Meet Tara

Introduction

Tara Maldonado-Wilson is a nurse, a small business owner, and a mother of three. Tara was born in Waco, Texas where she was raised by her single mom and Grandmother. Tara grew up in a household where putting food on the table, staying safe, and having clean clothes were a struggle they had to face every day. Tara is the oldest daughter of two siblings. Tara’s family responsibilities helped her develop a strong resiliency to hardships.

Tara is a Frontline Hero. She has served Fort Worth throughout the Covid pandemic, and answered the call to help fight Covid-19 in Chicago where they needed Spanish speaking nurses to assist hard hit Hispanic communities. She has stepped up for her community by serving Fort Worth during the worst of times. When the electrical grid failed across Texas, Tara ensured her neighbors were safe by delivering food and water throughout her community.

Why Tara is Stepping Up

Following the murder of Atatiana Jefferson, Tara felt compelled to stand and seek answers for this senseless act. Tara decided to go to City Hall and attend a City Council meeting for the first time. To her dismay, she, along with numerous other distressed community members, were locked out and silenced. At a time when worried residents should have been comforted and reassured, they were met with arbitrary rules and loaded down with procedure. As Covid spread, the absence in leadership from our elected officials was never more apparent. Something as simple as creating an online forum to get information out to the district was just too much work. Tara decided to step up and run for City Council.

In 2021, Tara built a grassroots campaign from scratch and came within less than one hundred votes of forcing a two-term Republican incumbent into a run-off. This outcome was a clear indication that voters were ready for a change. In 2022, Tara carried that momentum and built a movement.

Today, the same issues that motivated Tara to run in the first place are still the reality that residents of District 11 deal with every day. This district is a majority working class and communities of color. As a mom, frontline worker, and Latina from humble roots, Tara is as ready as ever to amplify the voices of those so often ignored in this city.