Incumbents reelected to Fort Worth City Council; one new district headed to runoff

The race for a Fort Worth City Council seat created as part of an effort to increase Hispanic representation is headed to a runoff, according to unofficial results Saturday night.

In District 11, sometimes called the horseshoe for its distinct shape, Jeanette Martinez received 36.3% of the vote over Rick Herring with 34.1%, Tara Maldonado-Wilson, a registered nurse, with 17.3%, Christopher Johnson with 62.% and Ricardo Avitia with 6%.

Martinez and Herring will go to a runoff on June 10 because no one received more than 50% of the vote. District 11 had the lowest number of votes of any of the contested council races.

Herring, , a consultant, said he anticipated a runoff and was planning for that contingency from the beginning of his campaign. He said he felt good about the results, and was ready for the next round.

Martinez, an administrator for Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks, did not immediately respond to a call and text message requesting comment.

Former city council member Sal Espino, who endorsed Martinez, said he was pleased to see her come in first place. He was a major proponent of the 2016 vote than expanded the council from eight districts to 10.

“She has built a diverse, multi-ethnic coalition which represents the best of Fort Worth,” he said in a text message.

He acknowledged the low turnout, but said this was more a factor of the race being in May and not being a statewide or presidential election.

District 11 was created in Fort Worth’s 2022 redistricting process as part of an effort to increase Hispanic representation on the city council. Roughly a third of Fort Worth residents are Hispanic, but only one council member, Carlos Flores, is of Hispanic heritage.

The district includes neighborhoods just east and northeast of downtown Fort Worth along with predominantly Hispanic south side neighborhoods of Rosemont and Hemphill Heights.

This configuration gives District 11 a 58.8% Hispanic voting age population, second only to District 2 with 62.1%.

Beck, Williams hold off challengers

Incumbents Jared Williams of District 6 and Elizabeth Beck of District 9 defeated challengers backed by the Fort Worth Excellence PAC, a group largely funded by Fort Worth business executive Don Woodard Jr.

Beck, an attorney, won reelection with 53.7% of the vote. Pamela Boggess, an attorney, had 35.6%, Jason Pena with 7.8% and Chris Reed with 2.9%.

WIlliams, who works at Tarrant Area Food Bank, won 57.5% of the vote over challengers Italia De La Cruz, a small business owner, with 33.1% and Tonya Carter with 9.4%.

Woodard Jr. donated $240,000 to the Fort Worth Excellence PAC, which then donated $107,481.97 to Boggess and $95,484.40 to De La Cruz, according to campaign finance reports.

Woodard also donated $25,000 to Boggess directly.

“I wanted to provide a level playing field for Italia and Pam and that was accomplished,” he said in a text.

District 7

Macy Hill, president of Tailwind Philanthropic Advisors, won with 61.2% of the vote. Hill replaces Leonard Firestone, who announced in January he would not seek a second term.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker helped in the effort to recruit Hill to run after Firestone announced he was stepping down.

Speaking at a campaign event Saturday night, Parker recounted the story of a lunch meeting with Hill where the two discussed who should run for Firestone’s seat.

“I think we had two bottles of wine, and by the end of the lunch I could tell Macy was willing to think about it,” Parker said.

Parker praised Hill’s character saying she has “the most solid integrity of anyone I have ever been friends with.”

Jason Ellis, a small business owner who got 28.6% of the vote in District 7, said he was proud of his race, but that it was hard to run against Hill’s monetary firepower.

Hill had $82,106 cash-on-hand at the end of her campaign compared to $4,330.27 for Ellis.

Brand recognition is important and it’s hard to compete in that kind of money game, Ellis said.

Caleb Backholm, an insurance agency owner, had 10.2%.

District 4

Charles Lauersdorf, a veteran who runs a real estate marketing business, defeated Teresa Ramirez, a community volunteer, with 60% of the vote.

District 5

Incumbent Gyna Bivens, president and executive director of North Texas Lead, won with 65.7% of the vote over challengers Bob Willoughby with 18.1% and the Rev. William McKinley Jackson with 16.3%.

District 10

Incumbent Alan Blaylock defeatred Brandon Jones, 69.5% to 30.5%.

3 unopposed

Incumbents Carlos Flores, Michael Crain, and Chris Nettles all kept their seats after running unopposed.