Star-Telegram endorsement: Sprawling Fort Worth City Council District 11
Voters in Fort Worth City Council District 11 have a clear choice of a candidate who knows how to get things done in government.
Incumbent Jeanette Martinez was the first representative for the district, an amalgamation of varied neighborhoods pieced together in the last round of council redistricting. She has earned a second term.
Martinez, a Rosemont resident who turns 42 before Election Day, is best positioned to help the district catch up on basic needs, especially street improvements, sidewalks and other essential infrastructure. But she also understands that council members must consider priorities for the city as a whole and work well as a team to ensure they are met.
She works as executive administrator for County Commissioner Roderick Miles, after years in the same position for his predecessor, Roy Charles Brooks. While that creates the potential for conflict of interest, as Martinez acknowledged in our interview with the candidates, it also gives her knowledge of government processes and connections that her rivals cannot match.
Martinez said she wants to ensure District 11 gets its share of the city's next bond package, slated for voter consideration in 2026. She noted the importance of keeping the focus on infrastructure needs and less on amenities that, while important to city life, can wait while basic needs are addressed.
Her status as a county employee is fodder for opponent Christopher Johnson, a 57-year-old Polytechnic Heights resident. Johnson raised it in our interview; Martinez said she seeks city legal advice for when to recuse herself from any issues.
Johnson, who owns a cosmetics line and formerly had a salon, touted himself as the only candidate with extensive business experience.
The third candidate, Hilda Cuzco, a 77-year-old Central Meadowbrook resident, is running as a representative of the Socialist Workers Party. She works as a packer in a bakery plant.
The district's neighborhoods include Echo Heights, Meadowbrook, Riverside, Rosemont and Worth Heights.
If no candidate wins an outright majority, the top two vote-getters will participate in a runoff election. The winner earns a two-year term. Early voting starts April 22 and ends April 29. Election Day is May 3.
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