Roman Forest Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell Davis called for a pair of changes to the city’s rules regarding City Council elections after a sitting council member opted to run for another position on the council in the upcoming Nov. 3 election.
The details
Davis called for the changes during the council’s Aug. 24 meeting.
At the end of the meeting, Davis asked the council to consider an ordinance at a future meeting that would require elected officials seeking another elected position within the city to resign from their current position when they declare their intent to run for the other elected position.
Additionally, Davis said the ordinance would require anyone who wins an election for a position on the council while they currently hold a separate position to recuse themselves from either nominating or voting to confirm an appointee to fill their old position.
“Obviously, this will not affect this election,” Davis said. “It would affect elections going forward.”
A closer look
The call for changes to the city’s election rules is coming after current Position 2 Council Member David Mullane opted to run for the Position 1 seat in the Nov. 3 election. The position Mullane currently holds on the council won’t be up for reelection until November 2027.
Should Mullane win the election for the Position 1 seat, City Administrator Scott Castleberry said the Position 2 seat would then become vacant. Council members would then vote to approve an appointee to serve out the remainder of Position 2’s current term.
If Mullane were to lose the election for the Position 1 seat, Castleberry said he would remain on the City Council in his current position for the remainder of his term.
Mullane said he’s running for the Position 1 seat because he believes it puts him in the best position to continue serving the people of Roman Forest.
“This isn’t about seat numbers,” Mullane said in a Aug. 26 email to Community Impact. “It’s about where I can be most effective, finishing what we’ve started and helping guide the city through this transition with steady experience. Once again, the seat number isn’t what’s important to me. Serving the people is.”
Castleberry said each of the seats on Roman Forest’s City Council are at-large positions, meaning all residents throughout the city can vote in any City Council race. Additionally, Castleberry said each position on Roman Forest’s City Council represents the entire city and not a specific area or district within the city.
What they’re saying
During the public comment portion of the Aug. 24 meeting, Roman Forest resident Cheryl Austin expressed concern over Mullane’s decision to run for the Position 1 seat.
“This is a lateral move, and I feel that it should not be open for [a current council member] to move over and then be able to vote for someone else to fill their position,” Austin said. “This also gives that person one more year on the City Council.”
Davis expressed a similar concern after proposing the potential ordinance.
“I think that there is a conflict when somebody steps out of a position and can pick their own replacement,” Davis said. “I think it is not fair to voters.”
Mayor Chris Parr agreed.
“I would expect that that person would recuse themselves from participating in that process,” Parr said.
Some context
The Roman Forest City Council is made up of five council members and a mayor. Both council members and the mayor serve staggered, two-year terms, according to the city’s website.
Prospective City Council members need to have lived in Texas for at least one year and in Roman Forest for at least six months before filing to run. Per the website, mayoral candidates are required to have lived in Roman Forest for at least one year prior to filing.
What’s next
Early voting for the Nov. 3 election will run from Oct. 19-30, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
