Meet Your Mayor + Council Members

Albert (Al) Zapanta was elected mayor of the City of Irving in May 2026. He was previously elected to serve three terms as council member for District 6.

Mayor Zapanta is President and CEO of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, which operates eight regional offices in the United States and eight in Mexico. He was the founding member and Chief Executive Officer of PAZ Resources, LLC, and was Chief Executive Officer of PAZ Energy. Al worked in upstream operations of Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO Oil & Gas) and retired as Director of Governmental Affairs. He was responsible for negotiations with U.S. and Mexican governments on oil and gas matters and coordinated ARCO’S effort to deregulate the natural gas market, which later became the Natural Gas Policy Act.

Mayor Zapanta is a retired Major General, U.S. Army. His military record includes the award of the Silver Star, 5 Bronze Stars for Valor, the Purple Heart, and 30 other awards during the Vietnam War era. He was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Restore Hope in Somalia and Restore Democracy in Haiti.

Mayor Zapanta held numerous Presidential appointments throughout his career, including White House Fellow with the U.S Department of Transportation, Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Management and Administration, U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on International Trade Technology and Development, and private sector delegate to the U.S.-Mexico Partnership for Prosperity and Chairman for the Reserve Forces Policy Board, U.S. Department of Defense.

Mayor Zapanta has a BA in Industrial Psychology, MA in Public Administration and has completed work for his PhD in International Political Economics from the University of Southern California. He graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Business, the Inter-American Defense College at the National War College, Washington, D.C.

Prior Committees

Mayor Zapanta has an extensive history of serving on various city and community boards prior to being elected to city council. He was appointed to the 2006 Bond Committee, the 2008 Charter Review Committee, the Human Relations Committee, and the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 1 Board. As a council member, Mayor Zapanta was Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee, co-chair on the Board Appointment Committee, and served on the Transportation and Natural Resources Committee. He was also the Council liaison to the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, Irving Flood Control District, Section III and Sister Cities.

Family

Al has been married to his wife, Rochelle, since 1970. They have two daughters and one son.

John Bloch was re-elected to District 1 for his second term on the Irving City Council in May 2025.

Councilmember Bloch is a web software developer and currently leads the Dallas-area development team for a DC-based technology company. He has spoken at conferences around the country and worked on projects for Fortune 500 companies.

In 2008, John graduated cum laude from the University of Dallas in Irving with a B.A. in English.

While a student, he was a member of UD’s Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity, where John helped organize and participate in community service projects in Irving.

He served as the chapter’s pledgemaster and inducted the largest pledge class in the chapter’s history. Since then, John has continued to serve the community by volunteering with soup kitchens, church community events, and school events.

Councilmember Bloch is the Chair of the Community Services & Public Safety Committee and serves on the Transportation and Natural Resources Committee.

David Pfaff is a lifelong Irving resident, business leader, and active member of the community. Elected to the Irving City Council in 2025, he brings over 30 years of leadership and business experience to Irving, including serving as CEO of an Irving-based semiconductor testing company.

Councilman Pfaff earned his degree from Pomona College and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He has led numerous civic efforts, including co-founding the Irving Kids Charity Golf Tournament, chairing the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, and serving on the board of the Irving Schools Foundation.

Primary focus areas for David include public safety, strong infrastructure, low taxes, and long-term economic growth. He is committed to keeping Irving safe, vibrant and future-ready.

Councilman Pfaff serves as the co-chair to the Boards Appointment Committee, and he is on the Audit and Finance Committee and the Planning and Development Committee. He is also the Council Liaison to the Arts Board.

David and his wife Sharon have lived in Cottonwood Valley for over 25 years and raised their two children in Irving.

Abdul Khabeer was re-elected to the office of City Council, District 3, in June 2026; he is the first Muslim elected to public office in the City of Irving. Abdul is a passionate community leader and seasoned entrepreneur with global professional experience. Councilmember Khabeer holds a master’s in business administration.

With a career rooted in fostering growth and development, Abdul has consistently demonstrated an unwavering dedication to the betterment of his community. Abdul's entrepreneurial journey spans multiple industries, providing him with a rich, multifaceted understanding of business dynamics that are crucial for economic development. He has served on various non-profit boards and Homeowner Associations (HOA’s).

Councilmember Khabeer is ready to extend his commitment to public service as a City Council Member. His vision for the city is anchored on the principles of diversity, accountability, and inclusion. He aims to foster growth by promoting small businesses, enhancing public safety, community engagement and improving infrastructure in South Irving.

Councilmember Khabeer is on the Community Services & Public Safety Committee and the Planning and Development Committee. He is the council liaison to the Housing and Human Services Board and the Dallas County Flood Control District No. 1 Board.

