After hearing scores of comments and pleas about a controversial plan for redrawing Tarrant County Commissioner district lines, county commissioners voted to move ahead with redistricting.
The three Republican commissioners prevailed over the two Democratic commissioners to approve a new precinct map that is expected to give Republican candidates for the Commissioners Court an advantage in upcoming elections.
The three Republican commissioners pushed ahead with the plan despite widespread opposition from county residents, many of whom told commissioners that the proposal amounted to racial gerrymandering, which is illegal is a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.
But the conservative majority made up of County Judge Tim O’Hare, County Commissioner Matt Krause of Precinct 3 and Commissioner Manny Ramirez of Precinct 4, insisted that the move was not meant to be discriminatory but rather to increase the number of Republican commissioners on the court to protect conservative values and decision-making in Tarrant County, the largest Republican county in the United States.
O’Hare insisted that he has pressed for redistricting ever since he launched his campaign for County Judge in 2021. He defeated former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price in the 2022 Republican primary and went on to beat Democrat Deborah Peoples in the general election later that year.
More than 200 people signed up to speak about the redistricting plan, with many opposed to the plan for a variety of reasons, including a deliberate maneuver aimed at making it difficult for her Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons of Southeast Tarrant County to win re-election next year.
Opponents charged that the redistricting would “crack and pack” minority voters into a single district with a Democratic majority.
“It’s shameful what O’Hare is doing here,” said Doreen Geiger, one of the speakers. “He wants to silence the voices of diverse populations. It’s racial gerrymandering and it’s illegal.”
Simmons is the only woman and one of two black members of court. The other black member is Roderick Miles Jr., representing Precinct 1.
Other speakers pointed out that the timing of redistricting is suspect, given that redistricting typically occurs after a census count every 10 years. Several speakers asked that a redistricting decision be postponed until after the 2030 census, when updated population data will be available.
Among those seeking to postpone redistricting was Arlington Mayor Jim Ross. He was among a group of Tarrant County mayors, which also included Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, whose city leaders all passed resolutions opposing redistricting. The letter was originally signed by 10 mayors in Tarrant County but the mayors of Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego withdrew their names as well as opposition to redistricting.
Mayors of Southlake, Colleyville, Keller and North Richland Hills all signed a letter supporting redistricting
In making their case against redistricting, several opponents pointed out that the Commissioners Court already has a Republican majority so it already can carry out a conservative agenda without redistricting.
Some speakers also noted that redistricting was considered by the former Commissioners Court in 2020 but was deemed unnecessary by a local consultant who specializes in working with governmental entities on the process. This time, commissioners brought in an out-of-state consultant, some speakers accused of having conservative bias.
Other arguments against redistricting included a recent addition of two proposed maps in addition to the five that were presented earlier and were presented for discussion at citizen meetings in the four commissioner precincts within the past weeks.
The proposal that was adopted was Plan 7 that was among the two late additions. Miles asked for a vote on postpone a vote on Plan 7 since the details were not familiar to many residents. A vote on postponing a decision failed.
“Maps 6 and 7 were only released a few days ago,” said former Fort Worth City Councilwoman Ann Zadeh. “This process has been shameful.”
Besides the many opponents of redistricting, there were also supporters, who expressed support for a court majority of Republicans, who support to keep taxes low, government limited, communities safe and support Biblical values.
Some supporter wore T-shirts emblazoned with the statement: “Don’t Dallas My Tarrant County.”
Many pro-redistricting supporters also asked the court to “adopt the most conservative option.”
Among the opponents of redistricting were representatives of organizations such as the NAACP, the Texas Civil Rights Project and the League of Women Voters, organizations that could file lawsuits over this redistricting.
