Jon Dehn

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

Jon Dehn

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 18, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Arizona State University, 1984

Graduate

Arizona State University, 1987

Ph.D

Christian-Albrecht Universität zu Kiel, Germany, 1992

Personal

Birthplace

East Cleveland, Ohio

Religion

Southern Baptist

Profession

Research Scientist, Professor

Contact

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Jon Dehn ran for election to the Garland City Council to represent District 5 in Texas. He lost in the general runoff election on June 18, 2022.

Dehn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jon Dehn was born in East Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 1984. He earned a graduate degree from Arizona State University in 1987 and a Ph.D. from the Christian-Albrecht Universität zu Kiel in Germany in 1992. His career experience includes working as a research scientist and professor.

Elections

2022

See also: City elections in Garland, Texas (2022)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Garland City Council District 5

Margaret Lucht defeated Jon Dehn in the general runoff election for Garland City Council District 5 on June 18, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Margaret Lucht (Nonpartisan)	63.3	273
		Jon Dehn (Nonpartisan)	36.7	158

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 431
= 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 Garland City Council District 5

Margaret Lucht and Jon Dehn advanced to a runoff. They defeated Cle Kimble in the general election for Garland City Council District 5 on May 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Margaret Lucht (Nonpartisan)	49.8	347
✔		Jon Dehn (Nonpartisan)	31.3	218
		Cle Kimble (Nonpartisan)	18.9	132

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 697
= 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

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jon Dehn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dehn's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a research scientist that moved to Garland from Fairbanks, Alaska in 2016. My wife and I have made this our permanent home, and want to contribute to the City we've come to love.

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?

• Promote Community Vitalization
• Improve Opportunities for Small Businesses
• Re-vitalize the 635 Corridor as Construction ends

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

* Efficient and trustworthy use of public funds. This means total transparency in public policy and focusing on the primary functions of providing for public safety and opportunities for Garland residents and businesses.

• Growing business and making Garland a haven for small businesses and families. This includes promoting family friendly development and infrastructure to draw residents to Garland.
  
  
• Responsible management of Garlands resources. This includes supporting parks and museums as well as clean up of Super Fund sites to keep Garland safe for all its residents.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The City Council works as a team with the Mayor to appoint the City Manager and other officials, as well as recommend and appoint citizens to commissions and boards. These work alongside the council to maintain and support codes and ordinances, supply recommendations on city projects and development, and guidance on management of city resources. The Mayor and Council guide and codify the great work of the Citys' staff and volunteer citizens to help Garland grow.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Milton and Rose Friedman. Free to Choose.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and transparency. This goes hand in hand with the communication skills needed.

Remembering it is about the residents of Garland and the needs of the City, not about you. I have seen too many in my life that seek office for themselves above all, not to contribute to the organization or community they represent. This includes promoting those who have done the work and giving them the recognition they deserve.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have experience leading a diverse group of people with strongly held opinions (Faculty members at a major university) as well as managing large budgets.

I am a certified mediator int he State of Alaska, specializing in difficult dialogues and helped in personal and contract issues for the university.

I am devoted to the City of Garland, where we have chosen our permanent home.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Fiscal responsibility. I have also seen far too many want to throw money at a problem without even understanding a particular issue. This takes careful analysis of a problem, and trying to determine the results and consequences of any action or program in place.

Represent the constituents, not personal feelings or beliefs.

Faithfully follow the US and Texas Constitutions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Perhaps the best legacy to leave is the one where the things you built and started can go on without you, even if they don't remember you. So the best legacy is to build programs and traditions that can stand on their own.

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

The moon landing, I was 7 and got to stay up late to watch.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Lord of the Rings. One of the last books written with such rich color and character building. Wordy yet easy to read. There are many parallels to what Tolkien went through in Europe with the first two World Wars. Having lived in Europe for 8 years, and visited some of the places that gave him inspiration also helps.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Anyone who is an explorer. I have always been driven to try new things and go to new places.

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

Wow. Honestly this will be very hard for most to follow, and I don't know why it popped in there, but it was "Volle granate Renate" from Torfrock, a North German band I really enjoyed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS6QBNzh4Hw

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Goodness, hard to know where to start. but I suppose the greatest has been my thankfully successful battle with Leukemia. If anything, that showed me that time is too short and precious to waste.

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

Many citizens are unaware of how they can serve on the Commissions appointed by the Council, and how they can have a strong influence on their City and Neighborhoods. More outreach is needed to get the word out so that the Council can choose from a pool of devoted citizens rather than have to track them down.

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

Yes, generally I do. One has to start somewhere, but there are many boards and commissions one can serve on before making the step to elected office. Having this experience makes it easier to understand the role of the Council and to be effective from the first day in office. After all there are only a couple meetings a month, and a term in office may only represent two dozen chances to make a meaningful contribution to your city. This goes by faster than one can imagine, and losing opportunities while catching up is a waste of resources and opportunity.

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

Communication is most important, the ability to listen and understand what the constituents are saying. A sense of decorum and willingness to respect and work with others of differing viewpoints is also essential. So many today vilify those with opinions different from their own, when in fact that is one the greatest assets when in elected office. No one person can think of everything, and a team, particularly those with opposing views can open up possibilities that one person could not.

Time management and simply the asset of time is another thing that is needed. Though I respect and cherish those that volunteer their time for elected office, and the Council has done a great job, many things could have gotten done sooner if this was a full-time position. The workload seems to be. So I have some concern for those who have particularly demanding day jobs and family lives that would rightly take precedence over volunteer council duties. Having suffered from burnout int he past due to too many volunteer duties I've learned to manage time better, and not take on too much and have the time to devote to the City.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Honestly I don't think I have a favorite, there are so many good ones coming out, but there is also the idea that you have to be careful what you say and on what venue. So I think I'll decline here. Buy me a beer and I'll regale your with a few.

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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