By Suzanne Bellsnyder | Texas Rural Reporter
Congressman Jodey Arrington (R-Lubbock) surprised a lot of folks last week when he announced he would not seek re-election. And it was one line in his statement that stayed with me: “Public service should not be a full-time career.”
His statement made me proud. Because that’s exactly how we think out here in rural Texas. Service shouldn’t be something you cling to. Arrington reminded folks what a real public servant looks like: step up, do the work, and when your season is done, make room for the next person. And leave it to a rural Republican to know when it’s time to hang up the spurs.
But across Texas, we’re watching the opposite unfold. Statewide leaders seem determined to hold onto their power, even as the state’s needs go unmet.
Take Governor Greg Abbott. He is running for an unprecedented fourth term, which would give him 16 years in the Governor’s Mansion. That hit home for me this weekend when my 21-year-old casually said she’s never known a Texas governor other than Abbott. To her, having a single governor for her entire life isn’t unusual — it’s normal. And that’s the problem. When leadership doesn’t rotate, accountability disappears.
And here’s the hard truth: when you serve too long, you run out of things to do. So now our Governor is chasing a national audience with extreme rhetoric and made-for-TV moments. Instead of addressing the kitchen-table issues that matter — property taxes, insurance rates, water infrastructure, school finance, rural hospital closures — he’s governing for soundbites, donors, and conservative media outside Texas.
He’s not alone. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and other long-entrenched leaders are following the same script. The pendulum has swung so far out of balance that serious legislating has been replaced by applause lines aimed at people who don’t live here and won’t face the consequences. When leaders stay in power too long, the state becomes a stage, the people become props, and the work gets replaced by the performance.
That goes against everything Dirt Democracy stands for. Leadership only works when it stays connected to the people, and nothing disconnects an elected official faster than clinging to power. Entrenchment creeps in through comfort, routine, and the belief that the office belongs to you instead of the voters. Once that mindset takes hold, leaders lose perspective. They stop hearing concerns, stop noticing the cracks, and stop responding to the realities families face every day.
At the state level, that looks like Abbott’s donor-driven war chest — funded by people who expect something in return. When a governor relies on billionaire donors instead of everyday Texans, judgment becomes clouded. The position becomes more important than the leadership, and the people get left behind.
At the local level, entrenchment takes another form, but the outcome is the same. When a mayor remains in office long enough that the title becomes part of his identity — tied to business dealings, associations, and personal relationships — the focus drifts away from public service. Decisions start protecting relationships rather than residents. Criticism becomes a threat, not a signal. Over time, the system begins serving itself instead of the citizens.
This is exactly what our founders warned against. They didn’t want kings. They didn’t want centralized power. They didn’t want leaders who stayed so long that the office became theirs by right instead of by election. When someone occupies the same seat year after year, we drift away from government of, by, and for the people — and move toward government run by whoever has held on the longest.
Maybe it’s time we talk seriously about term limits. Dirt Democracy rejects permanent power because it disconnects leaders from the people they serve. Term limits aren’t punishment; they are protection. They guarantee fresh eyes, new energy, and elected officials who remember why they were sent there in the first place.
And here’s the irony: the Republican Party of Texas platform already supports term limits for federal and state offices. The principle is written down. It’s time we start living it — in Austin and in our own small towns.
Congressman Arrington may be leaving the political stage, but he leaves behind a truth that Texas needs to hear, he said: “I believe, as our founding fathers did, in citizen leadership – temporary service, not a career.”
About the Author
Suzanne Bellsnyder is editor and publisher of the Hansford County Reporter-Statesman and Sherman County Gazette. A former Capitol staffer with decades of experience in Texas politics and policy, she now focuses on how state decisions shape rural life through her newspapers and the Texas Rural Reporter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at www.TexasRuralReporter.Substack.com.
