A mayor without a vote

Purpose of elected official’s responsibilities examined

In Round Rock, the mayor has a vote on the local city council. So do the mayors of Austin, Cedar Park and Leander—but that is not true in Pflugerville.

Voters will choose between Jeff Coleman and Rod Reyna to replace Mayor Cat Callen May 12. While Callen said the lack of a vote did not play a role in her decision to leave office without a second bid, she would like to see some change.

“Historically, the mayor’s race has the greatest turnout, so clearly voters do expect their mayor to have the ability to lead, and one way they could do that would be with a vote,” she said.

The mayor has never had a vote, except to break a tie. When the community first became incorporated, Pflugerville was a general law city, which meant state law determined the city’s structure.

Then in 1993, the city had the option of redefining the mayor’s responsibilities when Pflugerville wrote their first Home Rule Charter.

Clarence Bohls served more than 20 years as a council member, mayor and city administrator. He chaired the commission that crafted the charter and remembers the transition.

Home rules

Pflugerville could not opt for home rule until the population reached at least 5,000, but when that happened, the city decided to define its government with the help of an 18-member charter commission.

They agreed the mayor would help prepare council meeting agendas, sign government documents authorized or enacted by the council, serve as a representative head of Pflugerville, provide initiative and guidance in city growth and only vote at council meetings to break a tie.

Bohls said they considered allowing the mayor to have a vote, but ruled instead they wanted to neutralize the council as much as possible.

A vote, in addition to all the other mayoral influences, might give one party too much authority.

“We didn’t want a personal agenda to be pushed through,” he said. “We tried to strip the mayor position of that ability.”

Cliff Avery, who served on the city council in the early ’90s, recalls the charter commission made its decision because of issues with the current government.

“There was not enough confidence in the mayor at the time to give him a vote,” he said.

According to Avery, the city had just elected a mayor in 1992 who soon became a controversial figure, as the community questioned his ethics and explosive temper.

“I remember sitting there and looking at the eyes of the people on the council and commission there and realizing there was no way they were going to give this guy a vote,” he said.

However, even without a vote, some mayors found a way to further their personal ambitions from the dais, an action which the charter declares illegal, according to Bohls. In retrospect, he said the commission should have also included an enforcement clause because mayors do not have repercussions for their actions.

“The mayors are here today and gone tomorrow after serving their terms,” he said. “They raise our taxes and then don’t stay and don’t pay any of that.”

Current voices

Both of the present candidates say they plan to stay in the city long-term and express optimism for Pflugerville’s future—as long as it has appropriate leadership. As for no vote on council, they have also considered the repercussions of that reality.

Reyna does not know whether he would want a vote or not. Before giving an opinion, he said he would need to look at the ramifications and ask the council members. With or without a vote, he regards the elected position he wants to fill as valuable.

“The mayor is the voice of the people,” he said. “He represents all the people and brings their issues to the table. He guides and moderates discussion. You have a lot of ways to guide a vote. You can invite people, guide meetings and involve the city staff. You make sure everyone is on the same page. Who else can do that, but the mayor? It’s a very important role to me.”

The lack of a vote almost swayed Coleman to run for a council position instead of for mayor, but like Reyna, he believes the mayor can greatly influence city direction.

“Ultimately, you become the face for the city,” he said. “That’s where my strength is. I am good at bringing people together and that’s why I decided to run for mayor. Do I wish I had a vote? Yes.”

Considering charter changes

As far as altering the charter for the mayor to get a vote, nothing can change for at least four years because the document requires review every five years, Avery said.

In 2006, the Council appointed a commission to review the document, but Avery, who sat on the committee, said many of his colleagues did not seem interested in drastic rewriting.

“Most of the differences were cosmetic to comply with state law,” he said. “They were not really substantive. There was not an overhaul such as adding another council member or giving the mayor a vote. That is what big cities do. It is the way real cities do. That is the way it should have gone.”

In Bohls’ opinion, the mayor still does not need a vote. Instead, the city just needs an enforcement clause regarding personal agendas. He said he brought his thoughts to the last charter review, but received little feedback.

“I don’t think the current mayor, council and city manager are interested in enforcement laws,” he said.

Others who have served the community take a more neutral stance. Doyle Bridgefarmer, who served as mayor from 1999 to 2001, did not think the vote was necessary to the city, although he would support an effort to change it.

“It’s not a detriment either way,” he said. “It is just a vote would make the mayor more responsible to the people and would have to give an actual statement of their belief.”

Past Pflugerville mayors:

• I.B. Krienke (1965-1974)
• Loren Orme (1975-1976)
• Clarence Bohls (1976-1981)
• Edwin Hocker (1982)
• A.G. Saegert (1982-1984)
• Ben Boyd (1984-1985)
• John Franklin (1986-1987)
• Scott Winton (1988-1991)
• Haywood Ware (1992-1997)
• Doyle Bridgefarmer (1998-2001)
• Scott Winton (2001-2004)
• Cat Callen (2004-2007)

Compare the mayor: Local structure of the office

Cat Callen

Pflugerville

• Term length – Three years
• Term limit – Three terms
• Salary – None
• Votes only to break a tie
• City Council - Six members, including the mayor

• - Elected at large

Nyle Maxwell

Round Rock

• Term Length – Three years
• Term Limit – None
• Salary – $750 each month
• Vote on council
• City Council - Seven members, including the mayor

• - Elected at large

Will Wynn

Austin

Will Wynn

• Term length – Three years
• Term limit – Two terms
• Salary - $52,998.40
• Vote on council
• City Council - Seven members, including the mayor

• - Elected at large

Bob Lemon

Cedar Park

Bob Lemon

• Term length – Two years
• Term limit – Two terms
• Salary – None
• Vote on council
• City Council - Seven members, including the mayor

• - Elected at large

Gary Nelon

Georgetown

Gary Nelon

• Term length – Three years
• Term limit – None
• Salary – $350 each month
• Votes only to break a tie
• City Council - Eight members, including the mayor

• - Mayor elected at large, council members by district

John Cowman

Leander

John Cowman

• Term length – Three years
• Term limit – None
• Salary – None
• Vote on council
• City Council - Seven members, including the mayor

• - Elected at large