COPPERFIELD COURIER
COPPERFIELD
Courier
NEWS FOR THE RESIDENTS OF COPPERFIELD June 2012
A Win
Volume 4, Issue 6
for the
People
of
Copperfield
On Monday, April 16, 2012 I had the privilege of attending the Copperfield Coalition meeting at Copperfield Church. Nearly 500 members of the community came together as one voice to speak out against a low income housing project that was being proposed for the area by a private developer. I was proud of how the community came together to make their voice heard. I explained that under the law I alone could not stop the project. However, I informed the audience that I would register a protest against it with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). With my protest and the strong and unanimous voice of the community, I explained to the crowd that we might prevail. After hearing the passion from several more speakers, I decided to speak to the developer privately in the back of the room. I explained to him that with this opposition it was possible his project would not be given a permit. It would not be a good situation for anyone. I suggested that he announce that he would withdraw his application in light of the huge turnout of citizens and the strong feelings against the proposed development. To his great credit, he took the high road. He agreed to put aside his multi-million dollar project. He earned the respect of many in attendance for heeding the voice of the people. This is a great example of how things can have a successful result if people get involved and make their voice heard. In the end, the community prevailed, the developer showed class, and I wrapped up a long day feeling good about the outcome. It is a rare occasion when a major issue can be resolved in one meeting. Afterwards many folks thanked me for playing the role of the diplomat. I was simply trying to do my job by representing the will of the people of our district. However, as every negotiator knows, you don’t have any leverage if you don’t have a strong hand. Last night the people of Copperfield provided that strong hand with their huge turnout in opposition to the project. If only a small number of people had turned out for the meeting, I don’t think the developer would have withdrawn his plans, no matter how persuasive I might have been. The bottom line is that this was a huge victory for the people and by the people. This was their win. I was happy to play a small part. I congratulate the organizers who put the meeting together and all of those who attended. Congratulations on a job well done, Copperfield! Senator Dan Patrick Footnote: I also told the audience that they need to come together like this on all major issues. If people take back their government, community by community, we will have better government and better communities. If 500 people will show up for future meetings on other issues pertaining to schools, county, crime, traffic, and other major issues and then get the vote out by encouraging and educating their neighbors, they can make a huge difference in the future of their community. I hope that happens. I need all the help I can get. Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc.
Copperfield Coalition A Non-Profit Incorporated Organization
no low income housing coming to the copperfield area
A couple months ago, the Coalition had heard about a low income housing project coming to the entrance of Stone Gate (Barker Cypress at Queenston). We thought that this was too close to our community and decided to look into the matter. Upon further investigation we had discovered that not one, but three low income housing projects were proposed for the 77095 Copperfield area. On April 12th we decided to change our regularly scheduled meeting into a Town Hall Meeting as we were expecting a crowd to exceed the size of the board room. By April 13th the response from the public had exploded. We invited several politicians, news media, and other public officials. The meeting was held Monday, April 16th, at the Copperfield Church. The audience was roughly a little under 500, and we were graced with the presence of Senator Dan Patrick, Rep. Allen Fletcher, Rep. Dwayne Bohac, representatives from the offices of US (Continued on Page 3) The Copperfield Courier - June 2012
1