Commentary: Proposed ballot measures interfere in local elections

On the Nov. 5 ballot, McAllen residents will not only be voting for president and other candidates, but there will also be two charter amendments for city government. Unfortunately, most McAllen voters are not only unaware that these amendments are on the ballot but how harmful they will be to our community.

However, the important issue to keep in mind is that it is costing McAllen taxpayers $244,000 — almost a quarter-million dollars — to have these amendments on the ballot. City leadership had not anticipated this $244,000 taxpayer expense so funding will have to be taken away from other projects.

Let’s look at the group that is pushing them — Ground Game Texas. Why is an organization whose top leader is from Austin trying to interfere in local elections and costing McAllen taxpayers $244,000?

Without providing any evidence or proof of dishonesty or lawbreaking, Ground Game Texas is falsely suggesting that our city elected officials are corrupt.

If a resident has a problem in McAllen, they can appear at a city commission meeting and sign up to speak during public comments.

Now let’s look at each of the amendments and why I oppose them.

Charter Amendment A would limit the contribution limit to a candidate for mayor or city commissioner to $500. Sounds good to limit the amount of money in elections. However, it could lead to the opposite.

Currently, a person can go to the city’s webpage and see how much a person has contributed to a candidate.

However, if Charter Amendment A passes, someone who wanted to get around these money contribution limits could create multiple political action committees, which are very easy to set up, fund and have them contribute to the candidates.

But under the plan by Ground Game Texas, a person could give money to PACs and it would be more difficult to trace.

A McAllen resident would have to go online to the Texas Ethics Commission to see who is giving money to PACs that are spending money to elect or defeat candidates for McAllen mayor and city commissioner.

This is an extra step that we do not need to currently take.

Charter Amendment A would also make it easier for someone to give more money, not less, through PACs.

Additionally, under the Citizen’s United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, an individual or PAC can spend unlimited amount of money on any election.

Now let’s look at Charter Amendment B, which would allow for initiative, referendum and recall.

The first thing we need to look at is the cost. In even-numbered years (and some odd-numbered years), there could be several elections a year, at a current cost of at least $244,000 per election.

How many police officers or firefighters could we hire instead with that money?

Let’s look at the issue of initiative on Charter Amendment B. While it sounds good, think about how many different issues could get on the ballot.

We could have issues on abortion, immigration, marijuana, gambling and any other issue someone would want to get on the ballot.

While Ground Game Texas has been successful in getting marijuana decriminalized in some jurisdictions, the courts have intervened and said that it would not be enforced.

The next issue is referendum on Charter Amendment B.

Why have city commissioners and a mayor if we are going to second-guess their every move? If we don’t like how they vote, support a candidate against them in the next scheduled election.

City commission agendas are posted in advance on the internet and in front of McAllen City Hall. Get like-minded individuals and show up to the McAllen City Commission meetings. Meet with the commissioners and mayor, and share your concerns and ideas during the meeting.

Finally, the issue of recalling commissioners on Charter Amendment B: Whenever an elective official puts up a vote that someone disagrees with (and I have disagreed with them on a many votes), they could face a recall vote.

That means a city commissioner could be removed from office before their term ends.

McAllen voters and taxpayers don’t need Ground Game Texas, whose top leadership is in Austin, to tell us how to run our city government, and potentially cost us at least a quarter-million dollars for each unanticipated election every time they disagree with actions by the McAllen mayor and city commissioners.

Laurel T. McLeaish is a McAllen attorney.

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