Jim Darling (born January 14, 1949) is an American politician who served as the Mayor of

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

from 2013 to 2021. He won re-election in May 2017.

Education

Darling received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University and a J.D. from Baylor Law School and is a licensed litigator by the Texas Supreme Court and the Southern District of Texas Federal Court.

Career

Darling spent 28 years as a city attorney with the city of McAllen and other governmental entities and served as City Commissioner for District 6 prior to being elected Mayor of McAllen.

Views on proposed border wall

In an interview with

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

after Donald Trump visited McAllen in January 2019, Darling said “The other thing that he said that we thought was important - it's not just a wall. It's border protection. It's more boots on the ground, more Border Patrol men, more technology, roads that they need, etc.“ While he believes the United States needs border protection, he feels “a wall doesn't make sense, especially when the Rio Grande acts as a natural border and where private property makes building a wall more complicated.”

References

1956 births Living people Baylor University alumni Baylor Law School alumni Mayors of places in Texas Texas Democrats {{Texas-mayor-stub