Gary Boren, a man who has run for more local offices than there are potholes on Indiana Avenue, just hit a slight snag in his latest quest for power. It turns out that when the City of Lubbock asks how long you’ve lived in a district, they actually expect you to tell the truth—and then, in a shocking twist of administrative competence, they actually read what you wrote.
In his application for the District 4 special election, Boren boldly admitted he’s been a resident for a whopping two months. Unfortunately for Gary, the City Secretary and Texas state law have this wacky, gatekeeping idea that you should probably live among your constituents for at least six months before you start claiming to represent them. Apparently, “I just finished remodeling my mom’s house” doesn’t count as a legal exemption in the Texas Election Code.
But don’t worry, Gary isn’t letting a little thing like “math” or “the law” stop him. He’s already crying “bully” and threatening to take the City to federal court, because nothing says “grassroots public servant” like hiring an Austin lawyer to argue that the City Charter is basically just a list of polite suggestions. According to Boren, if his driver’s license says he lives there, the six-month rule is just a minor detail—sort of like a speed limit on Loop 289.
The City, meanwhile, is sticking to its guns, pointing out that these requirements have been posted on their website for years. But why check a website when you can just assume the rules don’t apply to you because you once sat on the school board? It’s the Lubbock way: if you can’t meet the requirements, just sue until the requirements feel bad and go away.
If Gary manages to litigate his way onto the ballot, does he get bonus points for the four months he spent thinking about moving, or do we just keep pretending that time is subjective in District 4?
https://www.kcbd.com/2026/04/07/city-secretary-rules-boren-not-eligible-run-lubbock-council/
