Lynnetta Williams, the daughter of former Dallas City Councilwoman Maxine Thornton Reese, announced her passing away peacefully this morning in her home. Mythe Kirven posted this memorial: In 1998, she left home every day to walk District 4 in Dallas to personally ask for your vote. We were neighbors, and I watched and admired her sheer will and tenacity. Having been the first African American to move into the Buckner Terrace neighborhood of Dallas, she decided to run for the Dallas City Council. She thought it perfectly fitting to run against Larry Duncan, the white man who for years represented District 4. Although many people didn’t think she stood a chance, they didn’t know Dr. Maxine Thornton-Reese. Determined, she won by just enough votes to declare her the winner. Duncan contested and filed lawsuit after lawsuit, year after year, election after election. Maxine represented District 4 on the Dallas City Council from 1999-2007. She served Dallas well as a Dallas Independent School Principal, a member of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board, and in countless other service positions. She was a role model for many women today who continue to defy the odds and succeed. The consummate lifelong politician who could woo you with her sense of humor and make you feel like a million bucks. 86 years of a life well lived.
