Election Day is May 6 and the Fort Worth Report is committed to keeping you informed through our Election Central.
To help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box, we asked every candidate to respond to a candidate questionnaire intended to touch on the most pressing issues candidates may face while serving in elected office.
The candidate’s responses may be edited for grammar.
The Mayor represents the entirety of Fort Worth. To find out what city council district you live in, input your address here.
Municipal elections are coming up. Here are some key dates:
April 24: Early voting begins
May 2: Early voting ends
May 6: Election Day
Candidate survey
Name: Kenneth Bowens Jr
Age: 31
Occupation: Business Entrepreneur
What are your qualifications to serve on Fort Worth’s City Council?
I have been attending city council and work sessions since august of 2005 and learning and observing city government functions and works and I am the most prepared candidate besides the incumbent.
What are your top two priorities if elected to City Council? Describe briefly how you would approach these priorities.
Amending and revising outdated city policies and procedures, by drafting up current and modern Mayor policy proposals to council to be adopted for resolution. Addressing the juvenile system reform, with creating the juvenile adolescence restore reform program similar to the city of Birmingham juvenile re-entry program.
How would you characterize the performance of city management over the past five years?
Lack of accountability, lack of awareness, lack of real transparency.
What is the single biggest issue your particular district faces?
Lack of attention to the huge concerns and problems the citizens have issues with.
How will you balance the concerns of your district vs. the city as a whole?
Focus on Fort Worth as a whole not certain areas in Fort Worth and make sure all areas playing on an equal playing field.
How can city leadership work to ensure all Fort Worth residents have equal access to city services regardless of race, ethnicity, gender and income?
Have real transparency and make sure we have community engagement across the board.
Fort Worth’s annual general budget is currently around $915 million; do you feel this budget is appropriate, too large, or too small? If too large or too small, briefly describe how you would propose amending the budget.
The general funds budget should always be decreased or stay the same in each fiscal year budget never increase to 10% or more.
In 2023 the city will levy a tax rate of $0.7125 per $100 of assessed evaluation. If you would advocate for decreasing/increasing the tax rate what would you cut/add?
I will advocate with the City Manager office on finding real solutions on how we can decrease it or try to keep the same every year.
As Fort Worth grows, how can the city ensure it keeps up with the pace of development?
Making sure our City Council reps are doing the vetting process right and bringing in the right development that fits Fort Worth.
In the last year, the city council has limited opportunities for public comment and changed meeting schedules. How would you approach community engagement as a council member?
As mayor I will draft up a mayor proposal to council to adopt a resolution to change back the original council meeting times and days during the Mayor Moncrief and Mayor Price administration days and add 1 min and 30 seconds to the current 3 minutes on the public comment section.
What role does the City Council have in policing? Please describe how city council members should work to ensure the safety of their constituents.
They have huge role in policing. They created policies to ensure and enforce that and the should always consider and ensure the safety of their constituents.
Have you ever filed for bankruptcy? If so, when.
No.
Have you ever been convicted of a crime, in Texas or another state? If so, what crime and when.
No.
You can find other candidates’ responses by reading our voter guide here. The candidate’s responses may be edited for grammar.
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