By Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 reporter
Dallas, TX – Suzanne Sprague, Reporter: The image most visitors to Fort Worth, and indeed many of its own residents, have of the city's North Side - is the Stockyards. Country music lilts over loudspeakers as modern-day wranglers pose for tourists. But the surrounding neighborhoods make a quiet contrast. They are mostly moderate to low-income areas with an aging homes. And their families are often first-generation Americans, which Councilman Jim Lane says is the district's strongest link.
Jim Lane, Fort Worth City Council Member: I mean, on my street it's like the United Nations. So, that's the most fun about it and that's the most exciting thing about being on the council is to represent all these people.
Sprague: Lane has served the North Side on the Fort Worth City Council for 10 years, winning re-election by comfortable margins each time. During his tenure, residents have watched dramatic growth around the Stockyards, Alliance Airport and the Texas Motor Speedway, which are also located in the district. Lane wants to continue that momentum, with new jobs and new tourist attractions.
Lane: Everybody wants a safe city. Everybody wants their streets fixed. Those are things that we've been working on for 50 years and we'll work on for the rest of the life of the city of Fort Worth. That's an everyday occurrence. But putting in place an economic philosophy and policy that attracts quality companies that give people in the inner city opportunities to have decent jobs is to me perhaps the most critical thing, especially when times get as hard as they are right now.
Sprague: Lane also says he has some unfinished business on the Council, namely the Mercado development on North Main Street that will feature galleries, a theater and shops.
Lane: And that's something I've worked on for nine years. It was the dream of Louis Zapata, who was the councilman for 14 years before I came on the council and we've been able to make it come to life. And it really celebrates the Hispanic heritage we're all so proud of out here and it's something very important to the North Side and to the community that I represent.
Sprague: Arturo Pena agrees that the Mercado Project is a worthy endeavor. But this city council challenger says Fort Worth's North Side is tired of waiting for it or any public investment off of Main Street.
Arturo Pena, City Council Candidate: We've developed the Billy Bob's Corridor, as I call it, but we really haven't developed the other parts of this district. We need to look beyond the Main Street corridor where our tourists travel because our residents deserve more than just improving a corridor where most of them don't even go.
Sprague: Pena is running a strictly grassroots operation. He's raised less than $5,000 in contributions. And, his kitchen table does double duty as his campaign headquarters, where friends and family from multiple generations pitch in to help. This grandfather, educator and former school board member says if elected, he would remain grounded in this community of working people.
Pena: Serving the people, of course, would be the mainstay of my platform, as well as making peoples' voices heard. I've been to several council meetings or watched them over the cable channel where the people announce their opposition against a certain point and the council seems to take a life of its own and decides to vote the way it wants without taking the voice of the people in mind.
Sprague: Pena says he decided to run for Council when the city opted to build a publicly-financed convention center hotel, over numerous doubts from voters. Jim Lane, who is a close ally of retiring Mayor Kenneth Barr, supported the hotel as a way to attract more tourist dollars to Fort Worth. Even though a petition drive blocked the project and a blue ribbon committee is reviewing alternatives, Pena says the city demonstrated an arrogance toward the will of the electorate.
Pena: So, to me, if they really felt they were going to take it to the voters, then OK, stop the work of the Blue Ribbon Committee. It doesn't make sense to spend money and volunteer time to do this if they're really going to listen to the public.
Sprague: The third candidate in this election was put off by the way Fort Worth handled the convention hotel this year as well. But Sal Espino has been planning to run for the city council since 2001, when Jim Lane indicated he wouldn't seek a sixth term. Espino has solicited donations for more than a year and says he's raised $27,000 so far, which is still $10,000 shy of what Jim Lane has, but is large for a political newcomer.
Sal Espino, City Council Candidate: I'm running to give the voters of this district a choice. I'm particularly interested in providing the Hispanic voters of this community options at the ballot box. For 10 years, the city of Fort Worth has not had a Hispanic on the city council. We've only had two Hispanics in Fort Worth's history serve on the city council and I believe the time is right.
Sprague: Espino grew up on the North Side after his parents moved here from Mexico. The 35-year-old attorney has been involved in his neighborhood association, community arts groups and city commissions. Espino talks fast, and he moves through the neighborhoods of the North Side just as quickly, stopping for roughly 90 seconds at each home to shake hands and drop off fliers. He estimates he's knocked on 2000 doors so far. Both Espino and Arturo Pena are running back to the basics campaigns that Dallas voters saw in their last mayoral election. Streets. Public safety. Grassroots participation. And Espino has very specific ideas of how he would get residents involved in local politics.
Espino: Well, the first thing I would do is create a District 2 advisory committee comprised of a diverse group of residents, business owners, leaders here in District 2. The other thing I would do is have District 2 town hall meetings, neighborhood meetings, "platicas," talks. Other things I would do is a bilingual website, a District 2 newsletter.
Sprague: Espino says he represents a new generation of voters in Fort Worth.
Espino: I call it Generation America-Mex, or Generation Mex-America - bilingual kids that are comfortable in Spanish, comfortable in English. We're proud to be Americans. We're proud to be citizens of Fort Worth but we're really proud of our heritage and we really want to bring those things together.
Sprague: Election turnout in district two has been historically low, but all three candidates have run active campaigns. And, community groups have sponsored more forums and debates in district two this year than in the last two elections combined. A runoff is possible, and if Lane loses, the dynamics on the Fort Worth Council are likely to change with the loss of one of its most experienced members. Early voting continues through April 29th. The election is May 3rd. For KERA 90.1, I'm Suzanne Sprague.
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