Voting Time

Ok, it's that time to Vote!  Early voting started in Texas today and there are several things on the agenda that need attention.

I'm not going to spout my political views on most of the races or items to be balloted on this election, but I do want to talk about 2 of them.

First and the easiest one for me is the vote for Liquor by the Drink.  I've said it before (read my previous blogs) that if we in Gonzales County ever want an opportunity for a nice dinning facility then we need liquor by the drink.  Even if you don't drink you are directly effect by the tax revenues that are lost by our going to Roberts, Chilis and variously other out of county establishments that have liquor by the drink on their menu.  Please support this worthy cause.

The second is for congress.  I am still reeling from the fact that Lloyd Doggett would submit any bills or amendments that would potentially take away millions from our childrens' education funding.  I'm still reeling from his support of the unconstitutional Obama Care bill.  His lack of support for you and I as taxpayers taking away $500 of our children credits, adding back the marriage penalty.  He's part of the congress that has voted in the largest debt in our nations history, and I'm honestly tired of it.  Send him home!  I've spoken with Donna Campbell.  Talk about a no nonsense lady, it's her. 

There's a contested Governors race, locally there is a JP race and a County Judge race.  All are important to our community and how we fair in the next couple of years.  How would I vote on them?  I am going to tell you exactly how I would vote if I were you.....I'd educate myself on the records of those in office now, and read what I can about those running against them.  Personally if what is in office is not worst that whats there, then I'd just leave (better the devil you know syndrome).......I'd PRAY about my decision.....then I'd make my way down to the ballot box and VOTE!!!  That's right Educate, Pray and Vote!

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Apologies

I have to apologize to all those who have followed this blog for not having been able to update it recently.  Between start of school year, scouts membership drive, and work I haven't had time to follow up on leads that have been sent my way. Doesn't mean there are still things to follow up on, doesn't mean there isn't good and bad going on in town, just means I haven't had time to follow up on them.

Keep the info coming though and I will.  dennis@90asign.com will get you right to my email.

Thanks, and soon there will be writing up on the newly painted chalkboard.

God Bless,
Dennis

A Mix Bag

I've got to tell you with this having been first week of school and all time has just gotten away from me.  I'm not sure 48 hour days would allow me to catch up on all that needs to get done.  But one thing that does happen in my travels back and forth to customers is that I get time to think about all the things going on. 

I had originally decided I was going to talk about GCAM and what a great group of people they are over there and how they can always use our donations.  I know especially things like canned meats and fruit are always in short supply.  But there is just to much pressing to spend the time to do that right.

So back to the "what's going on....."

First the Lynn Theater.  GEDC basically told the City Council that this was their football, and while they might not be going home with it, they were going to sit on it till the city played nicely.  So in this lose/lose situation, we the citizens of Gonzales are now on the sidelines watching both sides do nothing because they can't play nicely together.  GEDC owns the note as it stands, but can't make any changes without the councils approval.  The council voted not to make changes, but have not bite with their bark.  So who looses?  We do!

If you'll remember I told you that this issue could take years and years to resolve if we don't give Mr. Colins a chance.  I personally think Mr. Colins made some poor business decisions in taking the original debt, not letting GEDC know when there were first problems, and not showing up to the city council meeting this month.  Very poor decisions on his part.

GEDC was at fault for loaning the amount they did on a property that wasn't worth that much, and that couldn't maintain the debt services that they were undertaking.  That's like a bank loaning me a quarter million dollars for my house worth $100,000.  Not good business practices. Also at fault for not demanding monthly or quarterly statements to be submitted as is standard practice.

It's times like this I wish we could put all 3 parties involved - Mr. Colins, GEDC, and the city council - in a locked room and tell them they aren't coming out till they come to an agreement.  We the people of Gonzales are going to miss out theater for a long time if they don't.

Second also involves GEDC and the city at JB Wells.  While I can't remember exactly when, I believe the June meeting the city council approved $16,000 for the 39 new RV slots.  I remember laughing at the time thinking no way in hell.  Well now at least part of the truth is coming out, those lots didn't cost us $16,000.  The city manager went over budget just a bit and asked for $40,000+ to be reimbursed by GEDC.  Now I want to point out a few problems with this $40k.

1) It's almost 3x the original estimate.  HOW CAN YOU BE THAT FAR OFF ON RV SLOTS??? This isn't a billion dollar high rise taking years to build, it's 39 slots of electric, water, and rock.

2) We still haven't gotten the $40,000 bill sitting at GVEC.  I'm not sure if I'm more upset as a shareholder at GVEC they are not giving the city the bill, or thankful as a taxpayer they aren't.  But don't think the $40,000 asked for this month was the real cost, we're at $80,000 now.

3) In Mr. Husemans presentation to GEDC he told them that the City of Gonzales and the County of Gonzales "donated" the labor.  Donated?  Really? You think that's the appropriate word for 'the taxpayers already paid that money in salaries to the individuals who worked out there'?  Donated? Now don't get me wrong, those employees deserved the money they earned working there! In some cases it was their job.  In others it was all hands on deck, so if you had two legs and two arms you were working down at JB Wells for over a week.  But what did the entire city payroll for that week run us? That's not donated, nor are they properly accounting for it on the books.  Every department in the city got charged their normal payroll even though they didn't receive the employee that went with it!  It's a way to legally cook the books and hide the cost from auditors and those wanting to know the truth.  So on top of the $80,000 we're up to, there is the payroll issue.  We're well over $100,000 (more like $150,000) at this point for the 39 slots.

4) The city (read Mr. Huseman) did not turn in any paperwork, or paper trail to backup the $40,000 request. This was more like a kid passing a note to another, "hey I forgot my lunch money, would you send me some?" No forms filled out. No documentation.  No anything except a memo requesting the money.  You nor I could get anything from GEDC that way.  There is proper protocol and procedures to follow, but I guess Mr. Huseman is above all that.

5) We have a case of putting the cart before the horse.  These spaces were built in May/June time frame and this is August by my calendar.  That means that unlike everyone else that has to ask permission to do something, the city just did it with the assumption that GEDC would give them the money.   We know what happens when you ASSUME! Right now it's the city running GEDC instead of GEDC members running it properly.  This is not the first case like this, I seem to recall a recent issue with the city manager having his name put on a contract 'on behalf of GEDC'. 

The third thing I want to bring up with GEDC and the city is this $4444 for work in industrial park.  This is for work the city should be paying for (infrastructure) leading up to a property, and for the part up to the needed location.  The city is responsible for work up to the property line. Period.  End of sentence.  That's what our tax dollars go for.  But we are NOT responsible for it after that.  Yet Mr. Huseman at the GEDC meeting when asked about it and if the city was responsible for it responded, and I quote, "sometimes".  SOMETIMES? What if you are liked by him, then yes?  If you're not then no? Sometimes? This isn't a gray area, this is a black and white area.  I'm not sure if I'm more upset at the 'sometimes' or the fact GEDC went ahead and approved the monies.

Last thing I want to bring up is the recent visit by the Army Corp of Engineers and TCEQ here in Gonzales.  Regardless of what Mr. Huseman tells the Corp or the newspapers, there are pictures of the concrete laying right where it is long before the flood came earlier this year.  It's laying right where he had it dumped, in the middle of the Guadalupe River.  Now I told you eventually this would have to come out, and after last weeks visit you and I the tax payer are going to have to pay for the removal of some of this, if not all of it.  It should of never been dumped in the first place!  There is NEVER an excuse to put pipes in the river like we did.  The Corp specifically forbids the dumping of concrete with rebar in the water.  And we've already misused our firemen and their equipment removing some of it. 

GBRA, myself and other concerned citizens filed formal complains because of this dumping, and to be clear the spot we are talking about has nothing to do with the new section that was recently built for the paddling trail.  This is where the city dumped the old St. George street and it's trash 2 weeks before the elections.

Mr. Huseman can claim he contacted the Corp for moving concrete all he wants, but he's just trying to cover his rear.  He's months to slow, and trying to take advantage of a natural disaster.  The problem is the pictures tell it all!

I'm going to put this as clear and simple as I can, Mr. Huseman is lying! He's lying to the Corp.  He's lying to you and I the taxpayers of this town that employ him.  And sadly enough it's not the first lie we've caught him in. 

