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    Denton City Council

    • Mayor Chris Watts


      Mayor Chris Watts City of Denton

      Chris Watts was elected Mayor in May 2014 and is serving his second term. He previously served three terms as a Council Member representing District 4. Mayor Watts graduated from Denton High School before going on to the University of North Texas and obtaining a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and a Master’s in Education Counseling and Student Services. In 1990, Mayor Watts switched his career path from computer programmer and analyst to real estate broker and investor. He later attended Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, received his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2000, and pursued a career in real estate law. He has coached students for the American Bar Association Student Division Negotiation Competition for the past several years. Mayor Watts has owned and operated a real estate investment firm for over 20 years.

      Committee Assignments: Agenda Committee, Audit/Finance Committee, Council Airport Committee, Council Appointee Performance Review Committee, Hotel Occupancy Tax Committee, North Texas Commission, Texas Municipal Power Agency, Downtown Denton TIF Reinvestment Zone Number One Board.

    • Gerard Hudspeth, District 1

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      Gerard Hudspeth was elected to District 1 in May 2017 and is serving his first term. Preceding his election, he served on the City of Denton’s Planning and Zoning Commission and various other boards.  Councilman Hudspeth is an alumnus of Denton high school and a graduate of North Central Texas College.  He has worked in the legal industry for over 16 years and is currently a Process Service Manager and Litigation Support Consultant. Giving back to the community is a passion of his that has lead him to serve as a CASA volunteer for over 8 years and as a Mentor Denton volunteer.  His favorite book is Joseph:  A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness by Charles R. Swindoll.  His Favorite movie is A Few Good Men by Rob Reiner.


      Committee Assignments: Committee on Citizen Engagement, Ethics Committee, Hotel Occupancy Tax Committee, Convention and Visitor Bureau Advisory Board.

    • Keely G. Briggs, District 2


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      Keely Briggs was elected to District 2 in May 2015 and is serving her second term. A Texas native born in Tyler, she first came to Denton to attend the University of North Texas in 1995, where she graduated with a BA in sociology and received certification for mediation training from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program administered by the Institute of Applied Economics. In 1997, Keely and her husband, Chris, were happily married outside of the Little Chapel in the Woods at TWU. Chris—a graduate of DHS and UNT—is a senior executive for a Texas-based international data analytics and technology firm specializing in retail, healthcare, and economic development. When not seeing to the important work of representing the citizens of District 2 and the City of Denton, Keely can be found volunteering in our local schools.

      Committee Assignments: Committee on Citizen Engagement, Committee on the Environment, Ethics Committee, Mobility Committee, Community Justice Council, Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, Lake Ray Roberts Planning & Zoning Commission, Development Code Review Committee (ad hoc), City Council Employee Benefits Committee (ad hoc).

    • Don Duff, District 3

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      Don Duff was elected to District 3 in June 2017 and is serving his first term.

      Committee Assignments: Council Airport Committee, Ethics Committee.

       

    • John Ryan, District 4

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      John Ryan was elected to District 4 in May 2017 and is serving his first term.

      Committee Assignments: Audit/Finance Committee, Committee on the Environment, Council Airport Committee, Council Appointee Performance Review Committee, Convention and Visitor Bureau Advisory Board, Regional Transportation Council (alternate), Development Code Review Committee (ad hoc), City Council Employee Benefits Committee (ad hoc).

    • Dalton Gregory, At Large Place 5


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      Dalton Gregory was elected to At Large Place 5 in May 2014. He previously served as a Council Member representing District 2 from 2009-2014. He served as Mayor Pro Tem from May 2015 to May 2016. Dalton is a Denton native who graduated from Denton High in 1970 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974. He taught in the Austin Independent School District for three years and then worked for five years for the Houston ISD as the site coordinator for an environmental education camp. He earned a Masters Degree in Educational Administration in 1981 from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. In 1982, Dalton and his wife, Donna Steward Gregory, returned to Denton. Dalton retired in 2008 after 34 years in public education, 26 years in Denton ISD, 23 years as an elementary school principal.

      Committee Assignments: Committee on Citizen Engagement, Committee on the Environment, Council Appointee Performance Review Committee, Hotel Occupancy Tax Committee, Mobility Committee, Convention and Visitor Bureau Advisory Board.

    • Sara Bagheri, At Large Place 6


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      Sara Bagheri was elected to At Large Place 6 in May 2016 and is serving her first term. She was elected Mayor Pro Tem in May 2017.

      Committee Assignments: Agenda Committee, Audit/Finance Committee, Mobility Committee, Regional Transportation Council, Development Code Review Committee(ad hoc), City Council Employee Benefits Committee (ad hoc).