Outgoing Mayor Betsy Price (R-Fort Worth) was honored for her commitment to regionalism at the 55th annual meeting of the North Central Texas Council Of Governments (NCTCOG).
Price received the William J. Pitstick Award, which is named after the late Bill Pitstick who served as NCTCOG executive director for 26 years.
“It’s really exciting. I mean, any award you get is quite an honor and humbling. This one is particularly bittersweet because it comes at the tail end of my service,” Price told Dallas Express.
North Texas Commission President and CEO Chris Wallace nominated Price for the honor. The nomination was endorsed by 39 regional mayors.
“I have great respect for everyone, all the other mayors and their endorsement means the world to me,” Price said. “To get them to all come together and do that was just overwhelming.”
The Pitstick Award was established in 1993 and given to an individual for his or her work in promoting regionalism.
“People don’t think about boundaries. They may work in Dallas, live in Fort Worth or vice versa. They may work in Dallas, come to Fort Worth for dinner, for the arts, or for the zoo, or the stockyards,” Price said. “People think that this region is just one big region and we’re better served if we could do this. Clearly, my job is to promote Fort Worth when it comes down to competing with say Dallas or Frisco. If we’re out of the running we’re going to help our friends in Dallas and other regions because then it helps us. Our brand, DFW brand, is much stronger together.”
Price was elected the city’s 44th mayor in 2011. Re-elected several times, she oversaw the city’s extensive growth, leaving office as it hovers near a population mark of one million.
She said she’s loved serving the people of Fort Worth and called it a “great honor.”
Mayor-elect Mattie Parker is Price’s former chief of staff.
