Jim Ross

Mayor of Arlington, TX

Jim Ross is the 31st mayor of Arlington, Texas, bringing  decades of experience in public safety and community service. As a resident of Arlington for nearly forty years, he has been deeply involved in the city’s development and well-being.

From 1979 to 1983, Jim served as a United States Marine, undertaking various assignments both domestically and abroad. After receiving his Honorable Discharge, he joined the Arlington Police Department, where he served for thirteen years. During his tenure, Jim was a member of Arlington’s first full-time Special Operations Unit (SWAT), taught self-defense and physical fitness at the police academy, and spent over six years investigating illegal narcotics trafficking with both local enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force. His numerous commendations reflect his dedication and effectiveness in these roles.

As an active member of the community, Jim has served on the board of directors for the Arlington Police Foundation, contributing to the city’s ongoing public safety initiatives.

As a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2022, Mayor Ross has actively collaborated with a bipartisan group of mayors across Texas. Together, they have united in calling on state leaders to convene a special legislative session addressing urgent issues related to mass shootings and gun reforms. Mayor Ross’ proactive stance exemplifies his commitment to advocating for sensible gun laws and taking proactive measures to address the pressing challenges surrounding gun violence in our communities.

Brandon Scott

Mayor of Baltimore, MD

Brandon M. Scott is the 52nd Mayor of Baltimore, working to end gun violence, restore the public’s trust in government and change Baltimore for the better.

Scott was unanimously elected President of the Baltimore City Council by his colleagues in May 2019. Previously, Scott served on the City Council representing Baltimore’s 2nd District. He was first elected in 2011 at the age of 27 and is one of the youngest people ever elected to the Baltimore City Council.

Mayor Scott is a community leader, public servant, and lifelong resident of Baltimore City. A proud Baltimorean, Scott is a graduate of MERVO High School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He lives in Baltimore’s Frankford neighborhood in Northeast Baltimore.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2020, Mayor Scott’s comprehensive approach to gun violence prevention includes deep investment in community-based violence intervention coupled with a strategic focus on stemming the flow of illegal guns into his city.

Tim Kelly

Mayor of Chattanooga, TN

Tim Kelly is the 66th mayor of Chattanooga, a proven leader with a heart for his city. Born in April 1967, Tim is a lifelong resident of Chattanooga, and it will always be his home. Growing up in a family that emphasized servant leadership, Tim still embraces that approach today.

Before taking office, Tim served as chairman of the board for the Chattanooga Football Club, which he co-founded. He also founded, owned or operated a number of other businesses. As a civic leader, Tim has served on boards for the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chattanooga, the Benwood Foundation, River City Company, Allied Arts (now ArtsBuild), Chattanooga 2.0, and the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, among others.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2021, Mayor Kelly has made combating gun violence a top priority for his Administration, including investment of American Rescue Plan funds for gun violence prevention.

Justin Bibb

Mayor of Cleveland, OH

Justin M. Bibb is the 58th Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, who is committed to enhancing public safety and modernizing city services. Since taking office on January 3, 2022, Mayor Bibb has prioritized high-quality city services and transformative changes to improve safety and accessibility for all residents.

In just two years, Mayor Bibb’s administration has achieved significant progress in public safety through the Raising Investment in Safety for Everyone (RISE) Initiative. This initiative includes a $15 million American Rescue Plan investment aimed at revitalizing Cleveland’s Southeast Side and bolstering community safety.

Mayor Bibb holds an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from American University, completed the General Course Programme in Social Policy and Economics at the London School of Economics, and earned an MBA and JD from Case Western Reserve University.

As a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2021, Mayor Bibb has been advocating passionately for effective gun violence prevention measures, championing initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence, promoting responsible gun ownership, and enhancing public safety across the city. His commitment to these efforts reflects his unwavering dedication to creating a safer, more secure environment for all residents.

Quinton Lucas

Mayor of Kansas City, MO

Quinton Lucas is the 55th mayor of Kansas City and is known affectionately as “Mayor Q” to Kansas Citians. He prioritizes making Kansas City’s neighborhoods safer, creating more accessible and affordable housing and public transportation, maintaining efficiency and transparency in governance, and improving basic services.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Mayor Lucas has spent most of his life in the city’s urban core. As a child, his family moved often and even experienced homelessness. Despite these challenges, Quinton remained focused on his schoolwork, earning academic scholarships to high school, college and eventually Cornell Law School before returning home to Kansas City.

