User:Texasgal1422/sandbox

Jim Ross (Texas politician)
Jim R. Ross (born July 3, 1959) is an American politician who has served as the 31st Mayor of Arlington, Texas since 2021. Ross, an attorney and restaurant owner, succeeded Jeff Williams, who retired after six years due to term limits.

After finishing first in the initial May election, Ross earned 54.5% of the vote in a June 5, 2021 runoff against former city councilman and school board member Michael Glaspie. Arlington city elections are non-partisan. Council members and the mayor are eligible to serve a combined maximum of three two-year terms.

Career and education
Ross grew up in Detroit, Michigan. From 1979 to 1983, Ross served in the United States Marine Corps. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Marines, Ross moved from Twentynine Palms, California, where he was stationed, to Arlington in 1983. He spent 13 years in the Arlington Police Department, joining the city's first SWAT team, investigating illegal drug trafficking with the Drug Enforcement Agency and helping to create Arlington's own police academy. While still on the force, Ross graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

Ross left the police department in 1996 to enroll at the Texas Wesleyan School of Law, now known as the Texas A&M University School of Law. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1998 and obtained his license to practice law from the State Bar of Texas in 1999. During his first 10 years as an attorney, Ross worked on environmental exposure cases and most notably collaborated with environmental activist Erin Brockovich. In 2009, he opened his own law firm, which focuses on personal injury and family law cases in Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington. The Jim Ross Law Group serves as the official law firm partner for several professional sports teams, including the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars. Ross also owns Mercury Chophouse, a north Arlington steakhouse that opened in 2017.

In November 2020, Ross launched his campaign for mayor with the support of then-Mayor Jeff Williams, former Arlington Mayor Richard Greene and Texas Rangers executive Steve Buechele. Ross initially received the endorsement of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's editorial board in the May 1 election, but the endorsement was rescinded in April 2021 after Ross failed to disclose a 1999 bankruptcy filing on a candidate questionnaire. With seven candidates on the May 1 ballot, Ross finished first with 47.4% of the vote and advanced to a June 5 runoff against former Arlington council member Michael Glaspie, who earned 21.1% of the vote. Ross outspent all other candidates in the race, with more than $110,000 in expenditures during the May 1 campaign.

In the June runoff election, Ross won the race with 54.4% of the vote to Glaspie's 45.6%. Ross was sworn into office on June 29, 2021, with pledges to attract new businesses to Arlington, reduce tax burdens and improve traffic flow.

Personal life
Ross has four children and five grandchildren. He has served on several nonprofit boards, including a stint as chair of the Arlington Police Foundation's board of directors.