An Irving City Council runoff election could shift the balance of the municipal body – and shape how the council approaches homelessness in the future.
Luis Canosa and Susan Motley are running for the District 4 seat representing South Irving on the eight-seat council. They face each other next week after advancing from last month’s six-person nonpartisan race to replace outgoing council member Phil Riddle.
Canosa, 24, is a young political newcomer who received a donation from a PAC funded by two West Texas billionaires known to donate to politicians carrying out their vision of Christian nationalism. He also has the endorsement from a “traditional family values” coalition looking to gain more sway over the council.
Motley, 53, previously ran to represent the area in the legislature a decade ago and has gained endorsements from one of her opponents in the May general election, a current council member, and a former Irving mayor.
Canosa led last month's general election with 33% of the vote; Motley received 26%.
“I was able to reach all sorts of different communities, even as a newcomer,” Canosa said, “just with concrete proposals of what I want to do.”
Motley points to her experiences in the community as a reason voters should support her.
Who’s influencing the candidates?
Motley outraised Canosa during the lead-up to the general election, according to their campaign financial reports. Canosa received a donation of $500 from the Texas Conservative Project PAC. The group’s top contributors are Farris Wilks and Tim Dunn.
Canosa said that he didn’t know what the PAC was and didn’t know who Wilks and Dunn were when he received the check from a person at the event where he was speaking.
“He was like, ‘Hey, this is a check for your campaign,’” Canosa told KERA. “I just put it in because what am I supposed to do? Not get 500 bucks for free?”
Canosa emphasizes that this is a nonpartisan seat, and anyone can donate to his campaign; he said it is not his job to check the views of his donors. He said receiving more money from the group might be suspicious, but this donation is a “nothing burger.”
According to her 30-day campaign financial report, Motley has paid for consulting from Democracy Toolbox, a group focused on helping North Texas Democratic candidates win their elections, and the state Democratic Party for advertising.
‘Traditional family values’
The Families for Irving PAC has also endorsed Canosa. The group, formed in 2022, aims to make Irving “the best place in America to raise a family.”
The PAC’s vision for Irving is to ensure the city’s libraries and other cultural services reflect “traditional family values.” It also opposes high-density plans and supports charter schools.
The group has helped get three candidates on the city council: John Bloch, Brad LaMorgese and Mark Cronenwett. The coalition has pushed the issue of “revamping” the city library’s book collection. Bloch and Cronenweet are on Irving’s Community Services Committee, which asked library staff to work on “collection enhancements.”
The Irving City Council has discussed and proposed plans to add restrictions on books with mature content – which the city defines as “containing graphic depictions of violence and sexual acts.
The proposed policy would create separate sections for books that are deemed to have mature content. City officials estimate these changes would cost around $130,000 for new staff and building new sections in the libraries.
Council members supported by Families for Irving have expressed that the policy would ensure a “community standard” and compare it to restrictions on buying alcohol. The coalition modeled the proposed library policy after a state law passed last year that would require ratings from booksellers who work with school districts. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the law earlier this year.
None of the three council members responded to KERA’s questions about the Families for Irving PAC or more information on the potential policy change.
Council member Kyle Taylor has been the vocal minority throughout this year's discussions about how the city could lose corporate partnerships because of this policy, which is likely unconstitutional, he added.
“I'll probably get dogpile for this, but I just have a philosophical problem trying to play a parent…trying to have a city government tell people there’s a location where they can and can’t find books,” Taylor said during a March work session.
City officials are reviewing what they can and can’t do regarding library book restrictions. If District 4 candidate Canosa wins the runoff, the PAC would have four members who align with their views.
Canosa said he and the PAC are aligned on some things, but the group didn’t fully endorse him until the runoff. He said he is running to “protect the innocence of our children” from “pornography and sexually explicit books in the kid's section.”
Canosa said the issue of “sexually explicit” books is on his platform because there are parents in the community who are concerned about the material in city libraries.
“Frankly, it's just a small issue that doesn't affect a lot of people," Canosa said. “But the people concerned about it are very vocal.”
A city spokesperson told KERA the city library collection doesn't include pornography.
“The Irving Public Library provides materials for all ages, educational levels, perspectives, and subjects reflective of the people who live, work, and serve the community,” the statement reads. “However, the City of Irving Library’s collection does not include pornography.”
Motley said she doesn’t support inappropriate books being in libraries, but her opponent’s “hyperfocus on this issue ignores more serious threats to our children.”
Canosa disagreed with the perception of him being “hyper-focused” on the issue.
“It's something that, hey, you know, like check [the] box, let's do this. Done,” Canosa told KERA. “Let's focus on other things.”
Motley said the Families for Irving PAC is overly focused on national partisan issues that don’t relate to the city's needs.
What to do with a $3 million federal grant?
The city council recently voted to move away from plans to build a non-congregate shelter and instead use a federal grant to build a $2 million domestic violence shelter.
Motley thinks both are needed, while Canosa opposes building a homeless shelter.
Motley said Canosa's position is “doing nothing.” She said arresting and jailing people experiencing homelessness creates a “revolving door” that would cost taxpayers more in the long run.
“He wants only to arrest and incarcerate the homeless,” Motley told KERA. “That's nothing new, therefore, it's doing nothing different.”
Canosa called Motley’s comments “disingenuous.” He said he opposed the construction of a homeless shelter because the city needs to address the “homeless crisis at the root by dealing with the drug and mental health crisis.”
“I have a heart and want to help people,” Canosa said. “But... we need to help people in a way that actually helps them.”
Canosa also wants to build more single-family homes because “low-income apartment units... often become hotspots of drugs and crime.” Motley said she’d support developing more housing options.
Both candidates say a county-wide approach to addressing homeless issues is needed.
Early voting in the runoff election ends June 11, and Election Day is June 15.
Juan Salinas II is a KERA news intern. Got a tip? Email Juan at jsalinas@kera.org. You can follow Juan on X @4nsmiley
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
