Why should the Fort Worth mayoral election be nonpartisan?

We need to bring the Republican/Democrat dynamic to local politics, writes Richard Rimestad of Fort Worth. Bigstock

More partisanship needed

Enough of this nonpartisan mayoral election. There is no such thing as nonpartisan because political views seep into all aspects of life and all levels of governing. I want to know the party to which each candidate is affiliated. Without it, they won’t get my vote.

- Richard Rimestad, Fort Worth

I just wanted to get a hog dog

I love the new Rangers ballpark, but the food service is dreadful. On Friday night, it took two-and-a-half innings to get food. Saturday night, it was three innings. The concession stands are all understaffed, and the order-taker also has to prepare the order. Fans are using the kiosks to order, then eventually walking away.

It’s an embarrassment to the Rangers and an enormous show of disrespect to the fans. I will eat on my way to the ballpark from now on.

- Paul M. Jones, Crowley

Power has been mismanaged

Here we go again: Consumers are told to conserve their usage of power. (April 14, 8A, “ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity amid rise in demand”) All I hear from the state is excuses and a “Band-Aid” approach. How embarrassing that an energy state can’t provide power to its customers.

Sunday’s front-page story “New homes, demand, prices on the rise in North Texas” said that more than 40,000 new homes are expected to be built this year in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, more than any other metropolitan area in the U.S. Will there be enough power to businesses that plan to move to Texas? What about charging stations for electric vehicles?

- Lorraine Stafford, North Richland HIlls

Low demand, low supply?

Why would an ordinary Tuesday in April — with a high temperature of 78, perfect weather requiring neither energy from heating nor from cooling — suddenly be another power grid overload prompting a warning from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas? Where are the people at the top who are supposed to be in charge of our fabulous independent energy system, free from federal oversight?

- Wendy Stoecker, Arlington

Yes, secession is a possibility

Regarding Bud Kennedy’s column about Texas secession (April 11, 1C, “Remember the Alamo, but forget about secession”): Kennedy does not speak for all of us. Regardless of what he may think about the legality and possibility of secession, that history has not been written yet. He should go back and ask King George III about that.

- Art Bullard, Granbury

Hits too close to home

The editor who chose Tuesday’s cartoon by Jack Ohman of The Sacramento Bee (11A) about the influence of big corporations’ money in politics must have missed that the largest flag in the center was Lockheed Martin. Was this a good choice, a stick in the eye to one of the largest employers in Fort Worth?

- David White, Fort Worth

‘Slave trade’ sadly no shock

Tuesday’s front-page story about the students at Aledo High School holding a slave auction on social media left he horrified but not surprised. (“Aledo students disciplined for ‘slave trade’ held over social media”) Having been a resident of Parker County for 22 years, I have realized that many there subscribe to white supremacist nonsense. Republican dominance brought more hate and evil out into the open.

After Barack Obama’s election as president, I saw more outright threats of violence and hateful actions in churches, gun shops and among friends and neighbors. Fox News was a big factor, and Donald Trump gave permission for the evil to travel even faster. Consequences matter for all.

- Jeri Chilcutt, Benbrook

This story was originally published April 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why should the Fort Worth mayoral election be nonpartisan? Let’s change that."