Willie D of Geto Boys plans City Council run
William James Dennis, a rapper who goes by the stage name Willie D, has filed a campaign treasurer’s report to run for City Council, becoming the second member of the Houston-based hip-hop group Geto Boys to seek a council seat.
Dennis filed a report Thursday with the city secretary’s office indicating he will run for District B, joining a field of 11 candidates.
Councilman Jerry Davis represents the district, but he has served the maximum number of terms and cannot run for reelection.
Hilton Koch, a Houston furniture dealer who is serving as campaign treasurer, confirmed Monday that Dennis is seeking the District B seat.
It is unclear, however, whether Dennis legally can be a candidate for council because he is a convict
ed felon.
The Texas Election Code says candidates are eligible to run for office if they have not been “finally convicted” of a felony from which they have “not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities.” The law does not define “resulting disabilities.”
Dennis was convicted on wire fraud charges in 2010, stemming from an iPhone sales scam, for which he received a year-long prison sentence.
The issue arose last year when convicted felon Lewis Conway Jr. ran for Austin city council. Conway spent eight years in prison in connection with a 1991 stabbing.
Conway Jr. ultimately was allowed to run, though he lost his election.
The other candidates in the District B race are Robin Anderson, Cynthia Bailey, Patricia Bourgeois, Alvin Byrd, Karen Kossie-Chernyshev, Tarsha Jackson, James Joseph, Alyson Quintana, Renee Jefferson Smith, Ben White Jr. and Huey Wilson.
District B takes in all or parts of the Fifth Ward, Kashmere Gardens, Greenspoint and George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Brad Jordan, known by the stage name Scarface, is the other Geto Boys member running for city council. He announced his candidacy last month for District D, the seat held by Councilman Dwight Boykins.
Boykins kicked off his campaign for mayor the same weekend Jordan jumped into the District D race.
Though their popularity from being professional rappers could give Dennis and Jordan an advantage, it does not grant them “an automatic win,” said political analyst Nancy Sims. What matters more, Sims said, is their level of connection to the district through, for instance, civic clubs and involvement with local churches.
Dennis’ candidacy continues the trend this year of candidates without city government experience seeking seats on the council. The phenomenon likely stems from the large number of open seats, Sims said, as well as the city’s recent change from two- to four-year terms, which likely has spurred more people to run.
Dennis gained attention in 2018 when his YouTube channel, Willie D Live, was briefly taken down. Dennis told reporters a video titled, “Maxine Waters responds to death threats: 'If you shoot at me, you better shoot straight’” might have prompted YouTube to take down his account.
Dennis still operates the account, which was reinstated by YouTube. He posted a video Monday titled, “Democrats want Blacks to vote for Kamala Harris because she marched with John Lewis when she was 5.” He also had a brief professional boxing career during the 1990s.
The third member of the Geto Boys, Richard Stephen Shaw — who went by the stage name Bushwick Bill — died last month of pancreatic cancer at age 52.