Councilman predicts continued success for LSBA
2/25/2010
By Joni Simon - Contributing Writer/Northwest Weekly
Myriad issues have landed on his plate since Reed Williams became a San Antonio city councilman, so he usually has a lot to talk about.
But the most important issue of all, the councilman told the Leon Springs Business Association Feb. 17, is the need for more good people need to join him in the public service arena.
“We need more people, who have a job and who have been out in this economy and who aren't thinking about it as a career,” he said. “You're not going to have fun, but it's meaningful and we do need the help.”
Williams told LSBA members they could understand the “whys” behind many issues because they are involved in the business community. That includes the City Public Service rate increase, which he said was going to hit their pocketbooks hard next month.
City Council approved the hike, according to the councilman, “because CPS's equity was too high while their debt coverage wasn't enough.” It's all based on economics, he said, adding that he was pushing hard for a tiered structure.
“We all have to manage our resources,” he said. “We don't do it if we don't have the right pricing. We'll just waste it.”
Williams, who asked the LSBA members to bring forth issues they were most concerned about, said he has no problem with the growth in the Leon Springs area. What bothers him and his constituents is the growth around the University of Texas at San Antonio.
“Residents moved into this area 20 years ago when UTSA was a commuter college,” he said. “Now, they're dealing with a destination college and all that goes with it: apartment complexes, traffic congestion on roads, which were once ‘cow paths.' I have to fix Hausman and Babcock. It's a tough problem over there.”
Knocking down trees is another growth issue in a city where there is currently no tree preservation ordinance, he said.
“People move here for the trees and then the developer knocks them down,” he said. “It's almost like bait and switch.”
LSBA President Mike Taylor said his group has its own tree-planting program nearly ready to kick off, possibly with the help of Aue Elementary School.
Williams said it was time to concentrate on outlying areas, like Leon Springs, which were annexed by San Antonio.
“We're not annexing anywhere if I have any say in it,” Williams said. “I'm all about getting services out here. We need to provide services for areas we've already annexed.”
And then, there's that little bird no one, not even soldiers in training, ever sees. The Army measures the birdsong to know just how many golden-cheek warblers are on their land.
“We wouldn't have jobs at Fort Sam if we didn't have Camp Bullis,” He said. “That's where we train the medics. Nowadays, if you're on the battlefield, you have a 92 percent chance of survival because we're training medics better. If we don't protect this area, we won't have Fort Sam. Most people who move out here don't mind dark skies.”
Online: www.mysanantonio.com/community/northwest/northwest_weekly/Councilman_predicts_continued_success_for_LSBA.html
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