ODESSA, Texas — Odessa Mayor Javier Joven didn't want to wait until the City Council meeting to discuss what he viewed as a hot topic.
Joven made a proposal to the rest of the Odessa City Council at Tuesday's work session to limit a mayor from making what he called a "down move" after their term limit is done.
“To make it real simple, it is preventing the mayor to be able to demote themselves after they've completed their two terms of eight years and to continue to serve in some capacity by demoting themselves to the at large and the end of the single member districts," Joven said.
By definition, both the mayor and members of city council can serve two terms that total up to eight years.
The way it is written now, a city council member can make a lateral move to another city council position or make an upward move to run for mayor.
For example, a city council member can serve two terms for up to eight years. After their eight years of service is complete, that city council member can then make an upward move and run for mayor.
“Whether it's mayor, at-large, or single districts, you can only be in that one position for total eight years," Joven said. "But you can then go from at-large to just a single member district - which is a lateral move - or you can go from city council - single district or at-large - and do an upper move and run for mayor.”
What Joven is trying to disallow is having a mayor - who has served out their eight-year term, from then running for a city council member, demoting themselves in the process.
“What I proposed in Proposition Two is to prevent the down move from the highest position in city government as the mayor when, once they complete their eight years and they've termed out in that position of mayor, to move down and kind of down move to at large or specific single member district," Mayor Joven said.
This proposition, in Joven’s opinion, would encourage other people to run for council positions and, eventually, the role of mayor.
However, nothing about Joven's proposal is official as of yet.
The topic will be discussed at a later work session to clear up the language of the proposal.
“Hopefully in two weeks, we're going to clean up the language and see if there's a consensus. There may be, there may not be they [city council] may not move forward," Joven said. "This is just a mere discussion at this time. Nothing has been set in stone that this is going to be on the ballot and that these prosecutions are going to go forward.”
Depending on how the talks go, it will then be put on a city council agenda at a later date to approve it. After it is approved, the proposition will be put on the ballot to be voted on by the people in November of this year.