Three items are top of mind for the two candidates facing off to represent Fort Worth’s District 6 residents on City Council: responsible growth, resident engagement and public safety.
As early voting opened for the June 7 runoff election Tuesday, the Fort Worth Report hosted candidates Daryl Davis II and Mia Hall to talk about their vision for the district, which covers most of southwest Fort Worth and the historically Black neighborhood of Como.
The District 6 runoff is to decide the last open seat on the 11-member council, which saw all spots up for election on May 3. Nine incumbents secured reelection, and the packed six-way race to represent east Fort Worth’s District 5 ended in a decisive victory for Deborah Peoples.
Hall, 47, and Davis, 43, secured the top two spots among the four candidates vying for District 6. Hall took the lead with 46.8% of votes. Davis trailed behind her with 28.5% of the vote. The runoff was triggered when neither candidate secured over 50% of the vote.
Early voting for runoffs across Tarrant County runs from May 27 to June 3. Fort Worth residents can find what City Council district they live in here.
Davis and Hall both pitched themselves as the best equipped to take up the seat of incumbent council member Jared Williams, who unexpectedly withdrew from seeking a third term in January.
Throughout the forum, the two candidates argued that their robust resumes and past experiences make them best suited for the seat. Hall and Davis believe their savviness in politics, leadership and business can apply to issues at City Hall, such as crime prevention, responsible growth and infrastructure development.
Watch a replay of the forum
Readers can watch the forum in its entirety below, or follow links to specific questions.
Growth and development
Whoever wins the runoff will enter City Council right after Fort Worth hit the 1 million resident mark and as the city teeters on the edge of becoming the country’s 10th largest city.
The growth presents direct challenges to District 6, which in recent years saw the steady growth of subdivisions on previously undeveloped land.
Davis said he wants to prioritize listening to residents’ voices and concerns as City Hall considers new developments and zoning cases. He promised to consistently meet with constituents door-to-door and host listening sessions so he can build the community’s voices into new developments.
“It doesn’t make sense to me that we have rooftops before we have roads,” Davis said. “We’ve got to make sure that we make some critical investments in infrastructure.”
Hall, who served as Williams’ appointee to the zoning commission from 2022 to 2024, said the experience equipped her to work with developers while keeping community engagement a “foundation of all solutions.” She listed new traffic lights, grocery stores and road improvements as three projects she knows will require collaboration with outside organizations, and said she knows how to be the community’s ambassador and advocate to bring those projects to fruition.
When asked if and how she’ll build on Williams’ efforts to protect District 6’s green spaces, Hall again pointed to her time on the zoning commission. There, she learned that environmental protections were a top priority for residents as developers flocked to the southwestern part of the city, and she feels confident she knows how to voice those concerns to colleagues and developers.
“I’ve learned how to be a voice, and I’ve learned how to make sure that we use policy, order, consensus and discussion to make sure that we steward the development and the preservation of our green space in District 6,” she said.
Davis said he wants to ensure new communities are well-planned and prioritize protecting parks and waterways.
Public safety
Both candidates highlighted the importance of education in curbing youth gun violence.
Davis said combating gun violence takes a mix of prevention, education, community partnerships and accountability. He wants to lead investments in youth programs and mental health services that stop crime before it happens, and partner with community activists devoted to reducing street violence.
“Crime prevention is about more than just increased law enforcement — it’s about creating opportunities,” said Davis, who is an executive at UpSpire, a social enterprise that connects people experiencing homelessness with employment opportunities. “It’s about strengthening families and ensuring, really, that every young person has a pathway to success.”
Hall agreed that partnerships between community organizations and government are necessary to prevent crime, and she feels confident in her ability to lead them. She said that as a board member of United Way of Tarrant County, she was a part of starting the One Second Collaborative, an initiative focused on outreach to stop youth violence. She plans to prioritize starting similar partnerships as a council member.
Hall also said she wants to involve school districts in efforts to curb youth gun violence. She has sat on Crowley ISD’s school board since 2015, once serving as its president.
Davis has also sat on the school board since 2022, and is its current outgoing president.
Over their campaigns, both candidates have lamented the recent near-deaths of Crowley ISD students who were struck by cars as they went home from school.
Davis called the issue of street safety “near and dear,” and said he has been vocal about the importance of transit and pedestrian safety since the incidents. He took the issue as a chance to reiterate the importance of responsible neighborhood development, which includes making sure sidewalks and intersections are safe.
Hall agreed that the recent accidents were tragic, and she said that Fort Worth needs more consistency in roads and better education about traffic circles and speed mitigation. She stressed the importance of fitting street improvements into city budget conversations and said she’s equipped to lead those efforts.
Leadership, cooperation on City Council
Both candidates said they are experienced leaders and are skilled at working with groups as diverse as City Council.
Davis said he’s been a leader personally, professionally and spiritually as a nonprofit executive, a pastor at Inspiring Temple of Praise Church in Fort Worth and school board president of Crowley ISD. He said he knows how to navigate disagreements, but that he’s also confident in taking public stands on issues that matter to him, such as his opposition to Tarrant County’s redistricting plans.
“I’ve been able to ensure that, particularly on tough issues and tough times, that we’ve been able to move beyond personal, individual perspectives and really focus on what the main thing is,” he said.
Hall said she’s “been training her entire life” to join a group like City Council, also citing her 10-year tenure on the Crowley ISD school board. She said she knows how to be respectful of others’ perspectives, but she also knows how to stand up for what she believes in and what’s important to constituents.
“Even when under personal attack, I know how to be courteous and professional and I want to model that for the people that I come to work with,” she said. “At the same time, I’m a lifelong learner, and I know that those who are currently on council before me have added value that they can share their experiences and educate me in areas that I’m deficient in or in places where I haven’t had an opportunity to learn.”
Residents who did not cast a vote in the May 3 election are still eligible to vote in the runoff. Voters can find information about polling sites here.
Who is in the runoff to represent District 6?
Daryl Davis II
Key issues: Public safety, lowering fees for residents and developing infrastructure.
Occupation: President of Crowley ISD’s school board, which he’s sat on since 2022. Davis holds a leadership position at UpSpire, a social enterprise focused on removing barriers to employment, and he has been the executive pastor of Inspiring Temple of Praise Church since 2015.
Education: Master’s in educational leadership, bachelor’s in business management.
Davis, a 43-year-old father of two and Fort Worth native, lives near the south border of District 6 in the Summer Creek Ranch neighborhood. His endorsements include incumbent Jared Williams, County Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. and the Tarrant County Central Labor Council.
In 2019, Davis ran to represent District 6 in City Council, but lost to then-incumbent Jungus Jordan by 19.5 percentage points in a three-candidate race.
Mia Hall
Key issues: Public safety, improving infrastructure and improving city services.
Occupation: Member and previous president of Crowley ISD’s school board, which she’s sat on for 10 years. She works as Fort Worth ISD’s executive director of strategic recruitment and is on the board of United Way of Tarrant County. Hall was on Fort Worth’s zoning commission from 2021-22.
Education: Doctorate in education from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, master’s in education from the University of Texas at Arlington, bachelor’s degree in political science from UT-Austin.
Hall, age 47, is a mother of one and lives in the south end of District 6 in the Stone Meadow development. Her endorsers include County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, former Mayor Betsy Price and City Council member Chris Nettles, according to her campaign website.
In 2024, Hall ran as a Democrat for Precinct 1 county commissioner but lost in the March primary election.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @shawlings601.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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