Fort Worth City Council District 4 candidates
Jorge L. Chavez
Did not respond.
Kristie Hanhart
http://kristiehanhartdistrict4.com
Age: 39
Occupation: Owner at Kristie’s Cleaning Service for over 10 years
Education: BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from UTA; with a focus on business, psychology, and women’s studies. I also hold certificates in Mental Health and and Real Estate from Tarrant County and Blynn College respectively.
What’s the best way for voters to reach you? phone orhanhartk@yahoo.com
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought)
I ran for HEB ISD School Board in 2019
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held):
Vestry member of St Albans Episcopal ChurchVolunteer @ 4 Saints food ministry,Ambassador of the year 2019 and 2020 for HEB Chamber of Commerce, Member of Ft Worth and HEB Chamber’s of Commerce, Member of Greater Keller Women’s Club, Graduate of HEB ISD Leadership, HEB Chamber Leadership, and board member of UTA food ministry.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
I had a misdemeanor arrest when I was 18 for simple possession of marijuana.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
no
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
My family and myself have been the top contributors. Other that that, I have numerous small contributors. But I have not received any money from corporate donors.
Why are you seeking this office?
I have a passion for public service. Moving from the mid-cities to Ft Worth didn’t change that. I want to be a relatable, approachable and honest working class choice for district 4.
What are the biggest challenges facing your city/district?
crime rate reduction, public transportation, sustainable good paying jobs, affordable housing
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Economic growth is first and foremost, bridging the gap on vaccine rollout with truthful information, and reducing violent crimes; while avoiding racial profiling or use of excessive force
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I am a strong civic minded woman who prides herself making a difference at the local level. I have spent the last decade committed to connecting with the community I live in; residents and businesses alike.
COVID-19 has radically changed our country and city. What would have done differently than current leaders to navigate the pandemic?
Science, and more science.... Our city dropped the ball by not promoting widespread acceptance of the vaccines available. This is a non partisan issue. I want our country open, and vaccine acceptance is crucial for that.
Though Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, a 2018 economic development study noted we risk becoming a bedroom community to Dallas County, where job growth is strong. What should the city do to attract jobs, corporate relocations and other economic development?
Fort Worth needs to work with county leadership to open up Tarrant County. Dallas County has an expansive public transportation system with an abundance of rail and bus services interconnected with major suburbs. Arlington, Mansfield, and the Mid-Cities need to partner with Fort Worth to expand public transportation that benefits everyone.
Last year the Star-Telegram highlighted disparities in the 76104 ZIP code that led to the area having the worst life expectancy in Texas. The investigation revealed a lack of access to jobs, transportation, groceries and health care. What should the city do to improve circumstances in the area?
Transportation..... Period.... Improve options for public transportation; whether expanded bus routes, elderly transportation services, or ride share services. Improve transportation options; improve options for all.
The city’s budget will take a hit from COVID-19 in the coming years, particularly in the form of lost sales and tourism revenue. What priorities would be in your city budget?
The city of Ft Worth should be well insulated; even from a pandemic. Entertainment dollars are always important; but corporate taxes and liquor sales can offset a lack of hotel and restaurant income.
Fort Worth’s property taxes are out of balance, with the vast majority of revenue coming from homeowners rather than commercial property taxes. How would you correct this?
What a tough balance..... We need to bring in business by providing attractive tax incentives with property and sales tax; while keeping property taxes down for everyday citizens. This is an issue that I would love to talk with the city manager about.
Fort Worth’s public transportation lags behind other major cities in Texas both in the scope of the system and the amount of public money spent on transit. Trinity Metro is in the process of redesigning the bus network and has requested additional funding from the city. Do you support boosting the city’s allocation to Trinity Metro? How should Fort Worth improve its public transportation?
To keep it short and sweet; yes, yes, yes..... We need to expansion of all levels of public transport in Ft Worth. But if we want true change; we need the surrounding suburbs to sign on..... Look at Dallas County; how can we compete?
A chief complaint from residents in Fort Worth’s suburban neighborhoods are congested arterial streets. Often new subdivisions outpace street capacities. What can be done to improved this?
This is a complicated issue. Real estate developers should go through a vetting process to make sure they share the costs with road development for new subdivisions. This cost should not fall entirely on the city.
