Arlington Term Limits Pledge

Whereas, in spring 2018, over 100 Arlington citizens from across a diverse spectrum of political beliefs,
ethnicities, and professional backgrounds joined together to petition for the addition of term limits to the city’s
charter.

Whereas, in July 2018, those citizens delivered to the city a petition containing over 11,400 signatures.

Whereas, in August 2018, the City Secretary for Arlington determined the petition met the threshold for a fair
and proper charter amendment election, as provided in Texas Local Government Code Title 2 Subtitle A Chapter
9 Sec. 9.004-A.

Whereas, in August 2018, the Arlington City Council, encouraged by donors and special interest groups,
improperly invoked the same Texas’ statute to bypass the petition process to add a weaker term limits option
onto the ballot.

Whereas, these lesser term limits were identical to those found in the City of Dallas, which the citizen volunteers
– and later the voters -- determined wasn’t right for Arlington.

Whereas, the improperly added version was struck down by a temporary restraining order issued the following
day by a Tarrant County judge; providing citizens a fair election.

Whereas, the same special interests who encouraged the city council’s improper behavior spent over $300,000
campaigning against the citizen option; which included signed letters from the Mayor of Arlington; seemingly
endless mailers; videos by council members, and every form of communication that could potentially deliver
their opposition to voters.

Whereas, the citizen volunteers spent less than $10,000 campaigning in favor of the option.

Whereas, the City Attorney controlled the final language presented to voters on the ballot.

Whereas, 61,701 Arlington voters (62.57%), in an election held on November 6, 2018, decisively sided with the
citizen volunteers in applying a six-year maximum term on city council members and a six-year maximum term
on the mayor.

I, ______________________________, a candidate for _______________________________, do hereby

pledge to the citizens of Arlington that, if elected -- and during my entire term in office – I will under no
circumstance attempt to amend the term limits approved by voters in November 2018, by invoking the
section of Texas Local Government Code Title 2 Subtitle A Chapter 9 Sec. 9.004-A, which provides the city
council an option to add a charter amendment onto an election ballot without the need for a petition signed
by five percent of the city’s registered voters.

I swear to vote against any attempt made by the Mayor and City Council to invoke the option outlined in the
previous paragraph. In the event such an attempt passes, I swear I will alert the voters of my district by
holding a town hall, to be properly noticed under the Texas Open Meetings Act, and by issuing a public
statement against such behavior.

I understand failure to comply with this pledge may result in being recalled by the voters of Arlington, and that I
will have severely harmed my credibility as a public official who can keep their word.

Signature Date