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Longtime Houston City Councilmembers Dave Martin and Michael Kubosh are prohibited by law to seek new terms at the horseshoe, but both men hope to continue to work with the 17-member body as the next city controller.
According to a report from Houston ABC affiliate KTRK, Martin, the incumbent mayor pro-tem, and Kubosh, an at-large member, plan to run for the position in November.
They aspire to be the individual who'll succeed current controller Chris Brown, whose maximum of two terms is almost up.
The city controller is essentially the city’s chief financial officer (CFO) whose responsibilities – according to the city’s website – include, but aren’t limited to certifying availability of funds before the city council approves certain expenditures, overseeing disbursements of more than $1 billion annually and internally auditing municipal departments.
Kubosh told KTRK that the controller keeps a watchful eye on citizens’ tax dollars.
“[The job] tells the public what's going on at city hall when it comes to their taxes and their finances,” he said in the report.
Martin said the ideal controller must be successful in getting “the educational, private and public sectors” to work “in finance accounting and audit,” the station reported.
Kubosh said if elected controller, he’ll hold everyone accountable from the mayor to the office clerk.
“I'll call those out when I've seen they've done wrong … A watchdog not only barks, but it also bites,” he told KTRK.
Martin; however, believes “watchdog” is the wrong term to use for the office, asserting his longtime experience with managing money qualifies him to keep track of the city’s ledgers.
“You're a finance, accounting and audit specialist,” he told the station. “What gives me the experience is that I spent 40 years in the private and public sector working in those arenas."
The election for controller will be held alongside the contest for Houston mayor on Tuesday, Nov. 7.