I literally cringe every time I hear someone state that “growth is coming and there’s nothing we can do about it,” because they’re wrong.  While it is true that growth is coming, there is something we can do about it. 

Personally, I am a capitalist and a conservative, and I have always supported commerce and business.  But the issue of growth in Kendall County, or Boerne specifically, has nothing to do with being pro- or anti-business.  It is about the management and protection of our resources.  It is about quality of life.  And most importantly, it is about the health, safety and general welfare of our community.  But there are those in this community, including some elected leaders, which would have you believe differently. 

When people in this community start to label those that illustrate a concern for these broader issues as being “anti-growth” or “anti-business,” it is because they themselves have a big problem. Their problem is that they cannot effectively sell to the rest of this community that which they are the greatest beneficiaries of, and which will also be to the expense or detriment of the rest of the community.

That is why we start to hear the typical hollow threats such as “the hospital won’t come if this development is not approved” or unsubstantiated statements such as “there will be no cost to the city.”  And since they can’t sell it to us they try to make us afraid of it not happening and they try assigning blame for that eventuality by labeling others.

Transparency in government cannot exist in an environment where elected officials are acting in a manner with others in what amounts to collusion to keep pertinent issues out of the public arena.  That is probably best illustrated in the recent matter of the visit by some local officials to Rep. Macias in Austin regarding the Esperanza development and their concern that Macias wants a resolution of support for the development from the city council.

After you have heard all of the different and contradictory excuses for why these individuals attended the meeting you start to wonder why these people can’t get their stories straight.  One version, from the board chairman of the Kendall County Economic Development Corp. (EDC), unequivocally states that they were sent at his and the boards direction. 

The original “selling” point for creating the EDC was to bring clean commercial development to this area for the purpose of “relieving” the excessive tax burden on residential property owners.  But Esperanza is a residential development not commercial. And while there is some area set aside for commercial in its master plan, it is such a small fraction of the total development that it is insignificant.

Every resident in our community funds the EDC through the taxes they pay to the county, the city or both.  And thus each resident is a de facto member of the EDC and is represented by the four members appointed to the EDC board by the city and county.

Neither the city nor the county has given any indication of support to the Esperanza development.  Thus, no mandate and no charter exist to justify the actions of the EDC board members to lobby our state representatives on behalf of a residential developer. 

It is also important to note that Marlin Atlantis, the owner/developer for Esperanza, is actually an investor/member of the EDC.  It is certainly a pertinent fact that a Dallas-based residential developer has decided to help fund the operation of the EDC. And it is not a valid excuse for a city appointed EDC board member, who is also an elected city official, to state that he was representing the city’s interest while attending a meeting arranged by an agent of the developer, on behalf of the developer, to support the developer. 

It is imperative that our local government and entities like the EDC are effective as tools for us in dealing with the critical and complex issues associated with the growth matters that confront us.  But if they, or any of their members, are acting in a manner that does not reflect the desires and the broader best interest of the community that they represent, then we will continue to have the “business as usual” attitude that focuses on narrow self centered political objectives.

This type of behavior is unacceptable and the only reason it has gone on for as long as it has is because our leaders have tolerated it and they have not been effectively challenged on it by the public. And in the absence of real leadership, people are inclined to listen to who ever steps up to the microphone to spin the issue and the tough questions do not get asked. 

Having good, transparent government is not easy.  You have to get out and fight for it, because there are others that are fighting to keep it from you. As a citizen and voter, silence on your part will always be interpreted as an endorsement by those trying to keep matters out of the public arena.  And when they say “growth is coming and there’s nothing we can do about it,” they’ll be right.