Election cabinets are stored Tarrant County Elections Warehouse on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.
Amanda McCoy
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
In Tarrant County, the race for county judge is between Republican incumbent Tim O’Hare and Democrat challenger Alisa Simmons.
O’Hare and Simmons, a county commissioner for Precinct 2, have served on Commissioners Court together since they were both elected in 2022. In that time, their political rivalry has caused multiple arguments on the dais.
The county judge is responsible for running those meetings and generally managing county business. Whereas the commissioners represent designated precincts, the county judge is elected at-large. The county judge and commissioners have equally weighted votes.
Election Day is Nov. 3 and early voting runs from Oct. 19-30.
Here’s how both candidates responded to the Star-Telegram’s questionnaire ahead of the election.
Tim O’Hare
City of residence: Southlake
Campaign website: www.electtimohare.com
Best way for voters to reach you: info@electtimohare.com
Occupation: Tarrant County Judge, Small Business Owner, Licensed Attorney
Education: Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin, Juris Doctor from SMU School of Law
Have you run for elected office before?
Tarrant County Judge, 2023 – present
Tarrant County Republican Party Chairman, 2016 – 2018
Mayor of Farmers Branch, 2008 – 2011
Farmers Branch City Council, 2005 – 2008
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in Tarrant County.
For the past four years, I’ve had the honor of serving as Tarrant County Judge. I also serve as Chair of the Tarrant County Workforce Governing Board, Chair of the Election Commission, on the North Central Texas Council of Governments Executive Board, on the county Bail Bond Board, on the Juvenile Board, and am CEO of the Tarrant County HIV Administrative Agency.
As County Judge, I’ve focused on reducing spending and allowing residents to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. We cut tax rates for both the county and hospital district below the No New Revenue Rate all four years I’ve been in office, reduced the county operating budget, and implemented the maximum Homestead Exemptions allowed under state law. We did this while prioritizing public safety and mental health. We opened a law enforcement training center, funded the Mental Health Jail Diversion Center, and backed specialized task forces. The crime rate is down in Tarrant County three years in a row.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain.
Never arrested. No criminal charges other than minor traffic violations.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain.
No bankruptcy proceedings. As a member of a city governing body and the Commissioners Court, I have been a party to multiple lawsuits over the years. As a practicing attorney, I have been involved in multiple lawsuits over my 30+ year legal career. I am one of two County Judges in the state of Texas licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court. This requires a strong legal ethics record and sponsorship by two members of the Supreme Court Bar. I am AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest ethics and legal ability rating given by the nation’s oldest attorney rating service.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Don Woodard, Jr.
Darrell Bevelhymer
Texans United for a Conservative Majority
Why are you seeking this office?
In the last four years, I have delivered real results for Tarrant County, and we are not finished.
We achieved historic property tax relief and passed Tarrant County’s first ever homestead exemption. I want to build on that success and pair our work with legislative efforts for permanent tax relief so families keep more of what they earn.
As Chair of the I-35 Corridor Study North Working Group, I help plan for growth. I am excited to continue to fight for Tarrant County’s fair share of state and federal transportation dollars so residents spend less time in traffic and more time with their families. With growth we will have new public safety challenges to address, and I am passionate about ensuring Tarrant County remains the safest large county in Texas.
I am committed to leaving our children a county that is a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family. I would be honored to continue that work.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
If elected, my top three priorities will be:
1. Keeping Tarrant County the safest large county in Texas.
2. Continue lowering property taxes through responsible local spending, disciplined budgeting, and strong advocacy at the state level.
3. Prioritize transportation funding, giving businesses and families excellent roads and mobility. Good roads and ease of travel help create jobs and maintain Tarrant County’s excellent quality of life.
How will you measure your success as county judge?
I will measure success by whether we keep delivering real results for taxpayers, just as we have over the past four years on the Court. We have already accomplished a great deal. We lowered property taxes and delivered tangible, actual property tax relief on County and Hospital District taxes. We eliminated waste, fraud, and abuse and cut the operating budget by over $70 million. That cut did not come from services. It came from actual waste.