The current City Council accepted the Race and Culture Task Force recommendation for a civilian review board for the police department, but the board has not been established. What form do you think this review board should take?
The board should represent the city as a whole. Basically, all demographics should be represented Maybe members should be elected by all districts.
There has been an ongoing cry to improve equity in Fort Worth, including a campaign last year to end the special police sales tax and devote that money to transportation or social services. Are there changes you’d like to see to the police department?
Currently; the police force has focused on improving relations with the community. I think we can all agree that no knock warrants, racial profiling, and excessive force ; can all go by the wayside.
As Fort Worth grows and diversifies, how should the city’s leadership improve equity?
As cliché as it sounds; city leadership should show the representation of the community it represents.
Cary Moon
Age: 51
Occupation: Business Owner
Education: Texas A&M University B.S Sociology, Accounting Minor
What’s the best way for voters to reach you? cary@carymoon.com
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought)
Served on Fort Worth City Council since 2015
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held):
Internal Audit, Chair TIF 13, Chair FW Sports Authority, VP FW Local Dev Corp, VPPublic Housing Finance CommissionNorth TX Council of Governments Regional Transportation Council
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Yes. Last year, I was arrested for a DUI when leaving a bar that I own. I take full responsibility for the personal failure; and I have made changes in my life to make sure it does not happen again.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
I am honored to have the support of the FW Police Officers Association, the Fort Worth Professional Fire Fighters, and local business owners. These individuals who are close to city hall, witness first-hand the positive impact my office makes to our city financials, city operations, and public policy.
Why are you seeking this office?
To make our city better. To make us better with our budgets, operations, public policy, infrastructure, parks, and more.
What are the biggest challenges facing your city/district?
In the north, road infrastructure and congestion are high priorities. My office has obtained financing for every major road improvement project in D4. Which, I always thought city financing for a road would be more difficult than getting a city road built... Conversely, the time at which the city takes to build infrastructure is the larger challenge and must be improved. For the east, bringing development and infrastructure dollars is a top priority. My office has brought development from Woodhaven to Riverside; and more is coming. We have painted light poles, wrapped electrical boxes, planted trees, and connected miles of sidewalks, with more to do. Most importantly, through the my role on the Regional Transit Committee we brought the E Loop 820 improvements from Randol Mill to HW 121. This project was in design for 30 years, prior to obtaining $128M in 2016 from Gov Abbot’s Congestive Relief Funds.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
(1) Budgets. The upcoming revenue shortage from the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be addressed with a tax increase to our residents and business owners. We will cut expenses, consolidate and be more efficient. (2) Fund Police. The 2021 murder rate is up ~40% over 2020; and 2020 was a 25-year high. FW needs to add 35 more officers and prosecute minor offences while aggressively investigating gun-related crimes. Prosecuting minor offenses deters offenses at a higher degree. Aggressively investigating gun-related crimes takes violent criminals off the streets. (3) Build our infrastructure quicker.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
(1) I support funding our police; funding our neighborhood patrol officers, our school resource officers, our crime prevention programs, crisis intervention teams, and more. (2) I have lived in the district for 20 years (3) I have a great understanding of our city financials. My office has identified tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue outside of property taxes by updating how the city invests its $1B bond portfolio, increasing user fees and citations, and by making sure that multi-family developers pay property taxes to our city and schools. We have cut govt waste by correcting operational inefficiencies with vendor procurement and payroll processes. We have identified millions of idle funds on the balance sheet and deployed those dollars into city services.
COVID-19 has radically changed our country and city. What would have done differently than current leaders to navigate the pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented time for us as individuals, as businesses, and as government officials. We experienced the impacts of government intervention and individual responsibility to stop meet a community goal. It is too easy to second guess decision made during the unprecedented time. The generation that experienced this pandemic will approach future pandemics with a greater understanding and appreciation for the roles that government and individuals play.
Though Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, a 2018 economic development study noted we risk becoming a bedroom community to Dallas County, where job growth is strong. What should the city do to attract jobs, corporate relocations and other economic development?
Maintain low regulations and lower taxation while getting our infrastructure built. We will surpass Dallas.
Last year the Star-Telegram highlighted disparities in the 76104 ZIP code that led to the area having the worst life expectancy in Texas. The investigation revealed a lack of access to jobs, transportation, groceries and health care. What should the city do to improve circumstances in the area?
