OPINION
On Tuesday morning, I happened into a chance to connect with a community member while at Elevated Grounds.
A man who has lived in Pilot Point for over 20 years and I struck up a conversation that flowed from water quality to how things run in the city to issues that need to be tackled and lots of things in between.
I got the chance to share with him my perspective from having covered our area since late 2017, and the changes I have seen in our state laws in that window as well that affect the way we grow.
I have often had critics who claim I'm too easy on cities.
I don't agree that's true.
For one thing, just because we report it in a news article doesn't mean we agree with it as a person.
That is why I largely stay quiet on municipal issues unless something hits a fever pitch.
I do, however, have a ringside seat for seeing how much effort most municipal employees put into their work, and I respect anyone who works hard, no matter where their paycheck comes
from.
And that influence of the state law changes is a real issue. Over my eight years at this publication, I have seen the state strip cities of their ability to form their own destiny, just in time for our communities to be fully targeted by developers.
I could borrow a soapbox from a friend in Providence Village for this one, but I'll limit my criticism to say that the same entity that blames cities for exponential growth and not reigning in developers are the ones who opened the fence gates and encouraged the developers to run all over our area.
If you want smart growth that doesn't endanger our limited resources, like clean water, turn your attention and your complaints to Austin.
The louder you get, the more likely they are to listen.
(Small side note: This is my last column as Abigail Allen, but don't worry. I'm not going anywhere.)
Abigail Allen is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal. She can be reached at aallen@postsignal. com.
