Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 4, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Stephen F. Austin State University, 2010

Graduate

Stephen F. Austin State University, 2012

Personal

Birthplace

Dallas, Texas

Profession

Choir director

Contact

Campaign website

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Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman ran for election to the Dallas Independent School District to represent District 9 in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 4, 2024.

Biography

Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman was born in Dallas, Texas. He received a bachelor's degree in 2010 and a graduate degree in 2012 from Stephen F. Austin State University. Boulanger‐Chatman's professional experience includes being a director of choirs, department chair for visual and performing arts for Lakeview Centennial High School, and cantor for Westminster Presbyterian. He has been affiliated with the Texas Music Educators Association and the Dallas Symphony Chorus.

Elections

2024

See also: Dallas Independent School District, Texas, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Dallas Independent School District, District 9

Edward Turner defeated LaKashia Wallace, Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman, and Oralia Alonso in the general election for Dallas Independent School District, District 9 on May 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Edward Turner (Nonpartisan)	60.4	1,623
	Submit photo	LaKashia Wallace (Nonpartisan)	22.7	610
		Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman (Nonpartisan)	10.7	286
	Submit photo	Oralia Alonso (Nonpartisan)	6.2	166

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,685
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Boulanger‐Chatman in this election.

2021

See also: City elections in Dallas, Texas (2021)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Dallas City Council District 13

Gay Donnell Willis defeated Leland Burk in the general runoff election for Dallas City Council District 13 on June 5, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gay Donnell Willis (Nonpartisan)	53.5	5,248
		Leland Burk (Nonpartisan)	46.5	4,560

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,808
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Dallas City Council District 13

Leland Burk and Gay Donnell Willis advanced to a runoff. They defeated Mac Smith, Ryan Moore, and Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman in the general election for Dallas City Council District 13 on May 1, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Leland Burk (Nonpartisan)	43.0	4,147
✔		Gay Donnell Willis (Nonpartisan)	41.9	4,039
		Mac Smith (Nonpartisan)	7.5	723
		Ryan Moore (Nonpartisan)	4.2	407
		Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman (Nonpartisan)	3.4	325

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,641
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Da'On Boulanger‐Chatman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Boulanger‐Chatman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a proud Dallas native who grew up in the southern suburb of Oak Cliff. I graduated from Booker T. Washington HSPVA. I then went on to study choral conducting and music education at Stephen F. Austin State University. While at SFA, I was able to participate in several community enriched performances, at home in the U.S. and abroad in the churches and beautiful countries in Europe. After receiving my Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Choral Conducting, I quickly made my way back home to Dallas. I teach choir and music studies at Lakeview Centennial High where I am the Director of Choirs and Department Chair for the Visual and Performing Arts on my campus. Outside of my teaching post, I enjoy spending my free time singing in various Dallas based choral communities like the Dallas Symphony Chorus and various churches in the North Dallas Area. I am dedicated to using my time and influence for positive change around me. I know that my decisions at the local level affect the everyday lives of those around me. Most of all, are those people of color who will even greater feel the weight of my community based decisions because it is they who are at the lower extremes of socioeconomic status. As a Dallas City Official, I understand that it is my decisions in the ways of policy making, budget allotment and cuts, and data analysis that influence the very basic modes of our communities' way of life.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I believe in keeping our children and community safe. It is important that our vast city adopt all CDC COVID-19 guidelines for best safety practices. It is imperative that our local government echo the facts and procedures to help keep our communities safe and productive. In keeping with this sentiment, Dallas City Council must also address pan-handling and mental health awareness. Many Dallas residents have noticed an uptick in tents and make-shift living arrangements growing around the US 75 highway. This is a dangerous situation. It is time for the city council to weigh in and give some guidance on the matter.
• As I have lived in our community, I’ve noticed that housing in our great city is not indeed great. If you have noticed a problem like me, you have noticed that the housing market both for renting and homeownership is too expensive for middle-class Dallasites to afford. I have heard from our neighborhoods that many move to surrounding cities immediately outside of Dallas and commute in for their work and daily business. This is unacceptable. As your elected City Council Member for District 13, I want to champion this issue for us. We can make this work. We must simply work together. If elected, I will advance this issue until we get the answers we seek or the affordable housing we deserve.
• I will endeavor in my role in the City Council to create policy and committees that specifically demand accountability and transparency, like the New Directions for Public Safety and Positive Change created by the Dallas City Council along with city managers and community leaders. This group’s goal was to produce alternatives to armed police response and provide more opportunity for other types of intervention like sending out a caseworker and psychiatrist to help an officer mitigate situations with the best and most proper tools.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Looking over the Commissioners Court Administration Office of Budget and Evaluation Report for 2020, I found some very good work being carried out by our city council. I would go even further by aiming to bring this same success to committees like the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee or the Workforce, Education, and Equity Committee. I would like to use practical measures like meeting by department to determine specific challenges and create real solutions, in the same way the members of the Economic Development Committee and Government Performance and Financial Management Committees did to garner project completion under budget and without raising taxes. I am a teacher and I am well versed in the education, and equity needs of our community. I work closely with our community everyday. I can say with solid confidence that my experience and perspective as a middle-class citizen and teacher will bring great insight to the council in terms of what is important to the community. I am not a rich millionaire and know what it feels like to struggle. Therefore, you can trust that my approach to every decision and policy will be shaped with my constituents in mind.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was in ninth grade when 9/11 happened. I remember being in choir, and our teacher stopping class to turn on the news. I can still remember how surreal that moment was.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Prelude in G Minor by Rachmaninoff

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Dallas City Council is the highest legislative body for Dallas. However, many of its residents do not participate in the municipal elections. I want everyone who reads this to know that this is the legislative body that effects our day-to-day lives. We must be more involved in electing those who will serve on that council to be sure we are electing officials who will do the job right and with the constituents in mind.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Because this office is so closely connected with the community, I don't believe previous government or political experience is needed. What I do think is needed is the evident passion to be an advocate for the community and those in it and the skillset to work with divers people towards a shared goal.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Being a teacher, I have learned how to work with a diverse population. I understand people and how to make them successful. I am fortunate because my career keeps me constantly exposed and working with the people of our community. Working with people is a passion of mine, and teaching has only honed my skills of people dynamics, goal orientation, and success definition to make me qualified for the challenges of city office. It is this experience that makes what I do unique. It is the vast experience of working with varied types of people to achieve a common goal; it is the instilling of a vision toward self-improvement that makes me very good at what I do and uniquely qualified beyond my competitors to become the next city councilman for District 13.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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