Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
O'Neil Hesson
O'Neil Hesson ran for election to the Dallas City Council to represent District 7 in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 3, 2025.
Hesson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Dallas, Texas (2025)
General election
General election for Dallas City Council District 7
The following candidates ran in the general election for Dallas City Council District 7 on May 3, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Adam Bazaldua (Nonpartisan) | 56.8 | 1,497 |
| Jose Rivas Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 16.6 | 436 | ||
| Cydney Walker (Nonpartisan) | 14.4 | 379 | ||
 | O'Neil Hesson (Nonpartisan)  | 7.9 | 209 | |
| Delmar Lamar Jefferson (Nonpartisan) | 4.2 | 110 | ||
| Marvin Crenshaw (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.1 | 3 | ||
| Total votes: 2,634 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hesson in this election.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
O'Neil Hesson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hesson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- Environmental justice is critical to the future of District 7. Years of neglect and environmental racism have left South Dallas grappling with illegal dumping, toxic air, polluted water, and poor waste management—issues not seen in more affluent parts of the city. These conditions harm our health, especially our children’s, and perpetuate other community struggles. As an urban environmental activist, I’ve fought for change since 2021, starting in Joppa. In office, I will prioritize a healthier urban ecosystem, demanding justice and creating a cleaner, safer environment for all residents of District 7.
- District 7 faces a housing crisis driven by systemic neglect and exploitation, leaving residents vulnerable to gentrification and displacement. Protecting Legacy Homeowners is crucial, as they are the foundation of South Dallas' identity. I will advocate for Homestead Preservation Initiatives to secure funding for home repairs and shield families from predatory developers. Additionally, we must empower renters by defending their rights, promoting tenant organizing, and establishing pathways to homeownership. Together, we can fight exploitation, preserve our community, and build a future where housing is a right, not a privilege.
- District 7 faces a crisis of political disengagement, with total voter turnout plummeting 60% since 2019. This decline weakens our ability to influence decisions and allows predatory investors to exploit our neighborhoods; while elected officials remain complacent or complicit. This campaign is about restoring trust, rebuilding engagement, and inspiring residents to reclaim their political power. Now is the time to wake up, mobilize, and fight for a future where our voices are heard, our neighborhoods are protected, and our communities thrive through collective action and self-determination.
Our neighborhoods are under threat of displacement. Unity is our only path forward.
Pride:
Our grandparents fought and died for this community. We must have a sense of ownership.
Duty:
We have a moral obligation to protect, defend, and provide for our neighbors. We will not run from this responsibility.
Accountability:
I am my brothers keeper. Being a leader means checking the people around you when they disrespect the neighborhood.
Compassion:
Governmental budgets are typically large but oftentimes exorbitant. From the municipal to the federal level, public funds are being mismanaged by bureaucrats that have been ethically compromised by wealthy interest groups. It is our civic duty to slash unnecessary spending and divert public monies directly to the people.
Community Advocacy
This is your main responsibility as a elected official. You are specifically chosen by your constituents to voice their opinions, concerns, and desires to the governmental bureaucracy and beyond.
Governmental Liaison
As an elected official, you are in a unique position to connect your constituents to resources/contacts within the government. A major issue with large bureaucracies is their difficulty in promoting their different programs or initiatives. A competent elected official would be the first to provide the necessary outreach to their community so that their constituents can be informed about the resources that are government provides.
Defender of the People
District 7 is an historic Black and Brown community that has endured environmental injustice, redlining, predatory development, displacement, and racial violence. Despite these hardships, the people of District 7 (especially those living in South and East Dallas) have overcome these attacks and managed to create a thriving community. Unfortunately, compromised politicians have prioritized the interest of predatory developers and wealthy groups over the lives of D7 citizens. When elected, my office will leverage the vast Dallas government resources to fund culturally applicable development and finance local businesses and property owners.
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.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
| |||||||||
