Dallas City Council rejects term limits amendment

The Dallas City Council chose not to move forward with a proposed amendment to the city charter that would have implemented further term limits on its members.

Currently, the city charter allows a council member to serve four two-year terms but then requires him or her to sit out a term before running for a seat again.

The amendment proposed by District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn would have limited the total terms to eight years, with no option to run again.

Mendelsohn pointed out to her colleagues that there are plenty of people in Dallas who are qualified and interested in serving. She also said that incumbents have an unfair advantage in elections.

“Serving a maximum of four terms allows a council member to contribute significantly to the city, but as a large city, there are many qualified Dallas residents who can serve as representatives of their district,” Mendelsohn said. 

Opponents of the term limit proposal made claims that it was undemocratic.

District 7 Council Member Adam Bazaldua argued that the charter amendment process shouldn’t be “used to manipulate democracy.”

Council Member Gay Donnell Willis, who represents District 13, said, “I think we do have term limits, and that’s because the voters show up at the ballot box and decide whether we are elected or reelected.”

“Elections are democratic, and we should not be, at the local level, deciding that we should be taken out,” District 6 Council Member Omar Narvaez said. 

Council Member Kathy Stewart, who was elected in 2023 to represent District 10, supported the amendment, pointing out the benefit of a “fresh perspective” on the council. She also noted that the amendment would only be implemented if approved by the voters.

“Why don’t we give the voters the opportunity to make this decision? They may hands down say, ‘Yep, we want the ability for someone to come back after two years, three years, or four years.’”

In the end, only seven council members supported moving the amendment forward, so it will not be part of any further charter amendment discussion.

At the request of Bazaldua, the city council delayed any discussion of or decisions about increasing the mayoral and council salaries until its meeting on June 26.