We prioritized public safety, fully funded multiple critical task forces, optimized multiple county departments, and increased funding for short term rental and utility assistance for those struggling to stay in their homes. We have increased funding for the Mental Health Jail Diversion Center and secured more funding from the state for mental health services, including support for persons with intellectual disabilities, crisis stabilization facilities, and inmates awaiting competency restoration in the Tarrant County Jail. Success going forward means continuing to build on this record and keeping the same business-minded approach to efficiency and spending.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent?
Voters should choose me because the contrast is clear and the record is real. I have been unwavering in my support for lowering property taxes. My opponent voted against property tax relief 16 times over the last four years. I’ve been steadfast in my support for law enforcement and public safety. My opponent voted against funding law enforcement repeatedly, including voting against salary increases for law enforcement, bulletproof vests, ammunition, a training facility, and police services for the entire town of Edgecliff Village.
Tarrant County needs leadership that reduces property taxes, stands with law enforcement, and uses a business-minded approach to governing. This has allowed us to lower the tax burden while almost doubling funds for short-term rental and utility assistance, and increase mental health services, assisting the most vulnerable residents. My opponent has a record of political theater, no actual ideas, and votes against property tax relief and law enforcement.
What is the main issue facing the county? How do you plan to resolve it?
The main issue facing the county is making it more affordable for people to live here, while keeping crime low and dealing with unfunded mandates from the state and federal governments. Residents need property tax relief. At the same time, the county still has to fund jails, courts, roads, elections, and other core services.
I will address this by continuing to budget responsibly, treating taxpayer money the same way I treat my own, and build on the property tax relief we have already provided. Property tax relief is one of the ways government can make living more affordable. I will continue to fully fund law enforcement and work with state and federal officials to bring more grants to Tarrant County.
Should the county redistrict following the 2030 consensus? Why or why not?
We should definitely look at it after the census. After multiple years of births, deaths, development and resident relocations, there may be a need to rebalance commissioners court precincts, so each one has roughly the same population and remains proportionally equal.
How should the county and hospital budgets be run?
County budgets should be run with stewardship, efficiency, and transparency. Funds should go to core statutory services that the public depends on, such as courts, public safety, records, elections, roads and bridges, and emergency management.
Hospital district budgets should be run the same way with taxpayer dollars, including transparency, eliminating waste, and staying responsible to the public. Innovation should improve critical care so patients who need it most receive quality care, without maintaining excess reserves.
What is your philosophy on setting the tax rate?
I don’t believe Texans should have to worry about being taxed out of their homes. Reducing the tax burden is one of the few ways government can actually make life more affordable. Government must collect taxes to operate, but it has a duty to run a tight ship and spend with the utmost efficiency. I take taxpayer dollars and property taxes seriously. That is why I have led the way all four years to set rates below the No New Revenue rate and implemented the county’s first ever Homestead Exemption at the maximum level allowed under state law.
Alisa Simmons
City of residence: Arlington
Campaign website: votealisasimmons.com
Best way for voters to reach you: Phone: 817-687-1116, Instagram: team_alisa_simmons, Facebook: CommALSimmons, X: @alisafortarrant, Tik Tok: alisa.simmons
Occupation: Tarrant County Commissioner, Precinct 2
Education: Texas Woman’s University, Denton: Bachelor- Journalism
Have you run for elected office before?
Yes. I have run for Arlington ISD and the Texas House before. I ran for and won Tarrant County Commissioner, Precinct 2 in 2022. I have served in that role since January 2023.
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in Tarrant County.
I served as Arlington NAACP President for 10 years and on the ACLU Texas Board of Directors. As Commissioner, I ended a $40M private jail contract that was wasting county dollars, exposed an 11-year software project with no end in sight, delivered Tarrant County’s first homestead exemption, brokered free mental health services for Arlington ISD students through the TCHATT program, secured $55M in Precinct 2 road and bridge maintenance, and fought back against attempts to defund JPS Health Network. I have pushed for greater public participation in county government and worked to protect voting access every step of the way.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain. No.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain. No.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Walter Horton
David Gunn
Mar Look-Jameson
Why are you seeking this office?
