The Republican Mayors Association, founded by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, has officially appointed a new advisory board.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Johnson launched the Republican Mayors Association (RMA) in October 2023 following his public switch to the Republican Party after being a Democrat his entire adult life.
The RMA aims to blend “traditional conservative values” such as fiscal responsibility and putting an emphasis on public safety with “innovative solutions tailored to the unique challenges cities face.” The association was founded to network mayors across the United States who share and promote such values.
On January 8, the RMA announced the inaugural members of the RMA advisory board, who were appointed by the RMA national board.
The mayors appointed to the advisory board will be responsible for “growing the ranks” of Republican mayors nationwide, with Johnson serving as chairman and president of the organization.
“After a successful 2023 election cycle for Republican mayors across the country, the RMA is heading into 2024 with a full head of steam, eager to work to bring the principles of fiscal conservatism, public safety, and smaller, more accountable government to more of America’s urban areas,” Johnson said in a press release.
“Our country cannot be great without great cities, and today’s announcement is the RMA’s next step toward helping to preserve, protect, and defend the American Dream, one city at a time,” he continued. “I am honored that so many Republican mayors have expressed an interest in serving in RMA leadership positions, and I am confident that with this founding core, together we will grow the Republican Party and expand opportunity for millions of Americans who live in our nation’s cities.”
The RMA advisory board comprises Republican mayors from across the United States who will serve one-year terms to advise the RMA chairman and president and RMA national board on its growth efforts.
The advisory board includes Ronald Morrell, Jr., mayor of Marion, Indiana; Erin Stewart, mayor of New Britain, Connecticut; and chairman Javier Villalobos, mayor of McAllen, Texas.
“I look forward to working with Mayor Johnson and my colleagues on the RMA Advisory Board to help grow this organization into a powerful tool that will help elect more Republican mayors and introduce more Americans who live in our cities to the benefits of sound Republican leadership,” said Villalobos. “There are no excuses: with the right candidates who deliver the right message, Republicans can win in every city across America.”
In addition to Johnson, the RMA national board now includes Tommy Hicks, co-chairman emeritus of the Republican National Committee (RNC); William Palatucci, RNC committee member from New Jersey; Brian Schimming, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin; Mary Elbanna, founder and CEO of Adept Strategies; and Kevin Faulconer, former mayor of San Diego.
Johnson was criticized for forming the RMA, with an op-ed published by The Dallas Morning News referring to it as a “bad move” that would “risk antagonizing [Mayor Johnson’s] left-leaning colleagues” on the Dallas City Council, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
However, Johnson shot back at those critics, noting that the same criticism was not levied against his previous mayoral involvement in partisan Democratic initiatives.