Safe Neighborhoods: Strong support for police and fire departments. Advocated for crime prevention initiatives. Increased neighborhood engagement and accessibility.
Infrastructure & streets: secured street repairs and ongoing maintenance improvements. Advanced sidewalk, pedestrian crossing, and drainage projects. Supported neighborhood beautification efforts.
Economic development & small business support: Championed local small businesses and entrepreneurs. Promoted responsible growth and redevelopment. Worked to reduce barriers for business owners.
Community Leadership: Accessible and responsive representation focused on families, seniors, and youth. Collaborative partnerships with nonprofits, schools, and civic groups.
Have you run for office before and not been elected? If yes, please list the races:
No.
Have you been on any boards, commissions or held any appointed office? If yes, please list the position, start and end dates and any accomplishments while in that position you'd like to share with voters:
I am on the board of trustees for Medical City Arlington, Arlington Life Shelter board, Advocates for Special People Board and Susan G Koman board. I was previously on the Texas Health Resources board, YMCA and The City of Arlington Community Relations Board. Former President of Rotary Club and Area Governor
Why are you running for city council in Arlington?
I’m running because I believe safe neighborhoods are the foundation of a strong city. I believe infrastructure and streets should be maintained with urgency and accountability. I believe small businesses deserve a partner at City Hall. I believe leadership should be accessible, responsive, and transparent. Public service isn’t about titles — it’s about results. It’s about showing up. It’s about doing the work when no one is watching.
Do you have any other experience or qualifications you believe make you best suited to be a city council member that you would like to share?
In addition to my time serving on the City Council, I bring a unique combination of executive leadership experience, community engagement, and proven results. Professionally, I work in healthcare management and marketing, where I oversee strategy, communications, and operational planning.
That experience has strengthened my ability to manage budgets, analyze data, build consensus, and make informed decisions that balance fiscal responsibility with community needs. I also serve on multiple nonprofit and civic boards, including healthcare and community-focused organizations.
Through this service, I’ve gained valuable experience in governance, transparency, long-range planning, and collaborative leadership — all critical responsibilities of a City Council member.
What are the top three issues facing the city, and how would you seek to address them?
Public Safety and neighborhoods: Continue strong support for police and fire departments; invest in recruitment, retention, and training; expand crime prevention and neighborhood engagement initiatives; improve lighting, pedestrian crossings, and traffic safety.
Infrastructure: Prioritize street repairs and preventative maintenance; advocate for long-term capital improvement planning; address drainage and flood mitigation in vulnerable areas; ensure responsible oversight of taxpayer dollars.
Responsible growth and support of small businesses: Support local small businesses; encourage strategic, responsible development; balance economic growth with neighborhood preservation; focus on job creation and expanding our tax base without overburdening residents.
Should Arlington seek to adopt AI in transportation (i.e. autonomous vehicles)? Please explain your opinion:
As Arlington continues to expand, adopting AI in transportation can improve safety, reduce congestion, and make better use of taxpayer dollars — but it must be implemented with strong oversight and community input.
Should Arlington incorporate AI in other areas, including if that implementation could result in lost jobs for human workers?
AI should be carefully thought out. With that said, in areas where there would be significant job loss, I would not be in favor of AI.
City leaders said changes at the Tarrant Appraisal District led to financial woes in the city during budget planning last year. How do you think the $25 million budget gap was managed, and would you have sought to do anything differently?
When the changes at the Tarrant Appraisal District created unexpected valuation shifts, it forced cities across the county — including ours — to adjust quickly.
A $25 million budget gap is significant, and it required disciplined, responsible leadership to manage it without jeopardizing essential services.
Looking forward to answer the question would I have done anything different: Earlier Financial Forecasting & Contingency Planning Ensuring stronger real-time coordination between appraisal data and city finance teams to avoid late surprises. Clearer Communication with Residents Budget gaps create anxiety. I believe in proactive communication — explaining what happened, what it means, and how we’re responding.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been seeking partnerships with local police across the country. Would you support or oppose a partnership with ICE in Arlington? Please explain your answer.
Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. My priority as a City Council member is ensuring the safety of our neighborhoods while maintaining trust between our residents and local law enforcement. I support strong collaboration between agencies when it enhances public safety — particularly when it comes to violent crime, human trafficking, and serious criminal activity. However, I also believe local police resources should remain focused on local priorities: responding to crime, protecting families, and building community trust.
Arlington's council voted last year to suspend anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people in the city over concerns of losing federal grant funding. Do you support or oppose this decision? Please explain your answer.
Every resident in our city deserves to feel safe, respected, and protected under the law. Anti-discrimination policies are not political statements — they are affirmations of basic dignity and fairness. While I understand the concerns raised about potential federal funding implications, I believe civil rights should never be treated as negotiable. Our responsibility as leaders is to find solutions that both protect critical funding and uphold equal protection for all members of our community.
