Douglas Athas

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Douglas Athas

Prior offices:

Mayor of Garland

Year left office: 2018

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Garland City Council District 1

Years in office: 2006 - 2012

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Elections and appointments

Last election

May 6, 2017

Contact

Personal website

Douglas Athas was the mayor of Garland, Texas. First elected in 2013, he won a new term in the general election on May 6, 2017. Athas resigned in May 2018. Click here to read more about his decision to resign.

Before becoming mayor, Athas represented District 1 on the Garland City Council from 2006 to 2012.

Biography

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Athas attended the University of Texas at Austin.

Athas' professional experience includes work as a director of site development for Verizon Wireless (PrimeCo Personal Communications) and a principal for the telecom consulting firm Abraxas, Inc. Athas served as the District 1 representative on the Garland Plan Commission from 1996 to 2000 and as the commission's citywide representative from 2002 to 2006. He has also served as a district president for the Texas Municipal League, a founding member of the Community Leaders of America, the president of Texas Neighborhoods Together, the Garland Homeowners Coalition, and the Greens Homeowners Association, and a member of the United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, and the Metroplex Mayors Association.

Elections

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Garland, Texas (2017)

The city of Garland, Texas, held an election for mayor and city council on May 6, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 17, 2017.

Mayor Douglas Athas ran for re-election in 2017. The city council seats in Districts 3, 6, 7, and 8 were also up for election. Incumbent Douglas Athas defeated Leala Green in the general election for mayor of Garland.

Mayor of Garland, General Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Douglas Athas Incumbent	68.83%	3,094
Leala Green	31.17%	1,401
Total Votes		4,495
Source: Dallas County Elections, "May 6, 2017 - Joint Election," accessed June 9, 2017

Click [show] on the right for information about other elections in which this candidate ran.
2015 See also: Garland, Texas municipal elections, 2015 The city of Garland, Texas was scheduled to hold elections for the mayor and city council in 2015. Since no candidates filed to run against the incumbents, no election was held. Mayor Douglas Athas and four city council members, Stephen W. Stanley, Lori Barnett Dodson, Scott LeMay and Jim Cahill, were up for election.

Campaign themes

2017

In response to a question from the Dallas Morning News about the three most important actions he would take if elected, Athas said:

“	Secure funding for IH-635 by continuing to work through the Regional Transportation Council, with our state representatives, and with TxDOT. Challenge the ever-increasing costs of water from our water district by working with the member cities to institute better business practices that are sustainable and do not penalize conservation. Bring new plans and resources to our neighborhoods and older shopping areas that revitalize growth and provide those products and services that citizens desire.	”
—Douglas Athas

2013

Athas' campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	Grow the City No issue facing the city is more vital than growing the city. Not even the end of the recession and a return of new construction will solve the problem of overall declining property values. If we don’t remove the artificial barriers to development, we won’t have money for new streets and alleys, for employee salaries and benefits, for adequate public safety responders and equipment, for city services, or a strong property base for our schools. We have begun the transition but it is fragile. We need a proven, experienced mayor to foster the process and attract new businesses and investors. I have the experience to lead Garland through this transition, the knowledge to make sure we do it well, and the caution to assure we protect the rights of our citizens that live here and have built businesses here. Taxes Garland is already taxed higher than most cities around us and if we count transfers from GP&L, we are one of the highest taxed. High taxes encumber attracting new businesses and prospective home buyers. Too often politicians and governments just raise the tax rate rather than working to raise the tax base. I have always fought tax increases. We cannot tax our way to prosperity. If we do the work necessary, remove archaic regulations, and set a high standard for new development, we can increase the property base, which will produce the revenue we need for streets and parks and a more enjoyable community. Preserve Our Quality of Life Garland is a family-friendly city where our children can attend a school of their choice, learn teamwork through various sports, participate in Scouting and other youth groups, and attend religious services by all faiths. Recognizing and supporting families and assuring they have access to multiple opportunities to learn and grow should be one of our highest goals. Jobs Garland is at risk of losing major companies because they are finding it harder and harder to attract young professionals here. Growing the city, providing new housing products, more entertainment, and more recreational opportunities makes our companies more competitive. We must work to retain our existing companies, even as we work to attract new ones. Job force training has become a major asset to our community, allowing companies to grow and find new, skilled workers. Public Safety For a city over 100,000, Garland is considered one of the safest in the country. It is no accident. Garland police and fire fighters must meet very high standards and training is a regular occurrence. Both departments provide specialized skills and training that is sought be many other communities around us. To retain these well-trained individuals, we must compensate them at rates comparable to other cities in the area and we must provide comparable benefits. We should work to assure that all city employees are treated similarly and have similar benefits.	”
—Douglas Athas' campaign website, (2013)

Endorsements

2013

Athas received endorsements from the following in 2013:

• Collin County/Lake Cities Association of Realtors
• The Dallas Morning News
• MetroTEX Association of Realtors

Noteworthy events

Announcement of intention to resign from office

On October 17, 2017, Athas announced his intention to resign from office. The announcement followed a 6-3 council vote to demolish a former National Guard armory to make way for a skate and dog park. First-term Councilmen Jerry Nickerson and Robert John Smith voted with Athas against the demolition. "I don't have confidence that this [the armory site] will be a good location [for the park]," Athas said after the vote. "We didn't go through the process, and I don't believe we are making a good decision."

Athas said the decision was made without adequate consideration of public opinion. "The people said they do not wish to go forward and tear this down," he said. "The truth is, we do not have to put a skate park and a dog park precisely right here. There are other open spaces." He also said his council colleagues failed to take the recommendations of the city's professional staff into account. "We have checks and balances in our system. Professionals on staff make recommendations, we have peer review and then it comes to council for final decisions," he said. "When you skip that, when a council comes up with its own ideas and suddenly starts doing it without professionals, without peer reviews, then you have a system that's broken and extremely dangerous."

District 5 Councilman Rich Aubin, who voted for the armory demolition, disputed Athas' characterization of the decision-making process. "We had almost 50 meetings on dog parks," he said. "It's 13 years ago that we approved the skate park [in the 2004 bond election] and we don't have a skate park. At what point do you say we just gotta make a decision and move forward." Aubin also endorsed Athas' decision to resign. He said, "The mayor has said that resigning his office is best for the city and I agree."

Athas served until his successor was selected in the regular 2018 election rather than a special election. He later announced on January 9, 2018, that he would resign in May once a replacement was chosen in the general election.

Recent news

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Douglas Athas News Feed

See also

Garland, Texas	Texas	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

Suggest a link

• Campaign website
• Social media
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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Ronald Jones	Mayor of Garland 2013–2018	Succeeded by Lori Barnett Dodson