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Dallas School Board Candidate Sues Opponent, Claiming He's Ineligible To Serve

Bill Zeeble
/
KERA News
Miguel Solis (left) is accused by Kristi Lara of not living in District 8 the required six months prior to his filing to run as a candidate. Solis denies the charge.

In the Dallas school board race that could affect the superintendent,  candidate Kristi Lara has sued opponent Miguel Solis. She alleges Solis doesn’t legally live in the 8th district where they’re running. Solis denies it.

Dallas school board candidates must live in their district for at least six months to be eligible to run. Lara says she had heard rumors Solis wasn’t in the district the required number of months when he filed to run, and says further research supports the assertion. So she filed a civil lawsuit.

“I know that there are some former cases of this happening,” said Lara. “You know, if he’s a legal resident, then fine. And if he’s not, then we’ll deal with that situation as it arises.”

Candidate Solis says his opponent is wrong, and he’s lived in the district nearly all of this year.  

“I feel very confident where I stand and I know I’ve met all the legal requirements,” said Solis. “To be honest, I think it’s a desperate attempt by a desperate campaign and they’re trying to win in the courts where they’re not winning in the field.”

A legal residency case like this arose in 2007 and a school board candidate was forced off the race. But another, similar accusation in 2010 didn’t hold up.

Solis says he’s getting a lawyer. He or his attorney have twenty days to respond to the suit. 

Bill Zeeble has been a full-time reporter at KERA since 1992, covering everything from medicine to the Mavericks and education to environmental issues.