So Gonzales that's all I've got time for today, but hopefully now with school in full swing I'll get back in a roll here.  So what's your role?  1) let others know what's going on, educated voters/taxpayers are what make the difference. 2) Comment here, there are plenty that read this blog, and your comments, on either side of the issues, will at least get debate going on, and who knows you might make the comment that changes someones mind or brings everyone together. 3) If you know something with the city that needs to be out there, let someone know!  You can email me at dennis@90asign.com or either of the newspapers in town.  Don't dig your head in the sand, make a difference!

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Those that care

I keep hearing for people over and over, "I don't know why you bother, no one cares" or "I don't know why you bother because nothing is ever going to change in this town".  I beg to differ with all those naysayers! There are plenty that care about this town!

When the issue of the 2 year old flags were brought to my attention I made it my personal goal to have them removed.  First of all I let people know what was going on.  Everyone was appalled that the flags were still up.  They honestly hadn't noticed them, was the most common response.

So I went over to Gonzales Lumber and they were well aware of the flags.  I knew they had large ladders because I had rented from them several times.  David over there was more than willing to allow my scouts of Troop 262  to use the ladders to remove the flags.  Unfortunately the large ladder was to large and the other ladder to small, but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that Gonzales Lumber was willing to help this town look better.

In my disappointment that day I was talking with someone who mentioned that someone else here in town had a bucket truck.  I went over and spoke with the owner of the truck and he was absolutely behind making this happen and getting this eyesore off of our main drag in Gonzales.  So I have a very special thanks to Lorenzo Hernandez of Lo's Auto for loaning us his bucket truck for this.  His son Kenny and grandson Darron came out and took the time to remove them from the poles.  So the picture on the top are the flags removed from the old Quality place.  Please thank all of these guys next time you see them.

So I now have the flags and the scouts with Troop 262 will properly retire them.  It's one of the things we do for community service about once a year.  These flags have served their country well, and will be respectfully retired.

So things can happen in this town.  Someone has to care.  Someone has to follow through and coordinate.

I've seen this with "Liquor by the drink" here recently and even more recently heard about a group getting together to clean up the city cemetery on College street on September 25th from 9 AM - Noon.  No pay.  Not looking for glory.  No real reason other than it needs to be done. It makes my heart feel good to know that all those naysayers are wrong.  Gonzales CAN change! Gonzales DOES care!  There might be those that don't, but I believe all in all Gonzales Cares.

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

The Lynn Theater

OK, I'm going to try to tackle the Lynn Theater issue here in town.  Mind you I've spent a lot of time contemplating this before I wrote because honestly I've been a bit torn on the issue.

Let me start with the simple stuff, Mr. Collins hasn't received a dime from the city or county in cash to line his pockets.  It's one of the biggest complaints I've heard.  "How much more are we going to give him?"  The answer is not a dime.  He hasn't gotten a dime, and not about to get a dime from the city or the county.  As a matter of fact he has spent a good deal of his personal money fixing up the mess that he took over. So unfortunately it's a misunderstanding that Mr. Collins has received anything from the city, county or any other organizations.

Now let me move on to what I consider a huge mistake by Mr. Collins.  In an effort to appease all Mr. Collins took over the previous owners business with debt included to the tune of about $400,000.  The business worth is less than 1/2 of that.  It was a poor decision on his part to accept the current debt, but in the interest of fairness to GEDC and the citizens of Gonzales County and the City of Gonzales he did it.  It was a decision that has haunted his ability to make ends meet.

In addition Mr. Collins agreed to accept a list of demands by the boards that as a business owner I would never have agreed to.  Business owners need to be flexible and the list of demands, while I understand where the GEDC was coming from, are unreasonable.

Now comes the messy part.  We have almost $300,000 in loans by the City of Gonzales through GEDC and an additional $85,000 by the County of Gonzales that are unsecured. Now this is like a house loan where the money went to pay off previous owners and debt holders, not to line Mr. Collins pockets.  So what does the rest of this mean? 

First of all it means that the County of Gonzales has no recourse what so ever in collecting their money. If Cal Collins for any reason defaults, you and I, the taxpayers will be 100% out that money, no if ands or buts about it. And don't think it doesn't effect you, if you live in the City of Gonzales you are also paying taxes for the County of Gonzales. It doesn't matter if those taxes come out of your left or right pocket, we are still paying the taxes to cover that loss. It also means the County will be less likely in the future to make loans to bring jobs and other businesses to the county in the future.

Second the building and business that the Lynn sits in has been valued at less than $150,000.  So anyone in the future who would be looking to purchase the building would not be willing to pay more than $150,000.  The city at that time will be out $150,000 in their loans.

So any closures by the city will cost you and I over $235,000 in real cash lost.  This is money that every taxpayer in Gonzales will be stuck with. No going back, no chance of recovery, just gone. Did you hear the toilet flush, because that's where the money is going.

Now lets consider some of the other options that could occur here.  Mr. Collins could declare bankruptcy  chapter 11.  This means that the city, county, and all others that are owed money will be put on hold indefinitely and Mr. Collins will be able to operate without anything the powers to be can do.  We, the lean holders would probably get pennies on the dollar, and Mr. Collins would still wind up with the theater in the end.  This is still an option for Mr. Collins, regardless of what the City of Gonzales has done.

Mr. Collins could declare Chapter 7 and take months or years to settle up the debt.  During that time neither the city or Mr. Collins will be able to do anything with the Lynn Theater.  It will remain a vacant building as it has for many of the 15 years I've lived here.

Last Mr. Collins could allow the foreclosure to happen without fighting it in some form or fashion.  This would take time, possibly years to get the deed back so that the city could resale it. It would also be very unlikely as Mr. Colins has a personal interest in the outcome on his financial.


Now one last thing on what Mr. Collins has agreed to.  He's agreed to limitations on what he can do inside and outside of the building.  Any major changes have to be approved so that the city keeps the Lynn Theater sign up and lit for the citizens of Gonzales.  It's a great icon for the town square.  Any new owner could come in and immediately remove it.  They are not obligated to keep it as a theater, either live or movies.

So I've been bothered with giving a guy a second chance.  But have found out a couple of more things.  First of all prior to bringing anything to GEDC or the City Council there were studies done by the Small Business Administration on feasibility of running a theater in a town with our demographics.   This group worked with Mr. Collins and GEDC to come up with a way to make this work for everyone involved.  Business 401 if you will was used here to make sure that anything that was purposed would actually work.

Second I found out that prior to opening up Mr. Colins caught up all the taxes and utilities bill that the previous owner had left.  He had also spend a substantial amount of cash in renovating the theater out of his pocket that the SBA has confirmed since the closure trying to get ready to reopen. 

Last I found out how much time our GEDC has spent making sure that the citizens of Gonzales and the county had the best chance of recovering the money on the loans they've issued.  Part of my point here is why do we have a board that has been picked by the council if they aren't going to look at all the facts?  These guys unanimously agreed that the best interest of the City of Gonzales, also taking into consideration Gonzales County, to give Mr. Collins a second, more educated chance, to make this work.

Now I'm not going to excuse Mr. Collins for not communicating to the GEDC when he ran into trouble.  It's been my experience that when I've had large loans the I was required to give the bank a monthly or quarterly financial statement along with my payments. I'm sure this would of been a wise agreement to start with.

As for Mr. Logans antics on "will Mr. Collins please come down", let's get real!  Mr. Collins has sent, I'm sure at his cost, a representative to most of the GEDC meetings.  This is not Mr. Collins primary business, and while it's important to him, no business man in his position would have attended those meetings.  When I ran Kactus Korral I was the one that sat with Pat Frost during all the meetings when we were negotiating loans through Frost Bank.  Mr. Jenkins, the owner, didn't get involved except when it was time to sign papers.  It's how business works.

Would it have been prudent for Mr. Collins to show up at the City Council meeting this last month? Yes, without a doubt.  Part of what Mr. Collins has to understand is in a town like ours, your handshake, and your word are as important as your signature. It's one of those learning curves he should pick up quickly if he wants to make it in a town like ours.

As for the GEDC looking for another buyer at this point it's pretty simple, WE DON'T OWN THE BUILDING!  The deed is to Mr. Collins with the City being a lean holder. GEDC trying to sell it would be like the City saying they are going to sell your house.  They don't own it either.

