Former Denton congressional candidate Neil Durrance filed to run for mayor Friday, setting up a race between two of Denton County's best-known politicians. Neil Durrance
Durrance, a lawyer, filed to challenge incumbent Mark Burroughs in the May 12 race, saying it was time to "restore accountability and integrity" in city government.
"It's important to me that people trust their public servants and know that they are there to serve them and not their personal interests," Durrance said. "We need a mayor that respects the will of the people and doesn't try to bypass it."
Durrance, 55, cited recent news that Burroughs and other city officials sought a state law to build a power plant project, rather than call an election, as an example of the mayor bypassing the people.
Burroughs' business ties to the city also undermine the public's trust, Durrance said.
Burroughs is a partner in the Denton law firm Sawko & Burroughs, which is under contract with the city to collect delinquent property taxes.
"The citizens of Denton need to know that their mayor has a full commitment to them," Durrance said. "We don't need self-dealing or somebody trying to sit on both sides of the table."
Burroughs, 54, declined to respond to the criticisms but said he will have to run a more aggressive campaign because of Durrance's entry in the race.
Durrance is the third candidate to file, following Burroughs and marketing director Donna Woodfork. Filing ends March 5.
Woodfork, 42, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Durrance and Burroughs are both lawyers and former City Council members, having served together on the council from 1998 to 2001. Both have set their eyes on Congress in the past, with Burroughs deciding not to run this year and Durrance losing his bid to unseat Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, in 2010.
Burroughs spent heavily to win the mayor's seat in a runoff election in 2008, unseating Perry McNeill in a hard-fought battle that divided the city's political establishment.
Burroughs faced a relatively easy re-election campaign in 2010, when he defeated self-employed businessman Bob Clifton with 79 percent of the vote, although the race featured personal attacks from both sides and allegations that led to Clifton's indictment on a felony bribery charge.
Burroughs accused Clifton of asking for money to abandon the race, but the Denton County district attorney's office dropped the bribery charge in October when Clifton pleaded no contest to misdemeanor record tampering. The action came a day after the Denton Record-Chronicle reported the grand jury that indicted Clifton included members with ties to Burroughs and City Hall.
Durrance said the grand jury connections "highlight why people have a deep-seated distrust in the present mayor and other officials."
Durrance said his campaign would also focus on creating more jobs and economic development, saving money by stopping the "continual use of unnecessary consultants," and protecting the public with stronger gas drilling regulations, among other issues.
Durrance served on the Denton City Council from 1997 to 2001 and was chairman of the Denton County Democratic Party from 2007 to 2009. In November 2010, he ran as the Democratic candidate for U.S. House District 26 seat, losing to Burgess.
Burroughs served as a council member from 1998 to 2004 and has served on multiple government and community boards including the Denton County Transportation Authority.
LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com.
