Harbin Drive Lessons on Democratic Government – Flash Today Erath County

The Stephenville City Council will meet on Tuesday, May 28 at 5:30 p.m., to reconsider the decision to rename Harbin Drive to University Drive. It is expected that, given the widespread opposition to the name change expressed in the online petition and on social media platforms, the Council will reverse its decision. But regardless of how the most pressing problem is resolved, both council members and the general public should understand some lessons that can be drawn from this event.

One of the lessons is the power of symbolism. People take symbols seriously and find them in objects, actions, and names, some of which are more obvious and meaningful than others. Flags are probably among the most obvious symbols; people burn flags or fight to protect flags from being burned or otherwise desecrated, depending on their opinion of the nation or state that the flag represents. Raising or lowering the tax rate can symbolize the growth or contraction of government or the degree to which policymakers are committed to fiscal prudence or public opinion. The name Harbin Drive symbolized the efforts of a capable and dedicated public servant to better serve Erath County who died far too young. For some, the name University Drive symbolizes Tarleton’s past, present and future contributions to the development and evolution of Stephenville; for others it symbolizes undesirable development and encroachment into a community where his influence is considered already outgrown.

The second lesson is that actively engaged citizens and an energized public can sometimes influence changes in public policies. Changing public policy is often difficult, so many may feel resigned and accept whatever the government decides as not necessarily good, but inevitable and therefore not worth fighting for. This attitude is understandable in an era of large and ever-growing government at all levels. But resistance can sometimes pay off. It’s unlikely that the city council would have considered changing its mind if it weren’t for the outrage over the original name change and the way it came about.

The third lesson is the need for both greater transparency in decision-making and greater citizen participation in the process. At least on Facebook, citizens are complaining that the decision to change 5/7’s name was made without sufficient notice and warning. Personally, I cannot judge whether this accusation is fair or unfair. The proposal had to first be presented at a public hearing conducted by the relevant city council committee, during which citizens could not only observe but also participate in the discussion. From there, the proposal could go to the full city council for a decision, and citizens could once again help debate the issue. It is not clear from press reports whether these procedures were followed. If it wasn’t, it should have been, and the council deserves blame for not allowing sufficient public input before making a 5/7 vote decision. If this were the case, critics of the city council should understand that it is unfair to criticize the council in such circumstances and that greater public attention will be required in the future.

A fourth lesson that should be of particular interest to city council members is that public opinion can sometimes be strong and public memory can sometimes be long, especially if enough members of the public feel that their opinions are being ignored. I remember that during the 2000 bond election, 87% of voters rejected the city council’s proposal to borrow money to finance the construction of a pipeline to bring water from Lake Proctor to the Stephenville water system. But in 2004, the city council borrowed the money anyway without requiring voter approval and thus built the pipeline. Ten years later, the pipeline and how it was financed were still in doubt. Several council members who retired after supporting the 2004 decision and who attempted to return were defeated in the 2014 city council elections after being accused of disrespecting public opinion on pipeline funding (incidentally, despite that I voted against the 2004 measure to finance the Proctor pipeline, just as I lost my re-election bid because my support for a small tax increase and modest spending cuts fell short of prevailing public opinion at the time). In any case, no matter how confident a city council member may be that his decisions, whatever they may be, are correct, those decisions can always come back to haunt him if the public disagrees. In fact, with some critics of the name change arguing on social media about the advisability of canceling the election, a reckoning with the public may come sooner rather than later.

In conclusion, regardless of what one thinks about the renaming of Harbin Drive, this incident was beneficial for local government and politics. The city authorities took actions that were met with widespread public condemnation. Opponents of the decision exercised their constitutional right to object to the decision. The city council is showing responsibility and respect for the public by agreeing, as of this writing, to at least reconsider (and, one hopes, reverse) this decision. Regardless of how the matter is resolved, one can hope that all concerned will draw lessons that will strengthen democratic and responsible governance practices in the future.

Malcolm L. Cross has lived in Stephenville since 1987 and taught politics and government at Tarleton for 36 years, retiring in 2023. His political and civic activities include service on the Stephenville City Council (2000-2014) and on the Erath County Republican Executive Committee (1990-2024). He was mayor pro-tem of Stephenville from 2008 to 2014. He served on the Stephenville Board of Directors
Economic Development Authority since 2018, and has served as chair of the Erath County Appraisal Review Board since 2015. He is also a member of the Stephenville Rotary Club, the Vestry Board of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Luke and the Pecan Valley District Boy Scouts Executive Committee. The views expressed in this column are his own and do not reflect the views of The Flash as a whole.

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