For the record

We were perusing some FW Weekly articles and came across some interesting notes, most of these come from the "Best Of" Editions. We hope they are working on an election edition.

In 2002:

Best Elected Official -
Clyde Picht

In 2006:

Waste Of Taxpayer Money -

Readers' choice: Trinity River Project

In 2007 :

Example of Gumption or Grit
Critic's choice: Gary Hogan
You can almost hear city officials, sounding eerily similar to Col. Klink, saying, "Hooogaaaan ....." No wonder - one of the strongest and most rational voices representing neighborhood interests in the natural gas boom has been that of this mustachioed Westsider. Despite finding himself outgunned while serving on a 2005 gas drilling ordinance task force that was heavily stacked in favor of the industry, Hogan never lost focus or alienated himself. He fought for 1,000-foot buffer zones between homes and wells (the task force raised the buffer from 300 to 600 feet only after a fatal Forest Hill blowup), and he predicted widespread devaluations of property. Two years later, he remains a viable voice of the people as the scope of drilling intensifies. The city could use more folks like him.

(While Steve isn't currently running for anything that we know of, he is always involved on behalf of the citizens)

Watchdog
Critic's choice: Steve Hollern
Hollern is the former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, but has stayed active in the community even after moving out of the job. His latest mission is getting signatures to put a referendum on the ballot that would cap spending on the Trinity River Vision project. He's working hard against the so-called flood-control project that keeps getting more and more expensive. This goes against the city's party line, but Hollern is doing his best to keep this boondoggle from becoming an even more massive waste of taxpayer dollars.

Public Debate
Public officials are supposed to be, for lack of a better word, public. That means our elected officials need to be responsive to the voters, both in terms of being available to answer concerns and being able to articulate a vision for the community. Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief has decided he needs to do none of these. He rarely attends neighborhood community meetings, doesn't talk much to the media, and, quite frankly, acts as if he is above all that. Some might think this criticism of Mike has to do with his refusal to talk to the Weekly and telling the other council members to stonewall us as well. Sure, we'd prefer he talk to us, but in some respects he has dropped a present in our lap. Many neighborhood leaders are now rallying around this newspaper, working more closely with us on big-city issues. But that's not enough, in the bigger picture of what's good for the city. Cowtowners need to ditch the back-room Fort Worth Way and embrace vigorous debate in the public arena. Just because Dallas can't do it without a lot of red faces and bitterness shouldn't stop us - we do other things better, we can do this better as well.

In 2008:
Thing Tarrant County Needs
Critic's choice: A revolutionary with moxie
Lots of folks are whining about how the gas drilling companies are taking over Fort Worth, stepping on its citizens, and controlling city hall. Whine, whine, whine. This city needs somebody to go all Pancho Villa on somebody's ass - in a nonviolent way - and really kick up some resistance against city officials and corporate robber barons who treat residents like floor mats and rely on unfair laws put in place by co-opted legislators.

Politician Most Likely to Sell Grandma to the Highest Bidder
Readers' choice: Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief