Editing Denton, Texas (section)

==Government==
===Local government===
[[File:Denton County Courts Building.jpg|thumb|Denton County Courts Building|alt=Fronts picture of a two-story administration building on a cloudy day. The walkway is shown leading up to the building including a circular garden with white flowers forming a star.]]

Denton is the [[county seat]] of [[Denton County]]. From 1914 to 1959, the City of Denton used a [[Mayor-council|mayor–city commission]] system, but a charter adopted in 1959 created a [[Council-manager|council–manager]] form of city government.<ref name="tsha-city" /> Residents elect a mayor, four single-member district council members, and two at-large members. The Denton City Council appoints the city manager.<ref name="tsha-city" /> Council terms are for two years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms, and elections are held each year in May.<ref name=govt>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=58 |title=City Council Members |publisher=City of Denton |access-date=2009-09-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011131127/http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=58 |archive-date=2009-10-11 }}</ref> Denton Municipal Utilities administers utilities; the city provides water, wastewater, electric, drainage and solid waste service. The electric utility, Denton Municipal Electric (DME), has been in operation since 1905. In 2009, DME began providing 40% of its energy to customers through renewable resources. The City of Denton Water Utilities Department serves the city's water demand. [[Atmos Energy]] provides the city's natural gas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=455 |title=City of Denton, TX: Denton Municipal Electric |publisher=City of Denton |access-date=2009-10-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010231547/http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=455 |archive-date=2009-10-10 }}</ref> Denton is a part of the [[Sister Cities International]] program and maintains cultural and economic exchange programs with its [[sister city|sister cities]], [[Madaba]], [[Jordan]], and [[San Nicolás de los Garza]], [[Mexico]].<ref name="sistercity">{{cite web | url=http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/TX | title = Sister Cities International (Online Directory: Texas, USA) | access-date = 2007-04-09 |publisher=Sister Cities International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210144332/http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/TX |archive-date=2008-02-10 }}</ref>

Denton is a voluntary member of the [[North Central Texas Council of Governments]] association, the purpose of which is to coordinate individual and collective local governments and facilitate regional solutions, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and enable joint decisions.

===Politics===
Denton historically is a solidly Republican-voting city,{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} but it has become more competitive in national elections as its population has diversified, shifting toward the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] in more recent elections.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:center; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+Denton city vote by party in presidential elections<ref name="votedenton.gov">{{cite web |title=votedenton.gov |url=https://www.votedenton.gov/election-results-and-maps/election-results/#PastElections |website=www.votedenton.gov |access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref>
!Year
![[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
![[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
![[Third party (United States)|Third parties/Ind.]]
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |[[2024 United States presidential election in Texas|2024]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''50.44%''' 36,884
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |47.83% 34,979
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |1.72% 1,260
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2020 United States presidential election in Texas|2020]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |48.01% 38,910
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''49.97%''' 40,499
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |2.02% 1,637
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2016 United States presidential election in Texas|2016]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |40.52% 24,943
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''52.80%''' 32,501
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |6.68% 4,112
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:center; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+Denton city vote by party in gubernatorial elections<ref name="votedenton.gov"/>
!Year
![[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
![[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
![[Third party (United States)|Third parties/Ind.]]
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |[[2022 Texas gubernatorial election|2022]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''53.22%''' 27,787
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |45.13% 23,520
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |1.53% 800
|-
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |[[2018 Texas gubernatorial election|2018]]
| align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}} |47.85% 29,623
| align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}} |'''49.86%''' 30,865
| align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}} |2.27% 1,410
|}

===Federal and state government===
After the 2021 redistricting process, new and significantly different political boundaries were set for Denton County. Starting in 2023, most of Denton will be in the [[Texas's 13th congressional district|13th Congressional district]]. The southwest portions of the city will be in the [[Texas's 26th congressional district|26th Congressional district]].

Almost all of the city is in newly drawn [[Texas's 64th House of Representatives district|Texas House district 64]]. Some portions of south, north, and far east Denton are in [[Texas House of Representatives|Texas House]] districts [[Texas's 57th House of Representatives district|57]] and [[Texas's 106th House of Representatives district|106]]. All of the city is in the new [[Texas Senate, District 30|Texas Senate district 30]], except for some western portions in [[Texas Senate, District 12|district 12.]]

