Fort Worth is doing away with its most prestigious form of recognition, proclamations issued on behalf of the entire City Council, after a proposed proclamation recognizing June as Pride month .
Going forward, the highest form of recognition will be issued solely by the mayor. Council members will still be able to give lesser forms of recognition, called special recognitions, that will be issued by a single council member on behalf of the city.
鈥淎t the end of the day, the intent to recognize individuals or groups is still there,鈥� council member Charlie Lauersdorf told the Report on Wednesday. 鈥淭here鈥檚 still a tool that each council member and the mayor has in their toolbox to show appreciation or recognition, so as long as we have that, I think we鈥檙e good.鈥�
Council member Chris Nettles said Thursday afternoon he believes presenting recognitions without the support of the entire council lessens their value and impact for recipients.
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 a slap in the face to those who should receive that high, distinct honor from the entire mayor and council,鈥� he said.
Nettles he believed the council should present proclamations with or without each council member鈥檚 signature 鈥� that way, council members could decline to sign a proclamation without derailing the recognition from happening. On Thursday, he said he stands by that recommendation, adding that the decision to change the forms of recognition was 鈥渃ompletely unnecessary.鈥�
Laken Rapier, chief spokesperson for Mayor Mattie Parker鈥檚 office, declined to comment on the new recognition process. The Report contacted all council members for their thoughts on the changes, which the city rolled out Sept. 12.
How to request recognition
Those interested in requesting recognition from the mayor or a council member can do so through the city鈥檚 . Requests must still be submitted 30 days in advance of when the requestor wants to receive the request, and the mayor and council may choose whether or not to support them.
The new forms of recognition come three months after recognizing June as Pride month, which highlights and celebrates the LGBTQ community. The drafted proclamation 鈥� which Lauersdorf and council members Alan Blaylock, Michael Crain and Macy Hill declined to sign 鈥� would have recognized several Fort Worth nonprofit organizations that serve the LGBTQ community.
Instead, several council members and the mayor, led by Elizabeth Beck, presented individual certificates of recognition to the organizations.
Previously, proclamations required unanimous council support in order to get presented, typically at council meetings. They were intended to 鈥渉onor and celebrate special events or increase awareness of programs and people that make Fort Worth special,鈥� according to a page on the city鈥檚 website reviewed by the Report in July.
In addition to proclamations, the council also previously issued certificates or letters of recognition, which came on behalf of the mayor or a council member. Those forms of recognition did not require consensus among the council.
Fort Worth鈥檚 new forms of recognition
- Special recognition: issued by a single council member on behalf of the city.
- Official recognition from the mayor: issued and presented by the mayor only, at the mayor鈥檚 discretion.
Lauersdorf he couldn鈥檛 support the Pride month proclamation to recognize the LGBTQ-serving organizations without knowing each organization鈥檚 stance on issues such as transgender children. He said he didn鈥檛 have enough time to research the organizations prior to the June meeting.
鈥淚 do not personally support surgically transitioning of minors,鈥� Lauersdorf said in August. 鈥淚f there are organizations that do support that or do push for that, that鈥檚 not an organization that I can implicitly endorse.鈥�
At the time, Nettles and Beck questioned Lauersdorf鈥檚 motives in declining to sign the proclamation. Nettles claimed Lauersdorf and the other council members who declined to sign off wanted to 鈥渃ontrol the narrative鈥� on what issues Fort Worth publicly supports and how the city is perceived.
鈥淗e may not know enough information about the organization, but he doesn鈥檛 care enough to find out information that he needs to know,鈥� Nettles said in August.
In a June 22 email to her fellow council members obtained by the Report, Beck told Lauersdorf, 鈥淕oogle.com seems like it would be a useful tool to enable you to do your job as a council member. Try it.鈥�
Lauersdorf responded: 鈥淎mazing resource, thank you!鈥�
Nettles said he has already experienced the new process after a recognition that he intended to deliver as a proclamation was reduced to a certificate of recognition. He said he was scheduled to present former City Council member Frank Moss and his wife Christene Moss, who served on the Fort Worth ISD board for decades, with a proclamation recognizing their service at a luncheon hosted by the Tarrant County Harambee Festival on Sept. 12.
Because of the changes to the recognition process, Nettles had to present the recognition as a certificate from his office rather than on behalf of the full council. The change was disappointing, he said.
