Star-Telegram endorsement: New Place 1 seat on Tarrant Appraisal District board | Opinion
Tarrant County voters face a new task in this year’s local elections: choosing three directors to join the board overseeing the Tarrant Appraisal District.
It’s important work. The agency, which assesses property values for taxation by cities, school districts and other local governments, has had a rough stretch recently, suffering from general complaints about soaring appraisals to technology problems that have crippled operations. The district needs fresh oversight and new ideas.
For Place 1, the first slate includes three thoughtful candidates. Voters should go with Trae Fowler, a former Haltom City mayor and council member. In our candidate interview, Fowler displayed the right balance of seeking change and better treatment of taxpayers at TAD without seeking to have the board meddle in daily operations.
Fowler, 58, a Haltom City real estate investor, brings the right mix of government perspective and property-owner frustration with the appraisal and appeal process. He wants to ensure the district does more to educate taxpayers about how to seek appraisal reductions. He also proposes a two-year cycle for valuations and a tighter cap for appraisal increases, changes that might have to come from the Legislature.
As the owner of multiple properties, Fowler will need to take care that he avoid any appearance of undue influence on his own appraisals. It’s a potential conflict that several candidates could face.
Opponent Sayeda Bilqees Syed, 44, of Colleyville brings experience as a former Appraisal Review Board member. But she lacked specific ideas of how to improve operations and service at the district. The third candidate, Eric Morris, is a 24-year-old pharmacy technician who is finishing a term as a council member in Haltom City.
The three seats will eventually cycle to four-year terms, and voters would benefit from a more diverse field of candidates going forward. The current crop for each seat is heavily concentrated in northeast Tarrant County, and we’d like to see elected directors who better reflect the county’s political, income, ethnic and educational makeup.
Early voting starts April 22 and ends April 30; Election Day is May 4. Every registered Tarrant County voter can cast ballots for all three TAD seats. In races with more than two candidates, a runoff will be required if no one wins an outright majority of the vote. Winners will serve through 2026.
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; and Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor.
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 13, 2024 at 5:34 AM.