Place 3 and 5 incumbents for the Providence Village Town Council face a challenger apiece in the upcoming May elections.
Place 3 Klayton Rutherford is opposed by Jill Cannon.
Cannon, vice president for a mortgage servicing company and deals in delinquent loans, moved to town in 2022, has prior board experience in the religious and nonprofi t sectors and said of her prior experiences her profession has best prepared her to serve the town.
“I’m very familiar with talking to and partnering with governmental agencies and have been part of committees and nonprofits that help change and influence laws within those entities,” Cannon said. “I am very familiar with negotiating, going against the big guys on behalf of the people who are most impacted.”
Cannon said she spends her evenings talking to her neighbors as they walk by, gauging what they want for the city, and has landed on the desire for an expansive greenspace as a gathering place for the community.
“I feel like I have the right skills to speak to anyone in this community,” Cannon said. “I want Providence Village to have a dedicated greenspace where the community can gather. Not just a park, but somewhere to bring in a community market where we can actually have small vendors within our county and capitalize on the residents who run small businesses out of their homes.”
Incumbent Rutherford has experience in municipal government dating back to before his first appointment to council in 2019, followed by another in 2024, starting on the Board of Adjustments before moving to the Economic Development Corporation which he currently presidents, and Planning and Zoning.
“I have served on every town board and commission there is, and I believe my record and experience have prepared me for this campaign and a full term on council,” Rutherford said. “That background is so important to doing the work we’re doing on council, and I’ve put in the work to make sure I understand where we came from.”
Rutherford, who works from home as a member of a nonprofit animal welfare organization which frequently deals with legislation, was a part of the council when it worked on and approved the Comprehensive Plan, which he intends to see through.
“We went straight to the residents and asked them, ‘What do you want,’ and the overwhelming response was our residents want more recreation opportunities, want community focused restaurants and retail,” Rutherford said. “They want townowned amenities. All of the developments that are currently underway play into the comprehensive plan’s goals in one way or another.”
Place 5 Incumbent Jeff Doramus, a Coast Guard retiree who later returned to the military as a civilian IT cyber specialist, was appointed to council in 2021 before running unopposed in 2022 after his term expired.
“My background being information technology and leadership has given me a lot of experience in problem solving and decision making,” Doramus said. “When it comes time to take into account whatever is in front of us as a town council member, I’m able to digest that and make informed decisions.”
Doramus said he has a heart for service and referenced experience on several boards during his career as well as time on the AYSA executive board as commissioner and later president and upcoming vice president for the Aubrey Athletic Boosters as examples.
“When I came in, the comprehen-sive plan was still in the development phase and I saw a real opportu-nity to be a part of that and see our town come into itself,” Doramus said. “We want to build the community, a sense of pride and a place to call home. [That happens] with smart residential and commercial growth.”
David Vartian, works in finance for a mortgage servicing company, currently sits on Planning and Zoning and is the head of the HOA for Enclave Creek.
“We need to figure out how to manage our town’s growth in a way that’s both economical and effective,” Vartian said. “My years in finance have really offered me perspective on how to manage things in a fiscally responsible manner. We are at a very crucial point right now where we can really shape the town to be whatever we want it to be, but we have a very short window to do that.”
Vartian said the town he wants to help develop is one that capitalizes on its uniqueness, chief among them, he explained, are its residents.
“I really want to work to create a small business environment so our retail and commercial sector is filled with locally owned and operated shops and restaurants,” Vartian said. “We need to provide avenues for people to be able to start their businesses and operate them in Providence Village. We don’t become another generic suburb in a sea of DFW suburbs.”
Early voting for the May 3 election opens April 22 and runs through April 29 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on the following Monday and Tuesday. Providence Village residents can vote at any listed early voting location.
The day of voting location for Providence Village is the Stephen E. Copeland Government Center.
