It’s not what you think it is. You can read the entire new ordinance here.
Last night, the City Council conducted the first reading of a proposed rewrite of their Code of Ethics. If passed, the ordinance will apply to current city employees, Council members, and former city officials. According to the ordinance:
Rather, this Article is intended to provide a framework within which to encourage ethical behavior and enforce basic standards of conduct while providing due process that protects the rights of both the Complainant and the Accused.
If you actually read the proposed ordinance, you’ll see it’s completely standard for cities of any size. Contrary to Councilman Joseph Lowry’s claims, it does not give City Council the power to remove an elected official. Higher governing bodies certainly have that power—Congress expelled George Santos, and the Texas House expelled Bryan Slaton after a severe conduct investigation of providing alcohol to an underaged staffer and having all night sex with her. Houston’s City Council can’t remove a colleague; at most, they can strip committee assignments or restrict participation, as seen previously with Councilman Greg Travis.
What the ordinance does do is set baseline ethics standards—prohibiting harassment, conflicts of interest, illegal gifts, and the misuse of city resources. All are common sense ethical standards. It also creates a structured review process for official complaints, but the available penalties stop short of removal. While Lowry might try to use this new system to level allegations against Mayor Bell and Councilmember Yancy, the process requires verifiable evidence—something Lowry has claimed to hold for five years, though he has yet to produce it. It also addresses frivolous complaints and penalties for filing them.
You can read the entire new ordinance here.
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