CEDAR HILL—In Cedar Hill, there are a number of candidate forums. First this week is the school board candidates forum on Thursday, April 13. Superintendent’s Student Roundtable members will serve as debate moderators. Candidates will answer questions submitted by students and staff. The roundtable will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Cedar Hill’s Place 1 open seat was created in June 2016 due to the resignation of Trustee Billie Ballengee. Although the regular and special election will be held on the same date and same ballot, Place 1 is legally considered a special election because it is to fill an unexpired term.
To fill that post, Shirley Ann Daniels, a 12-year resident and retiree will vie against Gayle Sims a 16-year resident and retiree and Dr. Veishe Williams Lankford a 15-year resident and professor.
The regular election in May will elect ISD board trustees in Places 3, 4 and 5 in Cedar Hill.
Places 4 and 5 saw no challengers. Currently incumbent Angela Roberts has served as Place 4 representative since 2014. Place 5 Incumbent Michael Quildon has been a CHISD trustee since 2008.
Current Place 3 Trustee Wendy Hodges-Kent will not seek a third term, leaving the race open for three challengers. Three-year resident and teacher Dawn Lynn Miller, 12-year resident and personal banker Monica Francis and 37-year resident and an Insurance agent, Shomega Cheyon Daniels-Austin will all vie for the position.
Cedar Hill City Council Races
The Cedar Hill Chamber of Commerce and the Kingswood Homeowners Group will hold a candidate forum April 18 at 6:30 p.m. All Cedar Hill school board candidates and city council candidates are welcome to take part in this event.
According to organizers the forum held at the Alan Sims Recreation Center will be broken into two parts. First, city council candidates have three minutes to introduce themselves. Then the moderator will present questions for each candidate. Candidates have two minutes to respond to  questions put forth in writing from the audience.
School board candidates will appear second and follow with the same format.
Place 2 councilmen Daniel Haydin and Place 6 Clifford Shaw are both up for re-election.
A 36-year resident of Cedar Hill, Haydin has been a council member since 2000. He is the owner of a health and life insurance agency. His challengers are eight-year resident and consultant Shenita Cleveland and 13-year resident and engineer Michael Heath Lewis.
In Place 6, Shaw has sat in his seat since 1998, almost 20 years. He will face one challenger, Carl March. in May. Shaw has lived in Cedar Hill for 32 years and is an engineer. His challenger is a realtor and has been a Cedar Hill resident for 36 years.
Cedar Hill has no term limits on its City Council members.