Mayor Lucas remains focused on public safety, leading with decisiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic to save lives, as well as addressing the decades-long problem of violent crime in Kansas City. Understanding that the city needs long-term, sustainable solutions to fighting violent crime, Mayor Lucas continues working to decriminalize poverty—including ensuring unpaid parking tickets can no longer lead to incarceration—and build police-community trust through accountability measures. He serves as chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee, and as co-chair of Accelerator for America. Mayor Lucas has been a member of the University of Kansas Law School faculty since 2012, where he teaches local and state government law.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2019, Mayor Lucas has taken important steps to keep his community safe, including holding gun dealers and manufacturers accountable for supplying illegal guns that have been used in crime in his city, and advancing innovative local ordinances to keep guns out of the hands of minors and domestic abusers.

Andy Schor

Mayor of Lansing, MI

Under Mayor Schor’s leadership, Lansing has prioritized public safety through substantial investments and initiatives. He has focused on providing support and resources for neighborhoods and enhancing social services, including homeless prevention programs and sheltering services for those in need. These efforts contribute to creating a safer and more supportive environment for all residents.

Mayor Schor is actively involved in several boards and organizations dedicated to public safety and policy. He serves on the US Conference of Mayors Advisory Board, the US Conference of Mayors P3 Council, and the Accelerator for America Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Lansing Promise Board, the City of Lansing Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees, and the Police and Fire Retirement System Board of Trustees. Additionally, he is a founding member of the national Gun Safety Coalition

Prior to becoming mayor, Schor served in the Michigan House of Representatives and as an Ingham County Commissioner, where he focused on good government policy issues, including public safety.

Andy and his wife, Erin, are proud to call Lansing home. They have two children who are graduates of Lansing Everett High School. Mayor Schor graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and history.

As a committed member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2019, Mayor Schor has consistently demonstrated his dedication to public safety. Through his proactive efforts at both the state and local levels, he has worked tirelessly to ensure that Lansing remains a safe and thriving community for all its residents.

Shawyn Patterson-Howard

Mayor of Mount Vernon, NY

Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard is the 30th Mayor of the City of Mount Vernon, New York. Her election in 2019 was historic as she was the first woman to be elected as Mayor. Her re-election in 2023 marked the first time that a sitting mayor has been re-elected in 20 years. Mayor Patterson-Howard has quickly made her mark in the governing and political landscape. Leading through the competing crises of Covid-19, public safety/criminal justice reform, climate change, massive infrastructure, and financial challenges; Mayor Patterson-Howard has stayed focused on developing systemic solutions that help marginalized groups and create partnerships that bring much needed resources to address legacy, current and emerging issues.

During the past four years in office, she has worked to build public/private partnerships that have brought in over $350 million for multiple infrastructure projects and the redevelopment of Memorial Stadium. Historic investments have been made to upgrade the City’s fleet of vehicles and the $11 million “Paving It Forward” street repair initiative. Through innovative partnerships, the city has launched The Wellness Precinct, Youth Diversion and Emerging Adult Justice Courts, Mayor’s for Guaranteed Income, expanded youth employment and development, workforce development and secured funding for the renovation of the Doles Center, Armory, and Animal Shelter.

In her inaugural term, Mayor Patterson-Howard rose to the national and international stage for her unapologetic advocacy for environmental justice, public health, financial empowerment, and public safety. This has enabled the city to partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard, The Gates Foundation, National League of Cities, and others to enhance staff development and grant opportunities.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2020, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard served as an active Moms Demand Action Volunteer and community leader before running for office, including running community-based violence intervention programs, and serves as the Immediate Past President of the African American Mayors Association and lead on their public safety committee.

Eric Adams

Mayor of New York City, NY

Eric Adams is the 110th mayor of the City of New York, where he is leading the fight to bring back New York City’s economy, reduce inequality, improve public safety, and build a stronger, healthier city that delivers for all New Yorkers.

Before becoming mayor, Mayor Adams served the people of New York City as a New York Police Department officer, New York State Senator and Brooklyn Borough President, where he has given voice to a diverse coalition of working families in all five boroughs.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2022, Mayor Adams has made addressing gun violence a top priority for his administration. He has met with survivors of gun violence, and released a plan, the “Blueprint to End Gun Violence in New York City”, in his first month in office. As a State Senator, Mayor Adams was a leader in expanding violence prevention and intervention programming throughout New York.

