Hill, King, Kelleher are top vote-getters in Tarrant County Regional Water District
In the race for three at-large positions on the Tarrant Regional Water District board, the agency that oversees water supply in the Fort Worth-area, two incumbents will likely returning for another term.
Leah King and James Hill, incumbents, received 20.10% and 16.72%, according to unofficial results with all 176 vote centers reporting. Mary Kelleher had 15.55%. Charles “CB” Team had about 14.41%. Glenda Murray Thompson followed with 12.56% and Jeremy Raines had 10.93%. Jack Stevens, the board president, was in last place with 9.73%.
The water district’s primary responsibility is supply roughly 120 billion gallons of raw water to more than 2 million people. It also oversees the $1.17 billion Panther Island project that has languished without needed federal funding.
Kelleher previously served on the board and ran unsuccessfully in 2019. Raines and Thompson are political newcomers.
Hill, King and Team ran as a ticket with campaign ads paid for by the trio touting a commitment to transparency.
One ad featured a large photo of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, who endorse the group. She said Hill, King and Team would “fight for transparency, accountability and financial responsibility when it comes to the critical issue of water.”
Stevens, president of the board and the longest serving director at 17 years, was at odds with fellow board members on his plan to rush the hiring of a new district general manager ahead of the election.
After 35 years, General Manager Jim Oliver announced his retirement earlier this year, though he said he would stay with the water district until a replacement was found and brought up to speed. The board in March selected Austin-based Lehman Associates to conduct a search for a new general manager. A list of job candidates has not been made public.
Stevens told the Star-Telegram editorial board early this month he planned to select a new executive before any change in the board could occur. Asked if he thought it would be a good idea to hire a new general manager and stick that person with a potential new board of directors, Stevens said it was unlikely the board would change much.
“We won’t be leaving them in the hands of a different board,” he said before pausing. “Marty and Jim will be there, so that’ll be two. And there’ll be, uh, then if I’m reelected there will be three. Besides we’re going to hire someone who knows what’s going on.”
Stevens later said he had not seen a list of applicants.
Hill, King and board member Marty Leonard all said no time frame had been established for vetting and hiring.
Though water district’s largest responsibility is raw water and maintaining multiple reservoirs including Eagle Mountain Lake, the decades old plan cut a bypass channel between two forks of the Trinity River near downtown Fort Worth is its most controversial endeavor.
Billed as flood control, the project would create an 800-acre island ripe for development but needs significant federal participation. The Trump administration refused to provide more than $500 million in needed funds, arguing the project was not compliant with policy since it lacks a proper cost benefit study.
The water district is the local sponsor. At least one board members serves on a the Trinity River Vision board, a subset that includes city and county officials charged with coordinating efforts. Hill has been served on that board since he came to office.
This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 7:38 PM.
