Here’s our recommendation for Fort Worth district that includes much of troubled 76104
Fort Worth City Council member Kelly Allen Gray is finishing her fourth full term serving District 8. Her growth and improving effectiveness across that time has earned her a fifth.
The east and south Fort Worth district is loaded with needs. It contains much of the 76104 ZIP code, which has drawn attention after a study declared its residents have the lowest life expectancy in Texas.
A Star-Telegram series detailed the needs there, which afflict some of the surrounding areas, too: No reliable transportation or access to health care or grocery stores. The council district could use a boost in good-paying jobs and better housing options, too.
Gray, 52, has steadily worked on these decades-long issues. She helped arrange badly needed mobile clinics to provide health screenings and vaccinations. More work remains, and Gray told us she continues to coordinate with the county, the JPS Health Network and others to bring in more services, short- and long-term.
On economic concerns, Gray wants to continue to help small businesses get pandemic relief, particularly those owned by minorities. She hailed recent job growth in the southern part of the district.
Gray drew four challengers. Chris Nettles, a 33-year-old entrepreneur who also ran two years ago, says he wants to tackle systemic racism and its effects on jobs, health care and transportation access. Tyrone King, 59, a self-employed carpenter, wants to engage local businesses to invest in the district. Christopher Johnson, 53, an entrepreneur, is pushing for more programs to help small businesses flourish. A final candidate, Millennium Woods Jr., did not attend our candidate interview.
None can match Gray’s experience. District 8 voters should send her back to City Hall.
Early voting begins Monday and ends April 27. Election Day is May 1. To win, a candidate needs more than half the ballots cast. Otherwise, the top two advance to a June 5 runoff. The winner takes 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.