Meet the candidates for the Tarrant County College District 7 board seat
The Tarrant County College Board of Trustees is the institution’s governing body, and its seven members are elected by the county’s voters. Sitting District 7 board member Kenneth Barr, who has held the position since 2019, is not running for reelection in May.
Founded in 1965, Tarrant County College offers five types of degrees and an array of technical programs across its six campuses. The college estimates about 1 in 22 Tarrant County residents take a class at TCC every year. TCC is one of the country’s 20 largest institutions of higher education.
Candidate responses are verbatim and have not been edited for spelling, grammar or clarity.
Veronica Chavez Law
Age: 55
Campaign Website: www.veronicalawfortcc.com
Best way for voters to reach you: email
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.A. in Economics and J.D. in Law
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years): No
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in the city of Fort Worth. Chair of Board of Directors of Leadership Fort Worth; Director on Tarrant County Bar Association Board of Directors; Chair of Board of Directors of Leadership Fort Worth; Court Appointed Special Advocate for CASA of Tarrant County; Real Estate Advisory Committee for Trinity Habitat for Humanity.
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? Available to the public in filed Treasurer Report.
Why are you seeking this office? I grew up in a rural community where the only source of education after high school for many people was the local community college. I took a class at our local community college in high school. The credits I received enabled me to complete my undergraduate degree in four years per my scholarship; therefore, I was able to avoid taking out another student loan. Community colleges educate the workforce. I want to help maintain TCC now and into the future. My skills as a business, banking and real estate attorney will complement the skills of the existing Trustees. And my two-decade record of community service on non-profit boards has taught me how to be influential, garner consensus and handle the challenges of serving on the TCC Board.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be? (1) Educational needs of the existing and future workforce (we have to be nimble to adapt to changes in technology); (2) Conservative fiscal policies that honor the taxpayer (we should keep taxes as low as possible while ensuring that TCC has the funds necessary to educate the workforce and show the taxpayers a return on their investment); (3) career oriented programs for student success (we should continue to create partnerships with local businesses and other area educational institutions).
How will you measure your success as a TCC trustee? My success as the District 7 Representative on the Tarrant County College Board of Trustees will be measured by: (1) the efficiency by which TCC develops courses in response to requests from local businesses for certain types of educational courses to fulfill their workforce needs; (2) alignment of the tax rate to more closely correspond to the demonstrated funding needs of the Tarrant County College system; and (3) a demonstrated increase in partnerships with local businesses and other area educational institutions that create demonstrable value to the students at TCC.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents? I am the best choice because of my resume. My 25 years of experience as a successful business, banking and real estate attorney in Tarrant County and more two-decade commitment to community service in leadership roles in Tarrant County is evidence that I am committed to Tarrant County. I have the skills to ask the tough questions, analyze a budget, negotiate for better positions and garner consensus. And, I have the connections within the business community to make my policy priorities a reality. Neither of the other candidates can say the same.
What do you consider Tarrant County College’s biggest challenge? If elected, how do you plan to address it? I think the biggest challenge is making sure TCC can continue to provide excellent services to the Tarrant County community as it grows in population. TCC has to remain nimble and flexible so that programs can be created quickly to teach students the skills demanded by the business community.
Cary Cheshire
Cheshire did not respond to the Star-Telegram’s candidate questionnaire.
Hunter Crow
Age: 30
Campaign Website: https://electhuntercrowfortccd72025.com/
Best way for voters to reach you: Email
Occupation: Undergraduate Library Research Assistant
Education: MS-LS with Concentration in Law Librarianship candidate University of North Texas, Bachelor’s of Arts History University of Texas Arlington, Medical Huminites Undergraduate Certificate University of Texas Arlington, Associates of Applied Science in Library Technician Tarrant County College
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years): Arlington ISD Board of Trustees Places 7,5,6 2017,2018, Arlington City Council District 7 2020 , Tarrant County College Board of Trustees District 7 2019, Texas Railroad Commissioner 2022, Texas State Board of Education District 11 2024
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in the city of Fort Worth. I have participated in various student organizations in Fort Worth. I have participated in meetings of the Phi Theta Kappa Rho Chi Chapter at TCC South in Fort Worth. I have done a lot of volunteer work in my capacity as a Texas Notary Public. During my prior involvement in the Tarrant County Green Party. I have took on a large number of environmental related activism by taking part in Events and protests and meeting with local lawmakers. Along with other volunteer work.
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? Tarrant County Green Party , Bobby Crow, Green Party of Texas
Why are you seeking this office? I am running for the Tarrant County College Board of Trustees in District 7. Because , I am an alumna of the Tarrant County College District and The University of Texas Arlington. I have attended 4 Tarrant County College Campuses which they were Tarrant County College South, Tarrant County College Trinity River, Tarrant County College Southeast, Tarrant County College Connect. I was a student at Tarrant County College for 8 years I have previously served on the Tarrant County College South Campus Student Government Association from 2020 to 2023. I was formally severed in the student Senate as the Senator at large to the office of the president. I also served on the Tarrant County Campus South Campus Student Government Government Association Executive Board as the Student Senate Chairman. I do offer a lot of experience in my capacity as a former student and a member of the student body and student worker. I hope to continue being a advocate and support students on campus.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be? I will be a watchdog for the taxpayers in overseeing the district’s billions of dollars and provide an independent voice for students, faculty, staff and the community because I am not beholden to special interests and will not accept corporate donations. Equal pay for part-time instructors. I would create safer campuses for students and staff by eliminating corruption, intimidation and discrimination. TCCD should allocate funding for one full-time foundation director and one full-time grant writer at each campus to secure grants and ensure that they fairly distributed to were their needed most.
How will you measure your success as a TCC trustee? Tarrant County College Board of Trustees District 7
Why should voters choose you over your opponents? During my Academic Career at Tarrant County College and UT Arlington. I have participated in accreditation, budget, curriculum, student senate and many task force teams. I am the only candidate that has graduated from Tarrant County College that previously served on the TCC SGA Executive Board including the student senate. I have also served in the UT Arlington Student Government Association such as the parking advisory committee and Dining Committee . I currently sit on the Student Services Fee Committee which ] advises the President in the budgeting of student services fees and to recommend the allocation of student services fees to best serve the needs of the largest number of students. I also have worked as an Undergraduate Library Research Assistant. I have a lot of experience with working with students. I am also the only candidate running that has attended TCC. I know were students need to be in regards to career pathways and college transfers to pursue further studies .
What do you consider Tarrant County College’s biggest challenge? If elected, how do you plan to address it? The biggest barriers for our students is making sure their basic needs are being met. They often have responsibilities outside the traditional student. Many of these people are parents, they work full time, they are caregivers, they are first-generation college students, they are veterans, Also various groups of diversity such as disabled students. I will strive to create a good learning environment for all students. I plan to expand the programs at TCC Connect so that those with busy schedule’s will be able to have flexibilities. Also ensure that student support services are fully staffed such as the Learning Commons: Labs & Tutoring Centers including SAR and Veterans Services. All of these things are important to student success.
