06/03/2026
An Open Letter to Neighbors in Our Community
We need to clear something up.
Dream City PAC did not post the bridge message. We were simply grateful for community members using their voices. But many of us do know this: messages have been showing up on Tarrant County bridges, from all perspectives, on a regular basis and for a long time. Why the sudden outrage?
Because what we are seeing is not just about messages. It is about a shift in the messages.
Local elections in Texas are legally nonpartisan. Party affiliation is not required to run, it is not listed on the ballot, and in theory, these races should be about the people, priorities, and needs of our community.
But local elections do not happen in a vacuum.
Candidates have values. Supporters have values. Organizations have values. Donors have values. Voters have values. For decades, Arlington’s local political ecosystem has reflected certain prevailing values more loudly than others.
That may have made elections feel “quieter.” But quiet is not the same thing as nonpartisan.
When new voices enter the conversation, uncertainty enters the system, and people sometimes panic.
That panic often shows up as an illusion of control: the belief that if one group has always shaped the tone, boundaries, and expectations of civic life, then they are entitled to keep controlling them.
It also shows up through slippery slope arguments: the idea that one message, one candidate, one PAC, one group of engaged residents, or one election cycle somehow means Arlington is falling apart.
It is not.
The perception that Arlington is changing is because some are finally realizing that Arlington has already changed.
2026 Arlington is not 2016 Arlington. It is not 2006 Arlington. It is not 1996 Arlington. It is not 1986 Arlington.
Our city is more diverse, more connected, more complex, and more ready for leadership that reflects the people who actually live here now.
And if Dream City PAC, a local organization that has existed for less than six months, was able to “upset” Arlington’s political ecosystem, then we have to ask: how shallow and fragile was that ecosystem to begin with?
We are deeply invested in Arlington’s future: our kids, our schools, our neighborhoods, our public spaces, our infrastructure, and the kind of city we are building together.
We are not clinging to the past or pretending everything is fine simply because it has been comfortable for some.
Arlington is an amazing place. That is exactly why we are doing this work. We believe in this city too much to accept politics rooted in fear, control, or nostalgia.
We understand that opposition messaging is part of politics. Campaigns involve contrast. Voters deserve to know where candidates stand, what they have done, who supports them, and whether their leadership aligns with the future our community needs.
But there is a difference between accountability and opportunistic negativity.
There is a difference between honest scrutiny and fear-based opposition messaging.
There is a difference between naming real concerns and building a narrative around othering your neighbors.
Dream City PAC has never and will never engage in or be part of negative campaign messaging that attacks an individual or a people group. We are committed to positive and encouraging messaging that motivates members of our community to get involved.
Messages from Arlington Facebook groups have been shared with us that call us “dangerous” and “scary.” We have seen people share our home addresses. We understand that some information is public. We live in a political climate that is deeply charged and more divisive than ever before. Just like the rest of you, we are moms and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues, and most importantly your neighbors.
No one has called us. No one has reached out to have a real conversation.
Inflammatory remarks do not build community. They do not build a city. They do not build a future.
That kind of politics may be familiar, but it is not the future we are working toward.
We are focused on educating, activating, and organizing our community to be involved. That is the work. That is why Dream City PAC exists.
We believe in plurality. We believe all voices deserve a place at the table. We believe leadership should reflect the community it serves. We believe our neighbors are more than their party affiliation.
We see each other at the grocery store, at school events, at Levitt Pavilion, at City Hall, in our neighborhoods, and across this city we all call home.
If the first and only lens through which you see your neighbor is their political party, we have already lost something important.
We are more than that.
Arlington deserves more than that.
And Arlington can be more than that.
So this is an invitation to explore this question together:
What kind of community are we willing to build together?
The door is open. There is a seat at the table.
But let us be clear: we will not tolerate lying, bullying, othering, or the advocacy of policies that harm members of our community. Period.
We believe in Arlington. We are here for the long haul. And we are ready to keep building the future of the American Dream City, together.
