Comments on: Heat edges up in city council race

By: monique

monique — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:49:28 +0000

I agree with you Matt. San Marcos could easily become a bike/pedestrian town. We have downtown grocery & clothing stores,banks & a post office, recreational areas and a great library. For some inexcusable reason, we have narrow streets with no shoulders, streets w/out sidewalks and frustrated drivers doing stupid, careless things threatening everyone in their path. Yes, we have “sprawl” which means drivers coming into town, but I know enough in-town energetic and “green” residents and students who have good intentions about walking or biking a couple of miles around town, but it becomes an unpleasant & dangerous experience due to poor roads & traffic. If you bicycle downtown, you are dealing w/cars blindly backing out of parking spots. It is just plain unacceptable that a bicyclist can’t safely bicycle on the road from town into the big HEB parking lot. I challenge anyone on the city council or planning to try it! Every time they do ANY road work, a wide shoulder & sidewalk should be added. Drivers can complain about the cost as they are sitting in their cars stuck in traffic…I’d rather my tax $ go to accommodating pedestrians & cyclists (even w/racks!) as a solution than trying to keep up with more & more & more cars.

By: Matt Akins

Matt Akins — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:30:10 +0000

The average cost of one garage parking space at Texas State University is $23,000 while the cost of one bike rack (that holds two bikes) is around $100. 464 bikes can be parked for the price of parking one car.

I’m very excited that John Thomaides is pushing for more of the new bike racks downtown. There are thousands of young, healthy college students who are not being encouraged (forced) enough to walk or ride a bike around town.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:15:58 +0000

The people representing Coppoletta on the Texas State Campus Wednesday were unable to tell me the name of her opponents in the race… this is either a sad example of the incompetence of Coppoletta’s campaign workers or a snide action taken by her campaigners. Either way it was a disappointing realization and a negative association for Coppeletta.

By: billygmoore

billygmoore — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:04:48 +0000

Are our candidates aware that there is a State program for homesteading vets? And GI Bill provisions for them at the national level? Is there some amount that would be the limit for “interest-free, non-repayable loans”? Or a way to qualify recipients if there were more than could be funded?

How much official travel and business can one stretch from $16,000 or $10,000? Council members VERY active–one might even say, hyperactive–at local, regional, state and national levels have squeaked by year after year on less than $10,000 in documented, reimbursable funds. And a salary on top, for a VOLUNTEER “public service” position? We don’t yet have, or particularly need, professional politicians.

Also worth noting is that it is illegal to have more than one publicly remunerative position–i.e., to work both for the City and the University and be paid by both. Whoops! That could create a fairness issue.

Our community is certainly to be commended for its recent generosity with tax and fee money.

By: COS

COS — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:55:32 +0000

In other words, she is telling you what you want to hear, right?

By: Drew

Drew — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:17:59 +0000

Lisa Coppoleta has redefined herself since her last campaign. She came to my house while campaigning where we had a good talk. she didn’t have my vote last year but she has it now.