Lorie Blair wins runoff election for District 8 in Dallas, unofficial results show

Former City Plan Commissioner Lorie Blair won a runoff election to take the council seat for Dallas’ southernmost area, according to unofficial vote totals.

Blair and former council member Erik Wilson vied for the city council seat representing the area, marking a monumental change in leadership. The long-time council member for District 8, Tennell Atkins, reached his term limit.

About 11 p.m. Saturday night, Blair said she realized she had won the election and stressed the need for unity across southern Dallas. She said she was excited about the “new adventure” she’s on.

“I want to talk to every precinct,” Blair told The Dallas Morning News. “I want to talk to every community, and I want to know what makes them happy and what makes them unhappy. I want to figure out if there is a way to move them, move everyone forward.”

Blair had just over 56% of the votes Saturday, totals show. Wilson had just under 44% of the votes.

The June 7 runoff decided who replaces Atkins, who has represented District 8 for 16 of the past 18 years. The area joined District 11 in the runoffs.

Atkins endorsed Blair. Wilson, who served a term nearly eight years ago, held a narrow lead in the May election. Both candidates ended election night with about 40% of the vote, emerging as leaders in a crowded pool of candidates.

Blair said the southern Dallas area, not just the district, needs to be unified. Her run, she said, has been a learning process.

“It takes a lot of growth,” Blair said. “It makes you grow exponentially. I think that I was able to do that. I look forward to the next steps.”

She added that there will be times when everyone isn’t pleased with decisions made, but it’s important to understand the explanation and have conversations around them.

Southern Dallas should be appreciated for the value it brings, she said.

District 8 spans several miles from west to east with diverse neighborhoods — including Red Bird, Kleberg-Rylie and Highland Hills — and the new representative will help shape how the area develops.

The sprawling area, near the RedBird mall and unincorporated parts of southern Dallas County, includes agricultural land, the Inland Port and is home to Paul Quinn College.

Blair campaigned on continuing Atkins’ focus on economic development. She points to her experience in zoning and land use, promising to preserve neighborhood integrity, attract jobs and fight environmental injustice.

Blair cited her role while on the plan commission in pushing to stop incompatible industrial developments in areas like Floral Farms and updating the area’s land-use plans. She said she voted to keep single-family residences as opposed to short-term rentals.

“I’m for the community,” Blair said. “I’m for development. I’m for public safety. I’m for environmental justice.”

Wilson said he wanted to “keep the momentum going” after serving as the councilperson for the district from 2015 to 2017. Atkins returned to take back the seat in 2017.

Wilson faced criticism after a new political action committee called Revitalize Dallas sent mailers in support of him and candidates in other races. The effort was funded by short-term homestay platform Airbnb, which contributed $500,000 toward the effort, campaign finance filings show. Consultants with the PAC have ties to Republican campaigns at the state level.

While the municipal election is nonpartisan, Wilson said he was not a Republican when asked about Revitalize Dallas. He said he doesn’t agree with Airbnb “causing problems” in neighborhoods.

The donations raised speculation about whether candidates would support the rentals amid an ongoing fight between the city and short-term rental operators, of which Airbnb has much at stake. The city has reignited a legal fight it lost earlier this year over ordinances that all but banned short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods.

Blair has a little over a week before she needs to get to work. The city’s inauguration is June 16.

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.