Why is this indicator important?
The presence of people of varying ethnicities and backgrounds in elected political leadership can be an indication of the integration and acceptance of these ethnicities and backgrounds into everyday life.  Many community members desire to have a voice speaking for those of their own ethnicity or background in civic leadership and decision-making.  A narrow set of perspectives would arise from uniformity in elected officials, and overall strategic thinking and progress could be limited.  Ideally, race and ethnicity of the elected leadership should approximately represent race and ethnicity of a geographic area, showing that eligible candidates, and not only those who have historically represented the area, have the opportunity to represent constituents. 

How are we doing?
As of April 2006, 7 of the 15 elected city officials in the city of Dallas were of a minority background.  Of the 15 officials, 6 were female.  The elected officials were: 

• Mayor: Laura Miller (female, White)
• District 1: Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Elba Garcia (female, Hispanic)
• District 2: Pauline Medrano (female, Hispanic)
• District 3: Ed Oakley (male, White)
• District 4: Dr. Maxine Thornton-Reese (female, Black)
• District 5: Mayor Pro Tem Donald W. Hill (male, Black)
• District 6: Steve Salazar (male, Hispanic)
• District 7: Leo V. Chaney, Jr (male, Black)
• District 8: James L. Fantroy (male, Black)
• District 9: Gary Griffith (male, White)
• District 10: Bill Blaydes (male, White)
• District 11: Linda Koop (female, White)
• District 12: Ron Natinsky (male, White)
• District 13: Mitchell Rasansky (male, White)
• District 14: Angela Hunt (female, White)

As of April 2006, one of the seven elected city officials in the city of Denton was of a minority background.  Three were female.  The elected officials were:
 

• Mayor: Euline Brock (female, White)
• District 1: Charlye Heggins (female, Black)
• District 2: Pete Kamp (female, White)
• District 3: Jack Thomson (male, White)
• District 4: Mayor Pro Tem Perry McNeill (male, White)
• At Large Place 5: Bob Montgomery (male, White)
• At Large Place 6: Joe Mulroy (male, White)

As of April 2006, one of the eight elected officials in Plano was of a minority background.  Four were female.  The elected officials were:

• Mayor, Place 6: Pat Evans (female, White)
• Place 1: Shep Stahel (male, White)
• Place 2: Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Scott Johnson (male, White)
• Place 3: Loretta Ellerbe (female, White)
• Place 4: Sally Magnuson (female, White)
• Place 5: Harry LaRosiliere (male, Black)
• Place 7: Jean Callison (female, White)
• Place 8: Mayor Pro Tem Ken Lambert (male, White)

The Texas legislature has had a fairly stable level of minority membership in both the House and Senate in the last decade.

• In the House, about 20% of the membership has been female, and about 30% has been of a minority background.  There are 150 members in the the Texas House of Representatives.
  • In the 78th Legislature (effective 2003), 30 House members were Hispanic, 14 were Black, and 1 was Asian.  The House had 32 female members.
  • In the 79th Legislature (effective 2005), the House again had 32 female members.  Ethnicity data were not available.
• The Senate has had three or four female senators and nine minority senators in each of the last five legislatures.  There are 31 senators in the Texas Senate.
  • In the 78th Legislature (effective 2003), 22 senators were White, 7 were Hispanic, and 2 were Black.  The Senate had 4 female members.
  • In the 79th Legislature (effective 2005), there were again 22 female senators.  Ethnicity data was not available.