Leadership changes across Texas, from city managers to the state capitol
Fort Worth announced its new city manager in a historical moment for the city. Dallas is still looking for both a city manager and a new police chief. In Austin, the Speaker's Race continues. Jack Fink speaks to the Plano Mayor about the city's economic development. He also asks pollster Ross Hunt about what's next for Republicans and Democrats. These stories are in the latest episode of Eye On Politics. (Original air date: December 15, 2024.)
Leadership changes in Dallas and Fort Worth
In Fort Worth, the city approved hiring Jay Chapa as the next city manager. Chapa is the first Hispanic to be hired for the position. He previously served as a Deputy City Manager and Director of Housing and Economic Development during his two decades of work with the city of Fort Worth. He's expected to start his role in late January with one big decision ahead: replacing Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes, set to retire in May of next year.
Noakes announced his retirement in a press conference, saying he wants to spend time with family. He reflected on his nearly 25 years of service with the department and mentioned what he won't miss in a press conference.
"I will enjoy spending time with my beautiful wife, my kids and grandchildren," said Noakes. "And not have to wake up every morning and check my emails to see if someone died...To see if something tragic happened in our city and if something happened on my watch that I wasn't able to stop. I won't miss that."
Meanwhile, the city of Dallas continues its search for both a city manager and a new police chief. TC Broadnax left the city manager position in Dallas earlier this year to take up the same mantle in Austin. Former Police Chief Eddie Garcia also departed his position in Dallas for a Deputy City Manager position in Austin.
Changes in the Speaker's race
In Austin, the race to be the next speaker of the house continues. After three votes behind closed doors in Austin last weekend, the Texas GOP Caucus chose to support Representative David Cook from Mansfield.
This was after Dade Phelan confirmed last week that he would not run for a third term as speaker. Cook said he would work to get the support of all Republicans in the House.
Representative Dustin Burrows, another candidate for speaker along with 20 of his supporters, left and didn't return before the third vote from the GOP. Burrows held a press conference after the final vote and released a list of over 70 Republicans and Democrats in the House who he says will support his candidacy for House Speaker.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus said they opposed Cook's candidacy. In a statement, they said:
"As the race progresses, Texas Democrats remain committed to opposing any candidate who seeks to disempower Democratic members by limiting the role we play and our ability to work on behalf of those we represent."
The Speaker's race caught the attention of Donald Trump Jr. In a social media post online, the President-elect's son called for Republicans to unite behind Cook.
"It's unbelievable what is happening in Texas right now," said Trump Jr.'s post on X. "There is a group of so-called Republicans cutting a deal with liberal Democrats to elect a speaker instead of uniting behind the Republican nominee, David Cook! Unbelievable! Republicans have a mandate!"
One-on-one with Plano Mayor John Muns
Plano Mayor John Muns tells Jack Fink about the city's economic development including restructuring older existing structures to fit what companies are looking for.
"We have to reinvent some of the corporate campuses that are 30+ years old," said Muns. "Everybody talks about...moving here from California, but it's really all over the world. I think internationally, companies are seeing some real opportunities."
Part of restructuring includes deciding how much residential space to allocate in the area, and how residents would get around.
Jack asked Muns about the city's decision to cut back on funding for DART services.
"What we're trying to do is make the value of DART work for Plano," said Muns. He said Plano is the second-largest customer base for DART services, and they are continuing to have conversations.
"We're really seeing a lowering capacity of buses that are empty and trains that are empty," said Muns. "We'd just like to see more opportunity for our residents to be able to move around Plano."
Watch Jack's full interview with Mayor Muns here:
One-on-one with Ross Hunt
Jack also spoke to Ross Hunt, a pollster and the founder of Hunt Research. He told Jack, that one of the trends he found during the 2024 election included "the mandate that Republicans had seems to rise not so much in their party base as from how uniquely persuasive they were."
When looking at primary voters, Hunt says only about 50,000 more primary votes were cast by Republicans in 2024 than in 2020. He said that the difference-maker was a lower turnout of Democrat voters, and more independents swinging towards the right. He said two big factors to consider in the election include, "Why did all those Democrats stay home?" and "Why did all the Conservatives come out?"
Hunt also discussed what the two parties should focus on in preparation for the 2026 elections.
"Voters want solutions that are pragmatic," Hunt said. "They want solutions...getting back to practical basics in government."
Watch Jack's full interview with Ross Hunt here: