For the first time since 2013, a new face at City Hall will represent the majority of Fort Worth’s easternmost neighborhoods, including the historic Stop Six area.
City Council member Gyna Bivens is stepping down from her seat after six terms representing the parts of east Fort Worth included in District 5, leaving the position wide open. Bivens, who declined to comment, is known for advocating for economic development, championing neighborhood revitalization and connecting senior citizens with resources.
As she steps down, the district faces many of the challenges residents have long lamented. Those include concerns about public safety, a desire for improved infrastructure, continued neighborhood revitalization, and a need for smart and responsible economic development.
District 5 is one of the most hotly contested of the 11 council seats on the May 3 ballot, with six candidates vying for the position. Only the mayor’s race has attracted more candidates, with seven people challenging incumbent Mayor Mattie Parker to represent the city at large.
Of the six candidates, one has earned Bivens’ endorsement. Michael Moore, a pastor at New Bethel Complete in Christ Church, announced April 15 that he secured the endorsement of the council’s longest tenured member.
“Michael Moore is a man of action, and that is what we need on the council,” Bivens said in a news release circulated by Moore’s campaign. “I have seen Michael Moore stand in the middle of Hwy 303 (E. Rosedale Street) forcing 18-wheeler drivers to GO AROUND rather than allow them to continue damaging long-awaited infrastructure improvements on Rosedale. Rosedale now has blossoming trees.”
The District 5 candidates bring a diversity of age and career experience, racial identity and geographical location within the district. In the order they will appear on the ballot, the candidates are:
- Kenneth Bowens Jr., 33, Black, a small business owner who lives in Woodhaven, one of the district’s westernmost neighborhoods. Bowens unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2023, campaigning on juvenile justice system reform.
- Mary Kelleher, 61, white, a Tarrant Regional Water District board member who works as a court coordinator for a Tarrant County district court. She is a rancher and lives on 12 acres in the John T. White neighborhood.
- Deborah Peoples, 72, Black, a retired AT&T executive who lives in the White Lake Hills neighborhood. She was the chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party from 2013 to 2021 and ran for Fort Worth mayor in 2019 and 2021 and Tarrant County Judge in 2022.
- Bob Willoughby, 67, white, a retiree, frequent speaker at City Council meetings and sharp critic of the current council. He ran for the District 5 seat in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023 and lives in the John T. White neighborhood.
- Michael Moore, 67, Black, pastor at New Bethel Complete in Christ Church in south Fort Worth. He lives in the Stop Six neighborhood and currently serves on the city’s Park and Recreation Advisory Board.
- Marvin Jose Diaz, 63, Hispanic, a self-employed consultant who was previously American Airlines’ chief financial officer. He lives in the district’s northeastern tip at the edge of Euless.
Fort Worth Report forum addresses key district questions
Five out of six candidates for District 5 attended a candidate forum hosted by the Fort Worth Report in collaboration with KERA, SteerFW, Arcpoint Studios and the League of Women Voters on April 16 at Texas Wesleyan University. View the full forum, including candidates’ responses to key issues in the district, on the Report’s YouTube channel. A written recap of highlights from the forum is available here.
Candidates offer similar visions, different approaches
Of the six candidates, the majority identified similar priorities, if elected. Improving infrastructure and identifying ways to engage the district’s diverse communities were top of mind for Bowens, Kelleher, Peoples, Moore and Diaz.
“No matter who you elect … all of us want to get stuff done for District 5,” Diaz said. “We’re here because we’re on this mission to contribute to District 5. It’s about pride in where you live and giving back.”
He said his top priority is preparing District 5 children for success by investing in cleaner and safer neighborhoods through infrastructure improvements such as streetlights and sidewalks.
That’s a priority Moore shares. A lifelong resident of Stop Six, he said he can recall wandering all over the neighborhood without fear as a child — something he doesn’t think kids today can do. In addition to making neighborhoods safer, he wants to maintain clean parks for families.
“District 5 is like the wild, wild West sometimes, because that’s probably the only district where you randomly hear gunshots being fired at night,” Moore said. “People tend to think that that’s acceptable when it’s really not for people who are growing families.”
Bowens, who is raising six kids with his wife in the Woodhaven neighborhood, sees firsthand a need for more community- and family-targeted programs. If elected, he wants to roll out more city-funded after-school programs and revitalize the district’s community centers.
He also stressed a desire for equitable investment across the district. Historically, neighborhood reinvestment in the district has focused on the Stop Six neighborhood, which is commonly viewed as the heart of the district. Equitable investment will ensure all constituents’ needs are met and help engage more residents across the district, he said.
“I love Stop Six … but District 5 is not just Stop Six,” Bowens said. “There’s other areas in District 5 that need to be addressed and focused on. Equity and inclusion is huge for me … we lack it.”
District 5 candidate surveys
All six candidates for District 5 filled out the Fort Worth Report’s candidate surveys to address key priorities. Their responses may be viewed here.
Peoples wants to bring economic development to the district, with a particular focus on supporting small businesses. In a district with a lot of undeveloped land, she wants to bring smart planning and responsible development to ensure that the district can accommodate future growth.
“People want to have nice places to go, they want to have restaurants … but you have to balance that with growth and affordable housing and density,” Peoples said.
While Kelleher agrees that there’s a pressing need for improved infrastructure and resources across the district, her campaign has focused on addressing public safety and lowering property taxes.
She has campaigned on bringing “accountability and common sense leadership” back to City Council. As a Tarrant Regional Water District board member, she advocated for more transparency in the board’s budget adoption process.
