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Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie’s bid to change the city charter to allow for the mayor and council members to serve three 3-year consecutive terms is moving forward.

On Tuesday, Bartie submitted his petition drive to the city secretary’s office for verification. He is hoping to have enough signatures of registered Port Arthur voters to place a charter change proposition on the Nov. 5 ballot.

According to the city secretary’s office, Bartie needs 1,396 verified signatures to place the issue on the ballot. He estimates he collected 1,600 to 1,900 signatures.

The city now has five days to verify each signature after which the city secretary will present the petition to the city council that can then call for an election.

Since Bartie is serving his last term and the next municipal election for the city isn’t until May 2025, the issue must be placed before voters in the upcoming election to have an impact on the 2025 election cycle.

The proposed amendment

The proposed amendment — “Shall Article II, Section 1, Term of Office of the Charter of the City of Port Arthur be amended to increase the number of consecutive terms of office for the Mayor and Council members from two (2) to three (3) consecutive terms?”

Bartie was issued the petition May 17 and had 60 days to collect the needed signatures. He and volunteers took on the duty of collecting signatures.