I read and reread you editorial opinion titled “Vote for stability in Colleyville.” Your concern about the dollar amount of tax revenue which would flow into the city coffers was not really a good transition point if your intent was to support a vote against the Glade Road Proposition. I believe it is worth mentioning that Glade Road is for the most part a residential area that still maintains a semi-rural appeal for the property owners on Glade Road as well as for many of us that enjoy driving on a pleasant, tree lined two lane road. I will concede that during peak travel hours, traffic on Glade Road like so many other roads in Tarrant County does get backed up for short periods of time. That said, my trip to the feed store didn’t take any longer than usual. In fact, my horse hardly broke a sweat.
The problem I had with reading your editorial was wondering why the editorial staff of the Star Telegram felt it was necessary to tell us what Colleyville must do to join the twenty first century. First, Colleyville isn’t Fort Worth and Fort Worth isn’t Colleyville. The great majority of us horse and buggy folks settled in Colleyville because of the serene, almost country like atmosphere that separates us from the hustle and bustle of freeway traffic and crowded city streets. Another way to look at it is Colleyville is and always has been a bedroom community where people come to sleep, not to shop. Business development is important and has to be taken seriously but not to the extent that our quality of life must be abolished. Your editorial position supporting the foolish pipe dream of the current mayor and city council is insulting to the 1000 residents that signed the petition and disingenuous to the rest of us.
I certainly don’t have the reporting skills of a big city reporter or editor working for a big city newspaper but I do have some analytical ability and I have spent many years investigating various kinds of incident reports. I always found it best to analyze the situation first and try to pull out any relevant facts. I then tried to validate my findings by getting any additional supporting documentation available and conducting additional interviews as necessary. I don’t think I ever encountered a solution looking for a problem!
Hopefully my lack of understanding the fleeting premises of your editorial can be rectified by your clearing up a couple of points for me. The mayor and city council apparently believe a 10 year construction project costing 20 plus millions of dollars is a necessary and wise move for the city. WHY? To be fair, I have heard it stated that the 20 million dollars would improve Glade Road and thus the road would become safer. The implication is that today, Glade Road is not safe. Who in the city believes Glade Road is not safe today? If possible you may even be able to point me to the traffic study that reached that conclusion.
I also was a little surprised that you publically stated, and I quote, “Only Nancy Coplen …and council incumbent Mike Taylor offer a clear, positive vision for Colleyville’s growth and success.” Really? Again their respective opponents by implication don’t have anything to offer. Well, from what I understand, Ms. Zeitlin and Mr. Lindamood asked to speak with and work with city council and the mayor only to have their requests ignored. I am confident both Ms. Zeitlin and Mr. Lindamood would have preferred to reach a common understanding of what is best for all parties, perhaps even a compromise! However, one cannot compromise with oneself unless he or she is nuts. Thus, the petition with 1000 signatures advising the mayor and the city council that the citizens of Colleyville do have and will continue to have a voice in their community. I also heard what I would call threats by some that the 20 million dollar beautification project of the mayor would become a reality, even if the land required for “improvements” had to be taken by eminent domain. Not that I want to be picky but like the city attorney, I too have a copy of Black’s Law Dictionary. And, according to this well recognized and quoted work: “Eminent Domain. The power to take private property for public use.” I could be wrong but the governmental power to acquire property is a two step process. Eminent Domain is the power step but while the government has the power it must invoke the act of condemning the property before it can acquire it. Of course the property owners can appeal the condemnation and eventually ask the courts to make the final decision. That could take days, weeks, months and all of a sudden the 20 plus million dollars begins to grow and take on a life of its own. No, I don’t think Coplen and Taylor are the only ones that offer a clear, positive vision for Colleyville’s growth and success. Finally, there is very little vacant acreage left in Colleyville so one has to wonder if the unstated motive of the mayor and city council is to begin to eliminate residential areas so Colleyville can grow and succeed?
Sincerely,
Thomas Dolan
Colleyville, TX 76034
