Denton City Council races are already looking like they’ll be packed with candidates a week before the municipal election filing period opens.
Five council seats will be on the ballot this May: mayor and two at-large council members, who are selected by all Denton voters, and two district seats that will be vacated early. Two current council members who were elected last year — Brian Beck from District 2 and Vicki Byrd from District 1 — are seeking other offices.
The filing period opens Jan. 14 and lasts until Feb. 13.
Here’s a look at who has announced their plans to run on social media since the mayoral candidates’ announcements in early December:
District 1
The closing of Denton’s after-school program was one of several reasons that Kris Cox — the co-founder of Denton Left, a group that seeks to unify socialists and anarchists — gave for announcing his candidacy for District 1 in a Facebook post Tuesday.
Last March, city spokesperson Dustin Sternbeck told the Denton Record-Chronicle the city was “not planning to dissolve” its after-school program — only for city officials to do so six months later.
Cox, who worked for Denton Parks and Recreation’s after-school program, said he was told employees wouldn’t lose their jobs but would be transferred to other parts of the city’s bureaucracy, but then learned a hiring freeze was in place.
“Who do I represent?” Cox writes in the Facebook announcement. “The apartment renters and homeless folks. The man who is being swallowed by debts to the single mom struggling to pay bills. Those people in District 1 who get stepped on by the powerful and monied classes every day for the crime of existing. The companies have their representatives. The developers have their representatives. The working people of Denton need representatives of their own.”
A University of North Texas graduate, Cox called himself “the only socialist running for the council” in the Facebook post.
Cox has worked to help people in need by offering food, clothing and hygiene supplies at Fred Moore Park. He said he wants to do something about the hidden fees that apartment complexes charge — such as valet trash service — and predatory towing practices that are hurting people in the community who struggle to afford to live here.
Cox’s policy platform includes implementing municipal housing, restoring the city’s after-school program, hosting monthly gatherings of organizations and individuals on city spaces to help people in need, and establishing a union advisory council that represents the interests of an organized working class to the city.
“I’d always had a problem with the influence of landlords and property managers on City Council and how self-professed liberals on City Council voted,” Cox said.
Former Planning and Zoning Commission member Jordan Villarreal is also seeking the District 1 seat.
Villarreal, who also graduated from UNT, served recently as chief of staff for Democratic state Rep. Mihaela Plesa of District 70. He has served on the Denton Development Code Review Committee, the Denton Capital Improvements Advisory Committee and the Denton County Complete Count Census Committee.
He is a member of the Denton Rotary Club and the Denton League of United Latin American Citizens. He has also worked with or helped several progressive candidates over the years, including current Place 5 council member Brandon Chase McGee, who’s running as a Democrat for justice of the peace in Denton County’s Precinct 1, and a candidate who is seeking to replace McGee.
“The time for real, forward-thinking leadership is now,” Villarreal said in a Dec. 11 news release. “I’m ready to bring the same dedication and focus to City Council that I’ve brought to every position I’ve held, keeping the needs of District 1 residents at the center of every decision we make.”
Villarreal’s priorities include economic development, infrastructure, smart growth, environmental sustainability, public safety, and arts and culture.
On his campaign website, Villarreal gave his support for “a full reinstatement of the Denton Cannabis Decriminalization Ordinance that was passed by an overwhelming margin.”
Villarreal told the Record-Chronicle this week that he has raised close to $5,100, with an average contribution of $160.
Villarreal said he has been “meeting with folks across the district and trying to make sure that we have a council member who is attentive and responsive and truly listening to the needs of District 1.”
District 2
Former council candidate Nick Stevens won’t be the only one seeking to replace Beck as he seeks the mayor position.
Robert J. Archer III, a self-professed libertarian, announced his candidacy in a Facebook post Monday, calling himself a candidate “with a strong belief that individual freedom and responsibility thrive best within a healthy, engaged community.”
Archer is the president of the Denton High School Bronco Band Boosters Club, where he said he focuses “on supporting students, families and educators through collaboration and service.”
He has nearly 20 years of experience in municipal government in water and wastewater departments. Archer said he has been heavily involved with the school district and the community and hopes to give some of his experience to the city and residents.
“Across my civic, professional and family life, my guiding principle is simple: building and maintaining strong communities is essential to long-term success and well-being,” he said in his announcement.
On Wednesday, Archer said he is going into this campaign blind since he has never run for office, but he has been living in different parts of the community with his family since 2012 and has seen Denton grow since moving here.
Archer said he decided to run after learning about the city’s negative budget and saw the “disregard to community’s input with the current council.”
At-large Place 5
In early December, community advocate George Ferrie announced their candidacy for the citywide seat via social media “because every neighbor in Denton deserves stability, opportunity and a city that plans boldly for our future.”
Over the past 20 years in Denton, Ferrie has worked as a small business owner, volunteer and a licensed clinical social worker. They serve as board president of the Denton Affordable Housing Corporation, a member of the Denton County Homeless Coalition, and treasurer of Pridenton, an LGBTQ+ community group.
This is Ferrie’s third run for council. Ferrie ran for the District 1 seat against Gerard Hudspeth in 2019, only to lose by 98 votes, and again in 2020 after Hudsepth became mayor, only to lose to Birdia Johnson by a larger margin.
In a recent column on the Denton Luminary, a Facebook group and online newsletter, Ferrie discussed policies for a sustainable, equitable and just Denton, pointing out that Denton County is near the top 10 of growing counties in the nation, yet “the Denton we love is breaking under the weight of a ‘Growth Machine’ philosophy that values getting bigger over getting better.”
Ferrie said there is a dire need for deeply affordable units in Denton and stressed that the failure to provide this needed housing “is directly fueling our homelessness crisis.”
Ferrie’s priorities include housing and infrastructure, homelessness, economic development and leadership rooted in service.
In December, Ferrie told the Record-Chronicle there should be a stronger partnership between the city and local agencies working to address mental health and homelessness and that everyone deserves a house, bed, clothing, health care and mental health care.
Ferrie stressed that people need council members “who are truly listening to others.”
“I’m here to listen,” Ferrie said. “I’m here to work together and find ways to make this city what it needs to be for its residents and champion folks who don’t feel seen or heard.”
Another candidate, Kady Irene Finley, announced her campaign for Place 5 on Facebook in mid-December.
Finley is an alumna of Denton High School, a UNT student and a mother who said she’s “committed to making Denton a safe, welcoming and family-centered place for all of us to thrive.”
Finley said she has volunteered with the Denton police and served on the city’s Historic Landmark Commission and the Parks, Recreation & Beautification Board.
“My dedication to public service reflects my belief in responsible governance, thoughtful stewardship of our resources and our people who are the source of character and charm that make Denton a special place to live,” Finley said.
CHRISTIAN McPHATE can be reached at 940-220-4299 and cmcphate@dentonrc.com.
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