‘Defund’ police? ‘All hat and no cattle’? Fort Worth mayor’s race has gone negative
The Fort Worth mayor’s race is getting chippy, despite pledges from some candidates to avoid negative campaigning.
A flyer in support of candidate Mattie Parker arrived this week in mailboxes, and the leaflet accuses candidate Brian Byrd of moving to “defund” benefits for the widows and other family members of fallen firefighters and police officers.
The flyer, which features the headline “Voter Beware: Know the truth about Mr. Byrd before you vote,” wasn’t paid for by Parker herself. Instead, it was paid for by Fort Worth Firefighters Committee for Responsible Government, a group that supports Parker.
“Mr. Byrd is not what he pretends to be. Fort Worth City Council records show that on November 13, 2018, he made the motion to defund and eliminate the cost of living benefits of widows and children of fallen firefighters and police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty,” Michael Glynn, Fort Worth Firefighters Association president, said in an email. “Because of this, Mr. Byrd has falsely portrayed himself as a friend of firefighters and police officers when in fact he is not.”
Reached by phone, Parker, a former chief of staff to Mayor Betsy Price, said she was unaware of the flyer until a copy arrived in her mailbox, and she didn’t authorize the contents of it.
“I have been focusing on running my campaign in a positive and inspirational manner, and I’m going to do that all the way through,” Parker said. “I know the first responders have been frustrated by Dr. Byrd’s voting record, but I haven’t gotten into the weeds on it.”
Parker also noted that Byrd’s campaign has one flyer with a photo of a black cowboy hat, and alleges that she is “All hat and no cattle” because of her lack of experience holding elected office — which Parker says is ironic, considering she was raised on a family ranch in Hico south of Cleburne.
Byrd, through a spokesman, said in a written statement his action in 2018 was meant to improve firefighter pensions. It was a motion on an item under consideration by the City Council that didn’t go forward, not an actual City Council vote.
“In 2018, I had a plan to protect firefighter pensions over the long term,” Byrd said. “Their union bosses shot down the plan in favor of their plan that put a heavy burden on the taxpayers. I have always fought and will continue to fight for our police and firefighters with REAL solutions — not what their union bosses think is best.”
Byrd, a physician and former CEO of Texas Hospice, also has defended the “All hat and no cattle” campaign material, citing Parker’s lack of business experience.
Parker was chief of staff for the mayor and City Council for five years. She was the founding chief executive officer of education nonprofits Fort Worth Cradle to Career and the Tarrant To & Through Partnership.
Four candidates have emerged as strong contenders in the race, among a pack of 10 overall hopefuls, for the May 1 election — making it likely that the top two vote-getters will wind up in a June 5 runoff.
Deborah Peoples, chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, and Ann Zadeh, an urban planner with extensive experience on City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission, are expected to be among the top finishers, along with Parker and Byrd.
Fort Worth local elections are nonpartisan, although some of the rhetoric may remind voters of recent behavior in national elections.
“We used to say all politics are local. Well, I would argue now that all politics are national, because of issues like defunding the police, Black Lives Matter and because of issues like the transgender bathroom bill,” said Jim Riddlesperger, TCU political science professor. “Those issues used to not be part of local politics.”
But, Riddlesperger said the negative campaigning itself is not partisan, and has always been a part of local politics.
He added that none of the four front-runners appears to have a decided advantage.
Parker has the support of many political and business leaders, and Peoples has the backing of loyal Democrats, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Zadeh or Byrd couldn’t finish in the top two spots.
“An outsider path,” he said,”may be just as good as an insider path.”
Parker has the endorsement of many of Fort Worth’s highest-profile business and political leaders, including Mayor Betsy Price, former mayor Mike Moncrief, state Rep. Phil King, state Rep. Craig Goldman, former congressman Pete Geren, council member Dennis Shingleton, former council members Bill Meadows, Danny Scarth and Zim Zimmerman; and prominent citizens such as Ramona and Lee Bass, Sid Bass, Mike Berry and Dee Kelly Jr.
She also was endorsed by the Fort Worth Police Officers Association and the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association.
Parker and Byrd have raised the most campaign cash.
Byrd’s campaign reported a balance of just over $500,000 at the April 1 city filing deadline. He received $245,800 in contributions from more than 200 donors, and also had $300,000 in loans, while already spending about $212,000.
Parker’s campaign had just under $470,000 on hand, $654,000 in contributions and no loans. Her large donations included $50,000 from the Bass family’s Good Government Fund.
Zadeh reported $134,420 on hand, while Peoples just over $41,000.
Voter Guide
Visit star-telegram.com for a voter’s guide to the May 1 elections in Fort Worth and Arlington.
This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 5:01 PM.
