\u201cWe worked for years with that developer to make sure it fit the fabric of the (Camp Bowie) bricks and the height was the way it needed to be,\u201d Parker said. \u201cThese don\u2019t just happen overnight. It takes a tremendous amount of focus. I give credit to our city staff. It\u2019s intentionality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other topics included Texas\u2019 takeover of FWISD<\/a>; Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s proposed property tax overhaul and its impact on cities\u2019 ability to finance their growth; and how to improve maternal health, one of the mayor\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n Here are takeaways from Parker\u2019s discussion in Austin:<\/p>\n Fort Worth ISD takeover<\/p>\n Parker continued to advocate that Fort Worth schools Superintendent Karen Molinar should keep her job<\/a> as the state takes control of the district. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath plans to appoint a new superintendent in the spring along with a board of managers to step in for the district\u2019s elected trustees.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see a superintendent lead this district that cares about our kids in Fort Worth,\u201d Parker said. \u201cMaybe there are other leaders that are capable of that same heart. I just don\u2019t know who those people are. And so as this process continues, I want to see that same level of leadership from our board of managers.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith pressed Parker, noting that the decision is solely Morath\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s listening to my opinions and my feelings about our city (and) the people I put in front of him for different positions,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s all I can ask him to do right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith asked whether the mayor was \u201cgood\u201d with the state taking control of the district because one already-closed campus failed state ratings for five consecutive years<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be positive and look forward, because the reality is, kids in Fort Worth that are in first grade or fifth grade or eighth grade don\u2019t get a chance to redo their fifth grade or eighth grade year because the adults can\u2019t get their stuff together,\u201d she said. \u201cSo it\u2019s imperative that we really be positive and focus on what world-class education looks like in Fort Worth ISD. And that\u2019s the path we\u2019re on right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s property tax proposal<\/p>\n The governor, who announced he\u2019s seeking reelection, is floating a major revamp of property taxes<\/a> that include abolishing school district taxes and requiring a two-thirds voter supermajority for all local tax elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parker declined to say whether she is for or against the entirety of Abbott\u2019s proposal, but she raised several concerns.<\/p>\n Cities must first tackle voter education so residents understand how public dollars are spent, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Fort Worth, a third of the average taxpayer\u2019s bill goes to the city,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have police officers, firefighters, streetlights, libraries, all the amenities of a well-run, high-quality city. Do you think there\u2019s a good return on investment for those dollars? And without a doubt, people will say to me, \u2018absolutely yes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Texas city leaders need to convince Abbott that cities are well managed, Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of work to do, especially if the governor of Texas believes that cities aren\u2019t well managed,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cThe only increase in Fort Worth\u2019s (new) budget is because we moved EMS services from MedStar into the city of Fort Worth. That was the right policy decision to make, but it also increased revenue needs in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Should cities need a supermajority approval for bond referendums, many cities will likely struggle to meet the long-term needs, she said. Fort Worth leaders are expected to bring forward a bond in May that includes funding for streets, public safety, libraries and other needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou will see all infrastructure, growth and capital come to a halting stop because bond referendums, most propositions, do not pass by a two-thirds majority,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n Impact of government shutdown<\/p>\n With Congress and President Donald Trump ending the government shutdown this week, Smith asked Parker about the shutdown\u2019s impact locally.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parker noted the ongoing recovery of full operations at DFW Airport and its largest tenant<\/a>, Fort Worth-based American Airlines, and federal air traffic control.<\/p>\n In regard to the SNAP pause, the mayor stressed she\u2019s all for having a debate about the efficacy of the food stamp program and why so many rely on it.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s have those discussions, but you don\u2019t have that discussion by pulling the rug out from under American families and telling them on Nov. 1 you will not have benefits,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause guess who has to fix the problem? It\u2019s local communities. It\u2019s philanthropies and food banks and churches that have all rallied together to make sure our Fort Worth residents have food on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Maternal health care<\/p>\n Smith touched on maternal health care, one of Parker\u2019s top priorities over the years, noting that Fort Worth\u2019s 76104 ZIP code has among the state\u2019s highest infant mortality rate.<\/p>\n Parker pointed to her work with the Tarrant County Maternal & Infant Health Coalition<\/a> she helped organize:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome of it\u2019s very simple interventions, such as using the data and research work that Parkland (Hospital in Dallas) had undertaken, deploying iron supplements to mothers across Dallas County,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now that work is happening across North Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the No. 1 causes of death after having a baby is hemorrhaging, and one of the best ways to intervene clinically is simply giving them an iron pill per day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Asked whether she still supports Medicaid expansion in Texas, the mayor said she does, particularly as she works as a part-time chief of staff at Cook Children\u2019s Medical Center<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have a renewed appreciation for the complexities of health care, especially in the pediatric realm,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the reality is: When a mother or child or family or children do not have health care, they end up using your emergency rooms as a primary care option. And that\u2019s not best for children. It\u2019s not best for adults.\u201d<\/p>\n Partisanship<\/p>\n Parker has decried the continued spread of partisan politics into state and local politics. Smith asked her Friday whether she is \u201cdead in the water\u201d in any partisan race.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have to decide, because I\u2019m not running for anything,\u201d Parker told Smith.<\/p>\n Parker is Republican and a former staffer to the retired U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, but mayor and City Council races are nonpartisan.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fortunate as a mayor, I do not have to run attached to a party,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd when I was elected in 2021 to be the mayor of Fort Worth, I needed and wanted to appeal to both sides of the aisle. That is a very liberating place to be in the state of politics in this country today. And I\u2019ve been asked this numerous times, this is where I wanted to be, in local government, helping my city.\u201d<\/p>\n Parker also addressed partisanship in City Hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think most people are out of step with both parties,\u201d she said. \u201cI think 80% of Americans are somewhere in the middle, and both sides have gone far left and far right, and it\u2019s exhausting and polarizing, and this country\u2019s got to come back together. I hope all of us can be well minded about what it looks like to rebuild the country, because what I have seen in my own council chamber, I\u2019ve seen in Austin, I\u2019ve seen in Washington, is totally toxic, and you\u2019ll get nothing done.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott Nishimura is a senior editor for the Documenters program at the Fort Worth Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>. \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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