EXPLAINER: McAllen voters to decide on two propositions
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McAllen won't have any open seats on the city council this November, but residents will decide on two city propositions.
Proposition A and B — spearheaded by a progressive group from Austin — would cap campaign donations and give residents the ability to put their own policies on the ballot, respectively.
“There's really no necessity for this,” McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos said.
The propositions were introduced as a petition to McAllen voters by the statewide group Ground Game Texas.
“The point of this proposition is to increase accountability in our local government,” Ground Game Texas Campaign Manager Karen Salazar said.
Proposition A would limit campaign donations to commission and mayoral candidates to $500. Commissioner candidates currently have a cap of $5,000 and mayoral candidates have a $10,000 limit.
Villalobos said this would limit the candidate's ability to get their message out to voters.
“It would be almost impossible to run an effective campaign if you minimize it to 500 bucks,” Villalobos said.
Salazar said the limit would keep politicians focused on what matters to residents.
“Our local politicians should not be influenced by big donations,” Salazar said.
Proposition B would give residents the power to take elected officials off the commission, recall decisions, and put their own proposals on the ballot
Villalobos said he worries that power could be used to reverse the decisions of the city commission.
“They go through the city commission first, and they have a say on whether these referendums petitions actually go toward the ballot, or if they accept the petition from the people of McAllen so it wouldn't have to necessarily go straight to the ballot,” Salazar said.
More information on the propositions is available online.
Early voting starts on Monday, Oct. 21. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
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