Mayor Jim Ross talks to the audience during the first session of “Arlington Unfiltered: Straight Talk with the Mayor” on Oct. 1 at the Bob Duncan Center. The meetings are intended to create direct dialogue between the people and the Ross.
On Thursday, the city began its “Arlington Unfiltered: Straight Talk with the Mayor” town hall series, in an effort to be more transparent with residents.
The town hall series is meant to give residents a direct voice on issues important to the community, according to the city website.
At the first meeting, Mayor Jim Ross said the meetings will center around various city topics, some which may be controversial.
By exchanging dialogue in these meetings, he and residents can learn from each other to make progress in the direction the community wants to go in, he said.
Ross chose the matters discussed in the series based on what the city heard most from the community, he said.
“These are the front-burning hot topics that people want to talk about,” he said. “I want to be that mayor that will say ‘OK let’s have a dialogue you don’t have to agree with me or disagree with me, but let’s have a dialogue about it.’”
The first meeting, which took place at the Bob Duncan Center, focused on changes to antidiscrimination and vaping ordinances.
After getting contacted by the American Heart Association, Ross said the City Council amended its smoking ordinance to include regulations for vapes and electronic cigarettes. Consequently, vaping has been prohibited anywhere smoking is prohibited to limit exposure to secondhand vapor, he said.
Arlington resident Brenda Lupien, 62, right, passes the microphone to Andi Gwyn, the mayor’s executive assistant, during the first session of “Arlington Unfiltered: Straight Talk with the Mayor” on Oct. 1 at the Bob Duncan Center. Attendees were encouraged to share their voice on key issues to the mayor Jim Ross.
In 2021, the city voted unanimously to adopt an antidiscrimination ordinance which Ross said served to protect classes like sexual orientation and gender identity.
In September 2025, the ordinance was suspended as concerns regarding federal funding related to diversity, equity and inclusion programs arose.
In February, the council passed a new version of the chapter that relies on federal legislation for protection and does not allow city officials to investigate discrimination reports, according to previous Shorthorn reporting.
The next town hall meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 22 at the Texas Rangers Golf Club and will focus on gas wells, data centers and electric vehicle charging stations.
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