Two days after Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare told Commissioner Alisa Simmons to "sit there and be quiet," organizers including the local NAACP branch demanded accountability Thursday.
Standing outside the Tarrant County's administration building Thursday morning, a group of about 16 people from the Unity in the Community Coalition as well as the Arlington and Tarrant County NAACP rallied in support of Simmons, who is Black. One supporter held a sign that read "Thug O'Hare: Deacon or Demon," with "demon" check marked.
"This is not about political party or political affiliation," said Michael Bell with Unity in the Community. "This is about a judge who chooses to disrespect, repeatedly, a colleague who happens to be African-American and a woman."
Bell accused O'Hare of "incessant bullying" since the beginning of his tenure, and said he's attempted to "ride roughshod" over the other commissioners, especially Simmons — the only woman on the court.
O'Hare's comments made during Tuesday's commissioners court meeting did not bode well for the future of the court, Bell said.
In an emailed statement that was also posted to X, O'Hare's communications director Ruth Ray accused Simmons of having a history of "alleging unfounded racism."
See attached comments to the press from my Office.
— Tim O'Hare, Tarrant County Judge (@TimothyOHare) April 19, 2024
I will continue to do the hard work required on behalf of the taxpayers of Tarrant County and will not participate in juvenile political antics that have nothing to do with county business. pic.twitter.com/2DdDWkv71N
Pastor Kennedy Jones, president of the NAACP in Arlington, was at Tuesday's commissioners court meeting and heard O'Hare's comments firsthand. He stood with Bell and Estella Williams, president of NAACP in Tarrant County, outside the administration building in support of Simmons.
"That kind of attitude that demeans women, that takes them back to the time when they could not vote and were considered as property of their husbands and of their mate, that time is over and we will not go back," Jones said.
O'Hare's comments were made during an argument over hiring a contractor for his office on Tuesday.
O’Hare, a Republican, sought approval for a five-month contract up to $5,000 with Noah Betz, the executive director of the Huffines Liberty Foundation and a political strategist, according to his LinkedIn page.
Democratic County Commissioner Alisa Simmons called Betz's hiring, "wholly inappropriate." County employees are restricted when it comes to political work, and Simmons said the county shouldn't replace a full-time employee with a contractor who's not subject to those rules.
Simmons' opposition led to a back-and-forth between her and O'Hare, before he said, "I'm the one talking now, so you'll sit there and be quiet and listen while I talk."
During another heated exchange later in the meeting, on another topic, O'Hare told Simmons to, "have a semblance of class. That’s all you have to do. Just a semblance."
Simmons did not speak alongside the groups gathered outside the county administration building on Thursday, but she was present toward the end of their speeches. She said she learned about the press conference late and rushed over to thank her supporters.
Simmons was elected to the commissioners court in 2022, representing Precinct 2.
She said this was not the first time she felt professionally disrespected by O'Hare.
"He will never get to demean me, attempt to belittle me, attempt to bully me, or attempt to create a hostile environment without me responding," she said.
Simmons said she "absolutely did not" expect an apology from O'Hare, but she did expect professionalism and respect from him.
"He did what he did, that's his personality," she said.
An apology wasn't what Simmons' supporters were looking for either.
Williams called on Tarrant County residents to attend and speak at the May 7 commissioners court meeting to push for what he called accountability for O'Hare and the court.
"We would hope that he will get our message that we're trying to portray, that we're saying today, that will cause him to have a change of attitude, to be accountable for his actions," she said.
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