Mike Rawlings | |
|---|---|
| |
| 59th Mayor of Dallas | |
| In office June 27, 2011 –June 17, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Dwaine Caraway (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Eric Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Scott Rawlings August 25,1954 Borger,Texas,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Micki Rawlings |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Boston College (BA) |
Michael Scott Rawlings (born August 25,1954) is an American businessman and politician who was the 59th Mayor of Dallas,Texas. A member of the Democratic Party,he won the nonpartisan 2011 Dallas mayoral election defeating former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] He was reelected in 2015 by defeating Dallas lawyer Marcos Ronquillo.
Rawlings was CEO of Pizza Hut from 1997 to 2002,and CEO of the Tracy-Locke ad agency. [6] [7] [8] In addition to his work in the city,Rawlings is also a prominent opponent of domestic violence,speaking at many events,including a Ring The Bell event at the United Nations [9] alongside actor Patrick Stewart. [10] [11]
Rawlings garnered national attention during the Ebola outbreak,the July 7th,2016,ambush on Dallas police officers,and a dispute over the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System. [12] On the question of Confederate Statue Removal,Rawlings stated in August 2017 that Confederate statues in Dallas city parks are "monuments of propaganda" and called for a task force to decide what should be done with them. [13] Rawlings pushed for the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in a city park. [14]
At the 2018 Conference of Mayors,Rawlings,who was known as a supporter of the arts in Dallas,received the 2018 National Award for Local Arts from the United States Conference of Mayors and Americans for the Arts in Washington,DC. [15]
| Candidate | Vote number | Vote percentage [16] |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Rawlings | 28,424 | 40.86% |
| David Kunkle | 22,229 | 31.96% |
| Ron Natinsky | 17,430 | 25.06% |
| E. Edward Okpa,II | 1,474 | 2.12% |
| Candidate | Vote number | Vote percentage [17] |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Rawlings | 31,088 | 55.80% |
| David Kunkle | 24,623 | 44.20% |
| Candidate | Vote number | Vote percentage [18] |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Rawlings | 30,703 | 72.55% |
| Marcos Ronquillo | 11,384 | 26.90% |
| write-ins | 235 | 0.56% |