LET THE PEOPLE ELECT THE MAYOR

Taylor voters have a real chance May 4 to influence their destiny by casting a ballot to change the City Charter so the mayor can be elected by the people and not selected by the City Council.

The electorate should support this proposition, which will bring their governance in line with other cities and townships across most of Texas and the rest of the nation.

For now, the charter allows the five elected council members to select a mayor from within their ranks, giving no voice to the people.

The populace at large, and not a a few folks sitting on the dais, should decide who will be their city’s chief executive officer.

If approved, the measure won’t take effect until the elections of May 2026.

Some have said allowing the council members to select a leader from among their ranks also gives them the power to take away the title the next year if the mayor is underwhelming.

School boards can do that, but running a school district is different than running a city. No slight is intended to any trustees, but they are not overseeing a fire department, a public works department, a police department, housing services and so on.

The mayor plays a major role in determining the course of local government, backed by his or her fellow council members.

According to Proposition C now before voters, “… (T)he mayor shall first be elected by the citizens as the at-large position in May of 2026 and until such time shall be continued to be elected by City Council.”

Giving the people the right to decide who their mayor shall be removes any hint of favoritism or political payback that might tempt a future council member. There is absolutely no evidence such a thing exists today, but that doesn’t mean a quid pro quo arrangement couldn’t exist with future councils.

The mayor should be an independent agent relying solely on the electorate for his ascension to office and subject to them for removal based on performance or a lack of performance.

With the changes coming to Taylor in the form of new industries such as Samsung Austin Semiconductor and a high-tech workforce, city governance should also reflect a commitment to modern practices.

On May 4, support the measure to allow the mayor to be elected by the people.

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