Pasadena Will Have New Leadership On City Council

PASADENA, TX -- On May 6, there will be a changing of the guard in the City of Pasadena, and for the first time in many years, Johnny Isbell will no longer be the mayor and will no longer be the loudest voice on embattled city council.

One of five candidates will take his place, with each in some way pledging to bring a sense of unity to a city divided along racial lines, between the Latino community and whites.

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The divide, which has long been in place, came to a head late last year when the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund filed a federal lawsuit against the city, citing the voting scheme pushed by Isbell and narrowly passed by voters in 2013, violated the Voting Rights Act and diluted the Latino voting power.

U.S. District Court Judge Lee H. Rosenthal agreed, and on Jan. 6 ruled against Pasadena’s voting district configuration for city council seats.

Not long after that ruling, the city received an influx of applications from residents seeking to run for city council and mayoral office.

One of those candidates include Councilwoman Pat Van Houte, who locked horns with Isbell more than a time or two in city council, and who served as a key witness against the city in the voting rights lawsuit.

She is joined by Gary Pena and Robert Talton, who both served in the state legislature, J.R. Moon and Jeff Wagner.

The last day to file for a place on the ballot was Feb. 17, so the field of 20 mayoral and city council candidates who’ve signed up to run since mid January will now have to wait and see where they appear on the ballot, and begin the process of trolling neighborhoods and soliciting votes.

The campaigning is expected to begin in earnest next month.

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