We recommend: For new north Fort Worth City Council district, experience counts | Opinion
Voters in fast-growing far north Fort Worth lament that the city can’t keep up with their infrastructure needs and other concerns. Now with a new City Council district all their own, they need an experienced representative who can help deliver.
We recommend Alan Blaylock as the better choice to hit the ground running in District 10. The 54-year-old retiree won a special election last year to represent District 4, and now, his Heritage neighborhood is in the new district.
“We are overcoming 20 years of neglect in the north,” Blaylock said in our interview with the candidates. He noted that while he’s looking ahead to new projects for District 10’s road, water and sewage needs, he wants to ensure promises from previous bond packages are completed, too.
And Blaylock understands the need for a council member to think about the city as a whole, too. He comes across as sober-minded and knowledgeable.
In our interview, Blaylock noted his efforts to reduce property taxes with a “no new revenue” tax rate, though he wasn’t able to win over fellow council members to the plan. He wants to see more police officers patrolling the communities and schools — although he noted violent crime in District 10 is down.
During our discussion, Blaylock said that while he doesn’t believe it’s the city’s role to get deeply involved in school issues aside from roads and other infrastructure, he wouldn’t oppose more school resource officers if districts demand them.
Blaylock’s opponent, Brandon Robert Jones, 43, a home inspector who lives in the Fairways of Champion Circle, comes across as eager and energetic. He’s knowledgeable of the issues but seems dismissive of the city’s needs beyond District 10. He would be well served by service on city boards or commissions, but right now, he’s not ready for the council job.
District 10 is the northernmost part of Fort Worth, which includes the Golden Triangle and Park Vista areas.
This office is a two-year term that pays $25,000 a year. Early voting starts April 24 and ends May 2. Election day is May 6.
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 April 20, 2023 at 3:53 PM.