I had so many thoughts over the last 24 hours regarding what this post should cover. Initially I started with a desire to clarify a few things and thank a few people. Then I thought about criticizing the superior level of decorum displayed on the League City Politics is a Full Contact Sport Facebook group last night by Bill Heins. But then that all changed today... I decided to do all of that, but more importantly, to highlight what the City Council election this year really means. Because after all, genuine substance trumps the silly games that pass for politics over with the Green Team crowd on League City Politics is a Full Contact sport.
So first, let's get some clarifications and thank yous out of the way. Byram Lass - thank you for honestly pointing out how misguided Yvonne Tibai was with her whole Debbie Drury lives in Kemah mess. And yes, you ultimately did correct the rest of the clowns regarding Brenton Spry's address, but my post was still 100% correct in that Marc Edelman and Mick Phalen have been stirring up their own breed of half-truths and distortions. So, congratulations, you actually got something right for once. Of course, you still have YET to show ANYTHING that I've said to be a half-truth. Please do, or stop claiming anything I've said is anywhere short of the truth. Also, thanks for reading the blog! But seriously, if you're going to try to answer someones question about a specific factually correct or incorrect statement, you really should address that statement, not the merits of the author of the page where that statement was a comment by someone else. You mad, bro?
Now, let's just address Bill Heins quickly. You posted a less than exemplary photo of Debbie Drury. I'm sure you've done far worse things in your time, and I'm also 100% certain that that photo has absolutely NOTHING to do with how Debbie Drury would perform on City Council. It stinks of grasping at straws. Posting like that also showed poor judgment, and I'm certainly relieved to know that you are NOT on the ethics board any longer, as you clearly have a complete lack of personal ethics.
Okay, and now on to something that actually matters. Holly Shelden likes to claim that anyone who disagrees with her knows "nothing of LC politics, the players and history". Well, Holly, we don't need a lesson in history that goes back to the times when Bill Heins "studied girls at Texas A&M", we don't even have to go back to the last time Pat O'Hallisey actually had a full-time paying job. I've actually found a GREAT piece of writing that accurately and succinctly describes the two factions which are vying for power in League City with the election this fall, as it's the same two factions that went to battle back in the Spring. This website post (http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2016/03/16/league-city-mayoral-preview/) , written by Daniel Surman, who I assume is the same Danny Surman who has posted on the League City Politics is a Full Contact Sport page, clearly predicted the outcome of the mayoral election through analysis of the candidates support base. For those who don't feel like clicking on the link and reading, let me summarize, there are two factions in League City. In one corner, you have the Tea Party aligned with the Chamber of Commerce, interesting in attracting businesses to League City in an effort to shift the burden of funding the infrastructure and operations of this city to outsiders (through retail sales tax revenue increases) instead of the resident homeowners, and this corner holds most of the current City Council. In the other corner, you have the old-timers who are seeking to preserve their idealized, nostalgic image of League City from their youth by preventing progress and improvement. This group is currently headed up by the mayor, Pat Hallisey. The post then predicted that the anti-improvement group would likely win the special election for Mayor, as the old-timers are much more likely to turn out for a special mayoral election that has nothing else contested on the ballot. However, if you read his analysis of the current demographics in League City - there's ZERO reason for this group to expect a positive outcome in a YUUUUGE general election that has a Presidential race on the ballot. Moving beyond this analysis, the Green Team laughingly has made such claims as Justin Gripon's, "a overwhelming support from the community as a whole that support political change to steer our city towards a planned sustainable future." Ignoring that even the bulk of the support for the Green Team is really just anti-business and seeking to keep their oak trees around, and ignoring your party-line progressive Democrat terms like "sustainable", please keep in mind that y'all exist in an echo chamber. You are CONSTANTLY surrounded by the same group of ~20 people who all think like you. You've misinterpreted the echos of their single-minded comments as widespread support. You don't have that. But we'll let the election results explain that concept to you.
Now, how should one choose a side in this election. Let's start by explaining which side is which. The Green Team (Gripon, Millican, and Salcedo) are the anti-business old-timers. These people want to keep League City as they have idealized it. A small town, with a bunch of oak trees, them, their families, and their kind here. None of these new people who've moved in as the population doubled since the turn of the century, just the oldtimers. Much like the make-up of the national Democrat party, this faction is largely made up of the lower class and the upper class of League City residents. And that makes sense, the lower class is nervous about being priced out of the area as values will go up with additional development. The lower class is fine with the city being funded by property taxes, as they don't pay that much property tax regardless. The lower class loves getting the benefits of living in a nice area, as long as someone else is funding it. The upper class wants to preserve their green space at all costs, because they can afford it. But this city is mostly made up of the middle class and the upper-middle class. These are the people who will pay the costs for operating and maintaining this city, as they are paying the bulk of the property taxes. These are the people who will be benefited by attracting businesses to League City, which would increase the tax revenue from retail sales taxes, and enable the city to lower our property taxes. The faction that is supporting this effort to attract business, and accepts the reality that this area is GOING to develop, whether we like it or not, and is willing to address this by steering it along in a direction that benefits the residents (ALL the residents, not just the old-timers) is the faction that the Green Team opposes (Drury, Kinsey, Spry).
So, as Marc Edelman made clear, if you want to save some oak trees at all costs, and you're okay with high property taxes and hopey-changey sustainable liberalism, vote for the Green Team. Just know this - this area is GOING to grow, it's GOING to get developed, and at best you'll be delaying the inevitable, and I ask, at what cost?
If you support lower property taxes, you want to shift the costs of operating this city and improving our infrastructure to non-residents who come to our town to shop, and you want a city council that will be proactive to get ahead of the development and ensure our city remains competitive with surrounding towns at attracting the businesses that will drive retail sales tax revenue, then oppose the Green Team and vote for Drury, Kinsey, and Spry.
My apologies to Brian Brown, he isn't actually a member of either faction; however, the amount of brown-nosing of the Green Team cheerleaders he has done on the League City Politics is a Full Contact Sport Facebook group is shameful, so I guess he can be lumped in with that group by his personal choice more than for his actual positions.
Is there an email address you can be contacted at?
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