Candidates for Tarrant County College District 4 Trustee on May 6 ballot
Bill Greenhill
Website: BillGreenhill.com
Email: Bill@BillGreenhill.com
Age: 76
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Undergraduate and Law Degree — University of Texas
Have you run for elected office before?
Tarrant County College, District 4 Trustee
Please list highlights of your civic involvement.
Tarrant County College District Board of Trustees. Board of Directors for: Community College Association of Texas Trustees (Chair), Community Healthcare of Texas, Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, Presbyterian Night Shelter, Gladney Center for Adoption, The WARM Place, and Big Brothers and Sisters of Tarrant County. Served on: Fort Worth Zoning Commission, City of Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Board, Development Advisory Committee to the City Manager of Fort Worth.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Family and Friends. Endorsements include: U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, Rep. Charlie Geren, Betsy Price, Gary Fickes, Oscar Trevino, Bill Meadows, Rosa Navajar, Dee Kelly, Jr., Tom Harris, Judy Needham, Louise Appleman, Marianne Auld, Tito Rodriguez
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
My mission during my years as a trustee has always been to serve the community by placing the students first, because thriving students mean a thriving TCC, and a thriving TCC means a flourishing Tarrant County. I’ve achieved this mission by focusing on what I refer to as the three Cs: Cost, Community and Collaboration. We must keep costs down--for the taxpayer, as well as the student. One of the most important responsibilities we have as a community is to make sure all individuals who want to pursue additional education have the opportunity to do so. Only by maintaining a well-educated and well-trained workforce can we continue growing our economy and attracting new jobs to our region — and that’s why Tarrant County College is so important to our future prosperity.
What are the biggest issues in this race?
Ensure the taxpayers, public and community stakeholders continue to have a seat at the table by continuing to enhance all aspects of efficiency and transparency. We must continue to keep all of the District’s projects on or below budget as well as establish and maintain reasonable timelines. Finally, as our region continues to be one of the fastest growing in the nation, we must continue to foster opportunities to make sure all individuals who want to pursue additional education or skills training have the opportunity to do so. This includes, but is not limited to young adults, as well as older adults who are retooling their skills, high school graduates, students taking dual-credit courses and participating in early college high schools.
Larry Dale Carpenter Jr.
Website: Larry4tccd.com
Email: info@larry4tccd.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Business Owner
Education: Tarleton State University
Have you run for elected office before?
Tarrant County Commissioner 2022 Republican Primary
Please list highlights of your civic involvement.
Church, politics
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
N/A
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
I have a different ideology on the direction of where Tarrant County should be going. I believe CRT and race based hiring practices have no place in the County. Also, they shouldn’t be raising the tax rate either.
What are the biggest issues in this race?
1). Tax Rate, 2). Illegal race based hiring practices, 3). Trustees not working on behalf of tax payers
Laura Forkner Pritchett
Website: ElectLaura4TCC.com
Email: Laura@ElectLaura4TCC.com
Age: 52
Occupation: Sales Account Executive
Education: B.A. International Studies and Political Science
Have you run for elected office before?
Azle City Council
Please list highlights of your civic involvement.
Tarrant County GOP Precinct Chair 4340
Director of North Texas for Restore Liberty, committed to restoring the original intent of the Constitution
Committee Leader for Patriots in Faith, a non-partisan biblically centered resource ministry to help voters make informed decisions regarding candidates and the election process; and teach them how to get involved to serve as biblical patriots in their local communities.
Constitutional Coach, Patriot Academy
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
To date, the campaign is funded 100% by individuals with no institutional (PAC, Corporation) contributions.
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
Laura is a proud Christian, faithful wife and devoted mother active in her church and community. Her love for God and people is the essence of her unwavering faith and traditional family values. Laura is a lifelong conservative passionate about preserving our Constitutional rights in this generation and the ones to follow.
During Laura’s more than 25 years in business, she has been widely recognized as an industry influencer due to her strong leadership, expert knowledge and collaborative problem solving. Laura’s approach to decision-making employs an executive view while maintaining a cross-functional approach. In addition to her full-time position, she and her husband are also co-owners of a small, thriving insurance business.
Laura earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in International Studies with a concentration in Political Science and completed coursework in the Masters of International Management (M.I.M.) program, both at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.
What are the biggest issues in this race?
#1 Bring fiscal alignment to the budget
Tarrant County College Board recently voted to increase taxes on businesses and property owners knowing appraisals had already increased the tax burden on Tarrant County taxpayers. The 7.9% increase created $20 million while still retaining one year’s worth of reserve funding of approximately $350 million.
One month after increasing tax rates, the college began cutting pay for professors.
#2 Eliminate race-based hiring
TCC announced race-based hiring preference and positioned itself for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion standards. In February 2023 Governor Abbott’s office warned state agencies that race-based hiring practices violates state law. The policy will be the source of employment based lawsuits and taxpayers will be required to defend the hiring policy, which is in violation of federal law.
#3 Develop job skills
Workforce development and job skills training need to be the focus of TCC’s practice, not teaching social constructs.
Jack Reynolds
Website: Jack4TCCDBoard.com
Email: info@jack4tccdboard.com
Age: 54
Occupation: Economics professor
Education: Master’s in Economics; Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
Have you run for elected office before?
No.
Please list highlights of your civic involvement.
I volunteered to sit on Azle’s Municipal Development District Board.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
My brother, Brad (Jonathan); family friend, Weaver Gaines; and my wife’s great aunt, Aunt Faye.
What is the most important distinction between you and your opponent(s)?
Qualifications. I am a twice-honorably discharged Army Infantry and Desert Storm veteran. I received my B.A. at the age of 42, then worked my way through grad school as an HS math teacher. I have a master’s in economics, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy studies. In addition to teaching, I created the AP macroeconomic curriculum at a HS. I worked 3 years at TCC as an economics professor, serving on multiple committees. I served on the Workspace Environments Committee to draft faculty recommendations regarding the districts plans to ignore faculty and staff objections to open workspaces. I was also elected to the faculty senate where I served as the senate chair and acted as the liaison between faculty and campus and district leadership. I have since worked as an adjunct at TCU and Tarleton, as well as Weatherford College. I am currently a full-time instructor at a rural community college.
What are the biggest issues in this race?
Property taxes is likely the biggest issue in this race. Despite declining student enrollment, tax revenue for TCCD is up over 100% since 2012.
Another important issue is Critical Race Theory. CRT is a framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is a social construct used to oppress and exploit people of color. It has spawned a number of critical analyses beyond race. According to these other derivatives of CRT, white, successful, able-bodied, Christian, straight, cisgender men are generally the root of all oppression.
Lastly, TCCD has implemented a Faculty Recruitment and Retention Plan that specifically calls for “flooding the applicant pool” with non-white applicants to facilitate “intentionally designed cultures.” I will work to end such discriminatory practices to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. Governor Abbot’s office recently reminded colleges that “both federal and state law make equity quotas illegal.”
