FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and leaders there are pushing to keep up. Mayor Mattie Parker has been in office nearly a year, and points to advancements in early childhood education and homelessness services as some of her biggest accomplishments so far.

What You Need To Know

  • Mattie Parker, a Republican, was elected mayor of Fort Worth in 2021. She spoke with Capital Tonight about what has been accomplished since she took office as well as her vision going forward

  • Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country and currently the only one mining for Bitcoin. Parker said she wants people to associate her city with tech

  • Parker has made headlines for questioning internal relations within her political party. Her position is nonpartisan, and she said she is used to reaching across the aisle in order to get things done

 

"We've accomplished a lot together as a council," said Parker during an interview on Capital Tonight. "I think most notably, our ability to work together and build consensus on some of the toughest issues. We may not always agree, but we think we should do our work with respect...and work hard on behalf of all residents of Fort Worth."

Fort Worth recently became the first city in the U.S. to mine for Bitcoin, a process where sophisticated software preforms complex math problems to get the cryptocurrency into circulation.

"The conversation is happening on the state level, and Fort Worth wanted to be on the front lines of [that] strategy," said Parker. "So we created a low-risk pilot program to explore that opportunity around cryptocurrency. We want companies around the world to understand Fort Worth is synonymous with tech."

Parker made headlines recently for questioning internal relations in her Republican party.

"I've had this conversation with people who are Democrats, Republicans, Independent. I think everyone is a little concerned right now...the pendulum keeps swinging either far right or far left," said Parker of primary politics. "I'm on a seat as mayor that's nonpartisan, so I know what it's like to have to reach across the aisle. I think it's the way we should govern; the fighting has to stop somewhere. Put your swords down and really work on behalf of what's best for residents."