A proposal to extend term lengths for Arlington mayor and city council members has large lead, with 84% of the vote, according to unofficial results.

The proposition would extend term lengths for the mayor and city council members from two years to three years.

The special election comes four years after around 62% of voters approved three two-year terms for mayor and city council members in 2018.

If Proposition A passes, government officials could serve up to nine years as a city council member and nine years as mayor. The current cap for serving as both a city council member and mayor is 12 years.

The 2018 measure was a citizen-led effort which was added to the ballot after citizen Zachary Maxwell gained over 11,000 signatures on a petition. Prior to the measure, Arlington did not have term limits for its mayor or city council members.

Former Mayor Jeff Williams was among city leaders who pushed back against the 2018 term limits measure.

In June 2020, a Term Limits Advisory Committee was created by the city council to review the city’s charter, which can be amended every two years. At the time, the advisory committee looked at alternatives to term limits and suggested changes without eliminating term limits.

Larry Fowler, an Arlington attorney and one of the driving forces behind the special election, previously told the Star-Telegram that the two-year limit adopted in 2018 doesn’t give public officials enough time to get anything done. He likened the current term limits to business employees being trained for six years and then fired.

“If we citizens are going to spend the time to support a candidate, and you know, and they get elected, we want them to have time to actually do what we voted for, which is help run the city,” Fowler said.

Maxwell told the Star-Telegram that the proposed amendment was a “power grab” by city officials and a “backhand” to those who voted for term limits four years ago.

This story was originally published November 8, 2022 7:09 PM.