Mikel's Thoughts by Mike Virdell

The “Support Llano” petition passed around Llano over the past three weeks had over 500 signatures. The petition was in response to finding out that Mayor Roger Pinckney and members of the Llano City Council have been “planning” and looking into the idea of Llano having a loop in order to send traffic around the City of Llano.

Pinckney is revisiting the idea from the 1998 embarrassing moment that he and 6 other Llano citizens faced when the subject was brought to a head in Austin, Texas at a hearing chaired by Texas Senator Troy Fraser at The Department of Transportation. Over 400 Llano citizens made the trip to Austin as they were on one side of the aisle, and Pinckney and his followers sat alone on the other side. The citizens from Llano against any type of loop were lead by the late Henry Buttery. The meeting was short, as the State of Texas had bigger fish to fry than even seriously consider placing a multi-million dollar loop around a small town of less than 4000 people in order to placate a hand full of people that “don’t like trucks going thru the town”.

Less than three weeks after the death of Henry Buttery, Pinckney and his Council with visions of grandeur, have begun the process. One Council member taking the ball and running with the idea has been in a private aircraft to fly over the proposed route of the new loop, just East of the City of Llano., with a TXDOT representative.

Pinckney in a radio interview with KBAY newscaster Art Dlugach two weeks ago stated that he did not know anything about this loop talk, and there was nothing to it, “but” planning request by TXDOT was going on.Dlugach in his broadcast last Thursday, talked with the TXDOT Public Relations Rep, John Hurt, and he had not heard of any action or activity.

Pinckney’s response to inquires have met with similar responses, mainly that this was a TXDOT initiated action, and not that of the City of Llano. Also his responses have included the future, saying this is at least 20 years out, but planning must be done. So much for nothing going on with the loop talk.
The plan of “Support Llano” was to present the petitions to the Council Monday night, and ask for a vote on a “resolution” asking that all efforts end by the City of Llano in regards to money, time, or efforts to help TXDOT place a loop around Llano stop, as the “talk” will kill future growth in the inner part of the City of Llano.

Bryant Ratliff, ousted President of the Llano Economic Development Corporation by Pinckney and the Council, telephoned Council member Benny Hodges, and Pinckney on Wednesday, November 16th to ask if they would place the “resolution” on the City agenda for Monday the 21st. Both said no. Without a Council member placing an item on the agenda, then no action can take place, or for that matter, no discussion. As one media person told me, being placed in the “citizen comment” section is next to being asked not to even show up.

An 11th hour support for the Resolution being presented came late Thursday afternoon, as Councilman Gordon Hefner placed the item for discussion on the official City agenda. In 1998, Hefner and his wife Barbara were a big help to Buttery in organizing the group that went to Austin to oppose the loop.

The “Support Llano” supporters plan to show up in force to demonstrate the support of the “STOP the LOOP” petitions. The scheduled meeting is set for 5:30 PM, Monday at the City Hall.

Another item of interest will be getting addressed, that being how all of the City Council members have known what the agenda was for the City, without there ever being an agenda item placed for review by the public. You would think that the first ever felony conviction in the State of Texas by Attorney General Greg Abbot in regard to open meetings violation was in Llano County two years ago would have sent a clear message to everyone about the seriousness of the Texas Open Meetings Act. Somewhat curious is how several City Council members seem to know that nothing is going on, yet nothing has ever shown up on a single City Council agenda. Yet” planning” must be go on!

The next City Council elections are May 2006, with Hodges, Gordon Hefner, and Cheryl Crabtree up for re-election.

The Support Llano web-site is : www.supportllano.org.

A copy of the Resolution may be read at that site.