Servant Leadership in the Fishbowl

How Mayor Mattie Parker prioritizes governance and builds a better future for Fort Worth

There are 39 days until Election Day. If you’re not considering the nature and caliber of our politicians, I’m not sure why you’re reading a newsletter focused on good governance. Good governance is impossible without strong, capable elected leadership.

Rest assured, I won’t be discussing current races. Instead, I’ll highlight a politician who transcends today’s discord by prioritizing governance over politics.

My introduction to Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker came via her inspiring talk at the Servant Leadership Conference in January. The conference, which gathers thought leaders, experts, and practitioners to exchange ideas and proven strategies on servant leadership, was so chock-full of government goodness I created an ongoing series for GGF¹.

Reelected in 2023 with 70% of the vote, Mayor Parker is a results-driven leader committed to long-term growth and improving the quality of life for Fort Worth residents. As the youngest mayor of a major U.S. city, she has championed public safety, education, and infrastructure, while driving economic development and preserving green spaces. Her collaborative, forward-thinking approach makes her an ideal public servant.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker speaks at SLC.

She’s also married, a mother of three, a licensed attorney, and the CEO of the Tarrant To & Through Partnership, an organization dedicated to ensuring Tarrant County students earn postsecondary credentials and gain the skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce.

Parker spent much of her early career as a staff member working for elected officials. She thought long and hard before jumping into elective politics herself. She was first elected in 2021, but had to file by Jan. 6, “when the whole country was in upheaval.”

“The reason I ran is still the thing I talk about today, and I think it pertains to the topic of servant leadership: partisanship on both extremes of the political spectrum is trying to destroy the country,” she said. “I wanted to be the type of mayor that brings people together, builds consensus, and focuses on solutions, not problems that divide us.”

Governing the Fastest-Growing Big City in the United States

Fort Worth is the 12th largest city in the United States, with a population of 978,468. Of the top 30 most populous cities, Fort Worth is the fastest growing, with the population increasing by 2.2% in the past year, and 6.5% since 2020.

That kind of rapid growth brings all kinds of challenges, and those can be exacerbated in this “crazy, chaotic time to be in politics,” Parker said. She relies on the values she learned growing up in Hico, Texas, population 1,384. Her grandfather was the high school principal. Her dad was an attorney “who got sober and decided to go back to seminary, becoming a Methodist preacher.” Servant leadership “was ingrained in me as a child.”

Her values are reflected in her approach to a governing philosophy that keeps a sharp eye on the future as Fort Worth grapples with the myriad challenges of right now. To keep her focus, she said she had chosen “purpose” as her “word of the year.”

“Everything we do — every action we take in every single department in city government — must have purpose and clarity of direction, not just for today and tomorrow, but truthfully, what our city will look like in the next 50 years,” Parker said. “No disrespect to some of our elected leaders, (like) those running for president [it was Biden v Trump when she spoke], but I will actually be living with the decisions I am making as a 40-year-old mother of three kids in my city. I do think that changes the way you make decisions. You know that the things you’re doing as a leader, and the actions you’re asking of your city staff, will be things that your family may benefit from — or suffer from — in the next 50 years.”

She cited the example of the effort to preserve Fort Worth’s open space.

“The why is simple: We lose 50 acres per week to development. Fifty acres,” she said. “We are a city that is only half developed, which is a huge opportunity but also a challenge. If you don’t have a plan, your city is gone in a few short years. The place we all love — our tree canopy, our trails, our parks — has to be preserved with intention and purpose.”

Bridging Divides in a Hyper-Partisan Era

Parker worries the hyper-partisanship of national politics, fed by national media outlets that cater solely to their audiences, can trickle down to undermine the governance of American cities. She urges her peers to not emulate the inflammatory rhetoric so common now.

“With this reality in the U.S., I choose to be glass-half-full, not glass-half-empty,” she said. “I mention this as both a warning and an encouragement. Each of us in our respective communities can demand servant leadership. We need leaders who are willing to reach across the aisle, think about people over party, and be willing to make tough decisions focused on good policy, not the thing that gets you on the local news the fastest.”

Parker had just returned from a trip to Washington D.C. for a United States Conference of Mayors meeting.

“We’re all tackling similar issues: public safety, homelessness, property taxes,” she said. “These are issues facing cities across America. But it’s ironic to sit in a room full of mayors focused on solutions, just blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, where bitter partisanship has them deadlocked. Thank goodness local government doesn’t work that way. We are not rewarded for being partisan; we are rewarded for getting things done. Imagine that.”