Posted on 12/30/2009 12:50:50 PM PST by a fool in paradise
...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...
In November 1991, after Kathy Whitmire had completed 10 years as mayor and some council members had served continuously for decades, 56.9 percent of Houston voters approved term limits that took effect in 1993. The panel appointed by White represents the first serious effort to change this system.
“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...
Schechter said he is inclined to believe two-year terms are too short for effective governance, but isn't starting his work with any firm opinions about what the outcome should be...
Creating a commission to call for a referendum, Wright said, enables city officials to “get all the special interest money behind them and run a major campaign” to weaken term limits. If this happens, Wright said, he's ready to go back into battle...
Limiting officials to six years in office removed Houston's government from the control of entrenched incumbents who were “almost institutions in office,” Sims said. But the current system, which she calls the “City Hall shuffle,” moves office-holders in and out so frequently that they can't see projects through to their conclusion, which often frustrates neighborhood leaders, Sims said.
And less frequent local elections, Sims said, might produce greater turnout than the 16.5 percent of registered voters who participated in the Nov. 3 city election...
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
So the Democrats are using the city’s money to again thwart the will of the voters by appointing a 21-member “committee” to overturn a voter referendum.
Laws are only for peasants, not the political elite.....
Get over yourself White.
Term limits are like Kryptonite to corrupt politicians. Notice that they can’t even come up with any coherent reasons why term limits are bad other than
1) Projects can’t be “seen through to their conclusion.” This sounds to me like a good thing. And in any case it sounds like only the most worthwhile projects would get completed.
2) “Neighborhood leaders” don’t like it. Well, who gives a rat’s anatomy? “Neighborhood leaders” are usually your unelected yahoo community organizer types, and if they don’t like something, it is almost certainly a public good.
After he’s run out of office (via term limits) he’s now running for the Senate (in 2 years) and governor’s office at the same time. A career politician who served in the Clinton White House.
Get outta town you carpetbagger, the city of Houston holds no personal interest for you and it is obvious. Get your drunk driving underaged curfew violating daughter out of here too. Some of us want our streets to be safe at night.
Probably wants a backup plan in case the Governor’s race doesn’t work out.
People who are not onboard to see the start and end of a project means that there will be more eyes looking at a project. More oversight, and when there are bribes (and there have been on city council), this means that the corrupt democrat investors will need to “approach” more politicians to see that the deeds are not exposed.
I thought Houston reminded me of Honduras for some reason.
Bloomberg was the Republican and Independence Party's nominee for the 2009 NYC mayoral race. Bloomberg’s Democratic opponent was outgoing City Comptroller, Bill Thompson. Bloomberg won the election on November 3, 2009.
it used to be that San Antonio TX had the most restrictive Term Limits Law in the country... two 2-year terms for all City Council members and the Mayor. It sure irritated the corrupt democrat polticians! That law passed by voter referendum in 1991 was finally changed to four 2-year terms last November in an election marked by extremely low voter turn out. We had a steady succession of Mayors wanting to abolish Term Limits since it was passed. Several commissions were appointed by the various Mayors, but they never got anywhere until now. In reality, all of these “commissions” were just studied how to sell a successful campaign, not make a serious study. The “key” in this campaign was a heavily-funded and well-organized ad campaign to suppress any discontent by packaging it as only an “extension” of the existing term limits not an elimination. They kept it low-key and no one made it an issue like they had in the past. Voter apathy prevailed... now Houston is using the same game plan!
1991? Sounds like it targeted people like the corrupt Henry Cisneros.
In December 1997, Cisneros was indicted on 18 counts of conspiracy, giving false statements and obstruction of Justice. Medlar used some of the Cisneros hush money to purchase a house and entered into a bank fraud scheme with her sister and brother-in-law to conceal the source of the money. In January, 1998, Medlar pleaded guilty to 28 charges of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and obstruction of justice.
In September 1999, Cisneros negotiated a plea agreement, under which he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of lying to the FBI, and was fined $10,000. He did not receive jail time or probation. He was pardoned by President Bill Clinton in January 2001.
Who says we don’t learn anything from foreigners, Zelya gets a big shout out from Houston. Maybe he could sneak out of the Embassy in Honduras and come help out.
So the Democrats are using the city’s money to again thwart the will of the voters by appointing a 21-member “committee” to overturn a voter referendum.
++++++++
That’s what I got out of it. Heaven forbid the elected representatives represent the voters. Talk about arrogant!
I second the motion.
“In reality, all of these “commissions” were just studied how to sell a successful campaign, not make a serious study. The “key” in this campaign was a heavily-funded and well-organized ad campaign to suppress any discontent by packaging it as only an “extension” of the existing term limits not an elimination. They kept it low-key and no one made it an issue like they had in the past. Voter apathy prevailed... now Houston is using the same game plan!”
Somewhere in all this is a well-paid “campaign consultant” running around the country helping incumbents overturn the will of the people. They are reaching their fingers into the bowels of the Constitution....
Someone told me that zoning is coming to Houston next year even though anytime the VOTERS had a say in it, it was rejected.
It isn’t the first time that Bill White and his cronies have tried to subvert the will of the people.
I recall an election a few years back where the Democrats couldn’t keep some ballot initiative off the ballot so instead they fuddled with text of it and added their own competing ballot initiative. Both passed and the Democrats tried to say that theirs superceded the other one (I think it was something on spending caps or property evaluations, not going to bother to look right now).
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