The session has come to an end (again). Although you might hear from some of our state leaders that this session was a success, quite to the contrary, it was anything but. During this special session, we had the chance to make some real reforms and fell far short.

 

We had a golden opportunity to restore the cuts made to acute therapy services for children with disabilities in 2015. Since the end of the 84th Legislative Session, we have heard from countless parents of these children on the impact these cuts. Children desperately in need of therapy for things as simple as swallowing food were left without an avenue to receive care. Although the House passed a bill to restore these cuts, it was never added as a debatable subject to the Special Session by Governor Abbott, and the Senate chose not to follow the House's lead. Because this issue wasn't partisan or a headline grabber, Texas' children with disabilities were left out in the cold.

 

Instead the Senate chose to score cheap political points by prioritizing:

To add to my disappointment in the way the Special Session ended, Mayor Price joined four other councilmembers and cast the deciding vote against the city joining the lawsuit over the so-called "Anti-Sanctuary Cities" legislation, SB 4. SB 4 has already begun to push a whole class of residents into the shadows in fear of our own law enforcement. Although Mayor Price continues to claim that Fort Worth is a welcoming city that cares about all its residents, her actions run counter to her rhetoric.

 

If Fort Worth was truly a welcoming city, it would join every other major city in Texas in this lawsuit against this unjust and soon-to-be-proven unconstitutional law. Fort Worth would stand with some of its most vulnerable residents in saying that every person deserves to feel safe and protected in our community. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the reasons why are clear as day.

 

Mayor Price and the four councilmembers that voted against joining the lawsuit only had themselves in mind. They had their own political ambitions in mind. They had the fears of potential political consequences in mind.

 

And in the end, when faced with what should be an easy moral decision to go against a law that our very own Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald opposes because of its effect on safety in the community, they chose to make the partisan decision. Local elections are non-partisan for a reason, yet our Mayor continues to bring partisanship into decision-making at every turn, to the detriment of our residents.

 

From my own experience, I can tell you that partisanship stands in the way of good policy making. It stands in the way of effectively and honorably representing our constituents at the local level, and on Tuesday, it stood in the way of Fort Worth standing with its immigrant community.

 

Partisanship is a top-down mandate from leadership. The time has come for Fort Worth to remember this during our next election and turn to leadership that is geared toward what is best for the residents of our great city - casting aside partisanship in the name of sound and just decision-making. Anything less from our locally elected officials is unacceptable.