Do You Want Cynicism in College Station

I hope that all of my friends in College Station will vote or have voted. I am especially concerned about our City Council election. We have a great candidate in John Nichols. While it is true that John is far more conservative than I might wish for, he is an excellent public servant, a good listener, open to new ideas while committed to the heritage of our community. As Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission he did more than just listen, he also questioned and analyzed to make sure that all positions were understood and fairly considered. It would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity to have a Council member with the level of integrity of John Nichols.

All people willing to donate the considerable time to serve on City Council should be commended. That is also true of Nichols opponent. But the fact is that she just does not have the experience and understanding of our city that he does. And to suggest, as she has, that volunteering to serve on citizen committees somehow makes one a political insider is to deeply misunderstand the nature of citizen involvement in city government. In this suggestion McMillan shows a level of cynicism that is not shared by most residence of College Station. Unfortunately most citizens do not vote and we at times end up with this sort of distrust representing us on City Council.

It is this sort of cynicism that has, in the past, allowed City Council members to vote in opposition to the load outcry of their neighbors in matters such as the Weingarten zoning dispute. Once again we have several City Council members who feel that any effort on the part of the city to defend the integrity of our neighborhoods is just too much governmental involvement. Ms McMillan has made it clear that she does not favor the protection of our neighborhoods, our trees or our parks. In recent surveys, the citizens of College Station have made it clear that these are their priorities. Unfortunately, in recent elections these same citizens have failed to show up at the polls to insure that their wishes are represented.

In addition to not having the experience or understanding of our city and trying to suggest that citizen involvement is something that we should seek to overcome, there is a another concern that I have with the approach that Ms. McMillan has chosen to take.

Her insistence on linking herself to a political party in a nonpartisan race is disturbing. Despite having served with John on the Planning and Zoning Commission for a couple of years, I have no idea what his political affiliation is. That is the way that it should be. Our City Council positions are nonpartisan for very good reasons. What is important in the running of our city has very little to do with normal patrician politics. Community efforts are hurt by that kind of ideological polarization. I have many times rolled up my sleeves and worked side by side on city issues with people that I am sure vote very differently than I do on issues beyond our community. That is part of the beauty of community. It is a shame that Ms McMillan has chosen to use this as a wedge issue. It denigrates our community.