Several Texas state agencies have facilities in the city, including a [[Texas Workforce Commission|Texas Workforce Center]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/tax/taxoff.html |title=Texas Workforce Center Tax Offices |publisher=Texas Workforce Center |access-date=2009-10-30}}</ref> a [[Texas Department of Public Safety]] office,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dentoncounty.com/Locations/DPSDenton.asp |title=Denton County, Texas – Department of Public Safety |publisher=Denton County |access-date=2009-10-30 |archive-date=July 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709013838/http://dentoncounty.com/Locations/DPSDenton.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> a [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]] office, and a Denton District Parole Office.

The [[Texas state supported living centers|Denton State Supported Living Center]], formerly Denton State School, is Texas's largest residential facility for people with developmental disabilities. It serves an 18-county area and employs approximately 1,500 people.

The [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) has its Region VI headquarters in Denton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fema.gov/about/contact/regioniv.shtm |title=FEMA: Region IV |publisher=Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) |access-date=2009-10-30 }}</ref>

=== County and municipal government ===
All Denton city council and mayoral terms are two years, unlike in most cities in the area, which use three-year terms. Even-numbered years bring the elections of the three at-large seats, places 5 & 6 and mayor. Odd-numbered years bring the elections of the four district council members.

{{hidden begin|title=List of mayors of Denton, Texas|titlestyle=background:#F8F8FF;width:60%}}
* J. B. Sawyer, 1869
* W. J. Austin, 1870
* Dempsey Jackson, 1871
* W. C. Bobbett, 1872
* R. B. Coleman, 1873
* David Jones Eddleman, 1874-1875
* Joseph Warren Jagoe, 1876
* M. W. Deavenport Sr., 1877, 1891
* John Allen Withers, 1878
* Thomas E. Hogg, 1879
* I. D. Ferguson, 1880
* D. N. Dodson, 1881
* C. L. Herbert Jr., 1882
* D. A. Robinson, 1883
* T. W. Abney 1883-1885
* Oliver Perry Poe, 1885-1888, 1891-1894, 1896-1904, 1910-1911
* Emory C. Smith, 1888-1890
* J. A. Carroll, 1890-1891
* F. M. Davidson, 1894-1895
* W. L. McCormick, 1904-1905
* T. J. Simmons, 1906-1907
* Ed. F. Bates, 1908-1909, 1912-1913
* W. L. Foreman, 1914-1915
* R. H. Evers, 1915
* S. G. Gary, 1916
* Peter Joseph Beyette, 1917-1919
* H. V. Hennen, 1919-1925
* B. W. McKenzie, 1926-1933
* J. L. Wright, 1934-1937
* Lee Preston, 1938-1945
* J. L. Yarborough, 1946-1949, 1956-1957
* Mark Hannah, 1950-1955
* Jack Bryson, 1957-1959
* Frank L. Barrow, 1959-1962
* W. F. Brooks Sr., 1962
* Warren Whitson Jr., 1962-1967
* [[Zeke Martin]], 1967-1969
* L. A. Nelson, 1969-1970
* A. M. Finlay Jr., 1970-1972
* William Nash "Bill" Neu, 1972-1974
* Tom D. Jester Jr., 1974-1976
* Elinor Hughes, 1976-1978
* Joe Mitchell, 1978-1979
* William Stanley "Bill" Nash, 1979-1980
* Richard O. Stewart, 1980-1986
* Ray Stephens, 1986-1989<ref>{{cite web|url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth307673/m1/14/|title=1988 Historical Calendar: Mayors of Denton|date=1987|page=14|via=[[University of North Texas Libraries]]|accessdate=December 8, 2023}}</ref>
* Bob Castleberry, 1990-1995
* Jack Miller, 1996-1999
* Euline Brock, 2000-2005
* Perry McNeill, 2006-2008
* Mark Burroughs, 2008-2014
* Chris Watts, 2014-2020
* Gerard Hudspeth, 2020–present
{{hidden end}}

The mayor is [[Gerard Hudspeth]], who was [[2020 Denton mayoral election|elected in 2020]] and [[2022 Denton mayoral election|reelected in 2022]].

In 2014, city voters approved a ban on [[Hydraulic fracturing|fracking]].<ref name=":2" />

In 2022, city voters approved decriminalization of possession of misdemeanor amounts of marijuana.<ref>{{cite news |title=Denton passes one of Texas' first marijuana decriminalization ordinances |url=https://dentonrc.com/news/election_2020/denton-passes-one-of-texas-first-marijuana-decriminalization-ordinances/article_6fca8087-50e8-54fa-b05f-a2ef452a963f.html |access-date=10 November 2022 |publisher=Denton Record-Chronicle |date=8 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref>