For 20 years, Precinct 1 Commissioner Roy Brooks has helped lead Tarrant County through record growth, all while wearing his signature bold, broad-rimmed glasses and bright bow ties.
He was elected to the seat in 2004 after working for outgoing Commissioner Dionne Bagsby. Now, four Democrats are seeking to earn their party’s nomination in the heavily Democratic precinct.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court has undergone several generational changes since 2022, when three new commissioners were elected to replace three outgoing longtime incumbents. Then, in 2023, county Administrator GK Maenius retired after leading the county for 35 years.
When Brooks’ replacement is sworn in alongside the new Precinct 3 commissioner, the most experienced members of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court will have held office for just two years.
“A whole lot of institutional memory is just gonna walk out the door,” Brooks said.
Brooks is used to being in the minority on the Commissioners Court, both as a Black man and a Democrat. That didn’t stop him from accomplishing his goals, but he is concerned the court is heading in a more partisan direction.
Brooks focused on health, social causes on Commissioners Court
Brooks established the Tarrant County reentry program and the mental health jail diversion center as important criminal justice programs established during his time in office.
The reentry program, now run by the Cornerstone Assistance Network, aims to reduce recidivism in Tarrant County jails. The diversion center works to keep certain nonviolent offenders from even entering the jail, instead connecting them with mental health resources.
Brooks also created the Nurse-Family Partnership Program that aims to reduce maternal mortality.
“It’s still operating today and has helped hundreds of at-risk mothers and babies get their feet on the ground and get a good start at life,” Brooks said.
He also started several educational programs, including Help Me Grow North Texas for children ages 0 to 3 and Generation Hope Laptop, an after-school program for children entering middle school.
“I do see county government as the local safety net,” Brooks said. “County government generally interacts with people at their very lowest point in life.”
He hopes that in the future, the court will recommit itself to addressing societal issues like health and poverty without the influence of hyperpartisanship, Brooks said.
In the past year, Democratic legislators and officials have askedthe Department of Justice to investigate Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare “to protect minority voters in Tarrant County from harassment and discrimination.” The letter, which Brooks signed, was sent after he created an election integrity task force. The county judge also was criticized after elections Administrator Heider Garcia left the county following a conversation with O’Hare.
Also this year, policy decisions have prompted allegations of deepening partisanship on the Commissioners Court, including Republican members voting to pull state funding from Girls Inc. of Tarrant County after O’Hare called the nonprofit “deeply ideological.”
“The court is going to have to work really hard to become cohesive, collaborative and able to work together without having to look at every problem through a partisan political lens; to do it that way is a recipe for failure,” Brooks said.
Precinct 1 has elected Democrats for decades — Bagsby was elected in 1989. Of the four Democrats now vying to be their party’s nominee, three have previously served as elected officials. All four are concerned about reducing the number of deaths in the Tarrant County Jail and strengthening the social safety net in the precinct.
“What makes me excited for the future is we’re bringing a new generation of people with fresh ideas and a whole lot of compassion. … But I am prayerful that they can check their political agendas at the door and work together,” Brooks said.
The Fort Worth Report spoke to all four candidates about their platforms and qualifications. Because the Republican primary candidate Michael Barber is running uncontested, he will not be included in this story, but the Report will cover both the Democratic and Republican candidates ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.
County commissioners currently earn $207,952 annually.
Darryl Brewer says parts of Precinct 1 are regressing
Business owner Darryl Brewer says the economy and education opportunities in Precinct 1 haven’t progressed at the same rate as in other areas of the county.
The 63-year-old Carver Heights native says his military and business experience sets him apart from his Democratic opponents. He plans to work with the Commissioners Court’s current 3-2 Republican majority by using evidence-based arguments advocating for investments in social programs and health care.
“I have a wide breadth of experience that I will bring to bear and make the proper decisions that lead the community to the next level,” Brewer said.
Brewer wants to establish more trade and vocational training opportunities for Tarrant County residents, partnering with school districts, Tarrant Community College and other higher education institutions.
Brewer names oversight of the Tarrant County Jail as his top priority. He supports the county ending its $40 million contract to house Tarrant County inmates in a private prison in Garza County and reinvesting that money in improving jailer salaries and training.
