Mayoral election in Arlington, Texas (2021)

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2023
2019
2021 Arlington elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: February 12, 2021
General election: May 1, 2021
Runoff election: June 5, 2021
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor
Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2021

Jim Ross defeated Michael Glaspie in the nonpartisan mayoral runoff election in Arlington, Texas, on June 5, 2021. Ross received 54.4% of the vote to Glaspie's 45.6%. Glaspie and Ross advanced to the runoff election after receiving the most votes of the seven-candidate field in the May 1 general election, where Ross received 47.9% of the vote to Glaspie's 21.3%.[1][2]

This was the first mayoral election in Arlington without an incumbent seeking re-election since 2003.[3] Incumbent Jeff Williams (R) was term-limited.[4] Mayoral elections in Arlington are nonpartisan, meaning candidates appeared on the ballot without party affiliations. The Arlington Spectator, a local blog, posted a spreadsheet showing that Glaspie had voted in two of the previous six Republican primaries and that Ross had voted in two of the previous six Democratic primaries.[5][6]

Glaspie was a member of the Arlington School Board from 1991 to 2008, including time spent as the board's president. He was also a member of the Arlington City Council, representing at-large District 8 from 2012 to 2019. When he left office due to term limits, Glaspie had been serving as Arlington's mayor pro tempore.[7] Glaspie received endorsements from former Mayor Elzie Odom, who led the city from 1997 to 2003. He received additional endorsements from The Dallas Morning News and all five general election mayoral candidates who did not advance to the runoff.[8][9][10] Collectively, these five candidates received 30.7% of the vote during the May 1 general election.

At the time of the election, Ross owned a law firm and Mercury Chophouse, a local restaurant. He previously worked as a police officer with the Arlington Police Department and served on the board of directors for the Arlington Police Foundation.[11] Ross received endorsements from incumbent Mayor Jeff Williams (R) and former Mayor Richard Greene, who led the city from 1987 to 1997.[4] Ross received additional endorsements from four of the city's police unions.[12][13]

Both Glaspie and Ross emphasized their military backgrounds. Glaspie served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Ross was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps from 1979 to 1983.[7][11]

At the time of the election, the mayorship in Arlington had been held by Republicans since at least 2003 with the election of Robert Cluck (R), who served until Williams' election in 2015.

Arlington is located in Tarrant County, Texas, which voted for Joe Biden (D) in the 2020 presidential election. This was the first time the county had supported the Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 when Tarrant County voted for Lyndon B. Johnson (D). In 2020, Biden received 49.3 percent of the vote to Donald Trump's (R) 49.1 percent in the county, a D+0.2 margin. Trump won Tarrant County in 2016, receiving 51.7 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton's (D) 43.1 percent, an R+8.6 margin. In 2012 and 2008, Mitt Romney (R) and John McCain (R) won the county by margins of R+15.7 and R+11.7 percentage points, respectively.[14]

Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:


Glaspie

Ross


This page focuses on the runoff election for mayor of Arlington. For more in-depth information on the initial general election, see the following page:

Elections

Candidates and results

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Arlington

Jim Ross defeated Michael Glaspie in the general runoff election for Mayor of Arlington on June 5, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jim Ross
Jim Ross (Nonpartisan)
 
54.4
 
11,333
Image of Michael Glaspie
Michael Glaspie (Nonpartisan)
 
45.6
 
9,484

Total votes: 20,817
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for Mayor of Arlington

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Arlington on May 1, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jim Ross
Jim Ross (Nonpartisan)
 
47.4
 
14,782
Image of Michael Glaspie
Michael Glaspie (Nonpartisan)
 
21.1
 
6,590
Image of Marvin Sutton
Marvin Sutton (Nonpartisan)
 
14.9
 
4,661
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Kelly Burke (Nonpartisan)
 
7.3
 
2,289
Image of Dewayne Washington
Dewayne Washington (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
5.1
 
1,597
Image of Doni Anthony
Doni Anthony (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
1.8
 
566
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Cirilo Ocampo Jr. (Nonpartisan)
 
1.2
 
368

Total votes: 31,182
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

  • Jerry Warden (Nonpartisan) (Disqualified, appeared on ballot)
Note: Jerry Warden had been approved to appear on the ballot, but was later deemed ineligible due to past felony convictions and removed from the ballot on April 8, 2021.[15]

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[16]

Michael Glaspie

Image of Michael Glaspie

WebsiteFacebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Glaspie received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's in marketing/finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He also received a bachelor's in biblical studies from the Southern Bible Institute and a master's in religion from B.H. Carroll Theological Institute. Glaspie served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army. Professionally, he worked at IBM and as the executive director of the Metro Charter Academy. At the time of the election, Glaspie ministered at Mount Olive Baptist Church.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Glaspie said his experience on the city council, including his most recent term serving as mayor pro tempore, would put him "in a position where ... day one, nothing would slow down. We'd be able to keep ... focused on doing all we can to make Arlington the greatest city possible."