鈥淲hen you have a proclamation with the signature of the mayor and the entire council, it shows an honor or a commitment from the city of Fort Worth, that although you might not be in my district, we honor and recognize you for the work that you鈥檝e done in any district in the city of Fort Worth,鈥� Nettles said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 important to people.鈥�
Lauersdorf said recognitions on behalf of the mayor instead of the full council will bear the same impact to community members seeking recognition. He added that a certificate from the mayor makes more sense to him.
鈥淚t鈥檚 coming from the mayor, it鈥檚 coming from the leader of the city,鈥� Lauersdorf said. 鈥淚f I was an individual or an organization, and I received a document 鈥� whether you call it a proclamation or a certificate of recognition or something else 鈥� and it had the mayor鈥檚 name on it, I would be absolutely delighted. I鈥檇 be honored and privileged.鈥�
Nettles said he believes the change diverts from the council鈥檚 process for every other action they take. As a council body, members take a majority vote on every resolution, policy and zoning case that crosses the dais 鈥� they should do the same to keep proclamations, he said.
鈥淚 represent District 8, but every single Tuesday, I vote for the entire city of Fort Worth,鈥� Nettles said. 鈥淭hat should be the same process for recognition. Whether you live in District 8, if you have done a significant amount of work in our community, you should be recognized by the entire City Council, not just your representative.鈥�
How do other big cities in Texas issue recognitions?
Dallas: Dallas City Council members may recognize the 鈥減eople, programs, and events that make Dallas a vibrant city鈥� by issuing a special recognition, which does not require council consensus. They also offer letters of recognition, which are issued for souvenir booklets, conferences, conventions and seminars, or a significant anniversary, birthday, reunion or event, according to the city鈥檚 .
Houston: As of Sept. 12, the city鈥檚 states, 鈥淐urrently, the Mayor鈥檚 Office is not accepting new requests as we review policies and procedures for distributing a proclamation, letter of support or certificate under a new mayoral administration.鈥�
Austin: Austin City Council issues several forms of recognition, including proclamations, distinguished service awards, certificates of appreciation, certificates of congratulations, certificates of completion, certificates of recognition and honorary resident certificates. It is unclear from the city鈥檚 if any of the recognition forms require council consensus.
San Antonio: All ceremonial recognitions come on behalf of the San Antonio mayor, according to the city鈥檚 . They offer several forms of recognition, including certificates, proclamations, alcaldes, certificates of heroism, corporate awards and distinguished citizen awards, plus recognitions to honor emissaries of the muses and honorary citizens.
In mid-August, City Council to the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association to honor the neighborhood鈥檚 100th anniversary. The presentation came in the midst of the recognition process review, after the mayor鈥檚 spokesperson said the city would not accept requests for proclamations until the review was complete.
When asked about the decision to issue that proclamation on behalf of the full council, Lauersdorf said he wasn鈥檛 sure how that decision was reached, but he assumed that the recognition was already in the works prior to the review.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a neighborhood that鈥檚 been around 100 years, that鈥檚 kind of a no-brainer,鈥� Lauersdorf said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no controversy there 鈥� so I don鈥檛 think there was any issue with that one.鈥�
Moving forward, Lauersdorf said he welcomes Fort Worth residents to request recognition from his office. He intends to support requests that 鈥渓ean toward individuals鈥� rather than broader issues.
鈥淚f someone were to reach out to our council鈥檚 office and ask for some sort of recognition for either an individual or an organization, just like before, we鈥檒l take them on a case-by-case basis,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do our due diligence, we鈥檒l do our research, ask questions and then move forward.鈥�
Lauersdorf said he doesn鈥檛 plan to 鈥渞ubber stamp鈥� each and every recognition request that crosses his desk, but he said other council members can make that choice for themselves and their districts.
Nettles said he plans to initiate changes in his district鈥檚 office to still include the word 鈥減roclamation鈥� on the recognitions he issues. He wishes he could revert the process to what it was before and allow council members to decline to sign off on proclamations without derailing them, but he admitted he doesn鈥檛 have the support from the rest of council at this time.
鈥淲e would need change within the body of the mayor and council in order to make that change,鈥� Nettles said. 鈥淎s things change, maybe in this election cycle, I鈥檒l look to try to make that process go back to the norm.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 note: This article was updated Sept. 12 to include additional information from council member Chris Nettles.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or .
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