THE BOXER REBELLION
Shavano Park Political Chaos
SAL POLITICAL SNITCH
* * *
'And he likes having
thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good
neighbors."'
From the "MENDING
WALL" By Robert
Frost
That oft-quoted idiom may
exist in other parts of this north Bexar County
province, but for two Shavano Park families, it
may be more apt to invoke the legend of the
Hatfields and McCoys.
According to the Shavano
Park Website, A Mayor and five City Aldermen of
the City Council are elected at-large to their
positions by the voters and serve the entire
City, not a geographic precinct. They each serve
two-year staggered terms.Alderwoman Mary Werner
was elected to the Shavano Park City Council in
May 2005. She is currently in her 4th term
as Alderwoman and also previously served as Mayor
Pro-Tem.
Her
friend, Jip Holmes, serves on the Planning and
Zoning Commission.
This
is where it gets dicey.
Holmes
neighbor Domingo Castellanos has, for years, been
at war with Holmes over his two big boxers who
have damaged their mutual fence, and on occasion
invaded Castellanos' yard, threatening his own
small dogs and family.
After years of bickering,
Castellanos had to discharge a gun into the
ground to scare the dogs off his property. The
animals were not hurt, but the incident brought
on the recent gun controversy and an ordinance
introduced by Werner, which went down in flames
in December. (See story below.)
Meanwhile, Holmes was
issued a city citation for the fence, after many
attempts at arbitration, which Holmes ignored.
According to Kyle McCain,
city manager, Holmes attended a court hearing but
even Mccain can't explain or account for what
resulted from that hearing.
Holmes could have been
fined up to $500 on a misdeameanor, but wasn't.
Sec. 14-53. Violation
penalty- Any person who shall violate any
provisionof (sic) this article shallbe (sic)
deemed guildty of a Class C misdemeanor and,
upon conviction, shall be fined in an amount
not to exceed $500
Details have become murky
since then.
* * *
There is much more to this
story.
- Developing -
* * *
12-2-2011
Previous Story Below
ALL GRINCHED UP
Shavano Park Gun Law Goes Down
City Government Embarrassed
SAL Political Snitch - Commentary 12-20-2011
The following is from the
"Power Grab Cook Book."
* * *
This is the recipe for
"Shavano Alderman Stew."
Begin with a large dispute
over 2 small dogs, one big dog, and add a heaping
helping of dilapidated fence, with a dash of
government arrogance.
Add 1 cup of stingy
neighbor and semi-rotten governance.
Ignite this mixture with a
warning shot fired to fend off the
aforementioned, invading big hound.
* * *
No person or animal was
hurt in the making of this municipal
embarrassment, but it proved fatal to the
pretense of good government in this otherwise
idyllic city.
Ironic that the Shavano
area, tied to a Spanish land grant, would turn
into a near Mexican standoff at city hall.
Yet it did, Monday night.
* * *
At stake was a "gun
safety ordinance," extreme in scope and
poorly thought-out in practice. Certain persons
in power (to be named later) decided that their
pal with the defective fence and the offending
canine should take preference over the law
abiding citizens' rights.
The ordinance passed the
first time, but...
The mayor revolted and
angry taxpayers crowded the city council meeting,
and after catching at least one Alderperson in
ridiculous lies, the council and mayor shot the
new law to death, Old Yeller style, and the
embarrasment was almost over. (KSAT
TV NEWS 12 ACCOUNT)
Almost.
But it gets uglier.
More to follow
- Developing -
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