Thormaehlen loyal to friends, community

I've pretty much stayed away from this whole Boerne "hyphen" Champion High School controversy; keeping my opinion of the matter to myself, content with just being part of the silent majority here in Boerne. But after reading with amusement Eric Siess' letter (Hill Country View edition Oct. 25) I felt compelled to give my two-cents worth.

I moved from Olmos Park to Fair Oaks Ranch and then into Boerne city limits for the same reason as Mr. Siess. In doing so, Mr. E.J. Thormaehlen, then of Larry Lester Realty handled the purchase of my home. Since then I have become friends of the family and have gotten to know his son Erik; at first by casual acquaintance, then again when he was canvassing my neighborhood while seeking election to the school board. Immediately I was impressed by the character of this fine, articulate, young man who looks you straight in the eye and greets you with a firm handshake. Since that time Erik was elected by a majority as my school board representative. During this school naming controversy I inquired about Erik's passion towards Sam Champion as I never knew the man. As many successful young people have already attested it seems Sam was Erik's mentor as well. It was Sam who instilled in Erik a deep abiding respect for civic duty and service. As with many successful young people from Boerne, Erik has shown the utmost respect by continuing to lobby for this beloved teacher, educator, mentor and friend. Erik's admirable loyalty extends towards Mr. Champion's family as well.

I don't know too many young people (or old people for that matter) who are as dedicated and as loyal to his friends and the community as Erik Thormaehlen. Are honesty and loyalty such bad qualities? They may have lost their luster to some people in today's world, but dust them off Mr. Siess and you'll find they still sparkle and hold value for the rest of us.

Lee Campbell

Boerne

City actions affet outlying residents

Regarding Tom Harris' letter: It's true that those of us who live not in the city but in Boerne's surrounds do not pay city taxes. However we do contribute a great deal to the city's sales taxes, merchant revenue and utility funding (my electricity is provided by the city). More importantly, we are governed without representation, are affected by the city and City Council's actions and must trust to the honorableness of the members of the City Council to consider our interests in whatever manner they can while taking care of the city's interests.

I, as I am sure the majority of us in Kendall County and the ETJ do, appreciate the efforts and courtesies Bob, Rob and Judy have extended to us and the unprecedented balance they strike between commercial and residential interests.

Donald W. Titus

Boerne

Let there be no confusion over vote on funding for EDC

The move by (Boerne) Councilman (Bob) Manning and (Rob) Ziegler to limit the Kendall County economic Development Corporation to strictly non-residential involvement or else no support from the city is perfectly clear to me. Their goal is to stop growth and progress.

Recently, Ziegler, Manning and Judy Edmondson voted against rezoning property that the master planned called out to be commercial; the plan states it is crucial that rezoning take place if the plan were to become reality. Now it is clear that they want to stop residential growth and penalize anyone involved with it. This is not hard to believe if you have read the paper much this last year with all the negative articles by the Boerne Together members opposing growth, Manning being a founder of the organization and Ziegler a member. If you read about the history of Boerne, there were times of no growth; it is referred to as a depression. When the town grew, it prospered.

We will soon have two high schools. Shall we oppose growth and leave the tax burden solely for the existing taxpayers? Our neighbors in Helotes fought the same thing last year, and when the people finally saw that the no-growthers were seriously hurting their community they threw them all out of office.

The no-growthers in this community enjoy the right to have a nice home or business on their piece of property but don’t want to allow their neighbors that same privilege. I have lived here 14 years and believe that the people who moved here yesterday have as much right to live here as I do. We need to welcome people to our community with smiles and handshakes, not greet them with a keep-out sign.

Also, Ziegler and Manning’s decision not to allow the beautiful sign that was proposed by the Methodist (Healthcare System) is an utter disgrace. We should show our gratitude for what they are bringing to this community.

Mike Luckey

Boerne