“Be more efficient, No. 1, and effective with money,” Brewer said. “There’s some specific things that need to be done. The staff there are not making the rounds properly … that’s No. 1, fix that.”
Mia Hall describes herself as a “consensus builder” on Republican-dominated Commissioners Court
Mia Hall has held leadership positions at three key education institutions across Tarrant County, including Fort Worth ISD, Crowley ISD and Young Women’s Leadership Academy. She’s running because she sees an opportunity to serve her community through representing Precinct 1.
She believes she has the skills to build consensus on the politically divided Commissioners Court.
“You’re also going to have to be resilient and focused on garnering the support that you need to get your things passed, so I believe that I have the fighting spirit to persevere through the work,” Hall said.
She plans to focus on expanding the availability of affordable housing and health care, plus improving infrastructure. She supports the county’s role of supporting social programs through the county’s budget. In fiscal year 2023, the county spent$28.4 million on community services,including $1.4 million on public assistance and over half a million dollars on veteran services.
Those investments shouldn’t be seen as ideological, Hall said, referencing the vote to pull state funding from Girls Inc. Hall previously served on the Girls Inc. board of directors.
“They’re resources for our Tarrant County neighbors, for our residents,” Hall said. “Those programs, while we’ve characterized them as being a negative thing, they’re a part of the infrastructure of the things that we need for our citizens and our community to be successful.”
Kathleen Hicks touts record of economic development in Fort Worth
Kathleen Hicks made history as the youngest woman to serve on Fort Worth’s City Council in 2008. Her family has deep political roots in Fort Worth and she hopes to continue the work she started on Fort Worth’s City Council, expanding her work countywide.
She pointed to a record of spurring economic development in Fort Worth, specifically by attracting essential businesses to the Renaissance Square shopping center in southeast Fort Worth. Her experience working with conservatives on City Council will set her up for success working for the county, she said.
“I bring a lot of history of working in local government, but I think the day you stop learning is the day you die,” Hicks said. “I have that reputation for working with anyone.”
The county must provide oversight to JPS Health Network, the county’s public hospital and the Level I Trauma Center. Health disparities are especially glaring in southeast Fort Worth, Hicks said, where life expectancies are significantly lower than elsewhere in the county.
She plans to encourage preventative care to increase the overall health of the district. She hopes to push the planned JPS bond program, which would expand health care infrastructure across the county, back on track.
The county should be more proactive in preventing deaths in Tarrant County jails by being proactive and diverting mental health patients away from jail.
“We do have to answer to the public about the 60-plus deaths that have occurred under the sheriff’s watch,” Hicks said. “It’s a difficult issue but it’s one, I think, that we can address by being transparent.”
Roderick Miles Jr. will draw on 10 years of experience working in county government
Roderick Miles Jr., 52, works for incumbent Brooks as his executive administrator over programs and outreach. He grew up in Precinct 1 in a family of business owners and political activists. With so much change on the Commissioners Court, his experience working for the county is an asset, he said.
Brooks endorsed Miles to succeed him as commissioner the same day he announced his retirement.
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional, and I think we have an opportunity to grow in a good way, in a healthy way,” Miles said. “I believe that we can find a middle ground, and we can do what’s in the best interest of the residents who elected us and who are depending upon us to do what’s right.”
He says the key to addressing issues in the jail is preventing nonviolent inmates from getting stuck in jail because they cannot afford to pay the bond. By providing workforce training, the county can divert residents from getting caught up in the criminal justice system.
“We’re not going to arrest our way out of the problem, we’ve got to come up with innovative solutions that begin to really examine and address the root causes of why people are going to jail in the first place,” Miles said.
Miles agrees with Brooks that the county should act as a safety net for vulnerable residents and said he would advocate for responsibly investing county dollars in social programs.
Brooks still hopes to accomplish several things in the next 10 months, including the widening of Wichita Street and completing construction on JPS’ medical home for southwest Tarrant County.
Rachel Behrndt is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at rachel.behrndt@fortworthreport.org or via X.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
_