Glaspie described community safety as his top priority, saying, "It is important to continue assuring our citizens have safe, secure neighborhoods in which to live." He added that "[i]t is imperative our community and first responders strengthen the foundation of trust that we have built."


Glaspie said he would identify and recruit new businesses and support the growth of local companies. He said this "gives opportunities to our citizens to enhance their quality of life ... and expands the tax base, thus, allowing us to keep property taxes low."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Arlington in 2021.

Jim Ross

Image of Jim Ross

WebsiteFacebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Ross received a bachelor's in criminal justice from Dallas Baptist University in 1995 and a law degree from Texas Wesleyan University in 1998. He served as a U.S. Marine from 1979 to 1983 and worked for the Arlington Police Department following his honorable discharge. In 1999, Ross began practicing law before starting a private law firm in 2009. In 2017, Ross opened the Mercury Chophouse, a restaurant, in Arlington.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Ross emphasized his endorsement from incumbent Mayor Jeff Williams (R). Ross said, "as Mayor Williams approaches the end of his last term in office, the big question is, 'Where do we go from here?' The answer is simple, FORWARD!" He continued, "We have to stay on path and not allow someone to take the steering wheel of the city and drive us off the road."


Ross discussed his experience as a business owner and former police officer, saying, "I know what it takes when it comes to job creations and dealing with the issues of the pandemic and ... I know what it takes to keep this community safe."


Among his campaign positions, Ross listed the promotion of educational and career development, expanding transportation and mitigating congestion, and reducing the city's tax burden by "finding the inefficiencies within the City and making every tax dollar count."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Arlington in 2021.

Campaign finance

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Glaspie Ross
Newspapers and editorials
The Dallas Morning News[8]
Fort Worth Star-Telegram[17]
Elected officials
Mayor Jeff Williams (R)[4][12]
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn (R)[12]
Tarrant County College District Board member Diane Patrick (R)[9]
Arlington City Council member Ignacio Nunez[12]
Arlington City Council member and former mayoral candidate Marvin Sutton[10]
Arlington School Board member Melody Fowler[12]
Arlington School Board member Aaron Reich[12]
Arlington School Board member David Wilbanks[12]
Individuals
Frmr. Mayor Richard Greene[12]
Frmr. Mayor Elzie Odom[9]
Frmr. State Rep. Paula Pierson (D)[9]
Frmr. mayoral candidate Doni Anthony[10]
Frmr. mayoral candidate Kelly Burke[10]
Frmr. mayoral candidate Cirilo Ocampo Jr.[10]
Frmr. mayoral candidate Dewayne Washington[10]
Organizations
African American Peace Officers Association of Arlington[12]
Arlington Board of Realtors[18]
Arlington Municipal Patrolman's Association[12]
Arlington Police Association[12]
Arlington Professional Fire Fighters Association[12]
Hammer & Nails PAC[19]
Hispanic Police Officers Association[12]
Tarrant County Central Labor Council[20]


Timeline

2021

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Michael Glaspie

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.

Jim Ross

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.


Noteworthy events

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram endorsements

After endorsing Ross on April 11, 2021, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's editorial board rescinded its general election endorsement on April 29 after finding he provided false information in response to a candidate questionnaire.[24][13] The editorial board later endorsed Ross on May 21 ahead of the runoff election.[17]

The Star-Telegram provides the Star-Telegram Voter Guide, where candidates are allowed to provide answers to questions posed by the newspaper. One question asks whether a candidate has ever been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding. Ross answered that he had not. The editorial board later found that Ross filed for relief in 1999.[24]

Ross explained that he thought the question referred to only the last ten years. The editorial board said the question was unambiguous, adding, "If Ross ... lied or misread a simple inquiry, either raises questions about [his] fitness for office."[24]

The board announced that, due to the closeness to the election, it would not issue any new endorsements before the May 1 general election.[24]

On May 21, the Star-Telegram endorsed Ross for the runoff election, writing, "Ross' success in several fields and his rapid development as a first-time candidate should assure voters he'll be a worthy successor to [incumbent Jeff] Williams."[17]

Debates and forums

April 12 candidate interview series

On April 12, 2021, Arlington Urban released a series of interviews with mayoral candidates. Those for Glaspie and Ross are shown below:[25]

Michael Glaspie
Jim Ross

April 1 candidate forum

On April 1, 2021, Glaspie and Ross participated in a candidate forum hosted by The Deeds Group at RE/MAX Associates.[26] This forum took place before the May 1 general election. Previous mayoral candidates Kelly Burke, Marvin Sutton, and Dewayne Washington also participated.

