In the race for Arlington’s top political office, it’s the longtime leader versus the fresh-faced newcomer.
During a debate Monday night organized by The Arlington Voice, both current Mayor Robert Cluck and top challenger Jeff Williams played up those roles as they tried to win over voters.
“Having 16 years of experience on the city council accounts for a lot,” said Cluck.
Cluck touted the city’s successes during his tenure including bringing AT&T Stadium to Arlington, approving the wildly popular Arlington Highlands shopping center, and more recently, signing off on a deal to help General Motors move forward with a $1.2 billion expansion of its Arlington Assembly Plant.
He believes that list of accomplishments will continue to grow if continues to serve as mayor.
“That’s one reason we’ve been really successful,” said Cluck. “We’ve had the same council we’ve had for a long time. We’re able to bring people to Arlington more easily and make bigger deals.”
Williams, who owns an engineering firm and has served on the Arlington Chamber of Commerce board, says Arlington is at crossroads and some new blood is what the city needs.
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“With my background in building communities and working on it, I’ll bring new ideas, new vision, new energy,” said Williams.
He told the audience that Arlington has missed out on economic opportunities like the Cowboys new practice facility and the Toyota headquarters because current leaders did not pursue them more aggressively. Citing previous work his firm did on the Viridian development and the new Nebraska Furniture Mart, he argued he can help make Arlington more competitive in the market for new businesses and jobs.
“I bring the qualifications of knowing about economic development, knowing about public infrastructure and transportation,” said Williams.
When asked what his priorities would be for the next two years if re-elected, Cluck said, “to continue with our successes.” He specifically mentioned working to bring a luxury hotel to Arlington’s Entertainment District so more visitors to AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Park and Six Flags Over Texas will choose to stay in Arlington rather than Dallas or Fort Worth.
“It’s something that we sorely need in Arlington,” said Cluck.
Williams says he wants to look at ways the city can help UT-Arlington, Tarrant County College, Arlington ISD and private schools thrive. One example he gave was working with UTA to develop a business incubator, so young people can start their own business in Arlington.
“Successful cities partner with their educational institutions and we need to elevate that to another level,” said Williams.
Early voting is underway. Municipal elections will be held on May 9.
To learn more about both candidates and their positions on issues, you can visit their websites by click on their names below:
