Here’s our pick for Fort Worth district that runs from Arlington Heights to Alliance
The retirement of City Council member Dennis Shingleton has drawn a wide range of candidates, befitting a contorted District 7, which connects parts of Fort Worth that have no business being lumped together.
It’ll take a skilled political hand and knowledge of the city to effectively represent such a sprawling district. Lee Henderson, a public policy advocacy strategist, strikes us as the best choice.
Henderson’s political experience and understanding of the issues should help him address a wide range of needs for District 7’s neighborhoods. His campaign priorities, including a robust pandemic response, reducing property taxes for homeowners and getting economic development into gear, are a good road map for the next two years.
The biggest challenge in the northern part of the district is the fallout from sustained rapid growth. Infrastructure wasn’t prepared to deal with the influx of residents, and they’re feeling the consequence in longer commutes and even delayed emergency response times.
Henderson, 43, backs a sensible plan for regulating development without a moratorium that would hurt workers moving to the area. He wants the city to recognize infrastructure needs first, work with developers to address them and select sites carefully based on city planning. And he wants to push for projects included in past bond initiatives to get done, which would tackle some of the needs in fast-growing areas.
We favor Henderson, but the race has drawn other worthy candidates. Leonard Firestone, a 54-year-old entrepreneur best known as a founder of the local distillery behind TX Whiskey, has broad support from political and business leaders, including Mayor Betsy Price, former Mayor Mike Moncrief and Shingleton. He has a good sense of what the district needs in terms of infrastructure and economic development.
Jake Wurman, a 40-year-old real estate agent, channels the frustrations of his neighbors in the district’s north with a blunt manner. Small business owner Joseph Lockhart, 36, has a pleasant demeanor and some interesting policy ideas, but he needs more experience, perhaps by volunteering for city commissions.
Zeb Pent, a 41-year-old entrepreneur, touts plans to address infrastructure and property taxes. He’s been known for his staunch social conservative stances but is running a meat-and-potatoes campaign for council. Irvin Thomas, a 66-year-old partially retired broadcast salesman, touts his experience in several cities as a chance to bring broad perspective to the council.
Four candidates — Connie Cottrell, Morris Curlee Jr. , Michele Stephens McNill and Miguel Zamora — did not attend our interview.
Early voting begins Monday and runs through April 27. Election Day is May 1. A runoff appears likely, and if no candidate wins a majority, it will be held June 5. The winner will serve a two-year term paying $25,000 annually.
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.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
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.