PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Port Author Mayor Thurmond Bartie submitted his petition to change the charter to run for re-election at around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Back in May, Bartie said that the change was not only for him. Many candidates have been pushed out due to the current term limits.
"This would be an opportunity for continuation in service and leadership in our community," Bartie said. "There are several initiatives that I still support and are in their infancy such as the development of downtown."
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To make the change, Bartie needed to gather almost 1,400 signatures from the community. He believes he got anywhere from 1,700-1,900.
The next step is for the City Secretary to verify all the signatures, and for it to be accepted by the council, then it goes on the ballot
However, Bartie does not think that the council has to vote on it.
Bartie says if the charter change happens he looks forward to serving another three-year term, and any new mayor coming in would be able to serve nine consecutive years.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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