Live updates: Tarrant County commissioner race in Precinct 4, Ramirez is in the lead
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Republican Manny Ramirez is leading Democrat Cedric Kanyinda in the Tarrant County commissioner race for Precinct 4, according to unofficial results.
Ramirez had 59% of early votes as of 10:54 p.m., to Kayinda’s 41%.
The precinct spans the northwest corner of the county including the cities of Lake Worth, Sansom Park and White Settlement. The precinct lines also dip into the city of Fort Worth’s urban core, including the Stockyards, Cultural District and Near Southside neighborhoods.
Ramirez said he was humbled by the early vote totals but cautioned that winning an election isn’t the achievement he’s after.
“We’ve got to do a good job for the residents of precinct 4,” he said.
Kanyinda acknowledged Ramirez’s commanding vote lead, but said he wanted to see the vote tally play out.
“There may still be a comeback,” he said.
Precinct 4 one of the fastest growing parts of Tarrant County, which grocery store chain H-E-B referenced when announcing plans to locate its first Fort Worth store on the northwest corner of Heritage Trace Parkway and North Riverside Drive.
“When it comes to growth, we’ve gotta put the cart before the horse,” Ramirez said. He argued Tarrant County needs to do a better job of building out its infrastructure before approving new housing projects.
“We can’t have growth for growth’s sake,” he said.
Ramirez said the county should partner with developers to help build out roads, sidewalks and storm water infrastructure in areas where new development is rapidly replacing farm and pasture land.
He also advocated for a new strategic plan, so the county can better prepare for Tarrant County’s rapid growth.
Kanyinda said one of his priorities should he win the election would be the creation of a public defender’s office arguing residents shouldn’t have to go bankrupt on attorney’s fees to get representation.
Ramirez and Kanyinda are running to replace Commissioner J.D. Johnson, who’s held the seat since 1987.
Ramirez, who serves as president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, wrote in a Star-Telegram candidate questionnaire that his three priorities were public safety, infrastructure development and tax relief.
He has called for increased staffing in the juvenile court system to help address a backlog of cases and advocated for fully staffing the Sheriff’s Office to improve oversight and accountability.
The Star-Telegram has reported on numerous problems in the county’s juvenile justice system and jails, including inmates who have died while incarcerated.
Kanyinda has advocated for finding alternatives to juvenile justice outside the court system. He also stated his priorities are health care, infrastructure and a “woman’s right to choose.”
The winner will begin the four year term on Jan. 1.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 7:02 PM.
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