So many pols make empty claims as ‘fighters.’ Kay Granger was one who got things done | Opinion

The phrase is overused, but Rep. Kay Granger’s retirement from Congress truly marks the end of an era.

She began her Washington career as the first Republican House majority in decades was settling in. The nation was gathering into a soon-to-be-polarized 50/50 split. And the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s population boom, well into its second decade, presented opportunities and challenges for serious policymakers.

Granger was one. At a time when “fighter” is a label appropriated by so many in politics who have done so little, Granger retires as a fighter with an actual record. She delivered for her community, the military, the national defense and America’s role in the world.

Granger is a fighter who wins actual battles and does it by building relationships and consensus, not by bloviating on cable TV.

She fought over 14 terms to ascend in Congress, acquire power and put it to good use. She fought for business-friendly policies and conservative priorities without burning bridges.

And she did it all as a trailblazing woman in Texas politics, the first female Republican elected to the House and the first to lead the powerful Appropriations Committee.

As mayor of Fort Worth in the early 1990s, where she also was the first woman in that office, Granger was an important figure at a sober time for the city. She helped push for the special crime-control sales tax that has fueled decades of more effective policing — an important priority because, as we see around the country, large cities with entrenched crime problems, especially violence, do not thrive.

And even as she climbed the ladder in Washington and Fort Worth boomed, many remember Granger from her days as a Richland High School teacher and insurance agent.

In her nearly three decades of service, Congress changed around her, largely not for the better. Committee chairs have lost sway as caucus leaders deal with major issues under the threat of deadlines, a process that has alienated a lot of members and made the House in particular harder to govern. Granger spent years climbing the ladder in the Appropriations Committee, only to secure the chair for a single term dominated by internal GOP battles.

The end of earmarks, by which lawmakers won funding for projects in their districts, made the deal-making that greased the appropriations process harder. For Granger, that contributed to a backlash at home on the Panther Island project.

Too many people unfairly blamed her for the fact that her son, J.D. Granger, was hired to oversee the development. The Tarrant Regional Water District and Trinity River Vision boards, not the congresswoman, were responsible for a hire that created the appearance of a conflict for many voters. Kay Granger was always determined to support the project, but it became harder when she was accused of cronyism.

The real problem was securing the federal funding needed to transform the Trinity River. Between the loss of earmarks, changes in how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers evaluated projects after Hurricane Katrina and political battles with Trump administration officials, Granger struggled to deliver the necessary $403 million. But eventually she did, and when Fort Worth is safer from disastrous flooding and ribbons are cut on new developments in a prime part of the city, that’s what people will remember.

Granger’s retirement may trigger a spirited primary and a game of musical chairs among politicians looking to move up. It’s not guaranteed that her replacement will be from her mold: conservative but business-friendly and willing to work on consensus and compromise.

That’s a fight for another day. For today, let’s appreciate all the ways in which Granger blazed a trail for women in leadership, for Fort Worth and for the nation.

This story was originally published November 1, 2023 at 11:44 AM.