One of Fort Worth’s longest serving city council member says this is her last election
It’s the last ride for Fort Worth’s Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens.
Bivens told the Star-Telegram’s editorial board Thursday her sixth run for the City Council’s District 5 seat will be her last.
She has represented the district since 2013, bounded roughly by Miller Avenue to the west, U.S. 287 to the south, and the Arlington border to the east.
She is running for one last term to oversee the completion of a housing project in Stop Six and a master planned housing community near just east of the intersection of Trinity Boulevard and Precinct Line Road.
Fort Worth received $35 million from the Housing and Urban Development Department in April 2020 to redevelop a the 300-unit Cavile Place housing project into 1,000 mix-income townhouses and apartments.
Increasing housing and providing services are the focuses of Bivens’ final run, she told the editorial board. Prior to her election in 2013, only 278 homes had been built in Stop Six in the previous decade, Bivens said, adding it was important for her to see these two projects through before stepping aside.
She also advocated for a community police advisory board with the caveat that it should be something residents of Fort Worth actually want.
The 2018 Race and Culture Taskforce recommended establishing a board in the wake of the viral arrest of Jacqueline Craig, however, the city council rejected the board with a 5-4 vote in November 2022.
Residents wanted the community advisory board and the city didn’t give it to them, Bivens said, adding she’ll support it if it’s something residents still want.
Bivens faces off against William McKinley Jackson and Bob Willoughby in the May 6 election.
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 5:22 PM.
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