The Republican Mayors Association demonstrated its growing national reach during last week’s Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. An RMA-hosted reception brought together more than two dozen current and former mayors from across the country, along with corporate leaders, members of Congress, national Republican officials, and other supporters of the organization.
The gathering gave Republican mayors an opportunity to build relationships, exchange ideas, and discuss practical approaches to the challenges facing America’s cities. It also connected municipal leaders with national policymakers and private-sector partners who can help cities attract investment, expand opportunity, and improve residents’ quality of life.
With the national political spotlight on Dallas, the reception reinforced an increasingly important message: America’s cities must be part of the national policy conversation, and mayors have an essential role in shaping it.
RMA Chairman and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson outlined the organization’s vision for building a strong national network of Republican municipal leaders. He described the RMA as a platform through which mayors can share successful policies, strengthen their leadership, and work with public- and private-sector partners to make their cities safer, more prosperous, and better governed.
Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin discussed the importance of Republican mayors and their ability to demonstrate the results of effective local leadership. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner highlighted the department’s work to improve the quality of life in American cities and thanked the mayors in attendance for answering the call to public service.
The Dallas gathering illustrated the RMA’s distinctive ability to convene municipal leaders, national policymakers, and business leaders around a common interest in the future of America’s cities. As the organization expands, it will continue building a national network focused on practical solutions, effective government, economic growth, and opportunity.
Dallas Offers A Model For America’s Cities
Dallas Mayor and RMA Chairman Eric Johnson also addressed the Republican Midterm Convention, welcoming attendees to what he called “America’s sanctuary city from socialism.”
Mayor Johnson presented Dallas as a model for how a major American city can strengthen public safety, promote economic growth, maintain fiscal discipline, and create an environment in which businesses and families can thrive.
He cited the expansion of the Dallas Police Department, reductions in crime and homelessness, consecutive property-tax-rate cuts, and the city’s commitment to becoming the safest and most business-friendly major city in America.
Mayor Johnson contrasted that approach with policies he said have contributed to disorder, economic stagnation, and declining public confidence in other major cities. He argued that public safety, economic freedom, responsible taxation, and a welcoming business climate offer a stronger path for urban America.
His remarks advanced a central premise of the RMA’s work: Republican leaders should not concede America’s cities. Instead, they should offer an affirmative governing agenda that delivers safer neighborhoods, stronger local economies, greater opportunity, and a better quality of life.
Mayor Johnson concluded by calling on voters to choose “prosperity over decline” and “law and order over criminals and chaos” in November.
