Tarrant appraisal board, city and school leaders: See our local election endorsements | Opinion
Local elections don’t draw nearly enough attention — or voters. It’s understandable that they can’t compete with choosing a president or governor. But this year, there are new offices and interesting openings on Tarrant County ballots.
We researched and conducted interviews in several top races. Here are recommendations as Election Day — Saturday, May 4 — finally arrives.
TARRANT APPRAISAL DISTRICT
It’s rare to be able to choose the first officeholders for a new position, but county voters have that opportunity for three members of the board of directors for the Tarrant Appraisal District, which calculates property valuations that local governments use to assess taxes.
The jobs were borne out of frustration with property taxes around Texas. But in Tarrant County, the district has had an added layer of controversy, with a lack of transparency, embarrassing technology problems and an increasing sense that taxpayers can’t get a fair shake from the opaque agency.
Voters throughout the county can cast ballots for each of the three places on the board.
Place 1: Of the three candidates, we recommend former Haltom City Mayor Trae Fowler. His mix of local government experience and frequent interaction with appraisal officials as a property owner give him a good insight into the district’s issues. His ideas to have the district do more to educate taxpayers might lessen frustration and the feeling that the deck is stacked against homeowners.
Place 2: If the idea is to bolster citizen representation, firefighter Eric Crile is the best choice for this seat. The Fort Worth resident is a homeowner but not an owner of investment property. He can approach oversight with the average taxpayer in mind.
Place 3: Former Carroll school district trustee Matt Bryant tops the field for this position. As an investment property owner, he knows the ins and out of the appraisal process and can dig into the district’s operations. Bryant has several innovative proposals to improve TAD’s performance.
FORT WORTH
Hotel tax: The city wants to boost the tax that hotel customers pay by 2 percentage points and use the new revenue to complete renovations of the Convention Center. It’s the right call to ensure that Fort Worth can compete for large convention business. Few Fort Worth residents would ever pay the tax, and it’s a modest bump on hotel bills.
The south end of downtown would benefit from a revamped Convention Center and the business it would bring, likely to include new hotels.
ARLINGTON
School district, Place 3: Realtor April Williams Moore is the best choice of the three candidates for this open seat. She brings a parent’s and school volunteer’s sensibility. And she was most dialed in on improving student achievement in our interview with the candidates.
City Council, District 1: The north Arlington district drew two strong contenders. We give the edge to business owner Mauricio Galante, who displayed a good balance of serving the district’s needs and the city as a whole. Galante would be a good advocate for continued improvement of the city’s important Entertainment District.
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS
Mayor: The fourth-largest city in Tarrant County is electing a new mayor for the first time in two decades. We prefer former Birdville ISD trustee Jack McCarty, who seems more likely to inject fresh ideas that balance the city’s responsibilities as a regional player with residents’ desire to see projects that better bolster the city and its neighborhoods.
MANSFIELD
School district, Place 2: This race has turned on whether candidate Angel Hidalgo is eligible to hold the seat; the district recently ruled that he is not. But Jandel Crutchfield is the better candidate either way, with an extensive history of service to the district and a strong sense of what’s needed going forward.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. Registered Tarrant County voters can cast ballots at any polling location. In most cases, races in which no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote will advance to runoffs.
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 May 2, 2024 at 5:25 AM.