Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons read her proclamation declaring March National Social Work Month and the court was about to vote to approve it when Commissioner Matt Krause said he had a problem.
A disagreement over parts of the proclamation that Krause wanted removed.
The proclamation acknowledged social workers employed by the county – 84 plus two dozen social work interns – and lists some of the work they do.
“Social workers are trained experts in transforming care for others into actions that bring positive results,” Simmons read from the proclamation. “Social workers throughout history have worked to improve living conditions in our nation, pushed for Social Security, pushed for a 40-hour work week, Medicare and a minimum wage and have advocated for this nation to live out its true values of equal rights for all people no matter race, sexual identity, gender, gender expression, culture or religion.”
She talked about social workers’ ethics and their special attention to people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty. They protect children, facilitate adoptions and help care for those in need, she read.
“And social workers now are helping end gun violence, offering mental health for all and urging the adoption of immigration reform,” Simmons read.
Simmons moved to adopt the proclamation Tuesday and Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. seconded it before Krause spoke up. He said he supports social workers and appreciates what they do, but he can’t vote to approve the proclamation as it was presented.
“There’s just a couple of lines in there that I think, just so we can all get on board and all support this proclamation, that maybe we could amend or take out,” Krause said.
He asked to end the sentence about America’s “true values of equal rights for all people”, deleting the mentions of race, sexual identity, gender expression and religion.
“A couple of those terms in there are against Texas policy, the new administration’s policy,” Krause said. “I know we want to have care for all people, so I think maybe if we just put a period right there.”
He also asked to remove references to ending gun violence and advocating for immigration reform, saying those terms have different meanings to different people.
Simmons objected to the changes.
“I am 100% not amenable to amending or editing my proclamation,” Simmons said before addressing Krause directly. “You do a social work month proclamation and you draft it how you like, but this one has been approved by myself and the social workers that make up Tarrant County.”
She said she worked with social workers on writing the proclamation and wasn’t willing to change it.
“And that’s not her option, if I remember correctly?” County Judge Tim O’Hare asked staff when Simmons was done talking. “The commissioners court can vote to put in the amendment?”
He was told that was right and the court voted on the amended proclamation. It was adopted 3-2 along party lines, with Republicans O’Hare, Krause and Commissioner Manny Ramirez supporting it and Democrats Simmons and Miles opposing.
The interaction is the latest in tensions between the two parties in commissioners court. Previous interactions have seen O’Hare tell Simmons to "sit there and be quite" from the dais. In one instance Simmons used profanity during a meeting because O’Hare had a public speaker removed from the building for doing the same.