Tarrant County has 2.2 million residents who deserve a county judge who actually shows up for all of them. I have spent three and a half years on Commissioners Court watching the county be used as a platform for national politics instead of as a government that serves people. I have seen reserves raided to cover budget failures, community programs cut, and a hospital system put at risk for ideological reasons. I am running because I believe county government should work — for working families, for seniors, for people who need mental health services, for neighborhoods that have been written off. I have delivered results as commissioner. I am running to do more.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Public safety: I will work with commissioners, the Sheriff, and health providers to improve staffing, training, and jail medical care, while expanding treatment-based jail diversion. We will begin with a joint assessment to identify priorities, assign responsibilities, and track progress. I will support regular public reviews so the Court addresses problems proactively.
Health care and family stability: I will protect access to JPS and preventive care while helping families avoid homelessness. Working with health care providers and social service agencies, we can close service gaps and get residents help sooner. County-funded agreements should set clear expectations and measure results.
Open, responsible government: I will work with every commissioner early in budget planning, provide equal access to financial information, and use five-year forecasts to guide spending and tax decisions. I will advocate for restoring twice-monthly public meetings so constituents have a meaningful voice.
How will you measure your success as county judge?
By outcomes residents can see and feel. Has the county’s reserve fund stabilized? Are JPS and MHMR better resourced? Are there more crisis diversion options so fewer people land in jail for mental health emergencies? Is public comment accessible to working families, not just people who can attend a 10 a.m. meeting? Are county services being delivered efficiently and transparently? I will also measure whether jail deaths decline, whether families get connected to care sooner, whether county contracts deliver results, and whether residents have a meaningful voice in decisions. Success is not about headlines. It is about whether Tarrant County government is doing its job for all 2.2 million residents. I will set clear benchmarks, report publicly on progress, and change course when something is not working. Residents deserve measurable results, honest reporting, and a county government that delivers. We will track staffing, response times, service access, fiscal health, and resident input.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent?
Because I have a record of delivering results, not just making promises. As Commissioner, I ended a wasteful $40M jail contract, secured the county’s first homestead exemption, fought to protect JPS and voter access, and delivered $55M in infrastructure investment for Precinct 2. My opponent has used this county as a political launching pad, voted to eliminate the Human Services Department, cut 92 Election Day voting locations, and dismissed 81 jail deaths as fabrications. Tarrant County needs a judge who governs with integrity, not ideology.
What is the main issue facing the county? How do you plan to resolve it?
Fiscal mismanagement and the breakdown of basic county governance. Under current leadership, Tarrant County has raided reserves, eliminated community programs that reduce long-term costs, and put the county hospital system at risk. The fix starts with a real budget process: one that identifies waste, rebuilds reserves, funds essential services at sustainable levels, and is transparent enough that residents can hold us accountable. Government that cannot manage money cannot serve people.
Should the county redistrict following the 2030 consensus? Why or why not?
Yes. Redistricting following the decennial census is the appropriate and lawful process. What is not appropriate is what Tim O’Hare did: mid-decade redistricting with no public process, using a hand-selected law firm, to redraw lines that diluted minority voting power. Redistricting should happen on schedule, in 2031, through a fair, transparent, and public process that produces maps reflecting where Tarrant County residents actually live. Not to protect incumbents. Not to punish communities.
How should the county and hospital budgets be run?
With discipline, transparency, and a clear commitment to the people being served. JPS Health Network is one of Tarrant County’s most essential institutions — it is a safety net for the uninsured, a trauma center, and one of the county’s largest employers. The county budget should fund JPS fully and consistently, not treat it as a political bargaining chip. Hospital and county budgets should be built on real revenue projections, not optimistic assumptions, with clear reserves, honest accounting, and no mid-year raids that leave departments scrambling.
What is your philosophy on setting the tax rate?
I have voted to lower the tax rate below no-new-revenue in each of my first two years on Commissioners Court. I have never proposed raising taxes. My philosophy is simple: the county should spend what it needs to serve residents well, not a dollar more, and it should be honest about what things actually cost. That means no gimmicks, no raids on reserves, and no cuts to essential services to manufacture the appearance of fiscal discipline. Responsible budgeting is how you hold the line on taxes over the long term.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.