How We Evaluate Candidates: Starting with The Survey
This week, we are walking our community through how Dream City PAC evaluates candidates.
From the beginning of this election cycle, we committed to approaching every race with open minds and clear values. Our mission is to engage Arlington residents, build people-powered civic participation, and support candidates who champion progress, equity, and accountable governance while reflecting the values, needs, and voices of our diverse community
To do that responsibly, we build data stories for each candidate. One piece that data story comes from the candidate surveys we sent out.
The Candidate Surveys
We created two surveys:
A Municipal Candidate Survey
An Arlington ISD School Board Candidate Survey
While the content differs based on the role, the structure is the same.
Every candidate is asked to rate their level of agreement on a 1–10 scale.
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1 – Strongly Oppose
I fundamentally disagree with this statement and would not support policies aligned with it.2–3 – Oppose
I generally disagree and would be unlikely to prioritize this in policy decisions.4 – Lean Oppose
I have significant concerns and would rarely support this approach.5 – Neutral / Mixed
I neither strongly support nor oppose this statement, or I believe it depends heavily on context.6 – Lean Support
I generally support this principle but may have limitations or conditions in certain cases.7–8 – Support
I agree with this statement and would support policies aligned with it in most circumstances.9 – Strongly Support
I strongly agree and would actively prioritize this in decision-making.10 – Fully Committed
I strongly agree and would make this a clear and proactive leadership priority in my role.
Each section then asks candidates to:
Rate each statement on a scale of 1-10
Select the statement they believe is most urgent
Explain how they would act on the most important statement in their role
This provides data stories that move beyond surface-level agreement and into priorities and action.
What the Municipal Survey Covers
The municipal survey examines nine areas of city governance:
Values and Governing Approach
Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Social Access and City Services
Equity and Representation
Housing
Transportation
Environmental Health
Youth and Family
Education and Technology Access
These categories reflect how policy, budgeting, and infrastructure decisions shape daily life across Arlington neighborhoods.
What the School Board Survey Covers
The school board survey examines six key governance areas:
Goals and Priorities
Policy Adoption and Review
Superintendent Hiring and Evaluation
Budget and Tax Rate
Community Communication
Equity and Representation
School board governance is not about day-to-day management. It is about oversight, accountability, and ensuring public education serves every student well.
How Dream City PAC Will Analyze Responses
Let’s be clear about something. We are not looking for candidates who select “Fully Committed” on every statement. That is not realistic. It is not responsible governance.
We are looking for clarity of priorities.
We want to understand:
What rises to the top for each candidate
Where they are willing to lead
Where they are cautious
Where they are silent
We will look at overall patterns, priority selections, written explanations, and alignment with our stated values. We will only consider supporting candidates who complete the survey.
