Price for Fort Worth mayor

Fort Worth voters have an important decision to make in the May 14 mayoral election, and the overall high caliber of the candidates who want the opportunity to succeed Mayor Mike Moncrief in leading the City Council doesn't make that decision easy.

The five candidates are:

Dan Barrett, 56, attorney and former state representative for District 97

Cathy Hirt, 56, former attorney and former Fort Worth City Councilwoman for District 9

Jim Lane, 66, attorney, Tarrant Regional Water District board member and former Fort Worth councilman for District 2

Betsy Price, 61, former Tarrant County tax assessor-collector and small-business owner

Nicholas Zebrun, 27, videographer

Two candidates in this race stand out -- Betsy Price and Jim Lane -- and their different approaches to what will be the first item on the to-do list for the new mayor and council provide a clear distinction between the two.

Price is correct to favor a national search for Fort Worth's next city manager, though she said she would consider internal candidates. Price said Fort Worth needs someone with a record of managing the day-to-day operations of a major U.S. city, plus the ability to empower assistant city managers and department heads to be creative in fulfilling the council's vision for the city.

Lane says a search isn't needed. The best person for the job, he said, is Tom Higgins, who's already doing the work as interim city manager. Higgins, who has been with the city for 24 years, has said he's not interested in going through a search process.

This decision is too important to not conduct a national search. Fort Worth needs to exercise due diligence in identifying the person who will not only administer and coordinate municipal operations and programs but will provide the council members with information they need to be fully informed about crucial issues facing the city.

Price and Lane take similar stands on urban natural gas drilling. Both said residents' health and safety must take priority over economic gain; both said they're willing to revisit the city's ordinance, which last was updated in 2008.

Lane has a better handle on the current deficiencies in the city's bus service, including insufficient routes and availability for people who rely on the T as their only form of transportation. He also has a thorough grasp of Fort Worth's diversity.

Price brings a demonstrated understanding of how technology can lead to efficiencies in government while improving customer service. She has done as much if not more than any other elected official at the county level to modernize her office's operations.

Throughout the campaign, Lane, who said "meet-and-confer was an excellent idea" because it made public the contract negotiation process with civil service employees, has characterized his long relationship with police and firefighters as best positioning him to get those employee groups to contribute more toward their retirement plans.

"If they want those benefit levels to continue, they'll have to pay for it," Lane told the Editorial Board during an April 20 interview. "The city is paying all it should pay."

Yet, it's understandably difficult for some voters -- who see the price tag on unfunded liabilities as high as $2 billion when healthcare is added to the pension obligations -- to share Lane's confidence, especially after he accepted $154,000 in campaign contributions from the two groups.

Ongoing economic uncertainty demands that Fort Worth elect a mayor with a strong focus on budgets and an appreciation for the importance of the small-business entrepreneur to the city's overall health. Price is that candidate.

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Betsy Price for mayor of Fort Worth.

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