So where from here?  First of all the City Council could reverse it's decision.  It could follow the recommendation of GEDC and at the next Council meeting reverse the motion they made.

They could stay on course and years from now the building will revert back to the city and we can start the process to sell the building again.

Along those lines there are rumors going around that there is a group that is expecting to take over the building.  Notice I said take over, not purchase.  It would be a rent free or grant type arrangement.  The sources of this murmurs are reliable enough to scare me.  That would not only put the City of Gonzales years out, but $400,000 down that toilet we spoke about earlier, and we'd still not have a movie theater.

So as much as I hate to admit it the best option for the citizens of the City of Gonzales and the County of Gonzales is to let Mr. Collins attempt to make a go of the Lynn under the new arrangements.  Might we wind up here again in the future? Yes we might.  But if there is ANY chance of recovering the most money out of this deal it's with Mr. Collins.

The worst that can happen is that Mr. Collins doesn't make it and we have to go through the above mentioned options, foreclosure or bankruptcy on Mr. Collins part.  The best that could happen if he is given a second chance is that we recover 2x in cash payments than we will ever have a chance to recover otherwise.

One last thing, the Lynn has analogue projectors.  It's a dying technology that will not be supported forever, heck it's not going to be support for long.  That upgrade is a $200,000 upgrade.  Do you really think someone would purchase the existing Lynn Theater and keep it as a theater knowing what they'd have to sink into it to make it profitable?  Not very likely!

This is a bad situation all around.  Not even in my furthest reaches can I not fault Mr. Collins for some of his actions.  But bottom line is that as taxpaying citizens of this great town, our best option is to try to work this out with Mr. Collins and support him when he opens back up.  It can still happen, but it's going to take some work.

Our council will have to be business like for the moment and look at the information that SBA and GEDC have put together on how this can work with some modifications to the current agreement.  Is it the perfect situation? Nope, but I'd rather have a chance to collect on the $400,000 than have no chance at all.


God Bless
Dennis Nesser

Our Housing Board

So how is it that you become a member of a board in the city of Gonzales?  Well if it's the Housing Board, the ONLY board appointed by the mayor himself and not the city council, a good way to get on would be to donate cash to the mayors campaign.

In April Mrs Kacir was accused of a conflict of interest in her workings with the GEDC and Normas House.  Something that the Attorney Generals office reviewed at Mrs Kacirs request and said that it was all above board.  But one of the loudest voices in the hollering should of been looking in the mirror, as she is the epitome of conflict of interest.

How is it that Mary Ann, one of if not the largest contributor to Mayor O'Neils campaign made her way onto one of these boards.  And not just any board, but one of the most powerful in Gonzales, that being the Housing Board.

And how is it that this is the only board that the Mayor is solely responsible for appointing all members of? SECTION 3.07 POWERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL of the Charter for the City of Gonzales states that "(f)     Provide for such additional boards and commissions, not otherwise provided for in this charter, as may be deemed necessary, and appoint the members of all such boards and commissions. Such boards and commissions shall have all powers and duties now or hereafter conferred and created by this charter, by city ordinance or by law."  It doesn't say that the Mayor has that right, but that the City Council does.  So I'd sure like to hear from some legalese as to why and how Mayor O'Neil is doing this appointment without it going through the City Council.

I'd also like to know how there can NOT be a conflict of interest, or inappropriate activities of appointing a major contributor to your campaign to the Housing Commission? I'm at a loss here.  Either the mayor considers us, the people of Gonzales stupid, or he just doesn't care any more.  Either way isn't a pretty situation.

I'm so sick and tired of the "Good Ole Boys" just doing what ever they want without caring for the problems at hand.  Let's scratch each others back is all I hear amongst the elite few as I've called them.  What about the average tax paying citizen of Gonzales?  What about the average Joe that goes out, makes a living, pays his property tax and his sales tax here locally?  When are they going to be taken care of ?  I'm not talking about special services or promotions, I'm talking about the city manager, mayor and council doing everything in their powers to make Gonzales the great place it can be! Not just for special interest individuals and groups.  To run effectively so that the burden on the individual taxpayer and business that support this town are not burdened any more than necessary.

There is more to this story, and I'm verifying some facts, but I promise this is not the last you'll hear of the Housing Board and appointees.

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Victoria College

I was reading in the paper last week that Victoria College is expanding again. What wonderful news is that! As a parent the one thing I want to give my kids is opportunities to better themselves. To expand their horizons and learn new things.

What started out as a nursing school here in town is now one of the best things our city has ever done for this community. We have brought a way for our kids to transition from Gonzales High School to the real world of having to study and meet expectations that include homework nightly, reading a chapter without it happening in the classroom, and constructing sentences with proper grammar regardless of which class they are in (I'm sure some of the teachers over there would love to redline my blog on occasions).

And if you're not aware of it there is a partnership between Gonzales High School and Victoria College where our children can take dual credit classes getting high school credits while they attend college classes. The students then get the credit hours for the class and a college transcript. This cost the students and parents $0 (that's right zero) for books and tuition and that included built in tutoring. When a student leaves GHS they could well be a sophomore in college saving themselves a year of school, and the money that goes along with it.

VC is expanding many of their trade classes. These classes are not just for those who are 18 years old. Adults looking to better themselves or make a career change can attend and watch their potential grow.

So for those who question my one sided negative view of Gonzales I want them to know I see it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. Victoria College definitely falls into the 'good' category in this town!

God Bless
Dennis Nesser

Abuse of our firefighters - Cleaning up the Guadalupe Rebar

Back in April and May I wrote about the City Manager, David Huseman, dumping the old St. George Street into the Guadalupe River. I wrote that he had authorized the dumping of concrete with the rebar still in it and lead pipe into our river. He was quoted as saying, "I didn't think I needed permission to dump into the Guadalupe." Pictures were put into the Gonzales Cannon showing the rebar and pipe.

Official complaints were filed with the TCEQ and the Corp of Engineers by the water authority and private citizens (myself included).

So now that the Corp of Engineers is coming to town to look at the dumping in the Guadalupe River, the city manager, David Huseman ordered the fire department to use it's resources to go clean up his mess this last Monday.

Our firemen were down on the river removing rebar using the equipment that is suppose to be used to pull people out of cars and fallen buildings. What an abuse of power and resources!

How would you like to of been in the car accident and be told, "Oh, I'm sorry but our fire department is busy cleaning up the cities mess, please call back in a few hours and we'll be glad to help."

Now Mr. Huseman has told us time and again that there was nothing wrong with dumping in the Guadalupe river. That the lead and rebar that was in concrete he dumped was for shoring up the shoreline and he was allowed to do all that. So why now is he using city resources to remove it? Why not just wait till the Corp of Engineers gets here and show them he's done nothing wrong? Why is he scrambling?

Second, why would you put anyone in jeopardy by taking our fire department and put them down by the river with all their equipment in use? I know for a fact that the firemen are not happy at all that they were abused for this purpose. This wasn't an emergency, this was David Huseman covering his rear!!!

I would love to of heard that conversation between the city manager and the fire chief.

"Chief I need your guys to run down to the river, pull out those expensive saws of your and get that stuff out of here before the Corp of Engineers gets her next week."

"But we're not road workers, we're firemen. Call City Parks or Road Department."

"Chief, I'm not asking, I'm telling you, get those guys out of there now! They're not union, so I can have them digging ditches if I want."

I would love to know what the chief thinks about all this, but I can't imagine he's at all happy that his firemen were being used not to save lives, but to save the city managers butt.

So 1) were we lied to before and there IS something wrong with dumping in the Guadalupe? (*DUH*) 2) Was the fire department resources misused and misappropriated to clean up what didn't need to be cleaned up? 3) Were we praying that we wouldn't have another major accident while the fire department were pulled away from the fire department to do this task? I know I wouldn't of wanted that lawsuit if someone wasn't rescued because they were busy doing another departments job.

So what is it Mr. Huseman? Is the rebar OK or not? You admitted you put it there in taped interviews, so are you going back on your word now? Oh wait, that's just status quo for you isn't it? Wouldn't it have been nice if Mr. Huseman would of originally said, "Wow, sorry I messed up, we'll get that right out of the river" instead of all these games we have been playing?

