01/10/2026
Happy Saturday, y’all!
A new year, a fresh start, and hope on the horizon brings me fresh feelings of appreciation for all the blessings we enjoy in this great city.
Before we dive into the muck, let me offer a tip of the hat to our fine law enforcement. I missed the mark on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day yesterday, but Conroe and Montgomery County truly have the finest men and women around. I’m thankful to live in a community that values our officers—well, most of us do, anyway.
I’ve been out and about taking in the weekend action, and if y’all haven’t hit the Saturday morning market, you’re missing out on a top-notch slice of heaven. It’s a great spot to scoop up kitchen essentials and weekend treats, but I’m over here holding my breath that City Hall doesn’t choke it out. I truly hope they can find a way to manage street closure permits without causing an amenity like this to go extinct. It’s free, it’s vibrant, and it’s exactly the kind of innovation this city claims it "can't" afford to support.
After hitting the market, we swung by one of my family’s favorites, Dragon Bowl C. With just enough chill in the air to make soup a necessity—and boba for the kiddo of course—it hit the spot. If you haven’t treated yourself to one of their egg rolls you are missing out on all the fun.
I attended the council meeting this week—an evening session actually friendly to a working woman’s schedule. It was eventful, to say the least. If you haven't watched the video, pull it up, but let me give you the "Acorn" condensed version of the chaos:
Now, let’s talk about a big point of concern for potential candidates and, ultimately, every one of you in the general public. There is a new financial disclosure and ethics form the city is requiring that is as overreaching and invasive as a nosy neighbor with a pair of binoculars. Now, to be fair, the form itself isn’t absolutely terrible—it’s the implication that’ll give you the vapors. You see, this form threatens to disqualify candidates, but there isn’t a bit of documentation as to what those disqualifying "sins" might be. It is a game, plain and simple, played with no rules and no instructions. It’s like being told you’ve lost a hand of poker before the cards are even dealt.
And don’t even get me started on the "third-party" reviewer. To be clear, these disclosures are done under a sworn affidavit and can be pulled via an open records request by any citizen with a signature and a suspicion. As candidates, we take the biggest risk putting our lives on paper, never knowing who is requesting it or for what nefarious purpose. Yet, the city wants to waste an unknown amount of your hard-earned tax dollars to hire an outside "expert" to process these and, let’s be honest, cherry-pick the candidates they prefer. It’s an unnecessary expense for a controlled outcome. They’re essentially charging us a fee to let them decide who’s "pure" enough to serve, all while keeping the rulebook locked in a desk drawer. It’s enough to make a lady's head spin—or at least make her wonder whose friend or relative is getting that third-party contract.
Then there’s Nan— presenting an over-the-top Discovery Green knock-off. But instead of putting it where people actually are, she wants to drop it in the industrial park. Middle of nowhere. No parking. It’s a classic Conroe "won't" disguised as a "can't." We have areas in desperate need of foot traffic, like near the Hyatt, but they’d rather plant a park in the desert and wonder why it doesn't bloom.
Now, hold onto your hats, because more money was approved to cover the legal defense against Sellars’ case. That’s right—more money for the very legal group that landed us in this scorched-earth mess to begin with. How I see it, it doesn't matter what your client is asking for—if you, as the expert, know that what they’re requesting is about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine, it is your job to make that clear. If you choose to just take the payment and take the orders, well, you aren’t an expert anymore—you’re a waiter.
And ultimately folks, that is exactly where we find ourselves. We hired a waiter who took the orders, placed them with the cook, and then let the customer wander into the kitchen to mess with the stove for a bit. When the customer finally sat down in front of their creation, it was clear this was not the meal anyone intended to eat. It was burnt, bitter, and entirely unpalatable. Luckily, there was a manager on duty in the form of John Sellers. He swooped in and said, “Let me take this back to the kitchen for you, and next round, we’ll let the professionals handle the cooking.”
Now, I know some folks see John’s intervention as him stomping on the democratic process, but I find those tend to be the same people who haven’t bothered to research the full story, read the case, or ask a single meaningful question. They don’t want to understand that a bad deal was done—one that smelled worse than compost in August. Thankfully, this intervention might just give us a chance to do things the right way: with clear intent, professional ex*****on, and a completely unbiased perspective.
If you watch that council video, you’ll see me speaking on that third-party agenda item. You’ll also notice why I was there: I picked up a candidate packet this week.
This wasn't where I saw myself, but I’ve been the voice of those too worn down to shout for too long to stay on the sidelines. I am ready to try cleaning up this house. I want a city run by the people it affects, not by attorneys rehearsing their lines and the council members before they hit the dais. I’m here to throw open the doors to City Hall and let 'em know we the citizens of Conroe are taking back what belongs to us.
I’ll always let my faith lead me and never be led by fear. We’re going to turn this ship around and point it to a destination where community and growth is built on a solid foundation that will support this city for the years to come.
Keep the hope, Conroe.
A new day is coming.
Yours in sass and solidarity—🌰
