Fort Worth City Council members have raised about $7.5 million combined for their campaigns since 2021, drawing donations from thousands of individuals, businesses, law firms, unions, and political groups for election and reelection efforts. The Fort Worth Report compiled the campaign finance reports of every council member who has served a full term on the dais over the past five years and identified the donors, and groups of donors, most invested in recent, successful city races.
Top Donors
The Bass family, investor John Goff, and Gary Blake, CEO of the largest independent operator of long-term care homes in Texas, are among the top contributors. The local firefighters union, the police officers association, and several other political action committees, including one focused on education with significant backing from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, are also on the list.
Council members whose term ended before 2023 were not included in the compilation. The Bass family has been a financial powerhouse in the city and country for decades, with an estimated net worth of $13.3 billion in 2024. Their status among the largest landowners in the nation is manifested in downtown Fort Worth, where the Bass Performance Hall trumpets the family name over the 37-blocks owned by Ed Bass, whose Sundance Square remains an economic and cultural anchor for the city.
Donations and Influence
Seven council members who responded to interview requests rejected the notion that donors hold sway over their votes. "My large and repeated donors wouldn’t be large and repeated donors if I felt uncomfortable," said council member Elizabeth Beck. "If I felt like there was a string attached to it, I wouldn’t accept that donation." Other council members maintained that the amount of the donation has no influence on them whatsoever.
The Bass brothers could not be reached for comment. Dee Kelly Jr., an attorney and treasurer for the Good Government Fund, declined to comment on his client’s donations. The Basses’ close relationship to City Hall has extended beyond donations, with Ed and Sasha Bass taking a private plane flight to Aspen, Colorado, with then-City Manager David Cooke in 2022.
Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.
