Back in October, Houston City Council agreed to create a commission to study Houston’s term limits law with an eye to possibly placing a resolution on the ballot next year with some changes. Yesterday, that commission was named.
Mayor Bill White on Tuesday announced a 21-member commission to study Houston’s term limits and make recommendations by July 1. Any changes to the current limit of three, two-year terms for Houston’s mayor, controller and 14 City Council members would be subject to approval by the council and by voters.
The ordinance creating the commission authorized it to recommend changes but not to propose elimination of term limits. It also prohibits any changes that would enable White, who is completing his third term and is seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, to run for mayor again.
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“Houston has the most stringent term limits in Texas — and maybe in the country — for a city with a strong-mayor form of government,” said Arthur Schechter, the former Metropolitan Transit Authority chairman named by White to chair the commission. “If there is a perceived need to make some changes such as longer terms or more terms, we need to consider that.”
This got the usual response from usual suspect Clymer Wright, who vows to fight it like it’s 1991 all over again. I think times and the electorate that will eventually vote on this are different now. That doesn’t mean we’ll get a different outcome, but I do believe this review is long overdue. If San Antonio can do this, so can Houston. Mary Benton has a press release about the panel, which includes all of the members’ names. Houston Politics and Nancy Sims have more.
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