Incumbent Arlington Mayor Jim Ross narrowly won reelection on Saturday, earning a final term in office.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Incumbent Arlington mayor Jim Ross will spend a third and final term in office after he received a majority of the votes in Saturday’s elections.
Ross, who was elected to another three-year term with about 50.9% of the vote, according to unofficial results. He defeated challenger Steve Cavender, who received about 39.5% of the vote. Candidates Hunter Crow and Shaun Mallory received 5.5% and 4.92% of the vote, respectively.
Ross celebrated his win at a gathering on Saturday night at J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill in Arlington, according to reporting from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ross called for unity after a contentious race between himself and Cavender.
“This has been a very, very, very nasty, difficult, divisive race, and y’all spoke really loud by saying, ‘We don’t put up with this crap in Arlington,’” Ross said, according to the Star-Telegram.
Ross was elected to his first term in 2021, and after serving his final three years as mayor, he will be ineligible to be elected due to the city’s term limits.
During his time as Mayor, Ross has led the city through the opening of the National Medal of Honor Museum, the redevelopment of several important commercial districts, preparations for the World Cup, which will be partially held in Arlington, and, most recently, reaching a $273 million deal to keep the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
He has also struggled with a multi-million-dollar budget deficit, which forced the city to raise taxes, and the repeal of the city’s non-discrimination ordinance, which now does not include LGBTQ residents.
Cavender criticized the budget deficit, saying it amounts to mismanagement on the part of Ross and the city council, the Star-Telegram reported.
Ross told the Star-Telegram he wants to leave behind a legacy.
“I want people to think that I left Arlington better than it was when I found it,” Ross told the Star-Telegram. “I want people to truly believe that I care and I love this city. I don’t need a name on a stadium or a park. I don’t need any of that. I want people to say, ‘Jim really did love us.’”