OPINION: Statement from Residents for The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The studies have been completed. The speeches have been made. The town halls have been held. The time has come to decide the future of our hometown.

I do not hold a political office. I am not “a mover and a shaker”. I am a resident of The Woodlands. My husband and I have never once regretted our decision to move to The Woodlands to raise our family 26 years ago.

Our hometown has changed dramatically over the years. One thing, however, has remained the same: entities outside The Woodlands, governing bodies in Montgomery and Harris counties, and corporate development companies, have held firm control over the decisions regarding our hometown. The Woodlands is now approaching its 50th year of existence. It has been bought and sold by various developers over the years, and will continue to be unless we, the residents, take action.

As they should, the present development company ownership is looking to turn a profit any way they can in order to increase their shareholder value. Doing so, however, makes The Woodlands a mere commodity to be traded instead of a community with the freedom to stand on its own.

The decision before us, in some ways, is reminiscent of the beginning of our country. The colonists were also split into two camps and the arguments were similar. On the one side were voices crying, “Why now? It’s too risky! What will happen if we are no longer under the protection of the crown?” On the other were voices calling, “It is time for the colonies to mature. We have what we need to stand on our own. It is time for us to govern ourselves.”

So it is with The Woodlands. The time has come for our almost 120,000 resident strong hometown to step out from under the control of outside forces and into the freedom of self-governance that will take us into the next 50 years and beyond.

Vote FOR incorporation.

Nancy Sievert
President, Residents For The Woodlands