Candidates for Tarrant County commissioner, Precinct 4, in November 8 election
Manny Ramirez
Political party (if applicable): Republican
Age as of November 8, 2022: 34
Campaign website: www.mannyramirez.org
Occupation: President, Fort Worth Police Officers Association
Education: Masters of Business Administration, Texas Christian University - Bachelors of Science, Tarleton State University
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): N/A
Please list highlights of your civic involvement:
I currently serve as President of the FWPOA, representing more than 1,700 sworn police officers.I also serve on the Chancellors Advisory Council for Texas Christian University and on the Salvation Army North Texas Advisory Council. I serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the Assist the Officer Fort Worth (501c3) and the Fort Worth Cops 4 Kids (501c3.) In 2020, I was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to serve on the Board of Directors for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV.)
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
With hundreds of individual contributors this campaign is being funded by grassroots community members and local business owners. The top three contributors to the campaign are all highly respected members of the business community who own and operate private companies in Tarrant County.
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
I was born and raised in Tarrant County and my wife Fabiola and I are raising our three beautiful daughters here.
I am running to implement a new vision of strategic, principles based, leadership in our county. County Commissioners are not just elected representatives, they are elected executives. Our citizens deserve to have a commissioner who is experienced, educated, and focused on creating a better future for our communities.
I am proud of my executive experience in both the public and private sectors, where I have managed multi-million dollar negotiations and operational budgets. I have forged strong relationships with many of our State Representatives and Senators and I am prepared to begin working on day one to ensure that Tarrant County has a competent and capable voice in Austin.
I am prepared to put my proven leadership experience to work as the next County Commissioner for Tarrant County.
What are the three biggest issues in this race?
Public safety, Infrastructure Development, and Tax Relief
What should Tarrant County do to encourage business relocation or development?
Tarrant County is already one of the greatest places in America to live, work, and raise a family. This is evidenced by the exponential growth we are seeing year over year. We must remain focused on improving public safety, decreasing the time it takes to get to work and school and improve our relationship with our regional partners. Business owners must know that their local governments value their contributions and are vested in making sure that they are successful. It is not governments who build great societies, but entrepreneurial Americans who put their own skin in the game to develop our great communities.
Public health structures have been strained by the COVID pandemic and monkeypox. What is your philosophy on the county public health department? Does it need more or fewer employees? What should its priorities be?
The next step to improve our public heath department is to streamline and improve our communications and operations strategies to prepare for future challenges. COVID exposed quite a few opportunities for improvement and we must act swiftly to prepare for any future events. I would ensure that the department has the resources they need to make those improvements.
To accomplish the goal of improving our preparedness, Tarrant County should develop a framework of public/private partnerships that are capable of responding to the most immediate of threats.The citizens of Tarrant County should be confident that any actions taken in the future are not the result of knee-jerk reactions, but the product of deliberate planning and preparation.
Mental health continues to be a challenge, one that often ends up on the doorsteps of the county jail. What should the county do to provide more or better mental health services?
We are very fortunate in Tarrant County to have been a leader in recognizing the mental health need of inmates and offenders. Tarrant County funded and built a mental health diversion center in 2021 and it has shown incredible progress over the past year. I will continue to support this diversion center and will seek to optimize by partnering with private providers to ensure that those who need mental health services can receive them.
What is your view of the size and scope of county government overall and the office you’re seeking? If you would make budget cuts, how would you target them?
I believe that our citizens deserve an efficient and effective government that operates like a well run business. Tarrant County has a great reputation for historically operating a conservative budget, but I believe we can save costs by re-focusing on our primary functions. Additionally, With advances in technology we have an opportunity to re-evaluate how each work group best serves our taxpayers and cut costs where we identify efficiencies.
Government, at any level, cannot be expected to solve all of societies problems. There role the government is to keep our citizens safe and provide an equal opportunity for every American to achieve their version of success.
The Star-Telegram has reported consistently on the conditions at the juvenile detention center and potential defunding of the two juvenile court judges. What is your position on this issue and what do you think needs to be done to improve the criminal justice system for juveniles in the county?
Any time that there is a problem identified we must work hard to identify exactly what the driver is. Increases in the juvenile jail population, coupled with reduced staffing and increased judicial backlogs due to the pandemic have been a recipe for disaster.
We must ensure that our courts and the Sheriff’s Office have adequate personnel and staffing levels to ensure proper oversight and accountability. Our County has an incredibly dedicated and professional workforce, but we have to provide them the resources needed to continually improve training and operations.
The juvenile courts were strained as a result of the pandemic and increasing crime rates. We have to make sure that these courts are focused on the safety of the public when prioritizing cases. Violent offenders should be held accountable, but there must also be a competent system for rehabilitating those who are not true threats to our communities.
Tarrant County is growing and developing at a faster rate than it can build and improve roads. What do you think needs to be done to increase the pace and reliance of infrastructure projects across the county?
Northwest Tarrant County is one of the fastest growing regions in our state. Our population is nearly 600,000 residents and many roadways in Tarrant County have fallen drastically behind the population growth. Unfortunately, we have been left behind in both strategic planning and future capital allocation from recent bond packages.
We can and must do a better job. Leveraging our relationships with our developers and regional planning partners we can get infrastructure in place prior to development. Additionally, I would work with my fellow Commissioners Court members to craft a 5, 10, and 15 year strategic plan to address our current and future infrastructure needs.
We must also improve communications with the public so that they know exactly where each infrastructure project is in the pipeline.
Cedric Kanyinda
Political party (if applicable): Democrat
Age as of November 8, 2022: 37
Campaign website: www.cedrickanyinda.com
Occupation: Business Owner
Education: Master of Business Administration
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): Yes. ( Mayor of Fort Worth)
Please list highlights of your civic involvement:
Homeless reduction and engagement program that seek to re-integrate individuals to be self sustained,
Who are your top three campaign contributors? God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
I aim to create opportunities for economic development and community advancement.
What are the three biggest issues in this race?
Healthcare, Infrastructure, and Woman’s right to choose
What should Tarrant County do to encourage business relocation or development?
The county should provide for an environment that is appealing for businesses to come here and flourish.
Public health structures have been strained by the COVID pandemic and monkeypox. What is your philosophy on the county public health department? Does it need more or fewer employees? What should its priorities be?
The priority of the county should always be providing exceptional services to its residents.
Mental health continues to be a challenge, one that often ends up on the doorsteps of the county jail. What should the county do to provide more or better mental health services?
Periodic evaluation. We are used to do our yearly health checkup, why not include mental health to that as well
What is your view of the size and scope of county government overall and the office you’re seeking? If you would make budget cuts, how would you target them?
My objective is for the county to better serve its residents. With that In minds we should find ways to provide exceptional services with a budget.
The Star-Telegram has reported consistently on the conditions at the juvenile detention center and potential defunding of the two juvenile court judges. What is your position on this issue and what do you think needs to be done to improve the criminal justice system for juveniles in the county?
Finding alternative solutions to redress our children. The Court system is not a place for children.
Tarrant County is growing and developing at a faster rate than it can build and improve roads. What do you think needs to be done to increase the pace and reliance of infrastructure projects across the county?
Strategic planning with the anticipation of growth
