Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price wants a fifth term as head of Texas’ fifth largest city.
Price confirmed last week she’ll run in May 2019 for re-election to another two-year term. She has served as mayor since 2011.
“I think there’s a lot yet to be done, and I think the citizens of Fort Worth will hopefully approve that,” Price said Sunday on WFAA’s broadcast of Inside Texas Politics. “I’d like to continue on a couple more years.”
Candidate filing begins January 16 for the May 4 election. No other contenders have yet announced a challenge to Price. Chris Nettles, who lost to Price in 2017, has filed a campaign treasurer appointment to run for City Council District 8.
All Fort Worth City Council positions are up for re-election in May. This election will be the last using current council district boundaries. In a May 2016 city charter election that drew 4 percent turnout, voters narrowly approved expanding city council from nine to 11 members, including the mayor, following the 2020 census.
Few voters typically participate in the city’s May elections. In 2017, the mayor’s race drew 8 percent turnout. Price ran unopposed in 2015; council races that year saw 6 to 8 percent turnout.
Moving the city’s elections to November of even-numbered years would dramatically increase voter participation in these important local races. For now, though, it will be up to the candidates and issues to motivate voters to go to the polls in May.
