Source: City of Richardson
On September 28, 2026, Daniel Burdette is expected to begin representing Richardson's Place 3 on the City Council, replacing Dan Barrios. I discussed whether this will make a difference in Richardson policy. I believe it will, although I couldn't find evidence for that notion in this term's voting history. I have more on Barrios's voting history in today's post.
Where I think the difference in policy will be seen is less in the votes, and more in the setting of the Council's Goals, which help shape the City Manager's priorities, which in turn help shape future Council agendas and, ultimately, the issues on which the City Council votes. For example, in my report on the Council's goal setting work session for the 2025-2027 term, I wrote, "Councilmember Barrios warned, 'We need to keep in mind that we're serving all our residents, not just those in single-family housing.' Councilmember Jennifer Justice said, 'We may have some work to do on that one.'" I credit Barrios for being a leader here, but did results follow? The voting record can't really answer that question, at least not yet. There is still work in progress that future councils will have to carry on.
Looking at the City Council's votes tells us something about whether Barrios's voting tended to align with his colleagues. In the 2025-2027 term as of today, there have been 30 votes that were non-unanimous. Thirteen of those votes were either 6-1 or 5-1. In seven of those votes, more than half, Barrios was the "1", all by himself. In contrast, four council members were by themselves only once each. One member, Mayor Omar, was by himself twice. And one member, Joe Corcoran, never isolated himself this way on any vote. One thing's for sure: Barrios is not afraid to stand alone. He's his own man.
Here is the pairwise voting analysis on those 30 votes, from most aligned to least aligned. This could be indicative of where similar governing philosophies exist among council members.
Corcoran - Justice: 85% (23 of 27 votes)
Dorian - Hutchenrider: 83% (25 of 30 votes)
Corcoran - Hutchenrider: 77% (23 of 30 votes)
Omar - Arefin: 77% (23 of 30 votes)
Corcoran - Dorian: 67% (20 of 30 votes)
Hutchenrider - Justice: 67% (18 of 27 votes)
Corcoran - Arefin: 63% (19 of 30 votes)
Dorian - Justice: 63% (17 of 27 votes)
Dorian - Arefin: 57% (17 of 30 votes)
Justice - Omar: 56% (15 of 27 votes)
Justice - Arefin: 56% (15 of 27 votes)
Corcoran - Omar: 53% (16 of 30 votes)
Dorian - Omar: 53% (16 of 30 votes)
Hutchenrider - Arefin: 53% (16 of 30 votes)
Barrios - Arefin: 52% (15 of 29 votes)
Hutchenrider - Omar: 50% (15 of 30 votes)
Barrios - Justice: 46% (12 of 26 votes)
Barrios - Corcoran: 45% (13 of 29 votes)
Barrios - Omar: 45% (13 of 29 votes)
Barrios - Hutchenrider: 41% (12 of 29 votes)
Barrios - Dorian: 38% (11 of 29 votes)
Note that the lowest five pairs on that table involve Barrios, while Barrios's closest voting alignment with any other council member, Arefin, is only 52%. That's a striking pattern. Note that this doesn't include votes on such things as approving minutes, closing public hearings, or consent agendas, which typically pass unanimously.
What the numbers show quite clearly is that Barrios frequently differed from his colleagues. Interpret this how you want. Call him an independent. A maverick. An iconoclast. A contrarian. A wildcard. On City Council, I found him at times refreshing; at other times, confounding.
Barrios stepped down from City Council to run for Congress. Whether that record of being his own man helps him in his campaign for Congress remains to be seen. He is running as a Democrat in the newly redrawn Republican-leaning 32nd Congressional District. The political environment there is different from Richardson alone. The new TX-32 would have voted for Trump by 10 points in 2024. Barrios's independence could present both opportunities and challenges. If he does win election, that same independence could present a different challenge in Congress, where party leaders routinely work to keep members aligned on legislation. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, let's celebrate Dan Barrios, as he steps down from Richardson City Council, for being his own man.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
"A maverick voice,
Sometimes refreshing, sometimes not,
Always his own man."
—h/t ChatGPT
4 comments:
It is neither confounding, iconoclast, or maverick. I call it what a council member should do. It is someone sticking to values and not compromising them.
Thanks for this Mark. Besides the accolade (mostly?) for Dan, it's very illuminating for how things actually work on the council. Very interesting.
Thank you for this piece, Mark! I blockwalked for Dan in both the 2019 and 2023 elections, and I can attest that he spoke with a wide range of voters not only in his own Place 3 neighborhoods but throughout Richardson. More than once I knocked on a door only to hear that Dan had already been there! Dan lost the run-off in 2019 by only 83 or 84 votes, and he won his position in 2023 with 55.9% of the votes. If Council is a club, Dan has been a welcome outlier.
Dan was exactly who our City needed on the council and is exactly who we need on Congress. Not confounding - not an iconoclast - a person willing to share his values - listen to various view points - learn and reflect - and vote his conscious and principles. Dan was willing to buck the local establishment and judge people by the character and principles. I witnessed his authenticity and genuine nature first hand. Thank you Dan for your service and for your prospective service for many years to come.
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