Breaking Down “Proposition C” In Amarillo Into Layman’s Terms
We have arrived at part three of our five part series breaking down the propositions and what they mean on Amarillo's ballot in layman's terms. Yesterday, it was all about Proposition B, so I'm sure you can guess what's up next.
If you guess Proposition C, you are the winner! Sadly, I don't have a prize to give you, so just give yourself a pat on the back.
Prop C is actually the one that is seemingly easiest to read and figure out, even with the balloting language. It reads as such on the ballot:
To Amend Article V, Section 2 of the Amarillo City Charter to change the length of the term of office of the Mayor and each Councilmember from two (2) year terms to four (4) year terms effective with the next regularly scheduled municipal election to be held in May 2025, with the terms staggered as established by ordinance.
While holding office in the nation's Capitol is always a four-year term, local terms have a tendency to run for only two years before having to be re-elected into office. Now, most of the time, those people are re-elected unless they've done an absolutely horrific job.
This is all about giving councilmembers, and the Mayor, four years instead of two years to complete their agenda and vision for the city. However, there is one little wrinkle in here that you need to understand.
if this is voted in, it's not necessarily an automatic four-year term they get. If this were to pass, all people holding office would reset to zero years. Some people will run for two-year seats while others will be running for four-year seats.
At the end of your two-year term, you would then run for a four-year term. By doing it this way, it could create more elections for us here locally in Amarillo, but would also allow the people in those seats more time to complete what they set out to do.
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Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark/TSM
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Gallery Credit: Lori Crofford/TSM Amarillo