Gonzales, when are you going to get pissed about the lies, the spending of your money to clean up the messes, the abuse of power, the ...deep breath...do I get my point across? Call your councilman, let him know you're pissed and we're not going to take it anymore!

I guess the one good thing in this is the rebar is gone. It should NEVER have been put into the river in the first place. It's a safety hazard, and against the law.

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Let's Go Swimming - At JB WELLS!!!

Ok, it's not that we make mistakes that irks me off to no end, it's that we don't learn from our mistakes, you know the ones that we make over and over again. It's almost as if some people in this town believe that if I bury my head deep enough in the sand the problem will go away, and JB Wells is one of those problems!

One of the simplest things I've mentioned to help control the bleeding at JB Wells is to make sure that there are no more swimming pools put up by private citizens. It is unreasonable that for $20 (or less) anyone could fill up a pool, and have unlimited electricity. You and I can't do it as private citizens living in this town, why are this visitor getting this privilege?

I have asked 2 owners of RV parks that are my friends if they would allow an RV camper to put up such a pool in their park, and surprisingly enough, oh wait that's with NO surprise, they both said "no way, it would kill us financially." DUH!

So why is it that even after the city was notified of this shortcoming do we still have 3500 - 7000 gallon pools being put up at JB Wells? It's insane. It's also another incident of the city manager not taking care of business in this town! Will SOMEONE at the city office please do something about this? I'm tired of hearing that my taxes need to go up and my utility bills need to go up when there is total waste going on!

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Respecting our Nations Flag

Recently it was brought to my attention that we have more than an eyesore in our town, we have total and complete disrespect for our countries flag.

Let me start out by saying as a scoutmaster I strive to teach our youth how to be respectful of our nations flag.  Be it during a flag raising, retreat, flag presentation ceremony or proper display of the flag I try to teach the youth how it's done properly.  One of the biggest things I am proud of is teaching the what to do when a flag is beyond repair.  Over the last 3 years we've retired over 500 flags in accordance with United States Code 36, Chapter 10, Section 176 (k) "The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning."  We've retired these flags from small to large in both public ceremonies and over a campfire in a respectful manner.

So when I drive around town and see a flag that is tattered I'm going to stop and ask if the proprietor will allow me to take it and properly retire it.  Over the years I've stopped by dozens of businesses and asked for their flags, and never once have I been refused.  When I explain that it will be properly taken care of they are happy to let me take it.

So with all that said, we have a situation in town that is beyond belief.  The old Quality dealership left all the flags flying when they left.  17 American and Texas flags are tattered down to 1/2 of their original size flapping in the wind.  It is in the least a disgrace!

To make the matter worse this is on Hwy 90A, our main thoroughfare in town.

So what do passersby think of our town? Disrespectful?  Uncaring? Unpatriotic? These are a few words that I can think of that come to mind that a visitor would think looking at this site.

Now this is contrary to the flag display that the Knights of Columbus put up on 6 of our national holidays, where we have flags flying down streets after streets in our town.

I know that the owners have been contacted.  I know that the city has been contacted.  I know that the Chamber has been contacted.  Yet in the last month since this was brought to our attention nothing has been done about this problem.

Now there are only 2 places I'm aware of that have the bucket trucks that could pull those flags down, and that's the City of Gonzales and GVEC.  So what should be done?  Wouldn't it be nice if the owners just took care of this eye sore and disrespect to the flags that are flying and our city wouldn't have the blemish to deal with?

Second best would be for our city manager to have someone contact the owners and either ask them to remove them or ask permission to have them removed.  Even if city employees are doing this task it's better than what it cost the city in bad publicity.

Last would be for someone at GVEC to take some imitative and get permission to remove these flags.  It wouldn't take a crew 15-30 minutes to get all those flags down with a bucket truck.  That would continue their good corporate citizenship they've shown in the past.

Regardless these flags need to be removed.  Bring them to my place, it's easy enough I'm across the street, and I will make sure that those will be properly retired along with the other 100 I have waiting for the next opportunity to do it properly.

God Bless
Dennis Nesser

Coming down to the wire on Liquor by the Drink

So the first initiative to get liquor by the drink is coming to a close.  The 30 days to get signatures is coming up July 23rd.  It will then go to have the signatures verified and if there are enough sent to the voters.  As of last night there were 1100 signatures turned in, and a lot of petitions still out.

So here's the deal.  If those petitions have another 900 or so signatures on them, this goes to the voters of the county for a vote.  If they don't it will be another dead attempt to help the county grow.  And while I respect those who don't want to support it, I still there there is some confusion.  Let me share a conversation I had with a registered voter:

RV - "We need to do something in this town.  We need a good restaurant that's not  Mexican food.
Me - "Like what kind?"
RV - "Like Roberts"
Me - "Don't you think part of the reason they are what they are is because of the liquor?"
RV - "Yes"
Me - "Then wouldn't you like to sign the petition?"
RV - "No, I don't think so. I just want things to change"
*thump thump* The sound of me hitting my head against the wall.

So you want change, but you don't want to do anything that might bring about change.  So I leave without a signature. Sad, because the person is right, we need some changes, and that is one of the areas we need change in.  They are so close to the truth and yet have their eyes closed.  It's like playing pin the tale on the donkey, they know the donkey needs his tail, they know he's over their, they just can't see where it is that it goes because they are blinded by the Gonzales "we don't want change" blindfold.

So here's the deal.  If you want to see this on the agenda and haven't signed the petition then find one.  I've got them till Monday.  Breitschopf Reality, and Shear Design all have them.  If you have a petition with any names on it, send them in! They need to get these turned in immediately so they can be verified.  If you still have empty petitions walk your block, they'll get signed in no time as long as you don't run into RV from above.

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Get your own chalkboard

You know there are certain things that just go unsaid in society but are understood.  You don't mess around with another mans woman.  You don't kick another mans dog. And you don't go messing around with another mans chalkboard!

Last week I had put up on the board about the city councils not thinking through the TMRS issue.  Mother Nature I guess is a city employee and removed it for me on Thursday.  Her rains made sure I wasn't able to put anything back up before I went on vacation last week. 

So when I get back it had written on it " "....oh wait, I'm not going to glorify the writing by putting it in my blog. But someone had written on my board. GRRRRRR

You know it's bad enough to be 'that crazy guy with the chalkboard' without help from outside.  And I know there are times there is nothing on the board, either from a lack of verifiable information or just so much I can't choose.  But it's my board!

If you would like to get your message out, and you would like to use my chalkboard, then come talk to me.  If I like what you have to say then I'll think about it.  The board is not for rent.  It is only for what I think the town of Gonzales should be talking about.

And as long as I'm on that subject let me stay there.  My opinions and those facts that I point out are for the discussion of all.  We can all look at the same facts and come to different conclusions. We do it ever election.  What bothers me is when we don't bother to look.  We don't ask questions. We don't want to believe the truth.  Those are the things that bother me.  So if we are honest in our discussions, we can have good, open conversations about what is and isn't going on in this town.  We can see both the great things going on, and the things that need to be fixing, and can focus on those things to correct them.

So if you see someone writing on my board and it's not me, let me know please cause I need to introduce someone to Mr. Smith and Wesson. 

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Why can't we?

So I've run off with my wife since we've got a week of kidlessness and weren't able to celebrate our anniversary last month with everything going on.  We choose a town not much bigger than our own to visit. Yes, we go to Austin, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston and San Antonio sometimes, but when we want to get away, we generally pick some place small to visit.

This time wasn't far, and it wasn't new to us either.  We went to visit our friends Skip and Kate at 2 Wee Cottages up in Fredericksburg.  If you ever want a fantastic get away then I would recommend going to visit them.  Along with all the privacy you can mustard up, you're blocks from the center of town.  You have your own cottage, with a hot tub I might add.  But it's not just that, it's the food fairy that visits often.  You leave to take a stroll downtown and some succulent delight could be awaiting you when you return.  Then at night time your morning breakfast is scurried over to awake you.  If you can wait till breakfast to eat the steaming hot delights your taste buds will never quite be the same. We only make it about 1/2 the time till morning to eat breakfast.  If you call to make reservations mention my name and Skip and Kate will take care of you (she will anyway, but she generally has a something extra waiting for you when you are referred)

But I digress.

