TOP STORY New leaders to oversee operations of Tarrant County
2 0 2 2 P R I M A R Y E L E C T I O N G U I D E
NEW MEMBERS TO JOINCOURT
Three of the ve members of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court have decided not to seek re-election and will step down at the end of this year. Their replacements, chosen by voters in the November election, will take o ce in January 2023 for a four-year term. Seats up for election in 2022 Seats up for election in 2024 SOURCE: TARRANT COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Precinct 1 Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks First took o ce: 2004 Term expires: 2024
Precinct 2 Commissioner Devan Allen First took o ce: 2019 Term expires: 2022
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley First took o ce: 2004* Term expires: 2022
Precinct 3 Commissioner Gary Fickes First took o ce: 2006 Term expires: 2024
Precinct 4 Commissioner J.D. Johnson First took o ce: 1983 Term expires: 2022
BY STEVEN RYZEWSKI
Next January, when new members of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court are sworn in, it will also mark the o cial end of the tenure of three current members. County Judge Glen Whitley, Precinct 2 Commissioner Devan Allen and Precinct 4 Commis- sioner J.D. Johnson are not seeking re-election this year. Combined, the three outgoing o - cials have more than 60 years worth of experience on the court. Precinct 3 Commissioner Gary Fickes, whose precinct includes most of northeast Tarrant County, including Fort Worth, Keller, Roa- noke, Trophy Club and Westlake, was re-elected in 2020 and has a term that runs through 2024. Three open seats on the ve-mem- ber court also mean there will be more new faces than oldwhen the new court is seated in January. In addition to the court, Tarrant County will elect a new criminal district attorney, as Sharen Wilson is also not seeking re-election after serving in that role since 2015. Add to that several other county o ces without incumbents on the ballot—including several judgeships at various levels—and it makes for a potentially transformative year, begin- ningwith theMarch 1 primary election, o cials said. A unique election cycle G.K.Maenius has beenTarrant Coun- ty’s administrator since 1988. He said that while there have been election cycles where a commissioner or two might roll o the court, the addition of an open seat for the county judge posi- tion does make this cycle unique. “I think everyone is, you know, somewhat anxious about how that’s going to work, but I think that we’re gonna be just ne,” Maenius said. “It’s something that happens, and we’re going to go ahead and just work through that.” Among the open seats towatch is the
*ON COMMISSIONERS COURT SINCE 1997.
STEVEN RYZEWSKI COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
race to replace Whitley as county judge due to its leadership role, o cials said. Already, that race has seen national g- ures weigh in. But Whitley said voters should con- sider the duties of the county, the com- missioners court and the county judge. “A lot of what we do is administra- tive,” Whitley said. As outlined by a website operated by the Texas Association of Counties— www.texascountiesdeliver.com—some of the prime responsibilities for coun- ties include overseeing tasks related to public safety, justice and courts as well as public health and emergency management; administering and hold- ing elections; maintaining roads and bridges; and tending to public records. “It requires a great deal more of col- laboration than it does of just saying, ‘Well, this is the way I think I want it, and I’m gonna make it happen,’” he said. “Understanding county govern- ment is very important.” Commissioners also appoint the county administrator who acts as the county’s chief administration o cer andoversees roughly4,000employees. Beyond that, they also adopt a bud- get and tax rate, approve budgeted purchases, ll vacancies in elective and appointive o ces, set salary
court,”Maenius said. “But, on a day-to- day basis, the county judge is the one that represents the county.” One area where county commission- ers and the county judge stand out, relative to many other local elected o cials—city council members, for instance—is that the county role is more of a full-time job with salaries starting at more than $150,000, accord- ing to county documents. Another important part of the role is working with cities, Fickes said. “One of the most critical things that we do is having a good working rela- tionship with cities—and I’ve got about 12 or 13 in my precinct,” Fickes said. “I’ve got to know the city managers, the mayors, the public works direc- tors. I’ve got to know all those people because that’s who I deal with.” Whitley said it is important for voters to learn about candidates. The newly elected commissioners and the new county judge will have “to collaborate and work with businesses, cities, schools and nonpro ts, all to ... hopefully bene t all of the citizens of Tarrant County,” he said.
and bene ts and maintain county buildings and facilities, among other things, according to the Texas Associ- ation of Counties. In 2022 and beyond, Maenius said he anticipates the county and the com- missioners court will focus on a wide swath of issues. Those include address- ing housing and the backlog in civil and criminal courts, making sure the county has adequate facilities to keep up with growth and investing in public health infrastructure. In addition, the county will start projects that voters approved through the 2021 transportation bond package. Spokesperson for the county The role of county judge is a hybrid of sorts, o cials say. In some ways it is on equal footing as the four other commissioners, and, in other ways, it means acting with more executive authority and as the spokesperson for the county. Elected at-large by the entire county, the person who replaces Whitley will be charged with presid- ing over the commissioners court and functioning as the head of emergency management for Tarrant County. “When they come together as the commissioners court … all ve of those individuals are equal in stature on the
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