MUNICIPAL ELECTION:
Early Voting: April 20-28 | Election Day: Saturday, May 2
Our Principles
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Ensure Irving’s cultural services—including its libraries and arts—reflect the traditional family values of our community
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Advance school choice by facilitating additional high-caliber charter schools in Irving
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Protect and preserve the character of existing single family housing neighborhoods
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Provide first-rate parks and recreation (including swimming pools)
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Hold public architecture to higher standards of beauty so that public edifices and monuments properly honor our City’s past and inspire our children to build its future.
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Plan an Irving that continues to attract world-class businesses while safeguarding the interests of Irving families
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Stand by first responders, rejecting any efforts to defund Irving Police and Fire, in order to ensure that Irving families always have access to the best resources for public safety.
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Defend the freedom of all faiths to publicly and peacefully practice their religion without interference or limitation by government.
Our Success
We are hard at work for Irving's families. In the last few years, we have
had major election victories on city council with John Bloch (District 1),
Brad M. LaMorgese (District 2), Luis Canosa (District 4) and Mark Cronenwett (District 5). Here are just a few of the accomplishments and ongoing developments we've seen from our candidates on city council:
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Raised the pay of Police, Fire, and other City workers to the 80th percentile to ensure Irving residents are protected by our first responders. Eliminated the first two steps for firefighters so they start with higher pay in Irving. This has resulted in filling vacant positions and more applications for first responder tests.
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Reformed the Library policy to delink from the American Library Association and ongoing work to address mature content in children’s books sections.
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Passed a structurally balanced budget and retained Irving’s AAA Bond rating for the general fund.
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Restored twice-a-week trash collection.
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Completed a safer intersection ordinance to reduce panhandling and other solicitation.
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Millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements for water, flood control, drainage, and streets.
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Cut property tax rates & increased the senior homestead exemption
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Successful City Charter Review that preserved and strengthened term limits.
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Defeated proposal for a permanent non-congregant homeless shelter.
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Passed funding for several new swimming pools and big expansions of the recreation centers at Senter Park and Mustang Park for nearly $100 million in investment that should be completed in the next several years.
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Continued push to finish the redevelopment of the Heritage District and Old Downtown Irving.
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Pushing forward with a new Fire Station 8 near the Urban Center and the new Central Fire Station is under construction near Old Downtown Irving. Now working on new Fire Station 9.
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Approval of smart development deals and economic development that adds to the tax base so the burden on residents is as low as possible.
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Resisting high-density plans that would change the character of our existing neighborhoods. Passed several new developments for gated neighborhoods in Irving, including the Avadene development, a new gated neighborhood in Irving.
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Stopped City Staff’s recommendation to allow for shed-dwellings that
would increase crime in our neighborhoods. -
Working on a short-term rental ordinance that preserves the character of neighborhoods.
Our Candidates
Al Zapanta
Mayor
Al Zapanta has a long record of service to America and to Irving, and will bring long experience and deep knowledge to the office of mayor. He was elected to the Irving City Council in 2018, and was reelected two times. Before that, he served the city on the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Tax Increment Finance District #1 Commission, and served as chair of the Las Colinas Association.
Zapanta served in the military for 32 years, rising to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army. He earned a Silver Star, five Bronze Stars for Valor, and the Purple Heart.
Zapanta is a national and international business and political leader. He serves as President and CEO of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and has spent two decades as an executive in the oil industry. He has held several presidential appointments, including White House fellow, an advance officer for the White House, and Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Management and Administration.