Ethics Moment                                                                         January 2008

 

“No, Nada, Nay” on Ethics Reform in Pasadena, Texas

 

Remember the 1980 hit move Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta and Debra Winger? It was filmed in Pasadena (the second largest city in the Houston metro area) at the city’s enormous honky-tonk bar Gilley’s that no longer stands. Time stands still for no honky-tonk bar but it does for the city’s political establishment. A strong mayor-council government survived a charter change vote in May 2007 to transform the city’s government into a council-manager form of government.

 

Coupled with the proposition to alter the form of government was Proposition 9 that called for the council to “adopt, enforce, annually review and from time to time modify and amend an ethics ordinance providing an ethics policy, procedures for investigations, conducting hearings, making finds of fact, assessing penalties, and making recommendations for disciplinary action, and to require elected and appointed officers and employees to comply with the ordinance.” The current charter sets certain requirements for conduct but does not establish clear methods for addressing possible violations. Proposition 9 went down to defeat as well.

 

Proposition 1, referred to as “form of government,” was rejected by 77% of the voters (5,278). The city has 60,694 registered voters but less than 12% voted. Proposition 9 fared better with 62% voting “no” and 38% “yes.” And, if it’s any consolation, the other seven propositions failed as well. Pasadena voters were clearly in a “no” frame of mind.

 

Source: http://www.harrisvotes.com/non_frames/eresultsarchive.htm