Qualifications to Run for City Council
Qualifications listed in State Law, 141.001 Election Code
- be a United States citizen;
- be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as applicable;
- have not been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
- totally mentally incapacitated; or
- partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote;
- have not been finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities;
- have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the territory from which the office is elected for six months immediately preceding the following date:
- for a candidate whose name is to appear on a general primary election ballot, the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
- for an independent candidate, the date of the regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
- for a write-in candidate, the date of the election at which the candidate's name is written in;
- for a party nominee who is nominated by any method other than by primary election, the date the nomination is made; and
- for an appointee to an office, the date the appointment is made;
- on the date described by Subdivision (5), be registered to vote in the territory from which the office is elected; and
- satisfy any other eligibility requirements prescribed by law for the office.
Qualifications listed in City Charter
- Must be a Citizen of the United States, State of Texas and City of Coleman.
- Must be at least 18 years of age.
- Must have lived in the City, or Ward for which you are running
for office, for at least 1 year.
(see Ward boundaries below and/or map located on this page.) - Must be a registered voter.
City Charter Provisions
Section 2.01 - Number, Selection, and Term of Office
The governing and law making body of the City of Coleman shall consist of a Mayor and four (4) Council members, and said body shall be known as the “City Council of the City of Coleman.” The members of the City Council shall be the only elective officers of the City. The members of the City Council shall run for office, and be elected from each of four (4) Wards by the voters of the City of Coleman as a whole, in the manner provided in Article 3, for a term of two (2) years, or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The Mayor and two (2) members of the Council shall be elected by popular vote each odd numbered year, and two (2) members shall be so elected each even numbered year.
Section 2.02 - Wards
Candidates for City Council members shall file for place number one, place number two, place number three, and place number four, as the case may be, and shall be voted upon and elected by the voters of the City of Coleman as a whole.
Candidates for Place Number One shall be a resident of the City of Coleman as hereinafter provided in Article II, Section 2.04, and shall reside in that area of the City of Coleman which lies north of the railroad tracks, and north of the center line of Cottonwood Street from the east line of the City limits to the west line of the City limits.
Candidates for Place Number Two shall be a resident of the City of Coleman as herein provided in Article II, Section 2.04, and shall reside in that area of the City of Coleman south of the centerline of Cottonwood Street, north of the centerline of Sixth Street, west of the centerline of Pecos Street, and east of the west line of the City limits.
Candidates for Place Number Three shall be residents of the City of Coleman as hereinafter provided in Article II, Section 2.04, and shall reside in that area of the City of Coleman south of the centerline of Cottonwood Street and the railroad tracks, east of the centerline of Pecos Street, north of the centerline of Sixth Street, and west of the east line of the City limits.
Candidates for Place Number Four shall be a residents of the City of Coleman as hereinafter provided in Article II, Section 2.04, and shall reside in that area of the City of Coleman north of the south line of the City limits, east of the west line of the City limits, west of the east line of the City limits, and south of the centerline of Sixth Street.
Candidates for Mayor shall be residents of the City of Coleman as hereinafter provided in Article II, Section 2.04, and shall be elected by the voters of the City of Coleman as a whole.
Section 2.04 - Qualifications
Each of the four (4) Council members, and the Mayor, shall be citizens of the United States of America and a registered qualified voter of the State of Texas, and shall be at least 18 years of age; and shall live within the corporate limits of the City of Coleman, and shall have resided within the corporate limits for at least one (1) year preceding the election at which they are candidates. Each of the four (4) City Council persons shall have lived within the Ward for which they are filing for a minimum of one (1) year immediately preceding the election at which they are a candidate. They shall not be disqualified by reason of any provision of any other section of this Charter.
A member of the Council, or Chief of Police, ceasing to possess any of the qualifications specified in this section, or any other section of this Charter, or convicted of a felony while in office, shall immediately forfeit the office.
In accordance with state law, no member of the Council shall hold any other public office within the City, except that of Notary Public or member of the National Guard, Naval or Military Reserve, or be a retired member of the Armed Forces.
Any individual elected under this Charter shall continually reside within the City limits of the City of Coleman during their term of office. The failure to reside within the City limits of Coleman shall result in an automatic vacancy in the office, said vacancy to be filled consistent with the process for filling a vacancy as provided for in this Charter.