Special Election for Fort Worth City Council District 9 on May 10 - Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD)

Special Election for Fort Worth City Council District 9

on May 10 is important and a candidate to support must be chosen carefully; Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD) is working and needs to be renewed.

By Felix Alvarado

April 16, 2014

FORT WORTH, Tx. -- There are six candidates in the Fort Worth District 9 Special Election race on May 10 and they should be commended for running.

        As a founding member of the South Hemphill Heights Neighborhood Association in 1989 and serving as its president on and off for at least a dozen years, and as organizer and chairman of the current edition of Hemphill Corridor Task Force for over twenty years, and having served on two city boards for a total of over twelve years, I have worked with five city council representatives. Serving on the city council, I have observed, is tough -- way beyond what most people realize. It's almost a full-time job and I think representing City Council District 9, because of its diversity, is even tougher. It's like representing two districts. 

        Although city council elections are nonpartisan, west of 8th Avenue you have a majority Anglo/ White area, more affluent, and conservative (Republican).The exception is Mistletoe Heights (Pct. 1076), which is evenly split between liberals and conservatives in most elections, and a small precinct near Paschal High School which is majority Hispanic and less affluent.   

        East of 8th Avenue, except for parts of the Ryan Place and the Fairmount Neighborhoods, people are less affluent, with much lower household income. That area is majority Hispanic and votes for Democratic Party candidates.

        The precincts west of 8th Avenue have much bigger voter turnouts and have dominated every election since Fort Worth went to single-member districts in 1977. Because these two areas have so little in common, in redistricting parlance no "communities of interest," we have been trying to separate them for the last two census cycles, 2000 and 2010. Yes, as City Council District 9 stands today, it had a slightly over 60% Hispanic population in 2010 census. But what really matters is Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP). Today, that figure is in the low 30's % for Hispanics. If we could draw a map with a 50% Hispanic CVAP with either the present 8-1 electoral system or with a 10-1 plan, under Sec. 2 of the Voting Right Act, we could go to court to force the city to draw a majority Hispanic opportunity district in Fort Worth's south side. Some day we will be able to do that because the Hispanic population is very young and will age with time. But not now. And because of the polarized voting west of 8th Avenue that we have historically seen, a Hispanic has almost no chance of being elected in City Council District 9. To be elected, a Hispanic would need to have impeccable credentials, a lot experience, plenty of money to run a top-notch campaign and have appeal on both sides of 8th Avenue. I am saying this because some people are not aware of these facts and are already criticizing some of us for not supporting a Hispanic candidate in this election.   

        As I just stated Fort Worth is a diverse city, with a 34% Hispanic population in the 2010 census. Yet only one out of eight on the city council is Hispanic. That's not right and one of the reasons I've been involved in redistricting for three census cycles. I believe that diversity must be reflected in all policy-makng government entities, such as city councils and boards. For a number of reasons that I am not going into here, it's important for Hispanics to have representation and that's what we want. 

        Although I would like to see more Hispanic representation on the city council, it's also important to support a well-qualified candidate -- the candidate with the most potential to do the best job for all the people in the district. Evaluating candidates and picking one to support is not an easy task and there is always an element of risk present in this endeavor. We just have to do the best we can. After doing the analysis, we have decided to support Greg Hughes for City Council District 9 in the Special Election of May 10.

        Personally, I've known Greg Hughes for over twenty years. He has been deeply involved at the grassroots level as president of his neighborhood association and organizer and president of an alliance of neighborhoods. Having walked in similar shoes, because there is always a steady stream of problems to resolve, issues to address and conflicts between people to deal with, I think this is the type of training that best prepares a candidate to serve on the city council where similar activity will only intensify. The candidate elected on May 10 or in the runoff will  have to "hit the ground running." There will be no time for "on the job training" for this job. Again, we have nothing against the other candidates and commend them for putting themselves out there and running. Our choice is Greg Hughes and we ask you to vote for him May 10.

        The Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD) will also be on the ballot for renewal or rejection by the voters on May 10. If it's approved, the 1/2 cent tax sales tax will keep funding the Police and other departments through Fiscal Year 2020. There will be 7 propositions on the ballot, among them is part of one that will fund 700 plus Citizens on Patrol volunteers, a group this writer has been a member of since the program's inception in 1992. The CCPD is a good program that's been working and it needs to be renewed. Please vote for all seven propositions.

        In summary, please vote for Greg Hughes for City Council District 9 and vote to renew the CCPD on May 10. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about any of this. Many, many thanks.