Southlake resident Tim O'Hare will be the next Tarrant County Judge

In the race for county judge, O'Hare is the obvious and best choice for the job, says local residents.

During typical election cycles, friends and acquaintances typically ask, “Who should I vote for?” This cycle is different, though, especially regarding the race for Tarrant County judge. Instead of questions, I hear affirmations. “[Tim] O’Hare is the choice for Tarrant County Judge,” a local resident told me recently.

The battle between Republican Tim O’Hare of Southlake and Democrat Deborah Peoples of Fort Worth is one of the most-watched in Texas. And for good reasons, including that Tarrant residents are still reeling from the impact of outgoing Judge Glen Whitley’s 2020 executive order on the COIVD-19 pandemic, which crippled local businesses and made real the fear of government overreach.

Countywide, residents were expected to shelter in place, leaving home only for “essential jobs” and “essential activities.” Incensed, confused citizens watched as, overnight, businesses closed, jobs went virtual and churches were banned from holding services.

The role of a county judge in Texas

Though county judges are the highest political positions in counties, their roles are primarily administrative. Mainly, they preside over the Commissioners Court, which performs numerous roles, including making decisions on the county’s infrastructure and how tax money is spent, what happens to the area’s roads, and how much residents are charged in property taxes.

At O’Hare’s rallies and gatherings, supporters share a similar refrain: the desire for a judge who is attentive to the needs of county residents but who won’t confuse what’s best for Fort Worth with what’s best for other less-populated cities.

One Colleyville gentleman I spoke to said he wants a judge who realizes that the needs of Burleson and Benbrook are different from those of Arlington. He’s supporting O’Hare because the candidate gets that fact and also understands the importance of lowering property taxes and providing ample funding for law enforcement, the voter said.

What residents want in a county judge

O’Hare has made clear that lowering property taxes is high on his agenda, as is making sure police departments are supported and businesses have a climate in which they can thrive — that is, free from needless government meddling.

Apparently residents of Tarrant County cotton to this message; O’Hare bested popular former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price 57% to 34% in the Republican primary. The significance of the Tarrant County judge position was lost on me until March 2020, when Whitley issued the executive order.

Many residents in my city were alarmed at the ham-fisted, draconian measure, given the low numbers of virus cases in the area. “This sort of government control is what I expect in China, not Southlake,” a friend said after Southlake’s mayor announced the adoption of all rules, regulations and limitations issued in the order. “You won’t get re-elected like this, my friend.”

The right person with the right goals for the job

O’Hare won’t repeat that mistake. If the pandemic surges again or another emergency rises, he’ll make protecting freedom a priority while mobilizing resources to help those who truly need it. The opposition paints O’Hare as freighted by the costly federal court rulings on city ordinances he championed as mayor of Farmers Branch a decade ago.

They also speak loudly about O’Hare’s role as the founder of the Southlake Families PAC, which helped kill a flawed diversity plan that divided the Carroll ISD school district and has been instrumental in gaining a conservative majority on the school board. These feigned concerns, popular among Peoples supporters when discussing O’Hare, are political red herrings.

First, he’s not running for mayor, and he won’t be making decisions via fiat for any school districts. Second, elections are about the future, not the past. If the trends of early voting are any indication, the majority of Tarrant County voters think their county’s future is better with O’Hare leading it. I concur.

This article was published Friday December 28 in the Dallas Morning News. You can find the original here behind a paywall.