Education remains the best option for any child to overcome the challenges of their environment. The City of Fort Worth along with the FWISD must prioritize education in all decisions. And, FWISD needs to be able to compete with its education curriculum against charter schools and private schools.
The city’s budget will take a hit from COVID-19 in the coming years, particularly in the form of lost sales and tourism revenue. What priorities would be in your city budget?
The upcoming revenue shortfall can be addressed with an increase in taxes; nor does it need to be addressed with a reduction of city services. City hall needs to downsize: consolidate departments, outsource certain functions, improve vendor procurement practices, purge inefficiencies, correct errors in payables, and put idle dollars to work.
Fort Worth’s property taxes are out of balance, with the vast majority of revenue coming from homeowners rather than commercial property taxes. How would you correct this?
All cities struggle with this ratio. Fort Worth is doing better than most. Let’s get our infrastructure built, lower regulation, lower taxes, and the businesses will continue to come.
Fort Worth’s public transportation lags behind other major cities in Texas both in the scope of the system and the amount of public money spent on transit. Trinity Metro is in the process of redesigning the bus network and has requested additional funding from the city. Do you support boosting the city’s allocation to Trinity Metro? How should Fort Worth improve its public transportation?
The citizens of Fort Worth have voted to allocate one half penny of sales taxes ($80M annually) to public transit. We cannot continue to invest in empty buses. Given the number of riders, we should be picking up people at their front door and dropping them off at the front door of their final destination. Ridership among all regional fixed routes do remain low. Until there is a public transit system that people will ride, additional tax dollars are not justified.
A chief complaint from residents in Fort Worth’s suburban neighborhoods are congested arterial streets. Often new subdivisions outpace street capacities. What can be done to improved this?
It should not take 6 years to improve an intersection or to build a street. Many components of infrastructure design need to be removed from the desks of city employees and put on the desk of design builders in the private sector. These elements include ROW acquisition, Utility Re-Locates, and certain early design functions.
The current City Council accepted the Race and Culture Task Force recommendation for a civilian review board for the police department, but the board has not been established. What form do you think this review board should take?
The city council accepted the report of the Race and Culture Task Force which included a list of task force recommendations. Prior to the set-up of the task force, and at the acceptance of the report, it was clear that each recommendation would be decided on its own merit. In 2016, the Obama Administrations issued a study stating that civilian review boards were ineffective. Further for FW, the city charter does not permit the subpoena power necessitated for an effective review board. In FW, the civilian review board is the 9 elected members of mayor and council, who has made great strides to improve community policing with a hands-on approach.
There has been an ongoing cry to improve equity in Fort Worth, including a campaign last year to end the special police sales tax and devote that money to transportation or social services. Are there changes you’d like to see to the police department?
The campaign last year to end the sales tax allocation to fund police failed miserably. There remains overwhelming public support to Fund Police in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Mayor and Council and FWPD have accomplished great things in improving community policing: banned choke holds, added de-escalation training, added crisis intervention teams, heightened diversity recruitment, added crime prevention programs updated training standards at all levels, and increased the procurement of non-lethal weapons.
As Fort Worth grows and diversifies, how should the city’s leadership improve equity?
Ensuring an equal opportunity in education, housing, criminal justice, transportation, and health is the highest priority. Every person deserves an equal chance to have a good education, live in a good home, have a good job, and have a safe interaction with our police. This mayor and council have made great strides to address inequality and continue to review/update city policies and ordinances to insure an equitable opportunity for all.
Max Striker
Did not respond.
Tara Wilson
Age: 36
Occupation: ER Nurse
Education: Associate Degree of Applied Science in Nursing, McLennan Community College
What’s the best way for voters to reach you? info@votetarawilson.com/(469) 587-9492
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought)
No
Please list highlights of your civic involvement (for example, service on boards/commissions or leadership positions held):
Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas/Fort Worth- Education Committee/Mentor, Nurse Peer Review Committee
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Rep. Oscar Longoria, Vance Keyes, Dr. Meghna Nagabhushan
Why are you seeking this office?