Regina Romero

Mayor of Tucson, AZ

Regina Romero is the 41st Mayor of Tucson, and has proven herself to be a champion for issues such gun violence, climate change, affordable housing, infrastructure investment, immigrant and workers rights’, and access to a high-quality education. 

 In 2007, Regina became the first woman to represent Tucson’s Ward 1 on the Tucson City Council. While on the Council, Regina helped lift Tucson out of the Great Recession to its most prosperous decade in recent history, helping spur the creation of thousands of high-wage, long-term jobs. 

In November, 2019 Regina was elected Tucson Mayor, becoming the first woman and first Latina Mayor of Tucson, as well as the only Latina Mayor in the 50 largest U.S. cities. Regina is the proud mother of two bi-lingual, bi-cultural and bi-adorable children, Emiliano and Luciana, and has been married to Ruben Reyes for 15 years.

Raised by immigrant farm-workers in Somerton, Arizona, Mayor Romero is the youngest of six children and began breaking barriers early on as the first member of her family to vote and the first to graduate from college. She is a proud graduate of the University of Arizona and holds a post-graduate certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

 A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2020, Mayor Romero’s first official press conference was to announce her commitment to ending gun violence and joining the MAIG coalition. She has spearheaded a new Community Safety, Health, and Wellness Program to address the root causes of crime and reduce gun violence.

Tishaura Jones

Mayor of St. Louis, MO

Tishaura Jones is the 47th mayor of St. Louis, MO and became the first Black female mayor in the City’s history on April 20th, 2021.

Transparency, Integrity, and Service define who she is and how she did it. Since 2012, Tishaura O. Jones has helped the City of St. Louis earn and save over $30 million and counting.

Mayor Jones has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Hampton University and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the Saint Louis University School of Public Health. A graduate of the Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, she has served as Vice President of Public Finance for Blaylock Robert Van, LLC, an investment banking firm, as well as adjunct faculty at the Anheuser-Busch School of Business at Harris-Stowe State University.

Mayor Jones’ volunteer service is as notable as her robust career accomplishments. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., her dedication to public service has earned her numerous accolades including awards from the St. Louis Coalition for Human Rights, the RCGA, and the Lupus Foundation of America. From financial empowerment to the modernizing of services, Jones has helped make city government easier to navigate, easier to participate in, and easier to understand.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since her election in 2021, Mayor Jones led the way nationwide by being one of the first mayors in the country to announce her intention to use American Rescue Plan funding to address local gun violence. She has been outspoken about dangerous state laws, like the Second Amendment Preservation Act, that limit the ability of cities like St. Louis to fight gun crime. Mayor Jones understands that to make our city safer, we need a holistic approach to improving public safety by addressing root causes of crime such as poverty, housing instability, and the like. This includes ensuring our city deploys tools, such as community violence intervention programs and social workers, to help police officers focus on their main job: Preventing violent crime.

Jane Castor

Mayor of Tampa, FL

Jane Castor, the 59th Mayor of Tampa, has dedicated her life to public service and the safety of her community. Born and raised in Tampa, Jane’s career began as a police officer, eventually becoming Tampa’s first female Chief of Police.

With 31 years at the Tampa Police Department, Jane served in nearly every capacity across the city’s neighborhoods. As Chief of Police from 2009 to 2015, she achieved a remarkable 70% reduction in major crimes citywide. Her leadership was rooted in community outreach, ensuring officers were deeply connected with local families, businesses, and community leaders. Her guiding principle was that “everyone was treated with dignity and respect,” fostering a culture of partnership between the police department and the community.

In 2023, Jane was overwhelmingly elected Mayor of Tampa. She immediately launched the Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow (T3) initiative, addressing critical issues like transportation, affordable housing, workforce development, resident services, and sustainability.

An alumna of Chamberlain High School and the University of Tampa, Jane remains active in the community. She serves on the Gracepoint Mental Health and Wellness Board of Directors, is the founder and board chair of RISE Tampa Police Foundation, and is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and a Police Foundation Fellow.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2019, Mayor Castor’s commitment to public safety extends to her advocacy for stronger federal background checks. Her dual perspective as a mayor and former police chief positions her as a national leader in integrating law enforcement with community-based programs to combat gun violence.

