The Texas local government is made up of several members in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Texas House of Representatives, and the Texas Senate. All the members of the houses are elected after a stipulated time and services for a fixed period. However, one can be reelected for another term, depending on how appealing they are to the public.
The State of Texas is represented by 36 members in the House. However, the city of San Antonio, which is in the State of Texas, has five congressional districts; District 20, District 21, District 23, District 28, and District 35. District 20 is currently being represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Joaquin Castro. The House member for District 21 is Lamar Smith. Will Hurd, Henry Cuellar, and Lloyd Doggett are House Members for District 23, 28, and 35, respectively.
There are only two senators in Texas; a Senior Senator and a Junior Senator. Each of the senators is elected by the public and serves for six years. The current Senior Senator for the state of Texas is John Cornyn.
Cornyn, who hails from the Republican Party, took office in the year 2002. He won the two consecutive senatorial elections, with his next election scheduled to take place in the year 2020. Ted Cruz is the Junior Senator to Texas. Cruz took office for the first time in the year 2013. His next and second election is scheduled to take place in the year 2018. Like Cornyn, Cruz is also from the Republican Party.
Unlike the number of members of the House, San Antonio has about 13 Districts being represented in the Texas House of Representatives, with my district being number 125. The House Member for District 125 in the Texas House of Representatives is Justin Rodriguez.
The number of Texas State districts within the City of San Antonio is 4, with my district being District 25. This district is represented by Senator Donna Campbell. The City of San Antonio’s Council is district number 10, with its current House Member being Mike Gallagher.
Justifications for rewarding the Mayor and Council Members of San Antonio
The month of May will be a turning point in the way members of the San Antonio City Council will be elected. One of the reasons is that voters will be given a chance to state whether members of the City Council should be paid a professional salary or not. There are several reasons that justify why San Antonio’s City Council members should be paid.
The fact that one is a member of the City Council means that the person is a full-time member of the Council. The member has to spend the majority of his work time dealing with matters concerning the Council. In other words, being a member of the City Council is equivalent to a full-time job, whose services should be rewarded.
The current members of the San Antonio’s City Council are entitled to $1,040 in a year. This amount is far below the median household income for the people living in San Antonio. Therefore, it would be fair to raise the yearly income of the members of the City Council to $45,722, which is in line with what median households in San Antonio earn in one year. One can conclude that San Antonio’s City Council members should earn a professional salary.