Part 1

Party 1

Part 2

March 8 candidate forum series

Young Men for Arlington hosted a forum series where candidates were invited to provide responses to a set of questions.[27] Glaspie and Ross' responses are shown below:

Michael Glaspie
Jim Ross

February 25 candidate forum

On Feb. 25, 2021, Glaspie and Ross participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Arlington Republican Club.[28] This forum took place before the May 1 general election. Previous mayoral candidates Doni Anthony, Kelly Burke, Jerry Warden, and Dewayne Washington also participated.

Click the link below for a summary of the candidate forum:

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Michael Glaspie

Campaign website

Glaspie's campaign website stated the following:

Reasons for running for Mayor of Arlington
I have had the privilege of serving this community in many of its essential segments. These include city, education, business, healthcare and county. This has given me an opportunity to see our community in operation and assist in assuring we continue to make it the best place to live.

Our family moved here almost 40 years ago, and we have had wonderful experiences living in Arlington. I would like to use the experience I have gained from living, working and serving in Arlington to continue to enhance the quality of life for every citizen.

This is a unique city that has the feel and comfort of a smaller city with the amenities and benefits of a larger municipality. It is important to balance these to continue to capitalize on Arlington’s uniqueness and allow citizens to enjoy their lives while enhancing our total quality of life.

My focus will be on the people of Arlington, their property and their prosperity. Because of its uniqueness, we have the opportunity to make Arlington an even better place to live, work and play. It is important to continue assuring our citizens have safe, secure neighborhoods in which to live. Thus, our first responders having the best tools and techniques to care for our community is a priority. In addition, it is imperative our community and first responders strengthen the foundation of trust that we have built and forge a close partnership, so we work as an efficient team to maximize our safety and security. We need to ensure our infrastructure is maintained and improved. We must provide great value for the services delivered while keeping our taxes low. Our neighborhoods, our streets, our parks, our libraries, etc. should reflect a care and concern for our citizens and enable each to enjoy life fully and safely.

Accordingly, we need to identify and recruit businesses that can provide good paying jobs, particularly, high tech jobs, while continuing to support the growth of local companies. This has a twofold benefit. It gives opportunities to our citizens to enhance their quality of life with better career opportunities and expands the tax base, thus, allowing us to keep our property taxes low. It also adds to the overall attractiveness of our city.

Also, we must do all we can to provide the best educational and preparational opportunities for the most precious members of our community, our children. It is imperative that all of our institutions partner in providing the training and experiences for our youth that will ready them for excelling in the opportunities of tomorrow.

We are living in dynamic times and are positioned to ensure that we all realize our dreams and aspirations. We can accomplish even more as we work together to make our dreams realities. Therefore, I would like to use my knowledge of the city and community leadership experience to benefit the people of Arlington as Mayor.[29]

—Michael Glaspie's campaign website (2021)[30]

Jim Ross

Campaign website

Ross' campaign website stated the following:

Doing Business in Arlington
It is important that entrepreneurs, developers, and businessman find Arlington a great place to do business. As an entrepreneur himself, Jim knows firsthand this is not always an easy process. Good relationships between the business community and the City is a must. Streamlining the permitting process and making Arlington a place that encourages new business development is essential.

Promote Quality Education & Career Development
A strong and competitive Arlington workforce starts with a solid base of quality education. On any given day Arlington has more than 100,000 students in our public schools, private schools and upper education facilities. Our business community and educational leaders must work together towards nurturing a relationship which fosters career development and creating an environment of lifelong learning

Expanding Transportation & Mitigating Traffic Congestion
With over 17,000,000 visitors a year to our entertainment district and a ever growing population, Arlington continues to struggle with traffic congestion and parking issues. We must continue to be forward thinking regarding the mobility of our residents and those who visit this great city. We must continue to explore safe, convenient, and cost-effective alternatives which connects our businesses to our residents and other communities in the D/FW metroplex.

Public Health & Safety
As a former Arlington Police Officer, Jim knows firsthand what it is like to work the streets of Arlington. He understands the importance of balance between keeping our community safe and healthy and taking care of those emergency service workers who take such great care of us. As a survivor of COVID-19 and a businessman, Jim is keenly aware of the dangers associated with this pandemic both personally and professionally.

