FORT WORTH, Texas — Leadership in fast-growing Tarrant County will soon change.
Commissioners Gary Fickes (Precinct 3) and Roy Brooks (Precinct 1) will not seek reelection in 2024.
Fickes and Brooks, the longest-serving commissioners on the current court, will step down at a time of change overall for the commission, which consists of three new members and conservative Republican leadership.
Brooks, a Democrat who represents Southeast Tarrant County, has served as a commissioner for nearly 20 years.
Fickes, a Republican who represents the Northeast part of the county, has served as a commissioner for 18 years.
“I knew four years ago that I was going to step away now,” Fickes told WFAA in a sit-down interview. “You need somebody new -- that new blood to come in. I just felt that this was the time.”
Brooks echoed that sentiment in a separate one-on-one interview with WFAA.
“You stay in office so long, and the next generation never gets a chance to show what they can do,” Brooks said. “I don’t wanna sit here and block new ideas and new leaders from coming forward. It’s just time.”
Brooks has endorsed his longtime executive administrator and Democrat Roderick Miles to fill his position. Fickes has endorsed former Texas House Rep. Matt Krause (R). Both races are on the ballot in the March 5th Texas Primaries.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Fickes said. "I think we’ve accomplished a lot."
Fickes, who previously served as mayor of Southlake, is planning a possible return to the real estate industry when his term ends. He told WFAA his proudest accomplishments in Northeast Tarrant County have been creating new senior programs, expanding transportation and initiating economic development.
“My goal was to make Northeast Tarrant County the best place to live, work, go to school,” Fickes said. “I didn’t let politics even get involved in the initiatives I was pushing.”
Brooks, meanwhile, told WFAA he has become increasingly concerned about partisanship on the current court. Brooks has often clashed with Republican County Judge Tim O’ Hare over policy.
“The dynamic last year and a half has been different from what came before,” Brooks said. “History will judge whether that good difference is a good difference or a bad difference. I’ve got an opinion, but I won’t share it here. I think we’ll see a lot of tyranny of the majority rather than actual collaboration to make good policy for all of the citizens of Tarrant county.”
Together, Fickes and Brooks have nearly 40 years of institutional memory about how the county functions. When the two commissioners step away, there will not be anyone on the court with more than two years of experience.
“I’m afraid that the next court will not know that much about county government and will not care what has gone on in the past,” Brooks said.
Fickes said he’s confident the new court will function properly.
“I think the court’s gonna be fine,” Fickes said. “The people have a sense, most people, have a sense that they know what’s right and what’s wrong. They know what they need to do. It’s five separate people who all have their own ideas. Politics do get involved. My way to look at it? Anything you do that’s good for people is right.”
Brooks told WFAA he’s satisfied with what he has accomplished for people in his precinct.
“If the Lord were to call me home in the morning, I would feel that its been enough,” Brooks said. “We’ve made a great impact. It has been enough, and its somebody else’s turn.”
By January 2025, the county’s 2.1 million people will have a new court.