Who should fill open seat on Tarrant County Commissioners Court? Our endorsement | Opinion
Voters in Tarrant County Precinct 1 have a chance to elect a new Commissioners Court member with deep inside knowledge of county government and a fresh perspective on the area’s needs.
Roderick Miles has worked as a top administrator for longtime Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks for years. With Brooks retiring, Miles won the Democratic nomination, and he’s the best option to follow in Brooks’ footsteps.
Miles, 53, brings experience but also a fresh perspective. In an interview, he readily ticked off the top needs of Precinct 1, which stretches from the southwestern corner of the county across southwest Arlington, Burleson and Crowley, and south and east Fort Worth. Miles said he would focus on public safety, health care, criminal justice reform and keeping property taxes down.
He noted an urgent need for affordable housing in the precinct but was realistic about the county’s role in partnering with cities to address the issue. Miles, who lives in southwest Fort Worth and said he’s a lifelong Precinct 1 resident, cited the presence of several “food deserts,” areas with inadequate access to fresh groceries. He pointed to a farmers market at Texas Wesleyan University and a mobile food-bank program as efforts to fill the gaps.
On the county’s most urgent issue, the crowded jail and its staffing concerns, Miles pointed out that commissioners can provide oversight and necessary budget without overstepping into the sheriff’s turf. He wants to focus on improving mental-health diversions and see more low-level offenders released on personal-recognizance bonds, important steps to reducing the population and easing the burden on overworked jailers.
Miles’ Republican opponent, Michael Barber, was a longtime Fort Worth police officer who now is a small business owner. Barber, who did not attend our interview, is running as a reinforcement for the Commissioners Court’s conservative members. And while Precinct 1 has some right-leaning communities, its Democratic majority would prefer a dissenting voice. With Miles, they get one who will know the ropes of county government the moment he’s sworn in.
Early voting begins Oct. 21 and is available through Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 5. In both cases, voters can cast ballots at any county polling place.
The winner will serve a four-year term.
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; Bradford William Davis, columnist and editorial writer; Bud Kennedy, columnist; and Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor.
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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.