Continued momentum better for Hurst

Anita Thetford and Joel Downs are challenging longtime Mayor Richard Ward in Hurst.

Ward, 80, has been mayor since 2004. If he is re-elected, he wants to help train the new city manager, Clay Caruthers, and “be a part of this growth” while seeing completion of some big city projects.

Thetford, 74, a retired finance director for the city, says she respects Ward but believes there should be more communication between the city and its residents.

Also, Thetford says her financial savvy would prove beneficial as mayor, with city revitalization programs in the works, and to help build a better budget the average resident could understand.

Downs, 68, also wants a transparent budget, one that doesn’t read like “a corporate prospectus” that only a “financial expert” could read.

Ward says the budget “couldn’t be any clearer.”

Downs says Hurst borrows too much money. He says just because other cities do it doesn’t mean Hurst has to continue borrowing money.

“The city is in great shape financially,” Ward said. “The debt level is right in line with any city our size.”

The ratio of Hurst’s outstanding debt to its taxable property value is well below state norms.

Though both Thetford and Downs bring up city problems that should be addressed, like the complicated budget, Ward’s momentum on training the new city manager and seeing projects like the Texas 10 revitalization and Hurst Town Center to completion shouldn’t be slowed.

“There are still things to be done,” he said, and Hurst should let him see these projects through.

Having Ward as mayor for another term would be better than change for the sake of change.

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board recommends Richard Ward for mayor of Hurst.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Continued momentum better for Hurst."