Before I get to the meat of this post... please allow me to address a couple comments from the League City Politics is a Full Contact Sport peanut gallery today, in particular, those from Candidate Greg Gripon's son, Justin Gripon. Justin, I had a previous post (I guess you and your father are choosing to ignore the citizens in League City, since you didn't bother to read the post) where I addressed the claim by Mel Kelly that there is slander on this blog. First and foremost, get a dictionary - the word you mean to use was libel (the written form of defamation, as opposed to slander, which is spoken). But ignoring your limited vocabulary, I'll address your amateur lawyering - you've actually bordered closer to defamation than I have. See, I've made no proclamations of factually untrue information. I've made reference to facts, I've presented logic, and I've presented opinions. None of these could be considered defamation. Now your accusations of slander, that might actually border on it. But go ahead and dismiss this blog as "poor discussion"; however, unless you address the questions and positions I've raised, you can't achieve any "unity" in this city "to steer our city towards a planned sustainable future" - I'll get back to your use of the word sustainable later.
Now, let's get onto demographics and what matters to the voters of League City. According to your clowns in the LCPIAFCS group (which is really nothing more than the propaganda arm of the Green Team - Hallisey/Salcedo/Gripon/Millican), here's what makes for a good councilmember (please reference the quotes I have at the bottom of the post to see where I compiled this list from if you dispute the list)
1. Show up/Be Active in council meetings/workshops, be active in the city (committees, leadership roles, volunteering), Take a Stand
2. Be involved in our city for a long time/Have good roots in this town
3. Heart in the right place/Not looking to build a resume/Positive sense of community
4. Ability to communicate effectively
5. Focused on citizen needs vs new businesses yet understanding of challenges businesses face in League City
6. Volunteering time not money
7. Possessing "original" thoughts
So let's discuss all of these, and how much they matter to the typical League City voter (this is called your "demographic"), and also what REALLY does (and should) matter to the League City voter.
1. If we're happy with the city, the direction it's taking, and living busy, productive, enjoyable lives taking advantage of the many benefits this great city offers us, then we aren't going to attend council meetings/workshops. Sure, y'all love to attend them, just ask Bill Heins how much time he wastes trying to attend the ethics council meetings since he isn't allowed to serve on the board. And while, on the surface, this may seem like a positive contribution to the community, I ask, "Is it?" See, I'd rather you spend your time working, earning money you can spend on a nicer house, and paying more taxes so my share of the total bill seems a little smaller. Perhaps we'd have less politicking and a more productive improvement schedule if a few less of you clowns showed up to city council meetings to stop wasting our council's time as you whine about things like the mayor not having an office fancy enough to fit your friend Pat Hallisey, or complaining about the city logo being sailboats instead of an oak tree, as if that makes a whole hill of a beans of difference to the average voter. We want infrastructure improvements, we want to make sure we have a water supply that will meet our needs. We want traffic problems solved. And most importantly, we want the taxes lower for every homeowner while accomplishing all of this. Justin and Greg Gripon have said a lot of liberal buzz-words, like hope, change, unity, and most importantly - green and sustainable. Sure sounds a lot like they desire to bring Obamanomics to play in League City. I for one don't want a "community organizer" or "community leader" on my city council. I want a business-minded problem solver.
2. Being involved with our city for a long time and having good roots in this town. This sure sounds like a euphemism for "Keep League City for us". The question is - who is the us. In Greg Gripon and Pat Hallisey's case, this is the people who've lived here for their entire lives. Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong living in League City your entire life. I hope to spend the rest of my life here, and I hope my kids find great jobs that enable them to live here too. But when you word your desires this way, it comes across as "for us, not those people who moved here in the last 10-20 years in those new developments". But we're here now. Pat Hallisey and all the other city "leaders" who financed their campaigns with money from developers created this situation. Now the only thing to do is accept it. And a lot of these "new" people in town have good, fresh, new ideas that clearly you old-timers lack. After all, if you had such great ideas, our downtown wouldn't need revitalized, it'd already be a shining gem in Galveston county.
