Kathy Braatz

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Kathy Braatz

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1992 - 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Opelika, Ala.

Profession

Senior quality engineer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Kathy Braatz (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court to represent District 3 in Texas. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Braatz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kathy Braatz was born in Opelika, Alabama. Braatz served in the United States Army from 1992 to 1994. She attended the University of South Florida and Stephen F. Austin State University for undergraduate study and earned a degree in 2001. Braatz's career experience includes working as a senior quality engineer. She has served as a president with the Northeast Tarrant Democrats Club, as a member with the Tarrant County Democratic Women's Club, as a member with Indivisible Grapevine Area, and as a member with the City of Colleyville Architectural Review Commission.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Tarrant County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Tarrant County Commissioners Court Precinct 3

Incumbent Gary Fickes defeated Kathy Braatz in the general election for Tarrant County Commissioners Court Precinct 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gary Fickes (R)	64.0	156,657
		Kathy Braatz (D)	36.0	88,104

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 244,761
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Tarrant County Commissioners Court Precinct 3

Kathy Braatz advanced from the Democratic primary for Tarrant County Commissioners Court Precinct 3 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Braatz	100.0	27,537

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,537
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Tarrant County Commissioners Court Precinct 3

Incumbent Gary Fickes advanced from the Republican primary for Tarrant County Commissioners Court Precinct 3 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gary Fickes	100.0	39,975

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,975
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kathy Braatz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Braatz's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a former military police officer and an Army veteran with more than two decades of experience as a senior Quality Engineer at a top defense contractor. I have been a community leader serving in many local political organizations. Now, I am the democratic candidate for Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 3. I have been a resident of this community for the last 10 years and have been actively involved in community issues for the past few years. I have a deep understanding of the issues facing the residents. I am uniquely qualified for addressing these issues for county residents. I am running because Northeast Tarrant County deserves someone who deeply cares about the economic and social welfare of all residents and will fight for their equal access to health care, voting rights, transportation, clean air and water. I want to make county government transparent and accessible to residents and will listen to ideas from all over precinct 3. The precinct is very diverse, and I want to make sure all residents' voices are represented. Also, I feel we need a progressive female voice representing Northeast Tarrant County on the court. The precinct demographics and values are changing and the incumbent (in office since 2006) does not represent the current residents well. I can help push this county into the future and make the court look more like the people it represents.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Public Health- The biggest issue that is affecting our community right now is the COVID-19 crisis and we need the strongest possible response to tackle the biggest public health crisis of our lifetime. As the deep economic impact of COVID-19 takes root, we need to make heath care more accessible to those who need it and provide access to mental health - the county jail shouldn't be the largest mental health provider in the county.
• Elections- In the short term, making elections safe, accessible, and fair to every citizen in this pandemic environment is critical. In the long run, equal access to voting is so important - that means increasing polling locations and hours and expanding early voting, especially on college campuses and in working class neighborhoods so they have easier access (no long lines). Also, we should be gearing up to handle increased vote by mail efforts by budgeting for machines that will digitally verify VBM signatures.
• Criminal Justice- I would advocate for criminal justice reform by voting for bail reform, against 287 (g) enforcement and implementing changes to further combat elder fraud. It's important to reform the criminal justice system to make it fair and equitable to minorities and economically disadvantaged constituencies.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about many policy areas but public health is a big one and the current COVID-19 crisis has shown me the shortcomings of the current county leadership and the incumbent Commissioner of precinct 3. I believe that everyone matters and has value. People deserve to be seen and heard and shouldn't be judged or denied their rights based on who they are, what they look like, who they love, or what they believe.

I believe in opportunity for every citizen to access a quality education, affordable healthcare and affordable housing. I believe in equal rights for every citizen, including women's rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights and protection against discrimination of any kind. I believe in community and government coming together to solve larger issues such as climate change, transportation and the current public health crisis.

I believe in fairness in taxation, criminal justice, and equal access to opportunities for all citizens. I strongly believe in these core values. I will run my campaign on these values and if I am elected, I will use these values as guiding principles.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Every county in Texas has a Commissioner's Court and it's made up of 4 commissioners and a county judge. Even though it's called a "court" and there's a "judge", it is not judicial. Rather, it is the governing body of the county and is responsible for implementing laws passed by the legislature and for the economic and social welfare of its citizens.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe being open, honest and transparent are important qualities for elected officials.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I work well with a wide spectrum of people and know how to solve problems and implement solutions. I am empathetic and always look for ways to build community.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities for a County Commissioner include representing all the residents of the district, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Many people do not know all of the services available to them through the county, so keeping the residents informed by actively going into their communities and taking the information to them is critical.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working for my father, a veterinarian with his own practice. I was about 12 and would ride my bike several miles away to his office to clean the kennels and care for the animals that were boarding there over the weekend. I worked for my dad through high school, eventually working as a technician in the office, working directly with clients and their pets and manning the front desk. The job taught me a lot about being responsible and reliable. It also allowed me to save enough money to pay for a round-trip flight (when I was a junior in high school) to Australia to stay with a pen pal there for 2 weeks over Christmas break!

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Secret Garden is my favorite book-my mom read it when she was young and then I read it and gave a copy to my niece for her to read. It's a classic and I love the idea of having a beautiful secret hideaway garden!

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Commissioner's Court is in charge of elections- funding the Elections Office, determining early voting locations and hours and appointing elections judges. The Commissioner's Court also issued the stay at home orders for the entire county during this current COVID-19 public health crisis.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think that there is a lot of experience that is beneficial for the Commissioner's Court and previous experience in government/elected office is not required. It can be beneficial to have that previous experience but I also believe that there are benefits in having someone come in with a fresh voice and different perspective and experience.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

My experience as a Quality Engineer has ingrained in me the importance of being proactive - of anticipating issues and putting preventative measures in place before problems occur. This kind of experience, along with working with a lot of different groups on complex issues, is perfectly tailored for the work the Commissioner's Court does. Even though I have not held public office, I do have experience as a precinct chair, voter registrar and activist.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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