What are the top three issues facing your district specifically, and how would you address them?
Infrastructure & Street Maintenance: By continuing to do the following: Prioritizing bond-funded street repairs; Advocating for proactive maintenance instead of reactive fixes; Ensuring equitable infrastructure investment in older neighborhoods; Pushing for long-term drainage solutions to reduce flooding concerns.
Public Safety & Neighborhood Stability: Strong support for police and fire resources; Expanding community policing and neighborhood engagement; Investing in crime prevention programs.
Traffic management in District 3: Continue to focus on finding and adding practical solutions to high traffic areas and pedestrian crossings in the district.
Is there anything else voters should know about you?
Voters should know that I am a results-driven leader who believes in collaboration. My record reflects real improvements in infrastructure, neighborhood safety, and community engagement.
I have always supported our first responders, championed responsible growth, and worked to ensure District 3 neighborhoods receive the attention they deserve.
I believe leadership is revealed long before Election Day — through preparation, transparency, and consistency. I remain focused on serving with integrity and keeping our district moving forward.
Kelly R. Burke
Age as of election day:
43
Years as an Arlington resident:
Around 20 years, I moved here from Fort Worth around 2004
Campaign Website:
www.kellyburkeforarlington.com
Email:
kburkeforarlington@gmail.com
Phone:
682-552-5592
Best way for voters to contact:
Phone Call, Text, email and social media
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a felony?:
No.
Have you ever declared bankruptcy? If yes, please provide context including date, reason and anything else you'd like voters to know:
No.
Have you held elected office before? If yes, please list along with the start and end dates of your time in that office along with any accomplishments while in office you'd like voters to know about:
No.
Have you run for office before and not been elected? If yes, please list the races:
Yes, 2021 Arlington Mayor, 2022 AISD Board of Trustees.
Have you been on any boards, commissions or held any appointed office? If yes, please list the position, start and end dates and any accomplishments while in that position you'd like to share with voters:
Licensed Minister In 2005, Served under the Pastoral Leadership of Danny Kirk. Sr in an Associate Minister role, until 2011. Then Served under Pastor G. Craig Lewis from 2011 until 2014. Served as an Independent Pastor from 2017 to 2020. Also served on the board of Alliance for Children from 2021 to 2024.
Why are you running for city council in Arlington?
I want to make a difference in my community and my district.
Do you have any other experience or qualifications you believe make you best suited to be a city council member that you would like to share?
I know business and development, I co-own Burkes Christian Academy with my wife Lois Burke and KRB Fitness Training studio. With my years spent in Church Leadership, youth mentorship and education and my strong pursuit in Fitness helping Arlington residents build stronger minds and bodies. I feel I am fully equipped to serve as a future councilman.
What are the top three issues facing the city, and how would you seek to address them?
Well, with my focus on the future of district three I would say Crime, Business development and home ownership.
Should Arlington seek to adopt AI in transportation (i.e. autonomous vehicles)? Please explain your opinion:
I would need to look at the options of how that would look, my main concern is people having a lack of opportunity to do those jobs if we used AI.
Should Arlington incorporate AI in other areas, including if that implementation could result in lost jobs for human workers?
Not if it causes a lack of jobs.
City leaders said changes at the Tarrant Appraisal District led to financial woes in the city during budget planning last year. How do you think the $25 million budget gap was managed, and would you have sought to do anything differently?
I think things could have been handled differently, I guess we truly never know how things are going to pan out when the budget is being created. I know for my self I would always vote in such a way that the people of Arlington, Texas come first.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been seeking partnerships with local police across the country. Would you support or oppose a partnership with ICE in Arlington? Please explain your answer.
I would never blindly support nor go against anything, I would need to see what the Cities options are in that regards and how that would look both ways.
Arlington's council voted last year to suspend anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people in the city over concerns of losing federal grant funding. Do you support or oppose this decision? Please explain your answer.
I believe every citizen of America deserves protection under the law of the Constitution, and every person in this city should be treated the same. We do not need federal funds to do that, we just need good people to rally around each other when one of us needs that protection.
What are the top three issues facing your district specifically, and how would you address them?
Crime: Build on the programs we have in place and make them better, with a heavy focus on crime prevention being actionary not reactionary. My focus would be to engage the youth directly and empower them to become leaders and future officers of Arlington.
Business Development: A heavy focus on working hand and hand with already established organizations in the city to build out local businesses and assist those who are struggling with getting started in business. I would work with HOAs, local Realtors in the district and real estate investors to pour back into District 3 so that young people would have a desire to buy a home in the district that would be a powerful investment bac into our great district.
Is there anything else voters should know about you?
If I'm elected, I will work as soon as I'm elected to make district three one of the best Districts in the City of Arlington, Texas.
