Elections have a way of developing themes and this year’s contest for Houston mayor looks to be no different.  If the 2015 mayoral campaign was about pension reform, then the early focus of the 2019 race seems to be on ethics at City Hall.  Mayor Sylvester Turner should take this challenge seriously, and by addressing it early ensure that it won’t edge out other, badly needed priorities between now and Election Day. 

River Oaks lawyer Tony Buzbee got plenty of attention — as you’d expect from such a stunt — by rolling a wheelbarrow full of manure in front of the press, but the real ideas come from challenger Bill King, a former mayor of Kemah who lost to Turner in a 2015 runoff.  King is promoting a petition drive to implement a two-year moratorium on doing business with the city, including being appointed to boards or commissions, for anyone who contributes more than $250 to a city official’s campaign. 

Recent headlines about contracts at City Hall have raised questions about whether current regulations are strict enough. 

Turner often has a politician’s instinct for a brawl, and it’s understandable if he views these new ethics recommendations as attacks on his record that need to be rebutted and defeated. 

But he shouldn’t let personal politics blind him to the fact that underlying arguments about money in politics deserve consideration.  A smart politician like Turner should latch onto the issue.  Just as it took Turner — who was endorsed by Houston’s three public employee unions — to pass pension reform, real ethics reform may not be possible without the support of an experienced political operator like the mayor. 

Houston needs reforms.  Our city is out of step with other major Texas cities when it comes to fundraising limits. 

In San Antonio individuals can only donate up to $500 to a city council candidate and $1,000 for mayoral candidates.  In Dallas it is $1,000 for city council and $5,000 for mayor.  Austin’s rules are even stricter. 

Houston, on the other hand, permits individuals to contribute up to $5,000 to a candidate and political committees can give up to $10,000 per candidate every two years. 

Defenders of the status quo say that limits on fundraising only benefit wealthy candidates — like Buzbee and, to a lesser extent, King — who can fund their own campaigns. 

But Houston undeniably has a worrisome amount of cash sloshing around during campaign season.  Mayor Turner already has $2.85 million on hand after a massive $1.24 million fundraising haul during the second half of 2018.  In contrast, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings barely raised more than $1 million in his 2015 re-election race and raised more than $2.21 million over the entire 2011 general election.  Even down-ballot races in Houston rake in the big bucks.  Sallie Alcorn, a longtime City Hall staffer running for the At Large 5 seat, raised more than $145,000 so far.  Candidates in Dallas’ 2019 mayoral election have struggled to match that kind of haul. 

All this money risks distorting the incentives for candidates in Houston, encouraging them to focus on fundraising ahead of everything.  It allows the wealthy to get their names and faces in front of politicians while working-class Houstonians can’t afford a ticket to fundraising events.  It also allows candidates to expect hefty checks from donors who might want attention at City Hall.  And, even if politicians abide by the most stringent ethical considerations, big-money politics can undermine confidence in government by creating the appearance of impropriety. 

The mayor should take this talk of ethics not as a threat, but as a challenge and lead Houston to reform the way money and politics coexist in city elections. 

Houston has too many major threats looming over our city — climate change, hurricanes, the future of oil and gas, an unsustainable budget — to get bogged down on an issue that has plenty of potential solutions.  Voters deserve a campaign season that makes these top threats the priority.  By addressing the role of money in politics proactively, Turner can help ensure that that’s where the focus remains. 

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