North/east Fort Worth district has 4 choices for City Council. Here’s our recommendation
With four candidates running to replace Fort Worth City Council member Cary Moon in District 4, there’s a candidate for everyone. And yet, the field lacks a clear standout.
Based on experience dealing with city issues, Alan Blaylock, 53, is the best choice. His involvement with the city’s Crime Control and Prevention District will give him a head start on council service. He’s also been a leader of the Heritage Homeowners Association in the district’s northern portion, giving him a crucial understanding of neighborhood needs in a growing area.
Blaylock enjoys the support of the Fort Worth police officers and firefighters associations, too.
Tara Wilson, 37, a registered nurse, sought the seat against Moon last year. She’s been involved in her community, including with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as leader of a group focused on LGBTQ youth. Last year, she touted progressive bona fides, which remain, though in our interview she focused more on neighborhood issues across the sprawling district.
James H. McBride, a 49-year-old university sports information director, ran for mayor in 2019 but has little other civic involvement on his resume. Teresa Ramirez, a 58-year-old retired sales representative, seemed to have a weak grasp on the top issues in the race and few concrete ideas.
District 4 is substantially changed in the City Council map that will take effect next year. Its eastern side is lopped off, leaving a more compact northern Fort Worth district whose representative can focus on needs driven by growth.
If no candidate gets more than half the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff. The winner will replace Moon, who left the council to run the Legislature, and finish his original term, which expires next year.
Early voting begins Monday, and Election Day is May 7.
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.
