Three Democrats are vying for their party\u2019s nomination to represent the northwest area of Tarrant County on the commissioners court in the March 3 primary race.<\/p>\n
The winner of the race faces Republican incumbent Manny Ramirez, who was elected in 2022 and is running unopposed for the GOP nomination. Precinct 4 covers Fort Worth\u2019s northside up through Lake Worth, Saginaw and Azle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Democratic ballot sees Perla Bojorquez, an educator and community organizer; Nydia Cardenas, a leadership coach and grassroots activist; and Cedric Kanyinda, who owns a consulting business.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the three candidates differ slightly in priorities, they broadly support investing in the county\u2019s infrastructure and re-funding county-run programs that were trimmed down or eliminated by the commissioners court\u2019s Republican majority.<\/p>\n
Bojorquez and Cardenas spoke respectfully of one another and said they\u2019re running a friendly primary race. Neither has met Kanyinda, who was unable to attend the Report\u2019s candidate forum.<\/p>\n
Read the three candidates\u2019 responses to the Fort Worth Report\u2019s survey at our election guide.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s at stake for Democrats?<\/p>\n
Precinct 4 historically votes red, with Ramirez winning the seat by about 18 percentage points in 2022. Democrats hope they can flip the seat by mobilizing more voters, particularly in Hispanic and Latino communities, and carrying forward momentum from Taylor Rehmet\u2019s Texas Senate District 9 upset win<\/a> on Jan. 31.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senate District 9 covers much of north and west Tarrant County and overlaps with Precinct 4.<\/p>\n However, that Democrat\u2019s ability to influence the policies of the court would significantly depend on whether their party can also hold on to the hotly contested Precinct 2 seat \u2014 currently held by Alissa Simmons \u2014 or flip the county judge seat that Simmons is now seeking.<\/a><\/p>\n Voters can find who represents them and who will be on the ballot at vote411.org<\/a>, and they can check their registration status on the Texas Secretary of State\u2019s website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ramirez, who reported having $244,688 in cash on hand in the latest campaign finance reports, said he\u2019s looking forward to running in November. He said he \u201cwelcome(s) anybody who wants to introduce ideas into a campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s not about politics. It\u2019s about principled leadership that gets results for our communities,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m very proud that the voters in Precinct 4 and the folks in Tarrant County have seen the leadership that I provided and put their faith in me to serve another four years.\u201d<\/p>\n Improving the county\u2019s infrastructure<\/p>\n All three Democratic candidates said they want to better invest in northwest Tarrant County\u2019s infrastructure, especially roadways. The county is responsible for constructing, maintaining and repairing roads, particularly in unincorporated areas that lie outside of city limits.<\/p>\n As Fort Worth\u2019s population boom<\/a> ripples into surrounding cities and unincorporated areas, new subdivisions, schools and stores are quickly filling the once sprawling ranchland. Increased traffic can now create hourlong logjams like those along Bonds Ranch Road<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way we\u2019ve seen development happen is it\u2019s very centered around the developers and what they need and special interests,\u201d said Cardenas, a lifelong Fort Worth resident. \u201cThe taxpayers are taking on the burden of a lot of the infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n Cardenas\u2019 sentiments were echoed by both Bojorquez, who moved to Fort Worth eight years ago, and Kanyinda, who has lived in Precinct 4 the past seven years.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m highly invested in fixing the roads. It\u2019s something that I know affects tons of communities on a day-to-day basis,\u201d Bojorquez said. \u201cI\u2019m not going into this as partisan games at all. I\u2019m not in the agenda to twist the court more left. I\u2019m gonna go so we can stop the bleeding of taxpayer dollars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kanyinda said in a Fort Worth Report survey that he plans to \u201credirect wasted spending toward infrastructure needs\u201d in new developments and require developers to demonstrate that an area can handle their traffic before the county helps them lay foundations.<\/p>\n \u201cWith 15-plus municipalities in Precinct 4, we need unified planning \u2014 not each city approving projects without considering regional impacts on roads, water and emergency services,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Road improvements and economic development were two items Ramirez mentioned as points of pride in his four-year tenure.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve built roads in less time than anybody ever thought was possible<\/a>, and we\u2019ve secured hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development in our precinct, and we\u2019ve created thousands and thousands of jobs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \n