Who should replace Rep. Stickland in Texas House? Our pick for northeast Tarrant race
For eight years, residents of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford-based District 92 have lacked serious representation in the Texas House.
But to their benefit, Rep. Jonathan Stickland, king of the legislative sideshow, is retiring. In his place, voters can elect a lawmaker who is willing to dig into the work of public policy and seek compromise for effective change. We recommend they do so by sending Democrat Jeff Whitfield to Austin.
The 46-year-old Arlington lawyer would bring a wealth of relevant experience and a strong record of service to the job. From a diverse resume that includes time prosecuting war crimes at The Hague, one crucial stretch jumps out: Whitfield’s time as a legislative aide to a longtime state senator.
Whitfield worked for Sen. John Whitmire, the body’s longest-serving member and its leader on criminal justice issues, gaining an understanding of the legislative process and connections that could help him be more effective than a typical House freshman.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor; and Nicole Russell, opinion writer.
Members of our Community Advisory Board may also participate in candidate interviews and offer their views, but they do not vote on which candidate to recommend.
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How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.
The Democrat also demonstrates strong knowledge of the top concerns facing lawmakers when they return in January. In an interview with the Star-Telegram Editorial Board, he showed a command of details about issues from health care and the budget shortfall to the debate over emergency powers and needed steps to control the pandemic.
He also demonstrated a willingness to compromise, an important trait for a coming session in which Texas may have a divided government for the first time in decades. Democrats are increasingly confident about winning control of the House, but there’s no scenario in which they’ll take the state Senate. And then, of course, there’s Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Nearly every Democrat running for the Legislature strongly believes the state should expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But when asked what compromises they might be able to strike with Republicans who refuse to go along, many simply fall back on the argument that it’s the right and fiscally prudent thing to do.
Whitfield believes that, too, but he identified expanding coverage for children as an area where the parties might be able to make a deal. At all levels, we need more policymakers who fight hard for what they want but are willing to take what they can get and come back later for more.
It’s a trait that Stickland lacked, and we fear that the Republican seeking to replace him, former Bedford City Council member Jeff Cason, would, too. Cason, 67, who’s retired from sales and manufacturing, may lack Stickland’s uniquely abrasive style. But on the issues, he’s cut from the same far-right mold.
Cason, like Stickland, enjoys the backing of Empower Texans, the activist group that has agitated mainstream Republican leaders. (Cason, 67, declined to meet with the Editorial Board.) Whitfield, by contrast, has the support of former Rep. Todd Smith, the Republican who held the seat before Stickland.
Throughout his campaign, Whitfield has faced accusations of political opportunism, including charges that he moved into the district to run for the seat and launch a political career. He grew up in Haltom City and says he spent plenty of time in H-E-B, where his mother ran a beauty shop. It’s a bit of silliness that shouldn’t distract from Whitfield’s record of service and promise as a legislator.
Also on the ballot is Green Party nominee Brody Mulligan.