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  • Honoring God & Country
    Apparently, the Bastrop City Council doesn’t need the blessings of our Lord at Special Meetings. Nor do they need to honor our Country and our State. Last night, Bastrop Mayor Pro Tem John Kirkland opened the meeting and immediately moved to Citizen Comments. It felt odd and discomforting for elected officials to be conducting business … Continue reading “Honoring God & Country”
  • Slow This Down
    Public comments delivered by Carol Spencer at the 3/4/25 City of Bastrop Council Meeting. The Council had multiple ordinances modifying its B3 Zoning Code on the agenda for 1st reading, with second reading and adoption one week later. In college, I majored in French.  I then joined IBM in computer sales. I was not a … Continue reading “Slow This Down”
  • Dem Chairs Strike Again
    Don’t be fooled. You’ve been told TX House Representatives, including HD-17 Stan Gerdes, voted to ban Dem chairs. That’s only true if you’re touching their side of the hair that they split to fool you. The Texas GOP Legislative Priority list says “The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature shall end the practice of awarding committee chairmanships to … Continue reading “Dem Chairs Strike Again”
  • What’s the Rush?
    In 2019, the City of Bastrop adopted new development code ordinances. It took a long time because the City gathered a lot of public input prior to holding any Planning & Zoning public hearings or City Council public hearings. The City held public meetings to “share future development plans and to solicit community input”. These … Continue reading “What’s the Rush?”
  • J6 Choir: Let’s be Very Clear
    Let’s be VERY clear about the J6 Choir controversy the Democrats used to delay the vote for Kash Patel as FBI director. Let’s be VERY clear. The J6 Choir video that the Judiciary Committee Democrats are SO opposed to is one of incarcerated J6ers singing the National Anthem while President Trump cites the Pledge of … Continue reading “J6 Choir: Let’s be Very Clear”
  • A Fix Without a Problem
    The City of Bastrop held numerous public hearings before it adopted the current zoning ordinance. The public had many opportunities to provide input. Modifications were made based on that input. The Council held public hearings on the ordinance to obtain more public input, and then it was adopted. That happened just 6 years ago in … Continue reading “A Fix Without a Problem”
  • Effecting Charter Changes
    If you live in the City of Bastrop, you may remember quite a few charter amendments on your ballot last November. Two failed. All the rest passed. November? That’s almost 3 months ago. Are the changes in effect yet? Good question. So, let’s figure that out. State law allows charter changes to be placed on … Continue reading “Effecting Charter Changes”
  • The Clock is Ticking
    Did you know that the Texas Legislature meets for only 140 days every 2 years? Some of us think that’s good as it limits the damage they can do. Others think it’s not enough time. One would think that with only 140 days, they’d work every single day for the State of Texas and its … Continue reading “The Clock is Ticking”
  • No Dem Chairs Vote Rings Hollow
    Bastrop County Republicans overwhelmingly voted for Republicans in November. We swept all contested races. Why, then, would our Republican Texas House representative vote for Democrat chairs? He claims he didn’t. But, he did. Perhaps he didn’t read the rules before he voted on them. After all, they were sent to House members at 4AM, all … Continue reading “No Dem Chairs Vote Rings Hollow”
  • As Predicted
    It took 2 hours. See my post “The Poison Pill” in which I predicted that within a few hours, Rep Stan Gerdes would tell you that he banned Dem Chairs, but he wouldn’t tell you “the rest of the story”. And, that’s exactly what he did. He did not tell you about Permanent Standing Committees … Continue reading “As Predicted”
  • The Poison Pill
    This morning at 4AM while most of us were sleeping, including many of our TX House Reps, the 232 page Texas House Rules bill dropped. That’s right, 4AM. I’m writing this at 4PM the same day and that package was adopted by the Texas House just an hour ago. No amendments were allowed. Exactly as … Continue reading “The Poison Pill”
  • When a Mayor ≠ a Mayor
    I’m sure each of us has an idea of what we think it means to be a mayor. I always thought the mayor ran the city, determined policy, crafted the budget, hired and fired. Basically, I thought the mayor was the executive in charge. But, guess what? That’s not always the case. The city’s form … Continue reading “When a Mayor ≠ a Mayor”
  • So Goes Texas. So Goes the Nation
    I’m off to the Texas Capitol tomorrow (Tuesday) for the very important vote for TX Speaker of the House. Will Democrats with a few Republican votes pick our Speaker when EVERY statewide position is in Republican hands, the TX Senate has a Republican majority, and oh yeah, the TX House has a Republican majority (88 … Continue reading “So Goes Texas. So Goes the Nation”
  • The Political Chess Game
    (Apologies for a very lengthy blog post. The issue is complex.) I’ve always said that politics is the world’s largest chess game. Anyone good at it has to think multiple moves ahead and has to analyze a variety of actions that could be taken by others. And, it requires understanding the law, policies and rules. … Continue reading “The Political Chess Game”
  • Thin Skinned
    Politics is not for the faint-of-heart. Anyone who has run for office, or served in office, knows that. We’re all very opinionated and most of us, passionately so. Those who don’t agree with their representatives often come out with guns blazing (not literally, just verbally). It’s just the way it is. The elected official can … Continue reading “Thin Skinned”
  • Stuck between a rock and a hard place
    HD-17 House member Stan Gerdes has been a constant supporter of former House Speaker Dade Phelan and now his think-alike Dustin Burrows. Both either got, or are attempting to get, elected as House Speaker by courting a majority Democrat vote. Republicans will control the Texas House with 88 of 150 members. Last session, the Paxton-impeachers … Continue reading “Stuck between a rock and a hard place”
  • Turmoil in the City
    Wow. The City of Bastrop attorney has resigned. And, his resignation letter should be front page reading for every City of Bastrop resident and taxpayer. “Given the current climate at City Hall, I have determined our present relationship is not sustainable,” he stated. He continued, “the time has come to acknowledge that the irreconcilabledifferences among … Continue reading “Turmoil in the City”
  • Don’t be Fooled
    The current attack on Bastrop City Councilwoman Cheryl Lee is nothing more than retribution and payback. Her City Council opponents say the concerns raised in her 42-page detailed memo aren’t worth investigating. Instead, they wanted to limit her access to information and want her off the Council. Retribution. Retribution is common in the political world. … Continue reading “Don’t be Fooled”
  • The Emperor Has No Clothes
    Today, Mel Cooper who serves as chairman, treasurer, and person calling the shots at Bastrop County Conservatives, sent out an email to his list asking people to show up at the Bastrop City Council meeting tonight. Why? He says it’s to “demonstrate what kind of leaders and citizens we want in our public offices”. Is … Continue reading “The Emperor Has No Clothes”
  • Freedom Released
    A lot more than re-electing Donald Trump happened as a result of Tuesday’s election. Freedom was released! You can feel it, hear it, see it in just two days. I’ve been out and about in Bastrop, keeping my Trump “Fight. Fight. Fight.” hood cover on my car and still wearing my Trump gear. No one … Continue reading “Freedom Released”