By David Ball

david.ball@panews.com

Time is winding down. Tuesday is Election Day.

One particular proposal for the city of Port Arthur on the ballot is to change the city’s charter to eliminate Districts 5 and 6 from the city council.

The city council passed the proposal in August to conduct a special election on Nov. 8, 2016. The ordinance requests the elimination of Council Districts 5 — that is the combined boundaries of Districts 1 and 4 — and 6 — that is the combined boundaries of Districts 2 and 3.

Osman Swati, District 6 councilman, requested the ordinance.

A petition was being circulated at the time by the United Citizens Of Port Arthur to have fewer seats on the Port Arthur City Council with the elimination of At-Large Positions 7 and 8. The measure failed, however, but not enough certified signatures were collected in the allotted time.

Since then, Swati said he’s focusing on citizens being informed about the voting proposition for Tuesday’s election.

He will be at the polls at the Port Arthur Public Library, the Jefferson County Sub-Courthouse and the Memorial High School Ninth-Grade Center on Election Day.

“I feel confident about things, but people aren’t informed,” he said. “The ballot language is confusing. Citizens are still unaware. One councilman is telling people the proposition is to vote him out of office and other lies.”

On the other hand, Swati said he’s been receiving positive feedback about the proposal because the city can save money with less council positions.

“I think it will pass,” he said. “This is for the citizens and the taxpayers and it’s not about targeting any council seat. There is no removal or taking a council seat away from anyone. This won’t take effect until 2018.”

Swati’s proposal is stated as the following:

“Beginning in May 2018, the council shall be composed of a mayor and six councilmembers, each of whom, unless sooner removed under the provisions of this charter, shall serve for a three-year term, from the first meeting of the council following his election, and until his successor has been elected and duly qualified.

One councilmember from each of the four districts shall be elected by majority vote of the qualified voters of the respective district. The qualified voters of the city shall elect one councilmember for Positions 7 and 8 and the mayor at-large.

The mayor and councilmember for Positions 7 and 8 shall be elected by majority vote and may reside in any district.

After May 2013, neither the mayor nor any councilmember shall serve more than two consecutive three-year terms in the same office.

This provision will apply to those newly elected to the positions of mayor and council that take office after the May 2013 election.”

Willie “Bae” Lewis, District 5 councilman, is opposed to the proposition. He said he’s been educating the public about what is at stake.

He said council members who voted for Swati’s proposal to be placed on the November ballot wanted to block amending the charter change process to citizens for the next two years.

“They want to retaliate against the citizens who petitioned Positions 7 and 8. If this passes (Swati’s proposal), nothing can be done about 7 and 8,” he said.

Consequently, since this is on the November General Election ballot, the number of registered voters required to pass another petition now needs a greater number of signatures.

“Eliminating Districts 5 and 6 will fail. It will be defeated,’ Lewis said. “There’s a reason they (the city council) is spending more than $40,000 of taxpayers’ money so they can lock out the citizens for two years.”

Lewis said early voting went “very well” for opposing Swati’s proposal.

“I’m thankful to the group from Port Acres, or Precinct 33, who came out to work. Especially after we posted it on the internet,” he said.

Lewis said he spoke to two young men from Beaumont at the early voting poll at the PAPL and at the Sub-Courthouse who said they were paid $10 an hour to work the polls on behalf of Swati’s proposition.

Lewis said he educated them on the issue and they said they had no idea what they were campaigning for.

“They all quit. They said, ‘We have a lot of respect for you, councilman,’” Lewis said. “That was when Swati had to get (former mayor) Deloris “Bobbie” Prince, (current mayor) Derrick Freeman and (current Position 7 councilwoman) Charlotte Moses to campaign. Swati also paid some other unemployed people to campaign.”

Lewis said voters are confused about Swati’s proposal and he doesn’t understand why City Attorney Val Tizeno put that kind of language on the ballot.

He said the language is unnecessary. On the city council, they just read a caption of a proposal. They can pull up the proposal on their own if they want to see it in its entirety.

“The language keeps repeating Position 7 and 8 throughout the ballot. And what was the effect? The citizens who signed the petition are thinking they’re eliminating 7 and 8 and they’re hoping they will vote yes. I tell them to turn to the last page of the ballot and vote no.”

Overall, Lewis thinks this proposal could had been placed on the ballot for the May 2017 election instead.

“What is the purpose of spending more than $40,000 and it can’t be implemented until May 2018? It makes no sense,” he said.

David Ball: 409-721-2427