I’m running for office because I’ve witnessed firsthand the way our current City Council interacts with community members of Fort Worth. I’ve witnessed how community members’ concerns for their homes, livelihoods, and health have been disregarded. As a result, I believe the way Fort Worth is governed has to change. The poor way residents are given information about city matters, the lack of collaboration in decision making, and the lack of intentional forward-thinking also serves as pressing reasons for change in leadership in a world that is going to continue having the challenge of dealing with a pandemic, budget shortfalls, and constant change to come.
What are the biggest challenges facing your city/district?
I feel like Fort Worth is at the precipice of evolution. It is a young city demographically and it has grown a lot in the last 10 years. I’m concerned first and foremost that our infrastructure isn’t supporting all of that growth. Fort Worth has been good at developing, and that needs to continue, but I think we need to balance implementing a vision and plan to keep it all fortified. The recent winter storm saw hundreds of water main breaks because of aging pipes, and with a possible budget deficit for the next few years, deciding what the priorities are will be crucial. In regards to the district, multiple community members in the district feel like they’ve been ignored whether it be in the North where they feel disconnected, the East where they feel abandoned, and the Central part that feels invisible to City Hall. I want to bring a focus back to what our communities need and really what they, themselves say they need. This starts by engaging them in substantial ways.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Transparent information sharing will ensure that all community members can have a say in future decisions for the city. It’s time to shine a light on Fort Worth’s decision-making process. All communities need to have a seat at the table. Investment is being committed to meeting our obligations in the community first while seeking creative solutions for future needs.Our City’s budget must be allocated fairly and meet the needs of the community. We must have oversight in place to ensure tax dollars aren’t wasted. Implementing effective metrics for all city departments and city business will help achieve this goal.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I have actual experience in addressing critical needs and high-pressure situations from a viewpoint of service. I make critical choices and anticipate outcomes with a lens ready to adjust to whatever comes down the road. We seem to be getting hit with crisis after crisis, and we need people in leadership who know what that type of pressure feels like and can work successfully in executing plans and troubleshooting in real-time. I must be ethical and accountable in my profession at all times. I spend my time healing and caring for Fort Worth, not putting them in danger as a result of selfish choices as the incumbent has. After his reckless behavior, he did not take full responsibility for what could have had deadly consequences. It’s important to note that FWPD fired an officer for DUI, yet the incumbent believes he’s still fit to serve. This shows he thinks he’s above the law, has poor judgment, and doesn’t feel he should meet the same high standards that apply to the rest of us.
COVID-19 has radically changed our country and city. What would have done differently than current leaders to navigate the pandemic?
There were some things that were out of the hands of local leaders, hampered by short-sighted thinking at the state level. However, I do feel that more could’ve been done to give direct assistance to Fort Worthians. A rental eviction moratorium would have been very helpful. They claimed they couldn’t, but that wasn’t completely true as Dallas and Austin were able to put something in place. Hundreds of rental evictions have occurred and we already had an unhoused subset of community members before the pandemic. Also, the slashing of 9 million dollars from permanent supportive housing with CARES money was really baffling. The more comical thing was how the City Council later complained about the unhoused population, but whose actions didn’t support directly addressing the issue at hand. How do you have the power to really attack something head-on, and then try to act like you don’t understand why your district is dealing with the problem? It doesn’t make any sense. I believe in action, and what people do and how they do it tells you everything you really need to know before a word is ever spoken.
Though Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, a 2018 economic development study noted we risk becoming a bedroom community to Dallas County, where job growth is strong. What should the city do to attract jobs, corporate relocations and other economic development?
We need to make jobs more attractive to stay here in Fort Worth. After graduating, many people do not return to work in Fort Worth, and we need to be an innovative city. After students graduate college and move on to the workforce, there are few opportunities available in the city. Tax incentives need to go to companies that pay fair wages and provide quality benefit packages to their employees. We need to stand up for Fort Worth and make sure that our residents are getting the best deal possible.
Last year the Star-Telegram highlighted disparities in the 76104 ZIP code that led to the area having the worst life expectancy in Texas. The investigation revealed a lack of access to jobs, transportation, groceries and health care. What should the city do to improve circumstances in the area?
I think that the Council as a whole needs to support all of our communities, regardless of who represents them. There needs to be an emphasis on addressing this issue for the city as a whole. It is embarrassing and disheartening that in such a booming city, we have such a glaring disparity in some of our community members. The Council has to work together, and addressing the needs of this area has to be a top priority. That is why a large part of my campaign has been talking to voters about improving the infrastructure of our city and emphasizing investing in communities that have been ignored for too long.
