Woman with ‘Duck Dynasty’ ties is running for vacant council seat in this Fort Worth suburb

Trasa Robertson Cobern considered getting back in to local politics at times, but as a faith-based person, she didn’t feel “led” to do so.

But things changed Tuesday night when she attended the Hurst City Council meeting on behalf of her employer, 6 Stones, to accept a $333 donation from Girl Scout Troop 1333 of proceeds from their lemonade stand.

While at the meeting, Cobern, 48, learned that council member Cindy Shepard resigned because she is moving.

The council voted to call a special election for Nov. 5, and Robertson Cobern filed the next day. As of Friday, no one else had filed.

“I felt led to serve,” Cobern said. “Hurst has always been responsive to citizens.”

Robertson Cobern served on the City Council from 2016-18, and she said some of her accomplishments included working on pay increases for first responders and getting body cameras for the police department.

“I’m 100% behind our first responders,” she said.

She chose not to seek re-election and ran unsuccessfully for Tarrant County tax assessor-collector in 2018.

Cobern, a former U.S. history teacher in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district, said educating people how to get involved and to interact with government is one of her top priorities.

“I’m amazed at how few adults understand how our government works,” she said.

Public safety, repairing streets and revitalizing the Bellaire area are also important priorities, she said.

Robertson Cobern said she is concerned that the Artisan Theater closed .

“The closing was a big hit for Hurst and for Tarrant County. Kids and adults could enjoy fine arts. It’s a super sad thing for the community,” she said.

She left teaching in 2019 and, in 2021, she was hired as chief development officer for the nonprofit 6 Stones , which provides emergency assistance and helps people in need with food, home repairs and school supplies, among other things. It will celebrate the opening of its new building in Euless in September.

Over the years, Robertson also took in stride the good-natured jokes about her family connections to the popular A&E reality show, “Duck Dynasty.” Her father, Si Robertson, played Uncle Si.

Cobern said previously that she credits her father , a Vietnam veteran, for teaching her the importance of hard work and family.