HARLINGEN — Along candidates’ long rows of campaign signs in front of City Hall, a trailer hauling a big placard stands opposed to two of three propositions on the May 7 election ballot.
The oversized campaign sign is funded through the Harlingen Citizens Leadership Council, a political action committee opposing Proposition A, whose passage it argues would tip the city’s board appointments toward commissioners, cutting into the mayor’s power to appoint members to the prominent airport board.
The committee also argues Proposition C, asking voters to decide if they want to push the city’s May elections to November, would bury local issues under heavily funded state and national campaigns while injecting partisanship.
The committee supports Proposition B, asking voters to decide if they want to set term limits on the mayor’s and commissioners’ tenures.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Rene Perez, who helped push for the propositions, argued Proposition A would give each of the city’s five single-member districts more of a voice on the airport board while Proposition C would boost voter turnout.
Proposition A
For decades, the City Charter has given the mayor the power to appoint members to the board overseeing Valley International Airport, former Mayor Connie de la Garza, who serves on the committee’s board of directors, said Tuesday.
Now, Proposition A is asking voters if they want to change the way the City Charter appoints members to the board overseeing Valley International Airport.
As part of a special election, the measure is asking voters to consider creating a seven-member airport board, allowing each commissioner to make an appointment to the board while the mayor would appoint two members.
“Traditionally, the mayor has made appointments to the airport board and they’re always good appointments,” de la Garza said, arguing commissioners would inject politics into their board appointments.
“The airport board keeps out politics,” he said. “As soon as local politicians appoint, they’re going to appoint their cronies.”
Meanwhile, board member Wayne Lowry argued the airport board has turned Valley International Airport into the Rio Grande Valley’s top airport, making it one of the city’s major economic drivers.
“Right now, the airport’s running very smoothly, continues to have great destinations and continues to have autonomy,” he said. “I say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
In a statement, committee President Tudor Uhlhorn said the proposal would tip the city’s board appointments to commissioners, cutting into the mayor’s appointment powers.
“The (committee) feels that changing the appointment method for only airport board members upsets the current balance of power between the mayor and the commissioners,” he stated. “Currently, the five city commissioners each appoint a board member to the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation’s five-member board. Each commissioner also appoints a board member to the Harlingen Waterworks five-member board. The mayor appoints the nine members to the Harlingen airport board. The charter currently gives the city commission 10 appointees and the mayor nine appointees. The (committee) believes this is a fair balance for elected officials making appointments to these boards.”
Proposition C
The committee is also opposing Proposition C, asking voters if they want to push the city’s May elections to November.
Since the 1980s, de la Garza said he’s found November elections drown local issues.
Around 1988, the city held its elections in November, where big state and national campaigns dwarfed local elections, he said.
“People got lost in all of that,” de la Garza, who serves on the committee’s board of directors, said. “They got overshadowed. The whole emphasis is on local (issues.) That’s what we want to keep.”
Meanwhile, Lowry said the proposal would mar local elections in partisanship.
“We live in a very polarized country when it comes to national politics,” he said. “By moving the election to November, we risk partisanship being dragged into our election instead of local topics.”
In a statement, Uhlhorn argued November elections’ big state and national campaigns would bury local candidates’ platforms.
“Harlingen’s municipal elections have traditionally been in May,” he stated. “The (committee) believes that holding municipal and other local elections in May allows local candidates to deliver their message and platform to the citizens without being overwhelmed by statewide and national candidates and their campaigns. The budgets for local elections are a fraction of those for a state or federal office. We believe that the ability of local candidates to communicate their message to voters will be greatly diminished if they are forced to compete for a voter’s attention with multi-million-dollar state and national campaigns.”
Like Lowry, Uhlhorn argued November elections’ state and national campaigns would inject partisanship into local contests.
“Local municipal elections have traditionally been non-partisan, meaning that candidates do not identify as, and are not supported, by a specific political party,” he stated. “The (committee) believes that having non-partisan local elections is in the best interest of the city of Harlingen. The (committee) believes that moving Harlingen’s municipal elections to November could cause elections to become partisan. Partisan elections could eventually polarize local government, as we have seen at the state and national levels.”
Perez’s support for propositions
Meanwhile, Perez argued the propositions would bolster the voice of the people.
Proposition A would give each commissioner an appointment to the airport board, offering residents better representation, he said.
“I strongly believe the proposition will help prevent conflicts of interests and cronyism,” he said. “I honestly believe it will provide better representation of the city. No one individual should have control of an entire board that is in control of millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Each district of Harlingen deserves a voice on the airport board.”
Perez also argued Proposition C, moving May’s city elections to November, would boost voter turnout.
“It will increase turnout and ensure more of the voices from the Harlingen community will be heard and represented in the city’s government,” he said, arguing “the partisanship already exists in local politics but you concentrate on the local issue.”
Perez denied November elections’ big state and national campaigns would drown local issues.
“I believe the people of Harlingen can tell the difference between what national politics can do and what local politics can do,” he said. “I believe the people of Harlingen can make their own decisions regarding national and local politics.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Frank Morales has released information showing 8,134 voters cast ballots during a November 2012 election for city commission seats.
Then in the May 2013 mayoral election, turnout dropped to 6,176, he said.
By May 2015, an election for commissioners’ seats drew 865 voters to the polls, Morales said.
Meanwhile, Remi Garza, Cameron County’s elections administrator, said November elections boost local turnout.
“It’s clear there’s a much higher participation in a November election versus a May election,” he said, adding national and state campaigns help draw voters to polls.
“Generally, there’s a lot of interest in November elections,” he said.
