Richardson City Council called a May charter election for voters to consider 50 amendments to the city charter at the Feb. 9 meeting.
One of the amendments voters will consider is a prospective resign-to-run amendment, approved for the ballot in a 5-2 vote, that would require the automatic resignation of any council member or mayor who announces their candidacy for any other elective public office after the May election.
The big picture
The majority of the 50 charter amendments on the ballot are grammatical corrections or clarifying language. Substantial propositions include increasing City Council compensation to $150 per meeting and adding one-year district residency requirements for council, board and commission members.
City Council appointed a charter review commission in December 2024 and recommended 48 ballot propositions based on the commission’s report. In January, council voted to add two additional propositions to the ballot to address potential council resignations.
Council initially approved a retroactive resign-to-run provision, requiring the automatic resignation of any council member or mayor who has announced or will announce their candidacy for another elective public office. If passed, it would force the immediate resignation of council member Dan Barrios, who announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress on Dec. 9.
After more than 15 Richardson residents spoke in opposition to the retroactive resign-to-run provision, council voted 5-2 to change the amendment to be prospective. If the amendment passes, it will not apply to Barrios and will only apply to members who announce their candidacy after the May election.
Public input
Richardson residents spoke at the City Council meetings Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 in opposition to the retroactive resign-to-run provision.
“The effect of this proposition would be undemocratic,” resident James Myers said. “It would have the effect of removing a duly elected council member via rewriting rules that were not in place when he was elected or when he announced his candidacy.”
Some speakers opposed the resign-to-run provision as a whole, arguing that it would discourage experienced candidates from seeking higher office.
“If the city councilperson can fulfil their duties and run for office, I remain confused about what is even the concern here,” resident Kandace Walter said. “It’s unfair to the over 8,000 people that voted for this person to be on City Council.”
Other residents said they would be in favor of the resign-to-run rule if it were applied prospectively, only affecting council members who declared their candidacy after the May election. The retroactive application, several speakers said, would function like a recall election to remove Barrios, and they expressed concern that voters would not realize the amendment would cause the immediate resignation of a sitting council member.
“I actually support resign-to-run rules, but I’m afraid that many of my neighbors and friends would actually vote to remove a current City Council member from office because they want a good strong rule for the future without realizing what that does,” resident Jeremy Wanamaker said.
What council is saying
Council member Jennifer Justice said there is a “significant chance” that an additional council member will announce their intention to run for another office before May, so the retroactive resign-to-run amendment would potentially apply to two council members. The immediate and retroactive application of the provision could reduce the length of council vacancies, Justice said, and provide predictability for the replacement process.
“I believe it’s in the best interests to go forward [with the retroactive amendment] for the city staff, the council and the residents to have certainty with this unprecedented situation,” Justice said.
Mayor Pro Tem Ken Hutchenrider said he was concerned that council members who run for other offices will bring partisan politics into City Council.
“One of the things I absolutely love about serving on this council is the fact that we’re nonpartisan,” Hutchenrider said. “I am concerned that when someone declares to run for an office ... we run the major risk of introducing partisan politics into our City Council.”
Barrios said he agreed that council should remain nonpartisan and said he intended to keep partisan politics separate from council during his campaign. However, he said Richardson’s lack of a resign-to-run policy played a significant role in his decision to run for Congress. Barrios said he knew resignation from the council would still be a possibility though, whether due to a win in November or campaign demands impeding his ability to serve.
“At that point I have the responsibility to step down because I owe it to the voters and I owe it to the great people of the city,” Barrios said. “But until that moment comes, I honestly do not think that should be done by a rule change after the fact.”
Council voted 5-2 to change the resign-to-run rule to apply prospectively, allowing Barrios to continue to serve on the council throughout his campaign, as well as any other council member who declares their candidacy before the May election. Justice and council member Curtis Dorian voted against the change.
“We don’t want to go into a charter [and] bond election with a controversial proposition on the ballot,” council member Joe Corcoran said. “I feel like [the retroactive amendment] is and will be a very big distraction from everything else that is on the ballot.”
What’s next
The election for the 50 charter amendments will take place May 2, in conjunction with the city’s bond election. Early voting will take place on designated days from April 20-28.
