EDITORIAL
Enough is enough!
November’s election in Northern Hays County precincts located within the boundaries of the Hays Independent School District rang up results that were loud and clear. Republican candidates swept the field and ended up with a stronger victory margin.
However, the biggest surprise of the election came when voters, by an even larger margin, united us with the Austin Community College District.
It was a very decisive victory, magnified by the fact that similar measures passed in Elgin, and were defeated in San Marcos and Bastrop. Clearly a sizable majority of local voters, ranging across the spectrum from newcomers to oldtimers and including business owners from the Buda and Kyle chambers of commerce as well as parents and potential students, is extremely enthused by the decision.
Although San Marcos remains the county’s largest city, the combined Hays school district campuses have more students enrolled than the schools in our county seat, plus the Wimberley and Dripping Springs schools combined! Our growth, although slowed by the economic downturn but showing signs of turning around, is more rapid than the rest of the county, and the economic stimulus of locating a junior college campus between Buda and Kyle will be enormous.
We regret that a handful of community college opponents have chosen to legally contest our landslide affiliation with ACC. Those of us who have sunk our roots deeply in Hays CISD aren’t very appreciative of folks who use legalese to kill matters that were put to a fair vote. There were plenty of opportunities for voters to make their pro and con arguments before election day instead of after.
Full employment for out-of-town lawyers isn’t a priority of many area voters. Most of us don’t cotton to legal jargon arguments that are aimed at wiping out a decision made by an overwhelming percentage of our neighbors.
Local businessman and dentist Ray Wolbrecht certainly has a legal right to join hands with San Marcos dissidents in an attempt to fight a battle on technical grounds, but there is a proper time to quit fighting battles that have clearly been settled by ballots. We suggest that time has now arrived.
Economic damage has already been inflicted upon original community college plans. We apparently will lose some federal stimulus money for improvements near FM 1626 because of the delay, but we are confident that Congressman Lloyd Doggett and community leaders will fight hard to overcome that setback.
The voters of this district have spoken. We aren’t turning back. An ACC campus in our midst is a goal that our communities will make happen.
Already spurred by the economic boost we have received by the location of the much used and beloved Seton Hospital in our midst, our future is bright.
