In Texas' Third-Largest County, the Far Right's Vision for Local Governing Has Come to Life

[douglas9]

Over the past two decades, Tim O’Hare methodically amassed power in North Texas as he pushed incendiary policies such as banning undocumented immigrants from renting homes and vilifying school curriculum that encouraged students to embrace diversity.

He rode a wave of conservative resentment, leaping from City Council member of Farmers Branch, a suburb north of Dallas, in 2005 to its mayor to the leader of the Tarrant County Republican Party.

Three years ago, O’Hare sought his highest political office yet, running for the top elected position in the nation’s 15th-largest county, which is home to Fort Worth. Backed by influential evangelical churches and money from powerful oil industry billionaires, O’Hare promised voters he would weed out “diversity inclusion nonsense” and accused some Democrats of hating America. His win in November 2022 gave the GOP’s far right new sway over the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, turning a government that once prided itself on bipartisanship into a new front of the culture war.

“I was not looking to do this at all, but they came after our police,” he said in his victory speech on election night. “They came after our schools. They came after our country. They came after our churches.”

https://www.propublica.org/article/tarrant-county-judge-tim-ohare-far-right

[surfered]

1. This man is not a conservative. He is a racist and a bigot who failed to move beyond the Old Testament

[AldebTX]

2. I Worked for Farmers Branch

I worked for Farmers Branch at the time Mr. O'hare was mayor. Every bad thing you read about him is probably true. He had a very difficult time working with a female City Manager and female department heads.

I will never forget the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment he stirred up and how he got the whole city on edge. At a council meeting on an agenda item to require City police check immigrant status of each arrest, he was shocked to find out the state representative for most of the precinct the city was in was HISPANIC when he appeared to speak against the measure.

He lead a wave to privatize City services and the City I believe has suffered as a result of it. To this day the library is till run by an outside private entity and the removal of degreed librarians running the facility was implemented.

[HagathaCrispy]

3. TARRANT COUNTY IS RAPIDLY CHANGING. WENT +10 FOR BIDEN

Tarrant County was/still is a massive shlthole. Yes, we must remember, so was Dallas County BEFORE 2008, Harris County BEFORE 2008, Fort Bend County until very recently (it is still 45% shlthole.- probably like Tarrant but they have all elected dems now), Williamsom and Hays until very recently. Mark my words, as a Texas Dem, Tarrant WILL be the next to flip permanently AND went like +10 for Biden. Hillary was VERY close. I think she won or lost no more/less than 1% either side.