Making Room for All: A Conversation with Mayor Mattie Parker

In 2019, Millennials became the largest generation group in the United States. Millennials are the demographic cohort were born between 1981 and 1996. Many are working parents of young children who are much more focused on finding a balance between their careers and their personal lives than previous generations. While Gen X saw the first home computers, Millennials are the first truly digital generation; they consume digital information quickly and comfortably on a wide array of platforms.

What does this mean? It means that America is in a period of change. Our population is shifting. Naturally, voting practices are beginning to reflect this change, and the way our leaders govern will necessarily follow.

Now, what does this mean for Fort Worth?

When Mattie Parker was elected mayor in June of 2021, she was the youngest mayor to lead a Top 25 city in the United States. (Since then, Michelle Wu, who is 14 months younger than Mayor Parker, was elected to be the mayor of Boston.) Parker has been tasked with the delicate task of leading an incredibly diverse city into the 21^st century.

Photo credit: Glen Ellman

“This is a good time to talk,” Parker said, smiling. “It’s been right at a year in office, and I feel like I might have a handle on this.”

Mayor Parker came into office during a time of social transformation. The worldwide Covid pandemic and the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd shed light in places where light needed to be shed and lead to a realization that change was needed. Add to this an extremely partisan political climate, and Mayor Parker had her hands full.

“It may be irritating to some people, but I think the best way to govern large cities like Fort Worth is to build consensus and compromise,” said Parker. “It isn’t best practice for the city to lean to the far right or the far left; it’s not practical… we really have to listen to all voices.”

This is a hallmark of Millennials in government. They are tired of partisan politics, of the “us versus them.” They want to find a way that involves all, not just some.

“[Millennials] are going to live with our decisions differently and for longer,” Parker said. “Many of us, my husband and me included, are raising young children. Our youngest is six. We juggle the work-life balance, and I think that makes my perspective drastically different than some of my collegues who are at retirement age.”

From the small town of Hico, Texas, Mayor Parker moved to Fort Worth 15 years ago, following her husband’s job. Now the parents of three children, the Parkers have put down roots here. After graduating from law school, Parker worked for Texas Representative Phil King, United States Representative Kay Granger, and former Mayor Betsy Price.

“I’m lucky,” said Parker. “It’s new for Fort Worth to elect an ‘outsider,’ but I’ve had the luxury of getting to work for and around the movers and shakers of a different generation who helped build this city and put it on a really good path. I have a lot of respect for them… I also belong to a different generation that does things differently.”

One thing that Mayor Parker hears a lot from her constituents is the fear that as Fort Worth moves further into the 21^st century, it will lose what makes it special. Progress, it is felt, will take away the small town feel and community spirit that makes Fort Worth different from other big cities.

“For Fort Worth to remain special and hold onto its roots requires a certain level of respect for the past, never letting go of [our history] while embracing progress,” Parker said. “That’s a balance we have to find. Everyone has an opinion. People get scared of too much change or too much growth, and my response is, ‘I hear you. I understand you. I want Fort Worth to retain that small town feel and that integrity, but the growth is already here… what do we want to be when we grow up? What do we want to look like when we emerge out of this adolescent period of growth? How do we balance our [idea of] Fort Worth with progress?’”

Photo credit: Glen Ellman

Mayor Parker told me that one of her favorite things to do as mayor is to cold call her constituents who have emailed or messaged her. She feels it’s essential to her job. “Even if their message is not favorable, nine times out of ten, we have a real discussion… I don’t want to lose sight of that. I may be a mayor of a large city, but it’s important to me. It’s important the way we lead and the way we govern… to care about those one-on-one discussions, not that post on Facebook… Fort Worth should be an example of how to get back to talking. It’s okay for us to disagree and have a really robust conversation, but the way we’re speaking to each other has got to change. It’s not always fun, but I always feel better after doing it.”

This seems to be a particularly Fort Worth and a particularly Millennial thing to do. Reach out to the person who disagrees. Listen to their story. Try to understand the reasons behind the emotions. And for a city with a diverse population, it’s the way forward.

“I think it’s important for us to reach families of all types who are trying to make a go of it,” Parker said. “As a citizen and as a resident and as your mayor, I maintain that Fort Worth is the best place to raise a family, and we have to consider all things that contribute to that [e.g., infrastructure, public safety, mobility] … what makes Fort Worth truly special is the family environment that makes room for all types of families while making the way forward for the next generations… from cradle to career. That’s my North Star.”

Mayor Parker laughed as she recalled one weekend she had recently. “I was at La Gran Plaza, then Will Rogers, and then at one of the museums. It’s such a diverse view of Fort Worth, but family was at the center of each of those events. People were gathering together and caring for one another in an environment where they felt fulfilled.”

And isn’t that what everyone wants?