Mac Smith (Texas candidate for Dallas City Council)

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

Mac Smith

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 1, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

The University of Texas, 1964

Graduate

University of Texas at Austin, 1971

Personal

Birthplace

San Antonio, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Construction management

Contact

Campaign website

Mac Smith ran for election to the Dallas City Council to represent District 13 in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 1, 2021.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Mac Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in 1964 and a graduate degree from UT Austin in 1971. Before his retirement, Smith was a construction manager for Dallas Area Rapid Transit. He also managed an environmental testing group in Houston and was an environmental engineer for a chemical plant in Pasadena, Texas.

Smith's organizational affiliations include:

• Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church
• American Society of Civil Engineers
• Comerica Toastmasters

Elections

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

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	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

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mac Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith'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 am a licensed professional engineerl I earned a BS in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Environmental Health Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. I managed my own construction business in Dallas for 20 years. I managed multi-million dollar construction projects for Dallas Area Rapid transit for another 20 years. My first project with DART was the Downtown Bus Transfer Centers, my largest was the $400 million plus Green Line from Buckner Station to Mockingbird Lane. My last major project was the construction of the Orange Line from Beltline Road into DFW Airport. I have been married 53 years and lived in Dallas for 47 years.

I have not run for office before. I have no close friends at City hall. I owe no favors. I bring fresh eyes and a skeptical mind to the City's problems. 45% of the City budget is related to public works. I bring special expertise to that area. My construction experience has made me alert to opportunities to cut cost. I have managed multi-million dollar construction projects. I am no stranger to large and complicated budgets. I am an engineer. I look for cost effective solutions, I dig out the facts, I do the math.

visit my website: www.macsmith413.com to learn more.

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?

• We are overtaxed. The City of Dallas property tax rate of 77 cents per $100 valuation is 37% higher than the tax rate in Houston and San Antonio. I will work to roll back the tax rate and freeze property tax revenue until we are in line with Houston and San Antonio.

• The number of police officers in Dallas has declined from 3553 to 3043 in the last six years while the murder rate has more than doubled. Some on the council want to defund the police. We need to defund other parts of the budget and increase funding for police. We need added officers for a "surge" on crime hotspots similar to the DPS effort two summers ago. We also need to increase narcotics enforcement. Drug overdoses claim several times as many lives as murders each year.
• Homeless encampments are springing up all over the city. If that is allowed to go unchecked we will end up like Seattle. Google "Seattle is Dying" and watch the video if you don't know what I mean. We need to help people who have been made temporarily homeless by circumstance (divorce, loss of jobs, etc.) but our efforts toward the hardcore homeless should be directed toward restoing them to work and sobriety. We do not need to spend money to make the hard-core homeless more comfortable. We need to show them a way out and ensure that they take it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am an engineer by profession. 45% of the City budget is spent on public works. I want to be sure that it is well spent and that we get quality work. Congress is poised to pass a massive infrastructure spending bill. I want to be sure we get out fair share.

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

The Dallas City Council directs the expenditure of almost four billion dollars of public money and influences the lives of over a million people.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I am 76 years old. At this stage of my life the question should be "Whose example have you followed?" I have tried to follow the example of my father and my grandfather. Hopefully, I have taken the best from both of them. My grandfather was a south texas farmer and rancher. He was honest, hard working and God fearing. Compassionate and generous to a fault. My father was a civil engineer and a contractor. He too was honest and hard working. He was both brilliant and practical. Both of them believed in the virtue of hard work. Both of the worked hard to ensure that their children had a better life than they did.

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

The Bible would be a good start. It shapes a good deal of my thinking.
followed by the Constituion and the Declaration of Independence.

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

Integrity, integrity and integrity. After that comes the principle that you represent all your constituents and not just a select group. Goverment has to be a good deal for everyone.

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

Education and experience.
I am an engineer. I solve problems, I look for cost effective solutions. I dig out the facts, I do the math.

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

1. Ensure that government is no bigger than it needs to be.

2. Ensure that everyone is heard and represented.

3. Ensure that every dollar is well spent and that the people get good value for their money.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Such as it is, I have probably already left it.
I would like to be remembered as someone who was always constructive.

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

Hawaii and Alaska were admitted to statehood. The stars on the flag changed from the old 6 by 8 rectangular pattern to the current one. I would have been about 15 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a construction laborer one summer during my sophmore year of college, paving Greenville Avenue from Spring Valley to Arapahoe. It lasted three months. My first job after college was as the plant environmental engineer for the Rohm and Haas Co. in Houston, Texas.

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

My life has been remarkably free from struggles.
Maybe I have always been lucky. But they say that the harder you work, the luckier you get.

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

Members of the council appoint members of various boards and commissions that study and make recommendations to the council.

Members of the council essentially control the zoning issues in their district.

Members of the council have a great deal of say over who gets grant money in their district.

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

Yes and no. It is good to know how the process works. However, the more you ave been involved, the more friends you have and the more favors you owe. People involved in government also begin to think that government is the solution for all our problems. That is generally not the case. But, when you are a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail.

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

It is important to be able to compromise and get people to work together. It is important to be able to understand budgets and finance. You need, at least, a working knowledge of the law to know what is posssible. You need a willingness to listen.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Will Rogers said, "People say I make jokes about politicians. That's not true. I just observe and report the facts."

He also said, "Some people learn from reading books. Others from observing other people. But, some just have to go out and pee on the electric fence and see for themselves."

There is a lot of truth told in jokes.

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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Candidate

Dallas City Council District 13

Website