Submitted by Gwendolyn H. Daniels
Feeling an obligation to dig deeper and support his city in a greater role, Ricky C. McNeal stepped down as president of the award-winning NAACP Garland Unit, then applied, and was selected to fill a vacated Garland City Council position.
After the departure of David Gibbons, former District 1 City Council member, McNeal explained “A group of community leaders encouraged and inspired me to submit, my application.”
All pertinent qualifications were met due to his decades of volunteer service. The hurdle that he faced was successfully rating No. 1 among the 11 applicants who interviewed for the position.
McNeal went through all proper channels of notifying the NAACP Texas State Conference who contacted the NAACP national office on his behalf. The only task left was to notify the faithful NAACP volunteers whom he served as president and whom he dearly admires. On Dec. 8, McNeal held a meeting with members of the Garland NAACP Executive Committee. He announced his new appointment to the Garland City Council and resigned his position as president, for now!
The saving grace to the NAACP is that McNeal will only serve on council through May 1, 2021, when the city will hold a general election and fill the District 1 seat. It is stipulated in Garland’s City Charter that a resident serving temporarily is ineligible to run for the seat in the next election.
A native of Jonesboro, Louisiana, McNeal holds a BS degree in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech in Ruston. He moved to Dallas in 1987 and met his bride while interning as a new hire at Electronic Data Systems. In 1994, he and his wife, Najeda Flowers McNeal, relocated to Garland and became homeowners. After 30 years of marriage, they have three adult daughters and two sons-in-law: Hillary (Tyler), Hannah (Justin), and their youngest daughter, Haylea, who is a junior at Midwestern State University. The McNeals are devoted members of Mount Hebron Missionary Baptist Church where McNeal serves as a deacon and Sunday School superintendent.
Once Governor Greg Abbot approves this new appointment McNeal will be officially sworn in to represent District 1. In the meantime, he is serving as an ex-officio member of the council.
Because of McNeal’s new position, the NAACP Garland Unit made several temporary appointments that will remain effective through April 30, 2021. The Honorable Annie Dickson (former District 2 Council Member, and NAACP vice president) moved to the position of president. Dr. Chonda Williams will serve as vice president and secretary. Larry D. Daniels will remain in his elected position as unit treasurer.
With McNeal’s longstanding philosophy “To whom much is given, much is required,” the NAACP Garland Unit can rest assured that he is just a phone call away, should the need arise!