So we run over to Fredericksburg, a town that is less that 2000 larger than we are.  My suspicions are that during the months between summer and the start of hunting season this place is less than Gonzales in size.  Another words, without transient residence they are no bigger than we are.

As we drove the streets this weekend, and even this Monday, they are packed.  There are no parking spaces downtown, and the stores are all hustling and bustling with business.  So I asked myself, why can't we become the next Fredericksburg. 

You know the place people want to come, and visit and shop around. To come stay at the B & Bs and spend 2, 3, 4 or even more nights in our city. 

So I looked long and hard at downtown where most of the action is. Here's what I saw.

1) I see restaurants.  Yes there are the obligatory German restaurants, but there are many others.  You want a good, and I mean good steak, it's here!  I can think of at least 2 restaurants that you could get a good steak at The Navajo Grill or the Cabernet Grill will fill that bill for you.  You want a good home cooked meal.  No problem, how about Wheelers or Andys?  You want sandwiches? Guess what, they are here too.  It's not all one type of restaurant that makes this place tick.  And yet somehow they play upon their ethnicity to make the place thrive.  Don't we have a huge Czech and Spanish background in our city? And for the record they have liquor by the drink available at the nicer establishments. 

2) I see businesses that are open, and supporting the community. But they don't stop there.  There isn't many of the places we went to that didn't have a huge internet presence.  Chocolat ships around the world.  They don't rely purely on local business.  The Olive Shop is no different.  Their store front is small, but they don't care.  What the store provides is an outlet to their internet business.  Amish furniture, toys, jewelry, Christmas ornaments and everything else here is for sale on the internet.  So the business comes to town without ever leaving the comfort of their home.  Now I've spoken to at least one business owner in town that would like to have a web presence, but thinks his brother in law can do it. That's small town thinking! You're competing against the world now, so you have to think that way.  Yes, it will cost you, but your ROI has unlimited possibilities if you find that niche. 

3) I see a Chamber that is pushing the town in a manner which draws people near.  They have billed it as a quaint little town to come visit. It's something the entire town has gotten behind and built.  Now we could go multiple ways with our backgrounds.  A great Czech town or the best Hacienda you'll ever visit.  Either way works, but we have to pick one and go with it. And not just for this year, it will take time to get the word out, but it will.

4) I see a city where the roads are maintained in town, trash is picked up, and overall there is an air of inviting anyone that would like to visit.

So my questions is why can't we?  Why is it that Gonzales couldn't have the social economic environment that Fredericksburg has brought to the county? Are we just so small in our thinking that we can't realize that the stagnation that is occurring will only kill our little town?  You can not stand still like so many have told me they want. You are either moving forward or you're moving backwards. It's just the facts. 

So am I just missing all the town hall meetings asking why are we not moving forward?  Why have so many businesses in downtown closed down?  Why we can't seem to get a real and consistent flow of outsiders to our quaint little town?  We're not talking about spending $5,000,000 in tax payers money, we're talking about encouraging business to thrive in our community.  We're talking about showing them how to make a living selling the specialties they have to the rest of the world.  We have so many great ideas in Gonzales, and it seems like we just can't get them going.

So my question is why can't we?  Why can't we build up to have the same pull as so many others have before us?

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

How much for TMRS?

I left the city council meeting on Tuesday a bit miffed over a couple of items that zipped right past our city council.

The first was a request by TMRS (Texas Municipal Retirement System) to increase the cities portion of deposits. Now what was said on the floor (and verified through video) was that it was going from 1.8% to 11.8%.  This is percentage of the entire city payroll.

What was meant to be said is that we're going from 11.5% (a max set by the city previously) to 11.81% to 14%.  So basically we will be paying an additional 2.5% of the total payroll of Gonzales into this fund.

Now the general principal of this is not something I'm upset about.  It's a known fact that government jobs come with some perks, and this is one of them.  A retirement that surpasses most businesses by todays standards.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

What does bother me is that Bobby Logan, while making his motions, stated that even though we don't know how much this was going to cost, the percentage seemed small enough, so he made the motion, seconded by Tommy Schurig.  Then Aye, Aye, Aye, Aye and Aye was the vote.

So my question immediately after the meeting to 2 other of the councilmen was, "so did you spend $1,000,000 tonight on TMRS?" The answer from both was "I don't know what we just spent."  The 4th councilman told me today that he also didn't know what we were spending on this proposal. Honestly when I showed him the paperwork he was a bit surprised at the percentages we were talking about.

So here is the problem.  Why would we vote on an matter that you don't know what you're voting on? The appropriate thing to of done would have been to send the city manager back to bring the figures prior to voting.  The issue was not of time sensitive matter, and so tabling it for a month would NOT of been a big deal.  Instead we have approved, some amount, that we don't have a clue how much, to TMRS.

You know if I have to fix my house I don't just call up the contractor and say fix the house.  I ask how much is it going to cost and what's it going to do for me, is it a permanent fix or a quick fix? I don't just hand the contractor a blank check!  Unfortunately those type of questions were not asked, and the city council did write a blank check to TMRS.

The second issue was that of a City Council Retreat.  Not one of the councilmen I spoke with could tell me what this retreat is going to cost for the 7 or so people to run off for the weekend and 'set a vision' for Gonzales.  Again, in a time when were were talking about laying off city employees last time budgets came around, and we're going to spend $1000s for this? Really? This is our priority?

It's time we ask the questions BEFORE we approve stuff. This is how a households get in trouble, and this is how our city is in the shape it's in.  I'm hoping that my pointing out to our councilmen, will in the future, lead to the questions being asked prior to the votes.

So back to TMRS, odds are we need to vote to approve this increase.  Again, as city employees generally expect a better retirement than civilian retirement.  Even Tommy Schurig made the comment that GVEC put in 10% (not 11.81% or 14%) for their retirement.  I think these percentages that were just approved were a bit high, even for city employees, but would sure feel better if we had a clue what this was going to cost us.

Oh, and for the record, I think I have more to rant about tomorrow, so come back and visit again then. 

God Bless
Dennis Nesser

I hope I'm wrong

So the day that Greg Little was released from the Gonzales Inquirer my wifes' first comment was "I wonder how long before he has a city job?"

We both laughed, and both sighed at the same time, because behind that laughter there was a moment of realization that both the city manager and the mayor owed Mr. Little a good deal of thanks for their current positions.  But surely not even they would be so blatant as to try to pass that by the citizens of Gonzales as he's the most qualified.

Now all of a sudden Mr. Little is being seen at city functions and meetings.  As a citizen of the city he is entitled to be at these meetings just the same as you and I are.  But me smells a rat in the closet.

I'm just going to say this once, if Mr. Little is hired by the city of Gonzales for any position, it will be purely because of the above mentioned reason.  A political favor.  I will also put on my chalkboard "I TOLD YOU SO GONZALES" when/if it happens.  You won't even have to bother with the blog, because all it will be is pointing back to this one where I am forewarning you. 

The Gonzales Inquirer didn't fire Mr. Little because of his outstanding citizenship in this town, and we don't need him as an employee of our town!

No, there is nothing behind this other than the facts stated above.  I'm hoping (praying is more like it) that this is seeing shadows that aren't there....but every time I've thought that, those shadows have smacked me upside the head.

By the way, after tonights council meeting I have more to blog about ...so come back tomorrow for more.

God Bless
Dennis

FORE - It's coming!

Ok, it's not that we've finished any of the other issues, but let me point out one more.  It's about our golf course.  Now admittedly I no longer play golf. But for almost 20 years I did.

When my eldest son joined the Golf team in high school I ventured out to our cute little 9 hole course.  I can tell you we'll never get a PGA tournament here, but for a 9 hole course it's pretty nice.  I've even taken to walking around it during the coolness of the day.

But after looking I noticed the prices that are being paid by our members I almost choked.  I'm posting our golf course compared to Luling: 

		Gonzales	Luling
Green Fees:	Weekdays	$10	$10
	Weekends	$12 per day	$14
Cart Rental Fees:	9 holes	$8	$6 for 1 person/$12 for 2 people
	18 holes	$15	$9 for 1 person/$18 for 2 people
	Trail Fee	None	$5
Annual Membership:	Individual	$215	$300
	Family	$275	No such thing
	Husband and Wife	$275	$450
	Each Additional Child	$Free	$66
	Individual Child (18)	$Not Posted  I think $50	$92
	Annual Trail Fee	$None	$76

So just the basics, a husband and wife pay $175 less at the Gonzales course, not counting any trail fees.  That doesn't count if you had 2 kids another $132 (now we're over $300 difference, doubling what we charge).  Even as an individual you're looking at almost double the cost by the time you add the trail fees.