The city’s budget will take a hit from COVID-19 in the coming years, particularly in the form of lost sales and tourism revenue. What priorities would be in your city budget?
We must put more of our city budget into infrastructure and fortifying communities. We have had a long period of growth and it is time to hunker down and take care of what we have to make sure we have a solid foundation to grow on once we are able to get back those streams of revenue. We should also take this opportunity to find or create new revenue for the city. Using this time to do a little bit of innovation in Fort Worth and looking at our technology sector for growth is a good start. This investment is necessary when it is time to get Fort Worth back on the mend post-Covid.
Fort Worth’s property taxes are out of balance, with the vast majority of revenue coming from homeowners rather than commercial property taxes. How would you correct this?
Plain and simple, when we talk about big business coming to Fort Worth we need to stand up and say that everyone needs to carry their fair share of the load. If these businesses want to come into our city, they must make a commitment to pay a living wage, have good worker’s benefits, and be willing to be stewards of the city.
Fort Worth’s public transportation lags behind other major cities in Texas both in the scope of the system and the amount of public money spent on transit. Trinity Metro is in the process of redesigning the bus network and has requested additional funding from the city. Do you support boosting the city’s allocation to Trinity Metro? How should Fort Worth improve its public transportation?
Funding is absolutely not sufficient, nor is it acceptable. Funding our transit system must be a top priority, and this is something I will commit to when I am elected to City Council. I will support efforts to increase the funding that goes towards our transportation system.I would advocate for a Transportation Master Plan to get our city on track, and this plan would be created by community stakeholders who have not had a voice in the decision-making process in our city. Roads and bridges across our city are falling apart, and public transit has been outdated for decades. We must physically rebuild the infrastructure that we rely on for transportation in order for it to become more efficient. We must modernize our public transportation system so that it is on par with other systems across the world. Building a more efficient public transit system will also allow for increased ridership, which reduces the number of cars driving on highways and roads. This will reduce traffic on major roads, and is also good for the environment.
A chief complaint from residents in Fort Worth’s suburban neighborhoods are congested arterial streets. Often new subdivisions outpace street capacities. What can be done to improved this?
As I said about our public transit, we need better planning in place for traffic congestion, because we do not have any transportation infrastructure in place. That is why I would advocate for a Transportation Master Plan and increased funding to go towards state-of-the-art infrastructure to support better roads for us to drive on. Our streets need to be drivable, our sidewalks need to be walkable, and people should be able to get where they need to go without the headache that is currently in place especially for the northern parts of District 4.
The current City Council accepted the Race and Culture Task Force recommendation for a civilian review board for the police department, but the board has not been established. What form do you think this review board should take?
The review board needs to be a community oversight board with subpoena power. Anything less than that and it won’t have any teeth.Many community members in Fort Worth have been asking for this for years, and it is a model that is being adopted across the country. We need checks and balances for all of our entities to make sure that everyone is accountable.
There has been an ongoing cry to improve equity in Fort Worth, including a campaign last year to end the special police sales tax and devote that money to transportation or social services. Are there changes you’d like to see to the police department?
This is in reference to the CCPD fund, which is money that is supposed to be spent to prevent crime. We need to make sure that the money being spent only goes to things that actually prevent crime and contribute to public safety. In reference to the police, we need to be using this money to directly address root causes that cause crime and assist the police in ways that will help them do their jobs better. We could potentially look into whether this fund could be spent towards a team of mental healthcare professionals instead of police who are not properly trained to deal with these situations, or into community programs that would help areas that are food deserts. As for the police budget itself, if we can successfully get a crisis response model set up for the city, then the next logical action is to look into what part of the funding used for mental health right now should be reallocated to supporting the crisis team.
As Fort Worth grows and diversifies, how should the city’s leadership improve equity?
There are many areas in which the city can improve equity. Across the city, we seem to have focus in only one area of Fort Worth. We have many opportunities to invest and nurture other areas, like the East Side of Fort Worth. Transit equity means that no matter where you live in the city, you should be able to easily get to where you need to go. City leadership needs to address the inequity of access to food and resources that are necessary for communities to thrive. The city could create more space for conversations about equity in general, which means holding more community forums and listening to the concerns of our residents.