Reducing Our Tax Burden
Proper management of City monies is essential in keeping our tax burden down. This means finding the inefficiencies within the City and making every tax dollar count.[29]

—Jim Ross' campaign website (2021)[31]


What was at stake?

Report a story for this election

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Candidate survey

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Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Texas elections, 2021

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May 1, 2021
June 5, 2021
July 27, 2021
November 2, 2021


Mayoral partisanship

See also: Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2021)

Mayoral elections were held in 28 of the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2021. Once mayors elected in 2021 assumed office, the mayors of 64 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party.

The following top-100 mayoral offices changed partisan control in 2021:

About the city

See also: Arlington, Texas

Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas. As of 2020, its population was 394,266.

City government

See also: Council-manager government

Since 1949, the city of Arlington has utilized a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council, which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body, appoints a chief executive called a city manager.[33]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

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Demographic Data for Arlington, Texas
Arlington Texas
Population 394,266 29,145,505
Land area (sq mi) 95 261,267
Race and ethnicity**
White 56.1% 69.2%
Black/African American 22.9% 12.1%
Asian 6.6% 4.9%
Native American 0.4% 0.5%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.1%
Two or more 6% 7%
Hispanic/Latino 29.2% 39.4%
Education
High school graduation rate 85.2% 84.4%
College graduation rate 30.9% 30.7%
Income
Median household income $63,351 $63,826
Persons below poverty level 14.2% 14.2%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

Arlington, Texas Texas Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. A candidate must receive at least 50%+1 of the vote in order to avoid a runoff election.
  2. City of Arlington, "Ord. 21-006," accessed March 22, 2021
  3. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "‘We live in new times’: Arlington runoffs will come down to turnout, experts say," May 19, 2021
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 While the position in Arlington is officially nonpartisan, Ballotpedia tracks the party affiliations of all mayors of the 100 largest cities. Ballotpedia identified Williams' party affiliation as a Republican using local news references such as those found here and here.
  5. Google Docs, "2021 Municipal & ISD Candidate Primary Voting Record : Sheet1," accessed May 4, 2021
  6. Arlington Spectator, "June 5/May 1, 2021 Election - Our Analysis," accessed May 4, 2021
  7. 7.0 7.1 Michael Glaspie's campaign website, "About Me," accessed March 23, 2021
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Dallas Morning News, "Our recommendation for Arlington mayor," April 11, 2021
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Michael Glaspie's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 22, 2021
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Former Arlington mayoral candidates throw support behind Michael Glaspie in runoff," May 11, 2021
  11. 11.0 11.1 Jim Ross' campaign website, "Meet Jim," accessed March 23, 2021
  12. 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 12.23 12.24 Jim Ross' campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 22, 2021
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "This Arlington mayor candidate is best choice to lead city on crime, economic issues," April 11, 2021
  14. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Home," accessed Jan. 7, 2021
  15. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Candidate with felony convictions declared ineligible for Arlington mayor’s race," April 9, 2021
  16. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "This Arlington mayor candidate's experience shows he's ready to tackle city's issues," May 21, 2021
  18. Facebook, "Jim Ross for Arlington Mayor," April 13, 2021
  19. 19.0 19.1 Facebook, "Jim Ross for Arlington Mayor," May 14, 2021
  20. Tarrant County Central Labor Council, "2021 Endorsements," accessed March 23, 2021
  21. Almighty God Matters website, "Doni Anthony Flyer," April 22, 2021
  22. Facebook, "Jim Ross for Arlington Mayor," April 13, 2021
  23. Tarrant County Central Labor Council, "2021 Endorsements," accessed March 23, 2021
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Our Editorial Board pulls back Arlington mayor, council recommendations. Here’s why," April 29, 2021
  25. 25.0 25.1 YouTube, "Arlington Urban video," accessed May 4, 2021
  26. 26.0 26.1 Facebook, "The Deeds Group at RE/MAX Associates," April 1, 2021
  27. 27.0 27.1 YouTube, "Young Men for Arlington," accessed March 22, 2021
  28. 28.0 28.1 Facebook, "Kelly Canon," Feb. 25, 2021
  29. 29.0 29.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  30. Michael Glaspie's campaign website, “Home,” accessed March 22, 2021
  31. Jim Ross' campaign website, “Positions,” accessed March 22, 2021
  32. Las Vegas Review-Journal, "North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee says he’s becoming a Republican," April 6, 2021
  33. City of Arlington, "Government," accessed September 5, 2014