This Arlington mayor candidate’s experience shows he’s ready to tackle city’s issues
Arlington voters have two impressive choices to replace term-limited Mayor Jeff Williams. We recommend they go with Jim Ross, whose broad range of experience and growth as a candidate show promise for strong leadership.
Ross, 60, is a lawyer, business owner, military veteran and former police officer. At each stop of his career, he has been an innovator who made institutions better. He’s drawn a broad range of endorsements from current and past leaders and Arlington groups. This mix of experience and support have Ross poised to lead on difficult issues, including crime.
Amid a large field in the initial election, Ross came within less than 1,000 votes of winning outright. We’ve been impressed with his growth as a candidate. Asked what he’d learned in the campaign, Ross told the Editorial Board that he had a new appreciation for transit problems in Arlington. He had clearly dug into the issue and offered a detailed critique of the city’s Via rideshare service and the Handitran program for disabled residents.
Some Arlington leaders are reluctant to be frank about the city’s transit deficiencies, given the voters’ firm and frequent rejection of mass transit options. Ross’ candor on how far Arlington has yet to go was notable.
Runoff opponent Michael Glaspie, a 74-year-old pastor, is a fine candidate. He, too, brings a range of experience that would be valuable as mayor, including previous service on both the school board and the City Council. He’s a combat veteran and had a successful corporate career.
But in our interview, we didn’t hear a specific policy agenda or clear sense of direction for the city.
For the initial election, we also recommended voters choose Ross. We retracted that when it came to light he had failed to disclose a long-ago personal bankruptcy in response to a question about it in our Voter Guide. It later came to light that Glaspie, too, had failed to disclose that he’d been named in a civil suit involving property taxes on his mother’s home.
Ross said he had mistakenly assumed the question referred to recent cases. In our interview, he owned it, saying he had reviewed the question and determined that “I screwed up.” We take seriously the need for candidates to provide accurate information to voters, but Ross’ reaction speaks to his character.
We wish Glaspie had been as straightforward. He argued that he was never served in the tax case and was involved only because he stepped in to help his mother. That may be so, but he was clearly named in the court filing.
Ross’ success in several fields and his rapid development as a first-time candidate should assure voters he’ll be a worthy successor to Williams.
Early voting starts Monday and ends June 1. Election Day is June 5. Any registered voter in Arlington is eligible, regardless of whether he or she voted in the May 1 election.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor; and Nicole Russell, opinion writer.
Members of our Community Advisory Board may also participate in candidate interviews and offer their views, but they do not vote on which candidate to recommend.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.