Crystal Wise
For the more than a year that Elizabeth Beck ran unsuccessfully for the Texas state House in 2020, a trend emerged.
More often than not, the concerns she heard from would-be constituents of District 97 weren’t state matters but those of the city. She was as educated by voters as they were by her.
When the District 9 seat on the Fort Worth City Council opened up, she threw her hat in the ring. This spring she is running for a second term on the Council. Three others have filed to run against her, Pamela Boggess, Jason Pena, and Chris Reed.
“I often say it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, and I’ve been to war and I’m a single mom,” she kids. “But it’s also the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. I ran because I truly love the city of Fort Worth, and I think I have a little more to offer. So, I’d like the opportunity to do that for two more years.”
Beck, a member of Fort Worth Inc.’s The 400: The Most Influential People in Fort Worth, recently turned the clock on her 40th birthday.
The landmark event gave her the opportunity to reflect on where she has been and where she is going. Beck is an Army veteran who served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and master’s degree in city and regional planning from UT-Arlington. She also has a law degree from Texas A&M in Fort Worth. She does employment and labor law.
Oddly, only 10 years prior, she had no interest in elective politics.
“Absolutely not. I just didn’t think it would be for me. It’s scary to think about running for office; to put your name on the ballot. It’s tough. I would have said I wasn’t suited for that. A lot of self-doubt there. In large part I have had to self-parent myself.”
However, after a first term, she knows what she wants to be doing for the next two years: “I want to do what I’m doing now.”