As North Texas\u2019 population continues to surge, the secret to the region\u2019s economic prowess lies in its cities\u2019 shared commitment to success, six local mayors said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The area\u2019s economy, and how to facilitate its ongoing success, was the focus\u00a0of discussion as the mayors of Fort Worth, Arlington, Frisco, McKinney, Garland and Richardson gathered Wednesday morning for the Dallas Regional Chamber\u2019s annual State of the Region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur problems up here as mayors are all very similar: dealing with infrastructure challenges and homelessness and making sure you have police officers on the street and firefighters,\u201d Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said during the panel. \u201cBut importantly, what drives our success is our focus on the economic engine and powerhouse of each of our cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
That engine is a powerful one, said Dale Petroskey, president and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The DFW region that spans 11 counties has seen more than 800 \u201csignificant corporate relocations and expansions\u201d and more than 300 company headquarters move to the area since 2014, Petroskey said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those numbers are a testimony to the \u201cgroup effort\u201d city leaders use to attract others to the area, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many of you in your respective cities have been speaking with prospective businesses moving in who have made the decision that they\u2019re coming to North Texas? They just haven\u2019t decided what part of North Texas they\u2019re coming to yet,\u201d Ross said. \u201cThat gives us the edge on so many communities around the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The collaboration still leaves room for competition as cities vie for economic opportunities, the panel\u2019s mayors conceded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrisco is a great regional partner because we\u2019re the worldwide headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys, and I lend them to Jim for eight days a year,\u201d Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney joked, referencing how the football team trains in his city but plays in Arlington.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The region has an \u201cunspoken secret,\u201d Parker said. Most Texas cities use a city manager-led form of government in which the manager acts as the CEO of the city, while the mayor acts as chair of the board of directors, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cities with a strong mayoral government often deal with city management and staff turnover, which weakens institutional knowledge and expertise as new administrations often hire their own staff to replace previous administrations, she explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine in each of your respective companies if every time you had a manager or a CEO change, everybody else went with it,\u201d Parker told the audience. \u201cIt\u2019s not how you run a city well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cities also don\u2019t run well when they lose local control, the mayors agreed. The group had sparse praise for the Texas lawmakers\u2019 work this year as they lamented various bills that sought to relinquish aspects of government control from the local level to the state.<\/p>\n
Parker said legislators attempted to paint all Texas cities with \u201cone broad brush\u201d without acknowledging each city\u2019s unique identity and needs. She was blunt with what she considered a success out of the legislative sessions this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of bills died, which was a really big win,\u201d Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Ross, DFW\u2019s continued economic success relies on each city\u2019s ability to manage and govern itself. He said state legislators are too embroiled in partisan politics, and local officials must keep their sights set on public service to their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am convinced, as I\u2019m sitting here today, that our federal and state legislatures are more loyal to their parties than the public they serve: you,\u201d Ross said. \u201cAnd that pisses me off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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