Longtime Southwest Tarrant County commissioner will not seek reelection in 2024
Longtime Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks will not seek reelection in 2024.
Brooks has been a member of the Commissioners Court representing southwest Tarrant County since 2004.
He has endorsed his executive administrator, Democrat Roderick Miles, in the race.
“Together, we’ve fostered stronger neighborhoods, tackled critical issues including healthcare accessibility for the homeless, infant mortality, healthcare disparities, and equitable healthcare access,” Brooks wrote in a statement. “These years in public service have shown me the qualities and dedication required for this role. Roderick Miles Jr. has all those qualities and is ready to serve on day one. That’s why I wholeheartedly endorse Roderick Miles to step into the role of County Commissioner for Precinct 1.”
Brooks told the Star-Telegram Friday it was time for him to step back. Prior to his time in office, he worked for former Commissioner Dionne Bagsby for 14 years.
“That’s 34 years with Tarrant County, and that is a full and rich career,” Brooks. “One has to know when to hold them and when fold them, and this is my time to fold them.”
Brooks said no one should be in public office so long that the next generation isn’t given a chance to show what it can do. He feels it’s elected officials’ responsibility to model public service and pass on the values, as well as develop a succession plan for the next person who will take office.
He believes he’s done that with Miles.
Miles has worked with Brooks for the past nine years.
“Our county faces pressing challenges, requiring a leader with a proven track record, insights, and the acumen to implement effective solutions,” Miles wrote in the statement. “With my roots firmly planted in Precinct 1 and my extensive experience, I’m committed to upholding the historic representation our community deserves. Continuing the legacy of impactful leadership set by County Commissioners Roy Brooks and Dionne Bagsby will be an honor.”
Brooks’ top accomplishments as a county commissioner include efforts the county has made in providing healthcare, like the 2018 JPS bond package. He’s also proud of the county’s efforts toward addressing mental health, like creating the Mental Health Jail Diversion Center, and for helping create the county’s re-entry program to help those leaving the criminal justice center come back into the community.
And throughout his 20 years in office, Brooks said he’s learned what he’s always known and what was passed on to him by parents.
“Those who have been blessed by our community have a responsibility to give back in terms of service to that community,” he said.
Brooks is joined in leaving the court by commissioner Gary Fickes, who has represented Northeast Tarrant County for 18 years. Fickes’ position has three Republican contenders so far: former Texas House Rep. Matt Krause, Fort Worth Police spokesperson Jimmy Pollozani and former Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson David McClelland.
With both longtime commissioners stepping away from public office, Tarrant County will see a commissioners court of entirely new faces come January 2025.
Brooks hopes they can put the politics aside.
“It is his hope for that court that they will be able to put aside partisan political ideologies and come together as a body that is charged with meeting the needs of the people of Tarrant County, and those needs are not partisan by nature and should not be filtered through an ideological lens on either side of the aisle,” Brooks said.
Brooks believes office holders should meet the needs of the people because it’s the right and expected thing to do.
“We should do that to the best of our ability without regard for partisan politics,” he said.
Miles will face off against Crowley school board vice president Mia Hall for the Democratic nomination in the March 2024 primaries. No Republican candidates have filed to run for the seat on the commissioners yet, according to campaign filing records.
In a statement announcing her campaign Thursday, Hall wrote that Tarrant County needed someone who can pick up and build upon Brooks’ work.
“Our rights are under attack; whether it’s our access to quality public health services, having affordable housing that will lead to our neighbors becoming new homeowners, investing in public education, being a leader on attracting the right economic development and so much more,” Hall wrote.
This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 1:49 PM.
