It's kinda hard to bake a cake until you know what kind of cake you want. There are a lot of flavors of cakes, however as a group of citizens, with a town/city/village to build, we have to select the one best flavor that satisfies the most people. Some of the time, perhaps most, we run the risk of not knowing what kind of cake we're baking. We have about 60,000 people (being controlled by 2,000 voters) that are tossing in all kind of ingredients. If those elected by the 2,000 voters are tossing in the right kind of ingredients and the right amount of ingredients (vis a vis, knowledge of real estate development), and we have a good oven with a good timer (staff), we stand a good chance of baking a relatively good cake (town/city/village). On the other hand, if someone elected by the 2,000 grabs the pepper shaker by mistake, the cake will become stale and unpalatable long before savored. The city/town/village will lose it's appeal.
It's hard, probably impossible, to satisfy all citizens of Rowlett at the same time on the same issue. That's the American Way. However, it's quite possible to create a town in which most people would like to live. Would there still be naysayers? Of course. There is always some naysayers that you could not satisfy under any circumstances. They are usually quite loud. They do not speak for the whole community. They are only loud. It's incumbent upon our elected officials to act to benefit the whole community, not cater to a few. I have seen behavior that, in my opinion, reflect the view of special interest persons or groups. That special interest person or group, if standing alone, is fine. All developers are special interest groups. But, that's the reason we have elected officials instead of kings. We have 7 votes on Council business. That dilutes the power of special interest.......or is supposed to. This works if Council members think independently. If we have a Council that engages in "ganging up" on other members, creating a block of four to control all within a town, engages in "cronyism," or worst of all, violates conflict of interest rules, then the cake is in trouble.
What are the ingredients of the best towns? That could be a very long discussion. However, let me give you a tip. It's as important what others outside our town think of us as what we think of ourselves. That judgement of others is an excellent barometer of how well we're doing in building our cake. If other people outside Rowlett think we're doing a good job, we probably are.
Now, the very loud and vocal crowd can stand up and shout out, "It's our town. We'll do what we want!!" Well, that's kinda true also, on a pro rata basis. That, too, is the American way. But, you must consider that only 2000 voters placed in office the Council they wanted. If those elected responded to the wish of the 2000 voter's whereby a dead horse carcass must be placed in all taxpayer's front lawns, "officialdom" could loudly proclaim that the voters were served. Would that be true? Of course not. What about the other 27,000 voters, and 58,000 citizens. If the above ordinance was real, what would happen to real estate values in Rowlett, and the associated Tax Base?..........Therefore, your tax bill. The desirability of living in Rowlett would tumble. People outside Rowlett would not wish to live here. That is the importance of what others outside Rowlett think. It has a direct relationship to real estate values, your balance sheet, the tax base, and the taxes you pay.
Is the dead horse ordinance above a gross exaggeration? Of course it is. But it serves to prove that stupid city management, both elected and otherwise, can have a very adverse effect on your lives.........and you didn't do anything to contribute to the down slide. Most Rowlett voters and population didn't.
Once a good Council is in place, what's next? The next post will discuss my opinion of what makes a good town.
It's hard, probably impossible, to satisfy all citizens of Rowlett at the same time on the same issue. That's the American Way. However, it's quite possible to create a town in which most people would like to live. Would there still be naysayers? Of course. There is always some naysayers that you could not satisfy under any circumstances. They are usually quite loud. They do not speak for the whole community. They are only loud. It's incumbent upon our elected officials to act to benefit the whole community, not cater to a few. I have seen behavior that, in my opinion, reflect the view of special interest persons or groups. That special interest person or group, if standing alone, is fine. All developers are special interest groups. But, that's the reason we have elected officials instead of kings. We have 7 votes on Council business. That dilutes the power of special interest.......or is supposed to. This works if Council members think independently. If we have a Council that engages in "ganging up" on other members, creating a block of four to control all within a town, engages in "cronyism," or worst of all, violates conflict of interest rules, then the cake is in trouble.
What are the ingredients of the best towns? That could be a very long discussion. However, let me give you a tip. It's as important what others outside our town think of us as what we think of ourselves. That judgement of others is an excellent barometer of how well we're doing in building our cake. If other people outside Rowlett think we're doing a good job, we probably are.
Now, the very loud and vocal crowd can stand up and shout out, "It's our town. We'll do what we want!!" Well, that's kinda true also, on a pro rata basis. That, too, is the American way. But, you must consider that only 2000 voters placed in office the Council they wanted. If those elected responded to the wish of the 2000 voter's whereby a dead horse carcass must be placed in all taxpayer's front lawns, "officialdom" could loudly proclaim that the voters were served. Would that be true? Of course not. What about the other 27,000 voters, and 58,000 citizens. If the above ordinance was real, what would happen to real estate values in Rowlett, and the associated Tax Base?..........Therefore, your tax bill. The desirability of living in Rowlett would tumble. People outside Rowlett would not wish to live here. That is the importance of what others outside Rowlett think. It has a direct relationship to real estate values, your balance sheet, the tax base, and the taxes you pay.
Is the dead horse ordinance above a gross exaggeration? Of course it is. But it serves to prove that stupid city management, both elected and otherwise, can have a very adverse effect on your lives.........and you didn't do anything to contribute to the down slide. Most Rowlett voters and population didn't.
Once a good Council is in place, what's next? The next post will discuss my opinion of what makes a good town.
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