The mayoral seat and all six City Council members are on the ballot during the election. The mayor and all council members are elected to two-year terms with no member allowed to serve more than six consecutive two-year terms in any place, according to city officials.
Paul Voelker announced Jan. 12 plans to not seek re-election as mayor after serving in the position since 2015. Voelker previously told Community Impact that he did not want to head into the next cycle as a “lame duck” mayor. Voelker, who is CEO of software company TrenData Inc., has not disclosed any future plans for civic engagement.
Council Members Bob Dubey and Janet DePuy are the two lone candidates to file for the mayoral election as of Feb. 14. Dubey, who retired as Richardson ISD athletic director in 2016, has represented Place 1 since 2017. DePuy was first elected as Richardson City Council Place 3 in 2019 after serving on the Richardson City Plan Commission for more than 10 years.
To fill their vacant seats, one candidate has filed for City Council Place 1, Curtis Dorian, while two candidates, Steven Springs and Dan Barrios, have filed for City Council Place 3. Four incumbents are unopposed in the remaining City Council races with Jennifer Justice running for Place 2, Joe Corcoran running for Place 4, Ken Hutchenrider running for Place 5 and Arefin Shamsul running for Place 6.
The deadline to file for the election is Feb. 17. Candidate packets can be picked up at the Richardson Innovation Quarter Headquarters at 1302 E. Collins Blvd. No appointment is necessary to obtain a packet, but city officials said scheduling a time is recommended for new candidates to review the filing information. An electronic packet is available upon request via email. Candidates can file in person, through the U.S. mail or via email.
Qualifications for those wishing to join council include not having been convicted of a felony, being at least 21 years old and having been a resident of Richardson for at least one year. Four council members—places 1-4—must live in their corresponding district, while the mayor and two council seats serve the entire city. However, all seven positions are elected at large with all registered Richardson citizens able to vote in any race for council.
Early voting in the election will begin April 24 and continue through May 2 ahead of the general election May 6. A potential runoff election would be held June 10.
