PEOPLE Tim O’Hare Newly sworn-in Tarrant County judge
BY CODY THORN
Tim O’Hare has spent the past 25 years running a law office and real estate investment company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He is now the Tarrant County judge. O’Hare was sworn into office Jan. 1 and ran his first meeting on Jan 10. The Republican replaced B. Glen Whitley, who decided to not seek re-election after four terms as the judge and 26 total years on the commissioners court. O’Hare was formerly a council member and later mayor of Farmers Branch. O’Hare, who lives in Southlake, recently sat down with Community Impact and shared his decision to run for office in Tarrant County and his background in politics. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
WHERE DID YOUR BACKGROUND IN POLITICS COME FROM? My mom instilled in me a deep love of country, and she paid attention to politics. When you are growing up, you emulate your parents and do what they do. I was raised by a single mom, and she paid attention to politics. That is probably what got me interested. I don’t know if I ever thought growing up [I’d get into politics], but after I got out of college is when I first really had a clue what was going on a little bit. I started paying attention to things locally. I don’t think I really ever thought I would do anything like that locally until I decided to run for City Council [in Farmers Branch]. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IN YOUR FIRST YEAR AS THE JUDGE? As Tarrant County Judge, I am working to provide real tax relief to our taxpayers, improve the safety of our neighborhoods, attract high- paying jobs for our workforce, and promote faith, family and freedom in our communities. In my first year, I hope to make significant strides on these important priorities.
WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE SINCE THE ELECTION?
everything we can to cut property taxes and do everything we can to make the streets safer than they are today. HOW DID YOU END UP IN TARRANT COUNTY? Tarrant County is only seven miles from the border of Farmers Branch, where Tarrant County starts. I’ve always lived near it and I spent my whole life in Tarrant County for a multitude of things, whether it be the [Fort Worth] zoo, convention center, downtown eating, going to Grapevine regularly. I feel like I’ve lived here forever, it didn’t feel like some big change moving from Farmers Branch to Southlake. We moved here, like most people do, for the schools. We wanted to live on a little bit of land and we live on three acres. We wanted to be able to go to the best public school in the best neighbor- hood we can find and a place that felt like a hometown. We wanted to live in a one-high school town. We looked at multiple communities but ultimately we had fond memories of childhood and adulthood in Tarrant County and Southlake seemed to be one of the top if not the top in the metroplex, if not the whole state.
I took a week off and traveled the country. [I] took a road trip to clear my mind. We worked incredibly hard during the election, both in the primary and general. ... We just took a week to drive around the country and see America. In the midst of it all, there’s been phone calls, text messages, emails, you name it, every way anyone can communicate to you. I’ve met with the county judge; I met with the county administrator and one of the county commissioners. I don’t think I would describe it as a whirlwind, because I have been in this situation before. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE THE NEXT JUDGE IN TARRANT COUNTY, REPLACING B. GLEN WHITLEY? It is an incredible honor to be the chief political executive of Tarrant County. Tarrant County is the third-largest county in Texas and 14th largest in the country. Being the chief political executive is important to our state and our country. ... [Whitley] served the public for a long time. We will probably do things a little bit differently, and we will do
SERVING THE COUNTY County Judge Tim O’Hare will work with a panel of commissioners to oversee a variety of matters.
Set tax rate and adopt county budget
Establish voting precincts; appoint precinct judges; call county bond elections
Build and maintain county roads and bridges
Provide hospital, public welfare and veterans assistance
Oversee Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department
Appoint an administrator to oversee operations of all departments reporting to court
SOURCE: TARRANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATION OFFICE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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GRAPEVINE - COLLEYVILLE - SOUTHLAKE EDITION • JANUARY 2023
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