Bedford’s mayor’s race includes the incumbent, a former council member and a newcomer who helped lead the failed effort to pardon Tiger King Joe Exotic, the subject of a Netflix documentary who is in a federal prison on animal cruelty charges and a murder for hire scheme.

The three candidates in the city of 48,724 are Mayor Dan Cogan, former mayor Jim Griffin and Eric “Big Juicy” Love, who is running for office for the first time. Early voting begins April 22 for the May 4 election.

Love, 57, included the name of his English bulldog Big Juicy on his ballot listing because he wants to pay homage to his dog. He said he decided to run because he doesn’t think Bedford is doing enough to bring in new businesses.

Love, a private investigator and philanthropist, helped lead a campaign to request that former President Donald Trump pardon Joe Maldonado-Passage.

“I am a person who will speak for others if I see injustice,” Love said.

Love said he also attended the Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally and filmed Trump speaking but said he did not take part in the storming of the Capitol.

Love said his campaign platform focuses on what he sees as Bedford’s weak leadership and failure to take advantage of business opportunities.

But he is also facing criticism for putting out false information that a prime piece of city-owned property, known as Campus West, was sold for $7 million, less than the purchase price of $9.5 million.

Love claims in a video on his campaign website that the city the 18.5-acre property (formerly known as Campus West) at 2005 N. Industrial Blvd.

However, the City Council has not approved the property sale, and the land won’t be sold until developers submit site plans, according to the city.

Love told the Star-Telegram that he did not talk to anyone with the city about the status of the property, but he contacted a developer who told him about the sale. Love did not name the developer.

Bedford bought in December 2021 so that the city would have a say in the type of development after residents vehemently opposed more apartments in the city. Plans call for townhomes, restaurants and shops.

Bedford is working with StreetLevel Investments of Dallas on the commercial development and Dickerson Development of Dallas on the residential side.

Love said Bedford is also carrying too much debt and also questioned why the city doesn’t have a lower tax rate.

If elected, Love said he would go to each business and meet with the owners to find out what is important to them and what their needs are.

Cogan, 36, was appointed as mayor in September after Michael Boyter resigned.

Cogan teaches sixth-grade science and world cultures at South Euless Elementary. He said he decided to run for mayor because he wants to see Bedford continue to make progress with its business and economic development strategies.

Cogan was first elected to the Place 2 council seat in 2018.

Cogan said when Boyter was “at the helm” the city was in good shape. He said he was “in shock” when Boyter resigned.

Cogan said he had a difficult decision to make. “I decided that I wanted to stay because I dind’t want to see all of the hard work I put in go to waste.”

Cogan said he and the council worked repave more streets, attract new businesses and reduce the property tax rate down to its lowest amount in seven years.

Another task in front of the council is choosing a new city manager to replace Jimmy Stathatos, who resigned to take a job in the private sector.

Cogan said he wants to make sure that the remaining parcels of vacant land, including Campus West and Bedford Commons, are developed “wisely.”

“We don’t want storage facilities,” he said. “We don’t want pawn shops or low budget hotels. That is just a reflection of what residents want.”

Cogan criticized Love for the “unsubstantiated claims” about Campus West and that Bedford is not business friendly.

“What is a candidate’s motivation and why are they running? I ran six years ago because I’m raising my family here. I’ve got a vested interest in making sure we do this right.”

Griffin, 67, a retired network planner from Verizon, was mayor from 2012 to 2019, when he resigned to run for the Texas House after Jonathan Stickland announced that he wasn’t seeking re-election. Griffin lost his bid for the District 92 seat.

Before he became mayor, Griffin was on the city council and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Griffin said he is running for mayor because he has more experience than his opponents in working with other cities and organizations.

Griffin serves on the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce executive board, Northeast Leadership Forum and the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Education Foundation.

Griffin said he has forged relationships over the years with leaders from other cities and organizations, but that he hasn’t seen much involvement from Bedford.

“I really wanted to keep our city connected with my over two decades of experience,” he said.

Griffin described Bedford as being at a “critical point” because it is 98% built out.

Griffin said one of his strengths is economic development and that he served as president of the city economic development corporation.

He also helped attract successful businesses like Turning Point Beer and What’s Poppin’ Texas and described how he launched an initiative for artists to put up displays in empty store fronts to help bring businesses to vacant shopping centers.

“I just have a real passion and love for serving and trying to make our community a better place.”