Arlington Mayor-elect Jim Ross was at city hall Thursday for a meeting with the city manager to talk about what is ahead in his new job.
“What to expect, you know, what is it that the mayor does, what it is that the city manager does, what's my vision, what is going on. It’s like drinking from a fire hose,” Ross said.
Ross's vision is more jobs. This is his first job in politics. He's a businessman, a lawyer, and a former police officer. He wants to spread job growth and develop businesses outside of the entertainment district.
This is how he thinks it can be done.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
“We have to make sure that our first responders are taken care of and people know that our city is safe. We have to make sure that our infrastructure is staying current, we are taking care of our roadways and transportation issues. We got to make sure that our education continues to be on the uphill climb, and that we get better, and better, and better, every year,” Ross added.
He takes the helm as the city recovers from a pandemic and about a year after the city created a Unity Council to create an equity plan.
“People told me along the campaign that you can’t be a guy like me who supports the police, but also recognizes there are social issues that need to be addressed, and I disagree with that. I think we can do both and we need to do both. We have significant social concerns in this community. That’s what our Unity Council addressed already and we are trying to bring the recommendations to life now, but at the same time we still have to take care of our police and firefighters,” added Ross.
Lone Star Politics
Covering politics throughout the state of Texas.
One person Ross will be talking with as he begins the job is current Mayor Jeff Williams, a friend who endorsed him.
Ross will be sworn in June 29.
