Former Tarrant County judge calls commissioners court meetings a "circus," hopes for resolution

Arrests in connection with public comment.  Elderly residents removed from meetings. Anger over plans to shrink the number of voting locations and a proposed resolution honoring Charlie Kirk.

The issues are different, but former Tarrant County Judge B. Glen Whitley says the increasingly volatile atmosphere surrounding county government has become impossible to ignore.

"I can't tell you how many people come up and say, 'What's going on down there? Why are we doing this?'" Whitley said.

Whitley, a Republican who served on the Commissioners Court for 26 years and as county judge from 2007 through 2022, watched the latest meeting unfold as more than 135 people addressed commissioners during public comment.

He believes complaints about voter suppression could be credible. But the way things played out was not what he was used to.

"In my mind, it was a circus and not a good one," Whitley said. "Very, very disappointed at the way people are treated, the way they treat each other."

Whitley followed Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff as county judge.

That's history. Recent Commissioners Court meetings have become flashpoints over public comment and decorum, including arrests and the removal of residents from the chamber. The political temperature has also risen over voting access, with critics expressing outrage at efforts to reduce the number of voting locations and calling the move a "shame."

The latest debate includes a proposed county resolution involving conservative activist Charlie Kirk, adding another politically charged issue to an already packed agenda.

For Whitley, however, the larger problem is not any single controversy. It is what he describes as a breakdown in respect between elected officials and the people they represent.

"Just the lack of respect both sides on the dais, both sides between the public and between the elected officials," Whitley said. "And there's no reason for that."

Whitley said the atmosphere is far removed from much of what he experienced during his years in county government.

"We used to always say we didn't want Texas to ever get like Washington," he said. "Well, now Texas is every bit the same as Washington, if not worse. And now we're beginning to see it come down to the local level – the commissioners court, city council, I think school board."

Whitley believes the political climate has made disrespect easier to justify.

"I think it's difficult now because we've been given permission from the top to be rude, disrespectful, and to bully people," he said.

Restoring order may require more than enforcing meeting rules. Whitley said county leaders and residents have to decide whether the goal is to win political fights or to govern.

"Somewhere we've got to sit down and say, 'We want to go from just pointing the finger and demonizing the other side to where we really want to accomplish things.'"

CBS News Texas reached out to the office of Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare for comment about the conduct and atmosphere at recent Commissioners Court meetings. His office had not responded at the time of publication.

O'Hare makes decorum and meeting rules available to attendees.