3. I don't know anyone (and yes, this even includes the Green Team candidates that I don't support) who has their "heart in the wrong place". I think they actually believe they'll improve this city. I find them to be misguided, maybe not very bright, but I do believe their heart is in the right place. And I believe their opponents have their hearts in the right place. So, congrats, this is like saying you insist on a candidate that is human. Now, as for "looking to build a resume"... what's the problem in this? You don't build a resume by doing a bad job. You don't build a resume on failures. You build a resume on success. Avoiding people who have higher aspirations or are looking to build a resume is just a way of saying you seek mediocrity. Only mediocrity stagnates and isn't looking to build a resume. I would LOVE to have this city run by people who are building their resumes - that means they have the courage and ambition to take action and the follow-through to accomplish something great for this city.
4. Ability to communicate effectively - this one I'll firmly agree with. Unfortunately, Greg Gripon's posts have demonstrated he cannot communicate clearly. His posts on Facebook are often barely able to be read due to the grammatical mistakes and creative use of capitalization and punctuation. That's not how I define "effective communication". That being said, I'll agree with the Green Team on this one - the City should do a better job of communicating with the citizens. The City Manager hasn't effectively communicated his plan for the downtown revitalization to the citizens, and it's enabled the Green Team propaganda machine to distort the message (lying about the associated costs, acting as if it's going to be entirely funded by our property tax money, hiding any potential tax relief that would come from the increased commercial activity, failing to discuss the increased access to functions such as the 4th of July celebration downtown - I for one have turned around and gone home after finding nowhere to park). Don't worry - I'll add more about downtown revitalization in a separate post.
5. Only a through-and-through liberal could believe that there is a dichotomy between attracting businesses and representing the citizens. Mock the City Manager's "3-legged stool" all you want, but the fact is - running a city costs money. We need traffic improvements, we need our water supply boosted to accommodate the anticipated growth of this town, we need services and parks to continue making this a top targeted neighborhood for families as they choose where to buy a house. All of this has to be funded. The options essentially boil down to - tax the homeowners, or lure in businesses and allow hotel occupancy tax, sales tax, and business taxes to fund the improvements. We can debate the merits of the downtown revitalization plan as to whether or not it will prove effective at attracting business and tax money raised from somewhere other than the homeowners' property taxes; but I'll say this: I've seen NO plans from the Green Team to address these costs. I've seen a lot of talk about saving 30 Oak trees, and fighting anything that costs money. But any businessman will tell you that it's not "spending" money when you're "investing" in something that is going to return you far more money. What the tax and spend liberal Green Team doesn't tell you is that they most likely love the property tax funding this city the way it is. The lower income people still have access to all this city offers, and the people in those expensive new houses foot the bill. But the fact is, this is a conservative-dominated demographic now. Moving on to a second point, pretending that running a small-time landscaping business translates to an understanding of the challenges businesses face in League City is laughable. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with small, local businesses. I think they're great. But it's the big out-of-town business money that will enable the city to shift the expenses off the homeowner while continuing to improve this city. Anything that can do that is great.
6. Volunteering time not money. This is absolutely shameful. To pretend that either form of contribution is more valid than the other is simple arrogance. While some of us may not have time to volunteer our time because we're busy working or raising families, if we're giving back to our community with the fruits of our labor, it is JUST as beneficial to the community. Think of it this way - If I make $100 per hour working, and I donate 10% to charities that benefit the community, then I'm donating $10 per hour. If, instead, I were to work less and donate my time, then I'd need to be doing work that couldn't be hired for $10 per hour. Collecting tickets at fundraisers, working the gate at the boat show, and walking dogs are all things that can be hired out for less than $10 per hour. In other words, I'd be cheating the community if I gave my time instead of my money. Furthermore, if I were to work less so that I'd have time to volunteer, I'd also have less money to contribute to the put towards my house, and I'd be paying less in property taxes, thus robbing the community of even more contribution. Some of us have time we can contribute, some have money. Neither is less valuable to the community.
