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 all four candidates for the Tarrant Regional Water District’s board of directors to respond to a candidate questionnaire intended to touch on the most pressing issues candidates may face while serving in elected office. Voters can select up to two candidates, and the top two vote-getters will win the seats.

Only residents who live in TRWD’s taxing district are eligible to vote for the board. Use this interactive map to check if you live in the district, or look for the code “223 TARRANT REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT” on your tax statement.

Candidate survey 

Name: Paxton Motheral

Age: 39

Occupation: Developer

What makes you qualified to serve on the Tarrant Regional Water District’s board of directors?

Since 1848, my family has been stewards of the land and water resources of our family’s farming and ranching operations. As a successful businessman and Chair of Streams and Valleys, a non-profit focused on protecting our North Texas water resources, I’m ready to fight for the future of our water supply.

I’m running for the Tarrant Regional Water District Board to continue that legacy of stewardship of our precious natural resources and keep North Texas thriving for future generations.

What are your top priorities if elected to the board? Describe briefly how you would approach those priorities.

Oppose Tax Increases: Homeowners have experienced property tax increases each and every year. We must be fiscally responsible and not let the TRWD tax be an increased burden on taxpayers.

Flood Prevention: The bulk of the tax revenue is dedicated to flood prevention. While maintaining ongoing maintenance across the system, we must target certain areas for rapid improvements that have historically flooded, causing property damage and threat to life.

Safe, Reliable Drinking Water: Ensuring our region has safe, reliable water is critical for our quality of life and to support our growth.

What do you see as opportunities for growth or improvement when it comes to the water district and its board of directors?

TRWD must earn the trust of the community through improved transparency and following the highest standard for governance.

If the TRWD does its job well, it will play as a key resource in supporting the residential and business growth we are experiencing.

The water district has played a large role in overseeing the Central City/Panther Island flood control project in downtown Fort Worth. As the project surges ahead, what role should TRWD and its board play as far as oversight, development and flood control?

As a developer, I can tell you the TRWD does not need to be in the development business. However, as the majority land owner, TRWD will be a key role player in the process. I support the Board efforts to work with community leaders and stakeholders such as the city, Tarrant Community College and Field and Streams to update the Panther Island Strategic Vision, then sell the land. TRWD is the agency for the US Army Corp of Engineers that maintains the floodway. This is where TRWD’s focus should be.

TRWD and its board have faced criticism from residents over a perceived lack of transparency, nepotism and payouts to former employees. If elected, how would you address those concerns?

A lot has been done to correct the wrongs of the past, but TRWD must earn trust through its actions. I will be a strong advocate for 100% transparency, ensuring strong board governance policies and implementing the best practice for hiring. The absolute worst thing TRWD can do is allow any sense of using taxpayer’s money to hand out favors.

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.

Close window X

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Unless otherwise noted, noncommercial entities may republish most of Fort Worth Report stories for free under a Creative Commons license. For commercial licensing, please email hello@fortworthreport.org. For noncommercial digital publications:

• Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site.
• You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate  html code.
• You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
• You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
• Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
• If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website.
• If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter.

For noncommercial print publications:

• You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org.
• You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
• Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories.
• You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
• You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection.
• Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
• If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter.

The Fort Worth Report retains the copyright for all of its published content. If you have any other questions, contact Managing Editor Thomas Martinez.

