Former Tarrant commissioner wants job back. Here’s our recommendation for Arlington seat
Democrat Alisa Simmons is facing off against Republican Andy Nguyen for the Precinct 2 seat on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, which covers much of Arlington and Mansfield. The choice is a contrast of style and experience.
Simmons, 59, is the better choice. The Arlington activist is a better fit for an increasingly Democratic precinct, and she has a long history of community service.
After a career in journalism, she spent 22 years as a county 911 administrator, performing well as public information officer and marketing and communications manager for the county district. As longtime head of the Arlington NAACP, she has also sustained interest in civil rights issues.
Her experience raising questions about jail detention will help her lead on reforming the Tarrant County jail, and she said she’d lobby the sheriff’s office for transparency on jailhouse deaths.
In our interview with the candidates, Simmons couldn’t identify specific budget cuts she might make to cut property taxes. But she set a goal to scrutinize the entire county budget and increase revenue through available grants.
Nguyen, 56, a businessman and Dalworthington Gardens resident, is a very different candidate from Simmons, not just in party but priorities: Nguyen, who held the seat from 2011 to 2019, said the most urgent issues facing the community are violent crime and fentanyl poisoning, both prudent observations but not necessarily top issues for county government.
He showed his knowledge of county operations by suggesting a cut to a wildly expensive software program that counties use to communicate. “There are many ways to streamline county government if we have the will,” Nguyen said.
But we’re concerned electing Nguyen would mean a lopsided court that might not push hard enough on issues at the jail. Simmons would provide more balance and the will to ask tough questions.
Northwest Tarrant County-based Precinct 4 is also on the ballot. It’s an overwhelmingly Republican area, and GOP nominee Manny Ramirez is expected to easily prevail over Democrat Cedric Kanyinda to take the open seat.
Early voting runs Oct. 24-Nov. 4. County commissioners serve a four-year term.
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.
This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 5:05 AM.