Michael Bloomberg

Founding Chair

Mike Bloomberg is an entrepreneur and three-term mayor of New York City whose innovations in business, government, and philanthropy have made him a pioneering leader on critical issues facing America and the world. He has launched major efforts to save and improve lives, including America’s largest campaigns to prevent gun violence and fight the climate crisis, and global initiatives to tackle pressing public health issues. Bloomberg serves as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, and as WHO Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.

Elected mayor just weeks after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Bloomberg led New York City’s resurgence. He spearheaded the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, fought poverty with new programs that became national models, and turned around a failing school system. Bloomberg reduced carbon emissions by 13 percent, increased New Yorkers’ life expectancy by three years, and cut crime by a third while reducing incarceration by nearly 40 percent. Despite the Great Recession, he led the city to record job growth. 

After his third term in City Hall ended in 2013, he resumed leadership of Bloomberg LP, the financial technology and media company he founded in 1981, and expanded his philanthropic work.  Bloomberg LP now employs some 20,000 people, and Bloomberg Philanthropies works to improve lives through its core focus areas: Public Health, Education, the Environment, Government Innovation, the Arts, and the Greenwood Initiative, which aims to accelerate the pace of wealth accumulation in Black communities and address systemic underinvestment in them. He also launched a series of major efforts to help fight the coronavirus in the U.S. and around the world. Bloomberg has given away more than $12.7 billion.

Bloomberg was born in Boston on February 14, 1942, and grew up in a middle-class home in Medford, Massachusetts. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School. Bloomberg is the father of two daughters, Emma and Georgina, and has two grandchildren. He lives in New York City.

Mike Bloomberg co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns alongside then Boston Mayor Tom Menino in 2006, and has long led the fight against illegal guns. As mayor, he launched groundbreaking undercover investigations into gun trafficking networks and the private gun sellers that supply them. He helped pass tougher city and state gun laws, including laws increasing prison sentences for illegal possession, creating a gun offender registry, requiring sellers to conduct inventory checks to prevent guns from being sold illegally, and limiting the frequency of handgun purchases. His enforcement policies focusing on criminal hot spots also helped take guns off the street and drive murders and shootings to record lows.

Former Co-Chairs

Stephen K. Benjamin

Former Mayor of Columbia, SC

Former Co-chair (2022-2023)

Steve Benjamin served as the 44th Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina with a vision of transforming South Carolina’s capital city into a talented, educated & entrepreneurial city of the New South. Prior to his service as mayor, Benjamin served in South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges’ Cabinet as the Chief Executive of South Carolina’s second largest law enforcement agency. Benjamin has served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and as President of the African American Mayors Association.

During his tenure as mayor, he invested in 21st Century Policing by establishing the Justice for All initiative for greater community engagement, diversity, training and accountability for law enforcement.

Benjamin now serves as the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States and Director of the Office of Public Engagement. In this role, Benjamin will oversee the White House Office of Public Engagement, which works at the local, state, and national levels to ensure community leaders, diverse perspectives, and new voices have the opportunity to inform the work of the President in an inclusive, transparent and responsible way.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2020, Mayor Benjamin initiated city ordinance 2017-109, which banned the attachment of bump stocks and trigger cranks in the City of Columbia, making Columbia the first city in the nation to do so. He is a firm believer in common sense bipartisan leadership and endeavors to implement policies and programming that provide the best course of action for city residents.

Michael Tubbs

Former Mayor of Stockton, CA

Michael Tubbs served as the 79th mayor of the City of Stockton, California. Upon taking office in January 2017, Michael Tubbs became both Stockton’s youngest mayor and the city’s first African-American mayor. Michael Tubbs is also the youngest mayor in the history of the country representing a city with a population of over 100,000 residents.

Mayor Michael Tubbs has secured over $20 million in philanthropic capital to launch the Stockton Scholars, a place-based scholarship that aims to triple the number of Stockton students entering and graduating from college. Mayor Tubbs also brought Advance Peace to Stockton, a data-driven program that works to reduce gun violence in communities.

Additionally, with an innovative public-private partnership supported by a $1,000,000 seed grant from the Economic Security Project, Tubbs launched the nation’s first municipal level basic income pilot, the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration.

Mayor Tubbs graduated in 2012 from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree with honors. Tubbs has been a college course instructor for Aspire Public Schools and a Fellow at the Stanford Institute of Design and the Emerson Collective. Michael is a Stockton native and product of Stockton public schools.

A member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2019, Mayor Tubbs has been a national leader in discussing the underlying issues that impact gun violence in cities, and brought new and innovative gun violence prevention models to his city.