For Willoughby, this election marks his fifth bid for the District 5 seat, but he’s not discouraged. Throughout his years of campaigning, he has worked to educate his fellow District 5 constituents on the importance of civic engagement and encourage more people to attend public meetings.
“I’m not running again — I never stopped running since 2015,” Willoughby said of his campaign. “It was a long-term plan from the beginning.”
His campaign has focused on government accountability and ensuring free speech at public meetings. In 2023, Willoughby was banned from attending City Council meetings in person, with City Council members citing his disruptive behavior.
Racial diversity key issue in District 5 election
Historically, winning the District 5 election has relied in large part on appealing to the district’s Black voters, particularly Black seniors and Black pastors and churchgoers.
Moore, a Black pastor, said he’s not sure that trend holds true anymore. He noted that many people who attend Black churches in east Fort Worth don’t live in the area anymore — or vice versa. While he lives in District 5, for example, his church is located in south Fort Worth in District 8.
“That dynamic has affected the way I think voters vote. I think now you have to be community engaged,” Moore said.
By and large, his fellow candidates agree: Instead of tailoring their campaigns to the district’s majority Black population, they’re seeking to connect with all the diverse communities east Fort Worth is home to.
Bowens said appealing to the district’s different neighborhoods ahead of May 3 will help improve voter turnout. He hopes it will also get more communities to stay engaged post-election and hopefully advocate for themselves and their communities’ specific needs.
Peoples said she’s using her eight years of experience as the Tarrant County Democratic Party chair to her advantage in connecting with diverse communities. Her campaign has also focused on daily block walking to directly connect with District 5 constituents.
“I have friends in all communities, and I think that’s what you have to do,” Peoples said. “The representative cannot make the mistake of trying to just segment one group.”
Diaz said he brings a unique perspective as the only Hispanic candidate. The son of Nicaraguan parents, his first language was Spanish before he learned English in kindergarten. He hopes to connect with the district’s Hispanic and Latino communities in addition to other racial minorities.
As a white woman, Kelleher knows she’s perceived as having a disadvantage in District 5. She said she’s relying on her 28-year career with Tarrant County Juvenile Services to help inform her approach to communities of color.
“I know my life experience is a lot different than theirs … I have no problem going anywhere in District 5 to provide anybody whatever services they need,” Kelleher said. “I have no trouble working with any race, color (or) creed. We have to work together.”
She said she’s also fluent in Spanish.
Willoughby, also white, isn’t concerned about how his racial identity factors into election results. He said he’s focused on educating voters about district issues and the importance of civic engagement to improve voter turnout.
Candidate campaigns vary in donors, fundraising
As the May 3 election approaches, the District 5 candidates have raised about $94,000 in campaign funds, with that cumulative amount distributed among only half of the candidates.
Peoples has raised the most cash so far, disclosing $54,638 in campaign donations in her April 3 campaign finance report. She is followed by Kelleher, who raised $25,166.70, and Moore, who raised $14,575.
Bowens, Diaz and Willoughby have not reported any donations to their campaigns. Bowens has spent just shy of $1,800 in personal funds on his campaign, and Diaz has spent $75, according to their April 3 campaign finance reports.
Throughout her campaign, Peoples has emphasized the importance of her grassroots support. Nearly $19,000 of her funds came from individuals making small cash donations.
The largest donation she reported accepting was $6,000 from Stuart Clegg, a political consultant who has also financially supported state Rep. Ramón Romero, D-Fort Worth. Her other largest donations include $5,000 from Jeff Postel, CEO of Post L Group; $5,000 from John Proctor, managing partner of Brown, Proctor, Peck & Piwetz LLP; and $5,000 from state district judge Maryellen Hicks.
Other notable donors to Peoples include Rev. Dr. Michael Bell, a pastor and civil rights leader in east Fort Worth, who donated $250; Michael Heiskell, a trial lawyer who donated $500; and Jason Smith, a personal injury lawyer who donated $500.
Peoples has spent just over $21,000 on her campaign, while Kelleher has spent nearly $42,000 and Moore has spent a little more than $7,000.
Kelleher’s top donors, who each gave $5,000, include Wayne Arendsee, owner of the trade school The School of Shop; Donn Nelson Jr. of Winston Retail; and Monty Bennett, a Dallas-based Republican billionaire who funds the conservative news site The Dallas Express.
Other notable donors to the Kelleher campaign are David Fulson, fellow John T. White resident and co-owner of Safari Classics Productions, who gave $1,000; local businessman Don Klick, who gave $250; and Wanda Conlin, longtime West Meadowbrook resident and member of the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, who gave $100.
Moore’s top donors include real estate developer Will Northern, who gave $5,000; Wallace Hall, president of the Private Citizen board of directors, who also gave $5,000; and his wife Nakeesha Moore, who gave $1,000.
Other donors include former Mayor Mike Moncrief and his wife Rosie, who donated $250. Moore also received more than $40,000 in in-kind contributions to his campaign, with nearly all of that total coming from Coalition for the Fort, a political action committee funded in part by John Kleinheinz, CEO of the financial planning firm Kleinheinz Capital Partners; Joshua Gregg, chief financial officer of Double Eagle Energy Holdings IV, LLC; and Stephen Luskey, founding partner of the oil and gas company Brazos Midstream. The PAC describes itself as focused on electing “trustworthy, commonsense, fiscally responsible candidates for local Fort Worth offices.”
Candidates have a deadline of April 25 to file campaign finance reports for the three-week period since their April 3 disclosures. Early voting runs from April 22-29. Election Day is May 3.
The Fort Worth Report’s Tarrant County Voter Guide is available here.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.