Leslie Melson and Jim Hitzelberger, the only two Highland Park ISD trustees whose terms are about to expire, have announced their intentions to seek re-election.

Hitzelberger joined the board in 2009 and holds the office of vice president. He is a 1974 graduate of Highland Park High School, where two of his sons are students. A third son attends Highland Park Middle School.

“It is an honor to serve HPISD and support the educational excellence that is a Highland Park tradition,” Hitzelberger said.

Melson joined the board in 2006 and was elected president in 2010. She and her husband, Jim, have four children who all graduated from Highland Park High School.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to my community in this capacity and consider it a privilege to impact the success of our students,” she said.

HPISD trustees are elected at large and serve three-year terms. Municipal elections in the Dallas area will be held May 12. The deadline to file a candidacy is March 5.

I heard this last night, but our beloved owner/overlord Wick Allison posted something about it this morning before I could jump on it.

Seems Rep. Pete Sessions is under investigation for receiving a favorable loan from Countrywide. His spokeswoman contends that he didn’t know the loan was below market-rate. Let the finger-pointing commence!

(Quick side note that I forgot to mention when it happened. Session visited the Highland Park Town Council last year, at which time the council gave him a Highland Park flag to hang in his office. At the time, I thought to myself “Those offices are wayyy too small to hang an American flag and a Highland Park flag.” Wonder which one he chose.)

Dan Branch files reelection paperwork at Dallas County's GOP headquarters.

Representative Dan Branch announced this afternoon that he will seek reelection to the Texas House of Representatives, hoping to win his fifth term as District 108′s rep in Austin.

“This is a critical time for the Texas economy. The decisions we make in Austin today, will affect Texans for decades to come,” Branch said in a statement. “I’m running for reelection because I want to provide thoughtful, conservative leadership for North Texas, the major economic engine of a state leading the way in job creation.”

The Dallas resident has also been mentioned as a potential candidate for lieutenant governor in 2014. He represents the Dallas neighborhoods of downtown, Uptown, lower Greenville, and parts of east Dallas, as well as Highland Park and University Park. No other candidates have yet announced their intention to run for District 108.

Edward Drake, a former mayor of University Park, died Friday. He was 87.

A Dallas native, Drake served as mayor from 1984 to 1986.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Park Cities Presbyterian, 4124 Oak Lawn Avenue. The flags at UP city buildings and parks will be flown at half-staff through Friday, said UP spokesman Steve Mace.

For more information, see this week’s Park Cities People.

So it’s now been one year since University Park voters overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes to the city’s alcohol laws.

In today’s paper, we chatted with a few businessy folks this affected, but didn’t talk to any average Joes on the street. Here’s your chance.

Good, bad, indifferent? Happy to grab a six-pack on your way home? Think the city’s slouching towards Gomorrah? Spill it.

It seems like they give away awards for pretty much everything these days, and the folks in the Highland Park and University Park governments seem to gobble them all up.

The latest is the Government Finance Officers Association’s Certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting, or GFOACEFR, for those in the know. The award is designed to “encourage and assist governments to go beyond the minimum requirements…(in) the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.”

Highland Park took home the award in September, for the 28th time. You can check out the 2010 report here.

The GOP (grand old pumpkins) were present at UP Elementary. (Photo by Julie Wander)

University Park Elementary hosted its 42nd annual Pumpkin Day on Friday, when the school’s grounds were lined with creative pumpkins. I’m betting the four gourds seen here did as much to inform voters as their real-life counterparts did in any recent debate.

Every once in a while, us People people get to write for D Magazine, the folks we share two floors with in our downtown manse. Last month, Claire wrote the cover story detailing the ESD trial, and this month it’s my turn.

I wrote about Henda Salmeron, a Lakewood real estate agent with dense breast tissue. The story doesn’t have anything to do with the Park Cities, but I think it’s an important read for women (and the men who love them). With Breast Cancer Awareness Month coming to a close, its timing is perfect.

Anyway, here it is. And, as always, thanks for reading all of our publications.

Lynne Cheney

Dick Cheney

Lynne and Dick Cheney were back in their Highland Park hood Monday evening for a book signing of his book, “In My Time,” hosted by Allie Beth and Pierce Allman.

The event took place at a $9+ million mansion on Gillon just a couple of  blocks away from the Cheneys’ former home on Euclid.

As the books were being bought by the bushel, the crowd kept growing and growing. So much so that organizers decided to move guests to the backyard for the former VP to talk with guests.

While in town he also joined his former boss, President George W. Bush, for a dinner honoring the Wounded Warrior Open.

I know this isn’t Park Cities-centric, but there are probably enough interested parties to warrant a post. OccupyDallas, an autonomous, kind-of-related off-shoot of the OccupyWallStreet movement, is planning two protests at the Federal Reserve downtown today.

(For a more in-depth discussion of the differences between the two protests, read what my friend Mike Mooney posted on FrontBurner yesterday)

The 9 a.m. protest (now 42 minutes late) is assembling at Pike Park as we speak. From the looks of Twitter, there seem to be a couple hundred folks there already, representing a dangerous oleo of dark Republican suits and hippies.

To follow today’s events, the best bet is probably #occupydallas on Twitter.

(Update, 10:11 a.m.) I’m heading down, and you can follow me at @bradfordpearson.