Paxton Motheral, candidate for Tarrant Regional Water District

by The FWR Staff, Fort Worth Report
April 22, 2023

<h1>Paxton Motheral, candidate for Tarrant Regional Water District</h1> <p class="byline">by The FWR Staff, Fort Worth Report <br />April 22, 2023</p> <p>Election Day is May 6 and the Fort Worth Report is committed to keeping you informed through our Election Central.&nbsp;</p> <p>To help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box, we asked all four candidates for the Tarrant Regional Water District's board of directors to respond to a candidate questionnaire intended to touch on the most pressing issues candidates may face while serving in elected office. Voters can select up to two candidates, and the top two vote-getters will win the seats. </p> <p>Only residents who live in TRWD’s taxing district are eligible to vote for the board. Use this <a href="https://trwdmaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/nearby/index.html?appid=9b2f631d838946c5a410df998cf984ee">interactive map</a> to check if you live in the district, or look for the code “223 TARRANT REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT” on your tax statement.</p> <div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Elections are coming up. Here are some key dates:</h3> <p>April 24: Early voting begins&nbsp;<br />May 2: Early voting ends&nbsp;<br />May 6: Election Day&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> </p></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Candidate survey&nbsp;</h2> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Paxton-Motheral-Headshot-Final-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74032" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Paxton Motheral is running for Tarrant Regional Water District board of directors. Election Day is May 6. (Courtesy image | Paxton Motheral)</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Name: </strong>Paxton Motheral</p> <p><strong>Age:</strong> 39</p> <p><strong>Occupation: </strong>Developer</p> <p><strong>What makes you qualified to serve on the Tarrant Regional Water District’s board of directors?</strong></p> <p>Since 1848, my family has been stewards of the land and water resources of our family’s farming and ranching operations. As a successful businessman and Chair of Streams and Valleys, a non-profit focused on protecting our North Texas water resources, I'm ready to fight for the future of our water supply.</p> <p>I’m running for the Tarrant Regional Water District Board to continue that legacy of stewardship of our precious natural resources and keep North Texas thriving for future generations.</p> <p><strong>What are your top priorities if elected to the board? Describe briefly how you would approach those priorities.</strong></p> <p>Oppose Tax Increases: Homeowners have experienced property tax increases each and every year. We must be fiscally responsible and not let the TRWD tax be an increased burden on taxpayers.</p> <p>Flood Prevention: The bulk of the tax revenue is dedicated to flood prevention. While maintaining ongoing maintenance across the system, we must target certain areas for rapid improvements that have historically flooded, causing property damage and threat to life.</p> <p>Safe, Reliable Drinking Water: Ensuring our region has safe, reliable water is critical for our quality of life and to support our growth.</p> <p><strong>What do you see as opportunities for growth or improvement when it comes to the water district and its board of directors?</strong></p> <p>TRWD must earn the trust of the community through improved transparency and following the highest standard for governance.</p> <p>If the TRWD does its job well, it will play as a key resource in supporting the residential and business growth we are experiencing.</p> <p><strong>The water district has played a large role in overseeing the Central City/Panther Island flood control project in downtown Fort Worth. As the project surges ahead, what role should TRWD and its board play as far as oversight, development and flood control?</strong></p> <p>As a developer, I can tell you the TRWD does not need to be in the development business. However, as the majority land owner, TRWD will be a key role player in the process. I support the Board efforts to work with community leaders and stakeholders such as the city, Tarrant Community College and Field and Streams to update the Panther Island Strategic Vision, then sell the land. TRWD is the agency for the US Army Corp of Engineers that maintains the floodway. This is where TRWD’s focus should be.</p> <p><strong>TRWD and its board have faced criticism from residents over a perceived lack of transparency, nepotism and payouts to former employees. If elected, how would you address those concerns?</strong></p> <p>A lot has been done to correct the wrongs of the past, but TRWD must earn trust through its actions. I will be a strong advocate for 100% transparency, ensuring strong board governance policies and implementing the best practice for hiring. The absolute worst thing TRWD can do is allow any sense of using taxpayer's money to hand out favors.</p> <p><strong>Have you ever filed for bankruptcy? If so, when.</strong></p> <p>No. </p> <p><strong>Have you ever been convicted of a crime, in Texas or another state? If so, what crime and when.</strong></p> <p>No. </p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <p>You can find other candidates' responses by reading our voter guide&nbsp;<a href="https://fortworthreport.org/?page_id=74275" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. The candidate’s responses may be edited for grammar.</p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org/2023/04/22/paxton-motheral-candidate-for-tarrant-regional-water-district/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://fortworthreport.org">Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=74017&amp;ga3=UA-194640723-1" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

1