7. We should care more about which positions a person supports and how they'll vote than whether they have "original" thoughts. A lot of "original" ideas that I've heard thrown about are just terrible. But more importantly, please oh PLEASE tell me one single original thought Greg Gripon has originated. He's simply a Hallisey puppet. Y'all should be more careful when you criticize Kinsey as simply echoing what the rest of Council has said until Greg ever has a thought that wasn't first spoken by Hallisey.
See y'all at the council meeting tonight!
References
From LCPIAFCS:
Holly Shelden - "How many times have we seen people up for election that show up for events, or create events, only when running and have never had anything to do with anything LC before? Then once elections over, we never see them again? This is not the kind of people we want representing or in governing positions for LC! These are people, who only have self interest or self business or self promotion in mind! Why would anyone vote for them? We have seen the end result so many times. And it has never been positive but brutally destructive for the good of government in LC. I am about people who show up, care, and have been involved in our city for a long time before they are called to run because their heart is in the right place!"
John Bowen - "If you are running you should speak to the council to help the people know who you are and where you come down on issues."
Laura Teatsworth - "i think its more than just attending city council meetings that makes a viable candidate for me to consider a vote (imo). I ask myself-are they an active in the city (on committees, leadership roles in the community, volunteer (coach, mentor, aid and/or assist) and do the have a postive sense of community. They have (imo) to have the ability to communicate effectively and voice their opinions/take a stand when there is a difference of opinion. To me-its more than attending a meeting...."
Jerry Jones - "Let's get back to focusing on citizen needs,versus making it comfortable and too easy for new businesses to come into town. We have what they want,so we don't need to give it away."
Byram Lass - "Greg's integrity and commitment to LC as demonstrated through his volunteer efforts. Additionally as the owner of one of LC's most successful small businesses, Greg understands the challenges that business owners in LC face. If we want to increase business growth, we need someone who understands those issues."
Karl Wankowicz - "I will not vote for a candidate because they are a man or because they are a woman.
I could care less as to how many awards they've won.
Ordinarily, individual endorsements for a candidate don't sway me though in this years council race, seeing current members of the council cabal endorse a candidate is enough to cause me to look elsewhere. League City is really behind the eight ball insofar as infrastructure projects and property taxes are concerned and I blame the current and past council directly.
True involvement in our city makes a difference. Not bragging about themselves showing up or throwing money to organizations. Serious involvement in various causes and events matters.
Regular attendance and active participation at council meetings and workshops matters. Not merely showing up suddenly because it helps their campaign.
When I attended the recent LCPOA candidate forum it became crystal clear as to who took things seriously and and who worked it for PR purposes. Some candidates spoke from their heart, some listed facts and accomplishments around town. One was there because they seemed to feel obligated to be there and yet another spoke not of local issues or positions at all but turned it into a self promotion.
So, what really matters? The health and well being of our great city REALLY matters!"
Karl WAnkowicz - "I really don't care if a city council person has shaken hands with a senator, congressman, or even the Pope.
Show me what you've personally accomplished in League City.
Tell me what local organizations you belong to and actively participate with.
If you are an incumbent, I look for active participation and original thoughts and expression (Kinsey loses major points here).
If someone feels that taking pictures with big-wigs or splashing money around town makes them worthy of being on city council, they are sadly delusional."
In reference to Debbie Drury (Still from LCPIAFCS) -
Sebastian Lofaro - Also her comment about all the giving back she does in the community. Writing a check is not the same as giving your time and effort! $40k a year, big whoop... I bet she will spend that much or more during this election.
Byram Lass - Unfortunately she was poorly rehearsed as she had to keep looking down to read her script. I was disgusted with her $40K statement. Christians should not be boastful of their giving. Rather we should give humbly and quietly without trying to glorify ourselves, for the Father receives no glory when we boast in pride.
Tim Paulissen - "As all of you have been saying, it's time to take back our city back from this outsider and send him packing. Research your candidates, look at their handlers and pick fresh faces that have good roots in our town and look out for us, not someone building his resume."
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