NEVADA (1080 KRLD)- Mayors from across the country met in Reno, Nevada this weekend for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Organizers say 180 mayors from cities of more than 30,000 people attended the 90th annual meeting.
"It's incredible getting to know other mayors from around the country and seeing what mayors and communities are doing to help people is invaluable," says Arlington Mayor Jim Ross. "We've addressed all kinds of issues from electric vehicles, the environment and veterans affairs. Of course, the recent school shootings came up when we were here."
Ross says mayors are now looking at how they can work with school superintendents on local measures to ensure safety.
"In our community, we are meeting with the school district, the police department; we're strategizing about some of the efforts that can take place locally and not always waiting to see if the state or federal government are going to do something," he says.
The conference has supported two bills passed in the U.S. House: HR 8 would require all gun sales between private parties to include a licensed dealer who would first take possession of the gun to perform a background check. HR 1446 would require a background check on all gun sales before a purchase can be completed.
On the environment, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has previously supported cities' plans to reduce carbon emissions, including Columbus, Ohio, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. Mesa, Arizona adopted a plan to reach carbon neutrality and 100% renewable energy by 2050.
On infrastructure, Ross says mayors are working together to modernize the transportation system. As North Texas grows, he says, mayors are working together locally to develop solutions to move people without spending more money on additional right-of-way for more lane miles.
"A lot of regional efforts are being made to try to connect Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth with some type of train down I-30. Hopefully, we can make that happen one day," Ross says.
Ross is a Marine veteran and co-chairs the conference's Veterans Affairs Task Force. He says the task force met with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to talk about how to make awarding grants to local communities more efficient.
"For me, that was very exciting, really interesting," he says. "We've put together a veterans affairs task force in Arlington. We are hoping to emulate that around the country to help out veterans."
Ross says existing programs can help veterans with health care and their transition back to civilian life, but local communities may have trouble connecting veterans to those services.
"There are a lot of good programs out there, but veterans don't leave their service and think, 'Okay, I can reach out to all these people.' They're not reaching out, so we need to get programs to them and connect the dots. I think we've made a lot of good progress while we were here."
Ross says Arlington has long supported veterans and that reputation has grown with the beginning of construction on the National Medal of Honor Museum.
"That speaks to the character of our community," he says. "Taking care of veterans is one of those issues where people don't care if you're Republican, Democrat or independent or what your religious preference is. That is a cause that goes across all of those boundaries. Everybody wants to get in and help. In North Texas, particularly in Arlington, we have a very caring community, and I'm excited to see what we can do."
A winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors is scheduled in January 2023 in Washington D.C. The 91st annual meeting is scheduled in June 2023 in Columbus, Ohio.
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