Now go way back, and I told you there are some things that the city does for the good of the people.  We need a golf course if you want anyone to come visit.  It's a simple business fact of life.  But there is a reasonable consideration that should be made.

Now let's look at some simple numbers.

$275 for a family of 4 to play unlimited golf
$68.75 each person in the family for a year of golf
$5.73 per person per month for golf
$1.43 per round if the person plays only once per week.

Even if it's just a husband and wife (not a family of 4) that's only $2.86 a round weekly.

Now what other activity can you do for $1.43 every week of the year?  And that's not counting if you want to play extra it just drops that price even more.

In 1985 I had a club membership as an E4 in the army.  During that time our fees were based partially on the rank, and I was at the bottom.  Even then I paid $200 a year.

I'm afraid that this is another example of the city not watching what is going on around them.  I'm not going to mention the numbers I've heard that the course is running in deficit because I haven't seen them personally, but I know it's substantial.  We need to be more aware of what others are doing.  If the average cost is $500 for a family, guess what, we should be too.

I know this is a sore subject for many, because it's a particular group that plays most of the golf down there, but facts are facts, and the fact is there is NO better deal in Gonzales than the one we've allowed to happen at the golf course. Let's manage our city facilities the way they should be.  Raise the annual fees, throw in a trail fee, and get in line with those around us.

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

More on Liquor by the drink

Ok, so I've gone by and found out more about the Liquor by the Drink initiative. 

First of all we have until July 23rd to have the petitions turned in for verification prior to the August vote.  Do NOT be thinking August, think today!

Second here are a couple of locations to sign the petition that I'm aware of. The Chamber of Commerce (Open 8 - 5 M-F, 9 - 5 Sat, 1 - 4 Sunday), Shear Design, and Breitschopf Reality all have petitions to sign.  For the time being Hector Porres and I have petitions to sign too, so if you see us ask.

You MUST be a registered voter in Gonzales County to sign the petition.  This is NOT just for the city of Gonzales, but the ENTIRE county.  So if you live in Waelder, Nixon or Smiley you also have a dog in this fight. People are needed in these other areas to push the initiative there too.  If you're interested contact one of the above locations.

You do not have to have your voter registration number, but if you do it will make verification easier.  If you sign the petition, please make sure you print your name next to if if you don't have your ID # so that verification will be easier for the County Clerks office.

If we ever want to fill up downtown Gonzales we've got to have a place for the people to go.  This is a good start to revitializing our downtown once again.

God Bless
Dennis Nesser

One for the Road?

Not sure how many people know this in Gonzales County yet, but there is an initiative by some people to bring liquor by the drink to Gonzales County.  In order for them to put it on the ballot it will take 2200 signatures.  This number is based on the last governors election.  They will have a set amount of days to get the 2200 signatures and have them turned in for inspection. So several thoughts come to mind.

One bravo for someone not waiting for out local government to make any change.  They are taking it straight to the people of Gonzales to decide.  Win, lose or draw they will know what the people of Gonzales have to say.

Second, if Gonzales county ever wants a nice restaurant in this county, it is going to have to have liquor by the drink. I can tell you, as someone who has managed a restaurant, that the profit margins in food industries is pretty slim. The profits are in the drinks.  And when you get into nicer places it's the drinks that make a difference.

Don't think so? Where do you go for a nice steak? Hmmm...seems like Roberts is the big talk.  They have liquor by the drink.  Kessels? Wait, they have liquor by the drink. And yet since I moved here over 15 years ago that's where we went for a steak.   Any Outback, Chilis, Applebees, etc etc etc are always going to have liquor by the drink. Why? Because that's how they make the money to survive.

Over the years I've seen a dozen restaurants move into Gonzales and fail. Just in the corner of the square I think I've seen a half dozen places come and go.  Some of those places were pretty good places to eat. Some were ok.  But none of them could survive.  I honestly think if they had put liquor by the drink in some of those places they'd still be around.

How many of you are a member of the BPO Elks in Gonzales just for the drinks with your meals?  It's probably one of the top 3 reasons to join the lodge.

You want to learn how to bring business downtown? You want people to walk through the downtown area after a meal? Well guess what, this will be one of those ways to do it.
 
So over the next several weeks you'll be seeing someone with a clip board asking you to sign.  I am going to ask you to seriously consider it.  Consider that at NO additional cost to taxpayers we have a way to bring people to our town to go eat, walk around and purchase goods.  Now that's the kind of thinking that will allow Gonzales to survive!

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Happy Fathers Day

Over the last 3 - 4 years I've been working with men groups that have shown me just how important fathers really are to our society.  I always thought that using the 80/20 rule, that 80% of the men grew up in good homes where the father was there, and the children got the approval that was needed for a health relationship later in life.  I've learned it's just not so.

Our fathers are so important to us.  They not only are the bread winners in most households, though in todays society a 2 income family is more common than not, they are the ultimate in approval.

Mothers hug us, love us, fight for us when we've done wrong, but ultimately the kids look to dad for approval in what we do in our every day life.  Be it that baseball game we played at 10 years old, our school work, the job were working in, our choice of a spouse, how we raise our kids, we want to know that our dads our proud of us.  That we are beloved.

So today I have 2 messages.

The first, to the dads, if you haven't put your kids way up on your ladder of things to take care of spiritually and emotionally, then start today. This Fathers day make it your promise to spend the time so that down the road your children will never doubt that you were proud of them and loved them. Make sure our words as fathers are encouraging, not discouraging. Loving not harsh. That they have the spiritual guidance that only a father can give to get them not only through this world but the next.

To the children, make sure your dad knows how much you love him and want him in your life.  How you appreciate him for all he's done.  For taking you out to throw that ball.  For taking you to the movies, camping, fishing, or what ever it was that he could of done by himself, but chose to take you with him. For being there when it really counted. 

As a father we make many many mistakes, and often times we wish we could take back those moments but we can't.  But today is a day to put on the rose colored glasses, to forget and forgive, and to let dad know that he really is special to us, and that today we set aside for him.

If you don't have anything for dad today, go over and spend the day with him.  Sit on the back porch, have him over for BBQ, just make a phone call and let him know you care.

God Bless
Dennis Nesser

Scouting / Venturing

I want to talk about our youth in Gonzales, and a part of it I'm involved in.  I'm scoutmaster for Troop 262 here in Gonzales. I've been involved in scouting now for about 7 years, starting out in Cub Scouts and took over Troop 262 about 3 years ago when the previous scoutmaster stepped down. 

About 8 months ago a group of boys came to me and asked what it would take to get a Venturing unit started here in Gonzales.  To the best of my knowledge, the only other Crew (Scouters have Troops, Venturing have Crews) in this area is in Lockhart.  We set out to find a sponsoring organization, and after a bit of a search the BPO Elks stepped up to become the units sponsors. 

Saturday, after the Elks put on a dedication to the US Flag, they will be signing the paperwork to start the unit officially.  John DuBose Jr will be signing the agreement between Capitol Area Council and the Elks for the Venturing Crew 264. 

Venturing is a bit unique in Boy Scouts in that it is open to all boys and girls age 14 - 21.  Unlike Boy Scouts, it's not so much about rank and badges, as the leadership and planning for activities that the participants decide they want to do.  If they want to go camping, then they figure out how, how much, and make it happen.  The adult leadership is more to keep them in bounds and make sure that they have all the training and equipment they might need to for safe activities. 

So Gonzales is pretty blessed with an outstanding Scouting environment.  For the boys we have Cub Scouts Pack 261, starting at 1st grade and going till 5th grade, Boy Scouts Troops 262 and Troop 263, going from 6th grade - 18 y/o, and now Venturing Crew 264 from 14 y/o - 21 y/o. 

For the Girls Scouts I believe they go from Kindergarten - 18 y/o. I was recently at their banquet and can tell you that they too have a thriving organization here in Gonzales.

