Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker confirms plans to run for third term

Although it went unmentioned during her Oct. 24 speech, Mayor Mattie Parker told reporters immediately following her annual State of the City address that she intends to run for a third term as Fort Worth mayor. 

“That’s currently my plan. Filing doesn’t open until January, but my intention is to run again,” Parker said. “Right now, I just want to focus on governing.” 

Parker was first elected in 2021, succeeding longtime mayor Betsy Price, who did not run for re-election that year. Parker previously served as Price’s chief of staff. She won the election after tight margins sent her to a runoff against former Democratic Party chair Deborah Peoples. 

In 2023, Parker cruised to an easy victory for her second term with 70% of the vote. She faced four challengers that year. 

The upcoming election will be May 3, 2025. The first day to apply to be on the ballot is ​​Jan. 15, 2025, and the filing deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 14, 2025. 

In addition to mayor, all other council seats will be on the ballot. Gyna Bivens, the current council’s longest tenured member after first getting elected in 2013, does not intend to seek re-election. So far, no other council members have announced whether they plan to run again. 

The mayor is paid $29,000 annually, while council members earn $25,000. Residents voted against a pay raise for the mayor and council in 2022 that would have bumped their annual salary to $99,653 and $76,727 respectively. 

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or @bycecilialenzen. 

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