Columbia County consolidation column prompts conversation
I’m Just Saying by Austin Rhodes
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Apparently, a few of you folks are in need of a software update when it comes to politics, public policy, and modern life in these United States. For those in need of enlightenment, put aside your bigotry for a few minutes and let me help you with that.
Several weeks ago in this column I shared my opinion that Columbia County’s elected officials needed to reconsider rejecting the concept of incorporating Columbia County.
My concern was, and remains, that if the City of Grovetown expands its borders and population in a significant way, the fact that it is an incorporated city will give its future left-leaning political leadership power to attract Federal and private sector interests that could green light high density affordable housing development and apartment projects.
These are the very projects that the conservative Columbia County Commission has actively avoided since 1988. This is not opinion. This is historical fact.
Predictably a few detractors immediately busted out the mean old racist Republican tropes that get thrown at every dependable GOP supporter as soon as their presence is detected in mixed company. One even wrote in to Augusta Today with the familiar stereotypical chestnuts he has been posting on The Austin Rhodes Show Facebook page for years.
Kevin Palmer critical ink devoted to my work exceeds the Apostle Paul’s New Testament word count.
Allow me to share a bit here:
“Unlike Rhodes, elected officials cannot afford to be racially biased, narrow minded, or self-serving, but must do what is in the best interests of all the people. It would be unwise to use incorporation as a legislative border wall to keep out “affordable housing developments” liberals, Kamala Harris voters, or anyone whom Austin Rhodes deems as undesirable.”
No idea where Mr. Palmer got the idea that opposing low-rent housing developments in Columbia County is racially biased. It is not.
What it is, is good community planning.
These days, the only color that is worth worrying about is green, and those of us who have spent a lot of it in the effort to protect the value of our families’ single largest investment, our homes and neighborhoods, do not appreciate haphazard housing expansion.
Unless you are a fan of the Murphy Village dynamic of contradictory community planning, you need to have diligent and intelligent officials guiding the process.
Our Republican leaders in Columbia County have a fantastic track record of protecting property values and neighborhood integrity. The candidates and causes that have long been connected to the Democrats on the verge of taking over Grovetown do not appear to share those philosophies.
The political faction that controls that process in Columbia County will set the standard for our quality of life in so many ways.
When it comes to local examples of municipal successes versus municipal struggles, the better track record by political affiliation is obvious for all to see.
I have nothing against either apartments or affordable housing for those who need it. But you better be smart about where you put it and how you manage it.
Let me communicate clearly. Unless you are elderly and retired, or disabled and unable to take complete care of yourself, rental and low income housing should not be a destination. It should be a temporary solution from which you quickly move forward.
There have been several rental properties, apartments specifically, that I called home at various times in my life. Two specialty “legacy” complexes in Augusta that have held their value magnificently – Colonial Court on Walton Way and Enterprise Mill, and two “new” (30 years ago) commercial complexes that were state of the art and luxury when I lived there. Today those complexes are filled with Section 8 tenants and regular gunplay in the parking lots.
Today’s new luxury apartment complex is tomorrow’s slum. That isn’t rare. That is the standard.
The reasonable placement of these developments is paramount. You want the best and smartest urban planners to do the best thing for existing residents and taxpayers and recommending the best new real estate projects for all.
The conservatives that share my concerns and opinions come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds.
They are gay, straight, bi, and Episcopalian.
They are natives, transplants, transients, and Martians.
They are Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones.
They are Labrador, Beagle, Poodle, and Siamese.
They are all those things, but most of all, they are invested conservatives concerned with the safety of their families, the integrity of their neighborhoods, and the quality of their schools.
Keeping conservative control of residential and commercial growth is the best way to continue those Columbia County traditions.
Going in the other direction will most definitely take you to a different place.