Scouting teaches these kids leadership skills and exposes them a wide variety of activities that they might not otherwise be exposed to.  Right now Troop 262 has 2 boys at National Youth Leadership Training, learning CEO type training so they will be able to come back and run the troop. 

Next week we'll be on our annual summer camp.  20 boys with a dozen adults will be camping.  The boys will be learning about Environmental Science, First Aid, Cooking, Leatherworks, Rowing, Space Exploration, Knots, Tracking, Indian Folklore, and several other topics.

If you're interested in getting involved in Scouting, either as a Boy Scout or Venturer email info@trp262.com and we will get you in touch with someone. Let us know which (or both) group you're interested in. 

God Bless
Dennis

Truth, Justice and the American Way

It's been said that truth will ultimately prevail.  For the last 4 months I've pounded on the Gonzales Inquirer for their lack of reporting of news, their misleading articles, and their  half truths.  I've complained that they are making more news than they are reporting on by doing such a thing.  I've argued that their childish antics on Facebook and in the paper are incredibly unprofessional as a mainstream paper in our community.

It got so bad I wrote the President and Chairman of Granite Publications and told them I was reporting more news than the Inquirer.  I pointed them to specific articles that were absent in the Inquirer.  I pointed them to specific bias columns (not editorials) that showed that they had become nothing short of henchmen for the mayor and city manager.

Look, I believe that every paper has a right to an editorial.  I appreciate it even more when they are willing (or better yet, their staff) post 2 opposing views.  It's keeps us sharp in our thinking if we have to support what we are saying.  Doesn't mean we have to agree, just appreciate that there is another side to the story.  The Inquirer had, over the last 12 -18 months drifted so far down the party line they couldn't see what was happening right in front of their shop. They only wanted to hear one side to every story, and that was the city managers side.  No one else had the truth in their books.

Well today it's being reported that Greg and Nichole Little were met by Mr. Chionsini, Chairman for Granite Publications, and were told to leave. These 2 are directly responsible for the direction that the paper has taken since Mr. Cunningham left the paper.

I personally think it's a good day for Gonzales.  I am praying that Mr. Chionsini and his staff have replace the Littles with someone who will bring the Inquirer back to it's standard of reporting that this town deserves and expects from a 100 year old paper. I hope the editorial page will once again be a place for discussion of our issues that we need to be discussing in our town, but that opinions stay in the editorials and not the news sections.

Good Luck Gonzales Inquirer, and Gonzales, it's a great day for Truth, Justice and the American Way!

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Just a thought on JB Wells

So I've really been thinking about this whole JB Wells thing.  As a business owner I have a hard time understanding why JB Wells isn't making money.  We have a wonderful arena that other cities come to, looking at what we have. 

I have friends in Llano that tell me that Gonzales is 'it' right now and that's why they are looking to us to see how they can do something similar. That kind of attention doesn't come because your facility sucks.

I also believe, that even though these visitors are not your 'convention crowd' they are still good for Gonzales. Any time someone wants to spend time in our town it's a good thing.  When we treat them hospitable and they want to come back, that's even a better thing.

The problem, and it's very root of everything lies in the management of our facilities.  Now please hear me out on this one.

It's not often that our government, at any level, works so well in private sectors.  After discussing this with many people around town, and looking back on my days working at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, I may have an idea.  Not saying it's perfect, not saying it would fly, but saying it's something we should discuss and consider.

Did you know that the Freeman Coliseum is not run by the city of San Antonio?  It's concessions are not run by the city of San Antonio?  Nope, not done that way. 

Both are run by management groups that specialize in their industry.  Let me start with the food, because that's what I was involved in.

Now admittedly there are more food booths and food to be sold at an event at Freeman than JB Wells, but what they use to do is hire a group to manage out there.  I personally went through 2 groups in the time I worked out there.  They in turn would hire non-profits to come out and work the food booths.  Before we would start a session we would be inventoried.  At the end of the night we would again be inventoried.  How many cups had we sold, how many hot dogs and buns were missing.  We threw nothing away, as it all had to be counted. 

They would tally up the money, subtract for any shortages, and then pay us 10% of the gross for our charity.  There were dozens of charities that made good money for events like the SA Rodeo. 

But bottom line is the city of San Antonio was making money on the gross sales.  It didn't matter to them if the company involved made money or not, the city walked away a winner. 

Now last year we purchased over $80,000 worth of goods for the commissary.  We sold (or what was turned in) was just over $65,000.  I can tell you from food management, that $65,000 worth of goods should of brought in over $195,000.  So where did the other $130,000 go? 

I can also tell you that there was (if there was any) only one official inventory done last year at the commissary.  Highly unprofessional of any business.  Especially a cash business like that. 

So let's look at the booking of the facilities themselves.  What incentive does the city have to make any money on the arena?  None! There is no accountability for anyone to run it like you would any other business.  There is no incentive to run it profitably. 

If there was, we wouldn't have pools being filled up on a $20 hook-up.  We wouldn't have someone discounting 10 day stays down to $125 instead of the posted $200 rate. We wouldn't be running the place at a $230,000 loss last year. 

A management company that had to pay the city based on gross receipts would have incentive to make a profit. They would be careful not to allow the pennies add up to dimes up to dollars up to tens of thousands of dollars in loss, as it would be their bottom line effected, and in private sector a loss would not be tolerated.

So here's what I'm asking you as those affected by all this in tax dollars, what is the plan that will work?  I can think of probably 2 or 3 different business men here in town that could manage the concessions.  I can not think of anyone off the top of my head that would necessarily be able to handle the management of the arena itself, but I know there are companies that do just that.

What is the down side to leasing these 2 functions out?  Year 1 the city would be making a profit on the arena.  Let's see, your and my taxes would not increase to cover the $200,000 loss. 

And as long as I am going on about the similarities on us and San Antonio, I want to put out that while the city of San Antonio built the original coliseum, Peter Holt and businessmen of San Antonio built the expansion that stands there today.  We've built the arena, why isn't the private businesses that will be effected by the proposed expansion not coming up with dollars to back up what is so good in Gonzales? I'm all for expanding the JB Wells park, but first we have to make money on what we have before we should even consider it, and second, I'm not for taxpayers putting up $5,000,000 for something they are not going to recoup. It's time private sector comes to the table reasonably with their checkbooks in hand to make this kind of expansion happen.

Let's hear from you Gonzales, tell us what you think!

God Bless
Dennis Nesser

Bobby L. Just say "NO"

I went to the city council meeting Tuesday night.  It was a packed house, and I'm assuming that for the most part people were interested in what the city was going to do about the horses in our city limits.  It was nice to see our citizens in action, and that they are so passionate about an issue.

But the thing that made me laugh more than anything was Bobby Logans performance on 3 different votes.  During the discussion he'd made it clear he was against these issues, and that's fine.  Your city council person should not always be in line with the rest.  There isn't a person up there I agree with 100% of the time.

But what was funny to me was when the mayor call for the vote it went like this, "Mr. Schroeder?" "Aye", "Mr. Schurig" "Aye" "Mr. Hernandez" "Aye" "Mr. Logan" ".....(tapping pencil on the desk)...(squirming to his right)...(tapping some more).......(deep breath)....(more tapping of the pencil)...."aye", "and I too will vote Aye".

These performances by councilman Logan were nothing shy of Oscar performances.  His district should be proud.

GIVE ME A BREAK!  Just say "NO"  If you don't agree with paying the alley, the GEDC appointments, or anything else that has been discussed, just say so! I would have more respect for Mr. Logan if he did.

I give the mayor credit for not making to much of a big deal about it.  2 times he made snide comments about the issue at hand that could of been left off the records, but when it came time to vote he just did it.  No scene from Gone With the Wind to go along with it. So while he too could of said "Nay" (the vote issues were already passed by the time they got to Mr. Logan anyway, so his No wouldn't of effected a thing), at least he showed a bit of class.

You know our city council shouldn't be voting 100% one way or another.  It makes me worry there is to many behind closed door deals when it happens.  So my message to Mr. Logan, grow up and just say "NO" next time!

Kudos to both Tommy and Gary for stepping up this week!! Both of them came prepared for bear, and had to put their foot down to get their points across.  I love to see our city councilmen actually prepared to talk about issues, and know the right questions to ask when the city manager tries to squirm out of it. Both need to be called and told what a great job they've done!

