Meet the Candidates: Denton County Democratic Party Chairman

On March 5, southern Denton County voters will cast their ballots for county, state and federal seats in Republican and Democratic Primary elections.

Early voting will run from Feb. 20 to March 1 at 51 locations around the county.

Find more voter information on the Denton County Elections Administration website at www.votedenton.gov.

The Cross Timbers Gazette emailed questionnaires to candidates in selected contested elections. Below are the responses from each candidate for Denton County Democratic Party Chairman.

Neil Durrance, 67

City of Residence: Denton

Current Occupation: Attorney

Education: Denton High School 1974
North Texas State University B.A. 1978
Washburn University of Topeka School of Law 1981

Public Service: Denton City Council 1997-2002
Chair – Denton County Democratic Party 2006-2009

What motived you to run for this position and why are you the best choice? There has been a complete failure of leadership in the local and state Democratic Party to the point that the Texas and Denton County Democratic Party is no longer a viable political entity. As a student of politics for the last 40 years, I have the plan and will achieve concrete results to elect Democrats in Denton County who believe in democracy and working for the people.

Mission Statement:  There has been a complete failure of leadership in the local and state Democratic Party to the point that the Texas and Denton County Democratic Party is no longer a viable political entity. As a student of politics for the last 40 years, I have the plan and will achieve concrete results to elect Democrats in Denton County who believe in democracy

durrancefordenton.org

Delia Parker-Mims, 55 (i)

City of Residence: Lewisville

Current Occupation: Attorney

Education: Doctor of Jurisprudence – SMU School of Law
Bachelor of Arts – Econonics- SMU
Bachelor of Arts – Journalism – SMU

Public Service:

• Denton County Democratic Party Chair, 2021-current
• Board of Directors President, Denton County Child Protective Services
• Board of Directors 2nd Vice President, Denton County Friends of the Family
• Board of Directors, Denton Black Chamber of Commerce
• Board of Directors, North Texas Legal Services
• Diversity Committee Member, Lewisville Independent School District
• Communities in School Volunteer, Denton ISD and Lewisville ISD.
• Mentor and Program Developer for “at-risk” students, Lewisville ISD
• Surrogate Parent Volunteer for Special Ed and Section 504 students, Lewisville ISD
• Committee Member, State Bar of Texas, Crime Victims’ Committee
• Volunteer Mediator, Denton Bar Association.
• Advisor to Lambda Chi Epsilon, North Central Texas College
• Member Book Review Committee for Criminal Justice Dept., North Central Texas College
• Chair, Women’s Symposium, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated
• Regional and National Award Winner, Lewisville Community Programs
• “Sugarless Friday” Diabetes awareness campaign
• “How to turn a $1 into a $1.50” Economic Development program
• Member, Concerned Citizens and African American Parents of Lewisville ISD
• Community Connect Founder, COVID-19 Response information network
• Program Director, Facebook Live, Denton County Precinct 3 programs, “How to deal with depression while quarantined” and “How to teach your dyslexic child at home”
• Member at large: Lewisville Leadership Class of 2000, Lewisville Chamber of Commerce, Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce, Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce, Main and Mill Street Business Association, West Side Baptist church

What motived you to run for this position and why are you the best choice? As Chairwoman of the Denton County Democratic Party, my job is to engage in strategic voter contact. My motivation is to ensure that Democratic voices in Denton County are heard, respected, and represented. Inspired by the long term work of Stacey Abrams in Georgia that ended up flipping two senate seats blue, our plan is already succeeding. Over my past term, we’ve boosted Democratic voter turnout, tripled voter contact and safeguarded our elections process. For the first time in recent Denton County history, we have Democratic candidates on the ballot for every race in statewide & countywide elections this cycle. My track record, relentless drive, strategic planning and motivation of a powerful team of Democratic volunteers make me the best choice to lead our party forward.

Mission Statement: Re-elected as Chairwoman, my mission is to boost our impact on statewide elections, locally expand voter outreach, deepen community ties, recruit more precinct chairs & Democratic candidates, and continue to hold republicans in our county accountable.

votedeliaparkermims.com