EXCLUSIVE: Tarrant County Judge Pledges Government ‘Good For All Communities' After Redistricting

Yahoo

04-06-2025

Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, who helped successfully pass a redistricting measure giving Republicans an advantage in future elections, told The Dallas Express the effort aimed to ensure a government seeking 'good for all communities.'
'This is for partisan political purposes because I believe Republicans do a better job of governing, of cutting taxes, of keeping people safe,' O'Hare said in an interview with The Dallas Express. 'Just common sense policies and principles and experience.'
Tarrant County commissioners redrew district lines by a vote of 3-2 on June 3, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. O'Hare and County Commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez – all Republicans – voted in favor, and County Commissioners Roderick Miles Jr. and Alisa Simmons – both Democrats – voted against. The new map reshapes Simmons' district to lean Republican, giving conservatives an edge in county elections for years.
'I want to make sure – make no bones about it – Tarrant County is governed by Republicans for the rest of my natural life, and this will go a long way towards accomplishing that,' O'Hare said.
The redistricting process is 'about partisan politics,' according to O'Hare. He said Republican commissioners are hoping to ensure the county will be 'governed by people that are more conservative in nature, which I think is good for all communities and all people.'
'How many big urban areas of big cities have we seen, where there's crime run amok, and smash and grabs, and failure to prosecute, and businesses leaving left and right, and fires burning,' O'Hare said. 'You don't see those things happening in Republican-led cities and counties. We're going to make sure we don't see it here.'
O'Hare said Republican commissioners' vision for Tarrant County is a government that enables its people to 'live, raise a family, worship, start a business, and grow a business' – a place with 'consistency' and a 'county that loves America.'
'There's law and order. There's low crime. When something breaks out, it's dealt with. People know that laws here are going to be followed; people aren't going to pick and choose which laws are prosecuted. People will feel safe,' O'Hare said. 'Taxes will be low; spending will be curtailed. Every dollar will be scrutinized.'
According to O'Hare, the government will work to create a 'pro-business environment' that attracts businesses and creates more jobs 'where a rising tide lifts all boats.'
'That's what we're trying to create, or foster, and we see that can fall quick when the wrong people are in charge,' he said.
The June 3 redistricting meeting attracted hundreds of residents who spoke on both sides of the issue. Supporters of the effort, including state Rep. Nate Schatzline, lauded redistricting for bolstering conservative governance, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. Critics of the effort said it was an instance of racist 'gerrymandering.'
Simmons – who 'flipped the bird' to O'Hare at one point in the meeting — said the proposal was 'racial gerrymandering' and ' intentional discrimination,' as The Dallas Express reported. Many others, including Miles and members of the public, used similar language. 'Even Stevie Wonder can see that these maps are racist,' one commenter said.
'Is there anything Democrats don't try to make a race thing? That's the song they sing nonstop,' O'Hare said. 'I don't think they learned anything from the 2024 election, and I'm quite frankly glad they didn't.'
He explained ahead of the vote that district lines were not 'ordained from the creation of the earth.' He said the redistricting process is 'political' – 'I'm not trying to hide from that.'
'They were put in place by people at one point or another; they've been adjusted by people at one point or another,' O'Hare said. 'Now the people who are duly elected by the citizens of Tarrant County are likely going to redraw what is there.'
During the meeting, O'Hare ordered deputies to remove several individuals for violating decorum or being disruptive. Ahead of the meeting, he told The Dallas Express he expected to see 'a lot of people' who were 'emotional about it.'
'I'm very passionate about our country; I'm very passionate about our state, our county,' O'Hare said. 'So I understand the passion.'
Many speakers at the meeting – including Arlington Mayor Jim Ross and Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans – suggested redistricting could spark litigation due to alleged violations of civil rights and voting law. O'Hare told The Dallas Express that Tarrant County Commissioners are confident the plan is legal.
'We feel we're very, very solid on constitutional grounds and on federal and state law grounds, so I believe we will prevail,' he said.
The Dallas Express asked if commissioners have faced pressure about this issue, and O'Hare said it depends on how one defines pressure.
'Pressure is when you're fighting a war on foreign territory. That's pressure. Pressure is when there's a suspect firing at you, and you have very little to hide behind. That's pressure,' he said. 'This is politics.'
He said he wishes America's political climate was 'more like the 1980s' – where 'people got along, and everybody was patriotic and loved America' despite their differences.
'We're in a very different time right now, and there's just some very ugly, very mean-spirited people,' O'Hare said. 'It's sad, but it is what it is, and we've seen it on full display here.'
According to O'Hare, if the situation were flipped, the measure's opponents would be 'cheering' for it. Several other Democrat-run counties, including Dallas, redrew their district lines after the 2020 federal census to box out Republicans, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
At the time, The Dallas Morning News admitted this would 'dilute Republican voting power while solidifying Democratic control' – but said it would 'improve the voting power of Hispanics and keep cities grouped in single districts.'
When Tarrant County began planning to redraw districts for Republican control, however, the paper ran several critical pieces against it – one claiming the move was 'bad government.'
'Much of the media is corrupt, and much of the media is dishonest,' O'Hare said. 'I have not talked to a single person who ever said, 'Hey, I read this story in The Dallas Morning News.' I guess I'm not sure I could come up with another publication that I care less about what they say or think.'