Lorenzo should be complimented on not dragging out this GEDC board any longer.  If left up to Mr. Logan it would of taken another 2 months to get people appointed. I think Councilman Hernandez had done his job to seek out good candidates that will help Gonzales grow through GEDC.  After all they've been vacant since April, how much longer should we expect to wait for these positions to be filled? Keep up the great work Mr. Hernandez!


God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

Summer Time Summer Time, Sum-Sum-Summer Time

So what is summer time without a dip in the pool right? I know my family and I love to go swimming the summer nights we have around here.  But this weekend I was surprised to find out how many visitors to Gonzales love to come here to go swimming too. The problem is, you and I are paying for their enjoyment. Let me explain.

We currently have a rodeo here in town.  Now I've been telling people that these people come complete. They are not your typical convention that tours your town, eats at your restaurants,  buying things throughout town, but never did I expect to see pools lining the trailers as I drove by.  These pools range from 500 gallon pools to the couple that you see above that hold 3000+ gallons of water each.  I could see 7 pools and well over 10,000 gallons of water being used by these visitors to our fine arena.

Now each of these people pay $20 for the nights stay.  Nothing stops them from dumping their pool and filling it back up as needed like the one below that had been drained till later.

When I drove by to take some pictures there were 7 kids in one waving at us wanting us to take their pictures, so here we go.

Now the $20 a night is for the use of electricity and water for their stay, but there has to be a reasonable clause. The $20 a night is made for "normal" usage.

So a couple of things come to mind after seeing these pools (by the way I could only see the pools lined up on Hwy 183, not the ones inside the compound). Ten thousand gallons of water for just the pools I saw definitely does not help the city trying to get the cost losses of the arena under control.  This is an added expense that goes beyond reasonable to expect us as local tax payers to pay for.

Second, we have a public pool that was open 2 blocks away.  Not only would it not cost us anymore for these visitors to visit our pool, we'd actually make money if they visited.  We'd be better off if we gave every slot rented 2 tickets to the pool instead of letting just those pools I saw being filled.

Third comes the fact that either we have a rule against this and it's not being enforce, or our city manager has allowed this to be overlooked. I'm sure Doc Graham is pleased to let it be overlooked but as a taxpayer in this community I'm pretty upset. This needs to be addressed immediately.  This is a case that either a simple clause needs to be inserted into or rental agreement or enforced if it's already there.

If you live in a trailer park or an apartment complex where they pay the water, there are always clauses that exclude swimming pools, washing cars, and other water activities that would run up the water bill unfairly.  Why would anyone visiting here expect anything less?

$200,000+ lost last year at the arena. I've already mentioned the commissary issue that needs to be gotten under control.  Let's look at these couple of dollars here.  Let's get our council to appoint a real committee that will put real world recommendations on how to control the losses, what to do to turn the arena profitable. Some of these issues that are plain as day to anyone that will look, others are going to take a deeper look.  But maybe that's the problem.  Maybe those who've been running the city don't really want the answers to be out in the public. They've gotten good at hiding the truth, is this just one more case of it?

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser

This was brought by a tip from another concerned tax payer! Thanks, you know who you are.

Memorial Day 2010

 I think it's kind of funny that it's taken me 20 years since I've gotten out of the army to appreciate days like Memorial Day.  Yes, that's right I spent 8 years voluntarily serving my country.  I tell every young person I see today that those 8 years set a foundation for who I am today.  I served during several 'conflicts', and the start of the first Iraqi war.  I was there when we were bombing Libya and through our friends at the CIA got myself shot at in the great drug war.  But I was a young man who was invincible, and just off handily doing my job. 

Even then I didn't truly appreciate what all those men and women that went before me had given up for my freedoms, they too were just doing their job.  I didn't realize that my blank check to my Uncle Sam could really cost me my life.  I didn't realize that without those of us who wrote those checks every day, and were willing to honor them that our country wouldn't be 1/2 the country it is today.

I think about all the men that died trying to give us this country back in 1700's.  Then the civil war, 1st and 2nd WW, Vietnam, Korea, and countless conflicts (Granada, Bosnia, and so many others) that went and gave everything they had, including their life for the people back home.  It's pretty overwhelming. 

They didn't ask for much.  A cot to sleep on, three squares a day, and a little respect when and if they came back.  As a country we've not always been so great with that last part, but I think we're doing better.  I know I personally go out of my way when I see someone in a uniform to thank them for what they've done. 

We can't all go to a military cemetery this Memorial Day.  Not all of us will even see a military person or a veteran tomorrow.  But we can all take a moment, bow our head, and thank God for all those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms, then ask Him to place His hand of protection over all of our troops that are serving now, and to please bring each and everyone of them home safely. It won't take but a minute, isn't that a small price to pay for the price they paid for your freedom?

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser 

It's Not About HEB

Ok, so there is potential for HEB to come to Gonzales with a store that is 3x the size of our current store.  The problem is that the current location is to small for a store that large. They'd have to take over the library and move it, or possible take over the Dollar General and expand that way.  Currently HEBs' plan is to move out on Hwy 90a not far from Walmart.

Now a group of downtown business owners have approached HEB to stay and expand where they are.

So here's my thoughts on this.  First of all I've never in 15 years here I've never driven to HEB and then though, "Oh I need to stop at Storeys and get a necklace for my wife."  Now I live on the north side of town, so I have to drive through downtown to get to HEB.  The best I might do is stop for gas, instead of going to my usual location. 

But I do see an issue that these owners need to be looking into.  Just in the last year or so I've seen business after business shutting down.  Let's see how many I can name:

Rogers Downtown (2x)
Cafe Sozo
Lemon and Licorice
Faith and Fangles
Brenums
Sweet Irene
The Vitamin store located where The Tax Place is now
DeLaGarzas
El Ranchitos
Guadalajaras
At least one of the antique stores
Karate place
Lynn Theater

These are the ones I'm aware of, and all of them were downtown. 

Now all of these were places that I would visit from time to time.  Often times when I'd visit any one of these, I'd walk the block, sometimes 2 blocks and look in the stores, visit, see what there was to buy, eat then head back home. 

It was THESE locations that brought me downtown.  Even today we went to Mi Lupitas and then my wife had to look at the store next door.  I would never just go to the store, it's a secondary visit because I'm already there.  And honestly we've spent good money in that store next door. 

So I'm thinking we don't need to keep HEB on the south side of town (and in a second I'll give you some reasons to move it), but we DO need to be talking to all these business owners and asking them WHY aren't you downtown anymore.  I know of one that moved to Shiner.  One that's moved into a home office.  That's just the ones I know about.

So what's driving our downtown businesses out of business?  Is our city involved in these decisions in any way?  Is it just rent is to high?  Is it because we need better resources in training these owners?  Is it because we need to have more work from our Chamber getting people downtown? Is it because ....well you get the idea. 

If the city wants to spend some money, how about spending some money to figuring out how to keep downtown full.  What would anyone from the JB Wells want to go downtown for right now anyway?  I keep hearing how it's going to draw all these great crowds to the downtown, but truth be told there isn't that much for them to come spend their money on.  And still doesn't account for that group comes self contained anyway, but if they wanted to come downtown where are they going to go? The Pawn Shop? Gregs Computers? Yeah, those are exactly what out of towners are coming into town for.

So why move HEB to Sarah DeWitt?

First of all with 3x the space there is going to be 3x the traffic.  Our downtown streets are not prepared for for that kind of traffic.  Second I believe that Walmart might take the competition more serious if they looked out the door and saw HEB down the street.  We keep hearing about Walmarts expansion.  Heck I've heard about it for 10 years it seems. What better incentive than to put the competition in their sites. I bet we'd get that competition and even a food section.  What would that do? It would keep HEB in check.  I've heard complaints about HEBs' prices in the last year or so. What better way then to have Walmart expand with a food section.

So bottom line, let HEB move! Let's start asking questions and figure out how to keep businesses downtown! Let's patronize these businesses when we can. It's a vicious cycle that we have to figure a way to stop.

Make comments, let's discuss this. All ideas will be passed onto our city council members. Who knows, maybe one of them can help make a change in our city.

God Bless
Dennis Nesser