Ed Okpa is now officially a candidate in the Dallas mayoral race. He’s not only the sole minority candidate, he’s probably the smartest. In 2007, I helped moderate a mayoral forum (yes, someone made a mistake). Okpa was a candidate then, too. Here’s what I wrote after seeing him in action:
Edward Okpa needs to run for City Council. This guy is really smart, though you wouldn’t know it from looking at his disaster of a campaign site. For instance, nowhere on his site does it even mention the guy’s biographical info. Came here 21 years ago from Nigeria. Started as a busboy. Got a degree from Harvard. Became the head appraiser for the FDIC’s central region. Started his own company (which he refuses to run with a minority-owned business designation). I mean, you start talking about how to rejuvenate a neighborhood and build a tax base and encourage development, this guy has ideas. He’s got figures. He’s actually going to talk over the heads of most of the people in the room. Which is his problem. That, and that no one knows who he is. Google his name and “Harvard” and “Dallas.” You don’t get much. So that’s it. He needs to start in the Council and build some political capital. Keep an eye on this man.
Want to know more about the guy? Here’s a little ditty our D CEO did on him last year.
