North Texas Mayors Unite to Lobby Key Issues in Texas Legislature

DALLAS – Texas mayors from various political factions joined forces with a unified voice to lobby the state legislature during a Zoom call on Friday.

“The 18 mayors represented here represent one-third of the total population of the state of Texas,” said Grande Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen.

Mayors represent 8.5 million Texans from all over the state. Eight mayors from North Texas.

“We’re working on the ground and talking to our constituents on a daily basis,” McKinney Mayor George Fuller said.

The bipartisan group has revealed its priorities for the 88th Texas Legislature, which just met in Austin this week. These include local government.

“We have not seen anything shorter than an attack on local control,” Fuller said.

Economic development was also mentioned, as was property tax relief, which Gov. Greg Abbott called his top priority, with a budget surplus of nearly $33 billion.

Mayors also advocate for better education and a well-trained workforce.

“We will need an educated workforce if we are to continue to thrive in the state of Texas,” Plano Mayor John Mance said.

In terms of education, access to broadband has been a big priority.

“In Fort Worth, about 60,000 residents do not have Internet access in their homes,” Fort Worth Mayor Matty Parker said.

The so-called “digital divide” became evident during the pandemic, when students needed to leave their homes.

Public health and violence prevention were also discussed.

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross expressed concern about the possibility of a mass shooting given the city’s large entertainment and tourism district.

“Enough,” Ross said. “We need to enforce legal gun control in this state.”

The mayors also called for additional funding for mental health services.

And on the wish list was the Mayor of Fort Worth’s idea to help new mothers.

“What if we launch the first ever paid family leave program in the state of Texas?” Parker said. “The reality is that more than a third of Texan mothers do not have access to paid family leave and return to work in two weeks.”

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was noticeably absent from the Zoom call. His spokesman says he is technically a member of the coalition, but added that Johnson did not participate in the vote as the Dallas City Council sets its own legislative agenda.