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Luis Canosa was elected to the Irving City Council, District 4, in June 2024, becoming the youngest Councilmember in Irving’s history to be elected when he was 24.

Canosa is a professional violinist and a successful business owner, who runs a piano restoration and refurbishing operation.

Before stepping up to serve in the City Council, Luis performed in over 30 charity concerts in Irving.

Councilmember Canosa serves on the Community Services & Public Safety Committee and on the Planning and Development Committee.

Mark Cronenwett was re-elected to the Irving City Council in May 2026 to represent District 5. Councilmember Cronenwett was appointed to Mayor Pro Tem in July 2026.

Mark was born and raised in Monroe, Michigan. An alumnus of the University of Dallas and the Catholic University of America Law School, Mark is a financial services, business, and real estate litigator at Mackie, Wolf, Zientz & Mann.

Mark began his legal career at the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Waco. He came to Dallas to join Kuntz & Bonesio in 1997 and moved to Fanning Harper & Martinson in 1998. Mark later joined Cowles & Thompson where he practiced for 10 years before joining Higier Allen & Lautin. He joined Mackie Wolf Zientz & Mann in 2012 and serves as the Managing Attorney of the firm’s Litigation Section.

After moving to Irving, Mark began his service to the community as a YMCA coach. He was member of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau and La Buena Vida Foundation and served as Chairman of the Board of the Irving YMCA. Mark has been appointed to the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 1, the 2019 Municipal Bond Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Councilman Cronenwett serves on the Community Services & Public Safety Committee and is the Chair to the Planning and Development Committee. He is the council liaison for the Dallas County Utility Reclamation District (DCURD) and the Irving Flood Control District, Section I.

Fahad Ahmed, District 6

2026 – 2027

Fahad Ahmed was elected to District 6 of the Irving City Council in 2026 to fill an unexpired term. He brings to the Council more than two decades of corporate strategy experience, small business ownership, and active community board leadership.

Councilman Ahmed began his career at Microsoft, where he spent fifteen years in Solutions and Enterprise Strategy, ultimately serving as Chief Technology Strategist supporting McDonald’s globally. He later joined Google as an Enterprise Account Executive, advising companies across the oil and gas, travel, and hospitality industries. He departed his corporate career to pursue his passion for small business ownership, building and operating ventures in retail, hospitality, and youth leadership development across the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Councilman Ahmed has lived in Texas since 2016 and is a longtime resident of Valley Ranch.

Prior Service

Councilman Ahmed served as a City of Irving Planning and Zoning Commissioner in 2025. He has served on the Valley Ranch Commercial Association and Master Association Boards and currently serves as President of the Master Association. Earlier in his career, Councilman Ahmed volunteered as a cybersecurity advisor with the FBI’s InfraGard program and has long been active as a mentor, guiding students and emerging professionals through career and leadership development.

Family

Councilman Ahmed and his wife have been married for 26 years and are raising three children.

Adam Muller was elected to District 7 of the Irving City Council in May 2025 and is serving his first term in office.

Councilmember Muller devoted the first 11 years of his career to teaching English and Latin and school leadership. He now works as a software design architect in the finance industry and has received several professional rewards for his work.

Since 2018, he has volunteered as the Board President of Valor Education, which has grown from one small school to a total enrollment of over 4,300 students across five campuses in Austin and San Antonio.  He is passionate about improving the lives of families through education and economic development.

Adam has also coached baseball and basketball at the Irving YMCA, refereed for the Special Olympics, and worked as a laborer for Habitat for Humanity.

Prior Service

Before being elected to City Council, Councilmember Muller served as Board Chair of the Irving Public Library. 

Current Committees

Councilman Muller is on the Audit and Finance Committee and on the Transportation and Natural Resources Committee.

Family

Adam is an Irving native and holds a PhD in English from the University of Dallas, where he met his beautiful wife Annie.  They have been married for 22 years and have seven children.

Dennis Webb was re-elected at large, to District 8, of the Irving City Council in May 2024 and is serving his second term. He was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem in June 2024 and was Deputy Mayor Pro Tem in 2023. Previously, Webb served as the District 3 council person for nine years from 2011 to 2020.

Dennis has lived in the City of Irving for over 30 years, graduating from Nimitz High School in 1977. After 30 years of service with the Grand Prairie Fire Department, where he served as Lieutenant for 19 years, Dennis retired in 2014. He is the founder and Senior Pastor of the Bear Creek Community Church in Irving.

Councilman Webb is the Chair to the Transportation and Natural Resources Committee and serves on the Audit and Finance Committee. He is the City Council representative of the National League of Cities, Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition and the Regional Transportation Council.