"The road to ruin can often be paved with the best of intentions. "

One of the quickest and most efficient ways of improving our city is by encouraging the private sector to invest in our community.  Often times government inadvertently, and with the best of intentions, does things that discourages the private sector from investing in our community. Private sector investors are looking for a community with stability, good infrastructure, low taxes and a government that welcomes investment and appreciates the risks that these entrepreneurs take.

Several years ago, with the best of intentions, the city began the process of preserving certain historical sites and structures in the community.  The simple notion of protecting certain historical sites and structures grew into a claim that 'all' structures in a certain area needed to be preserved in a fashion determined by the city government.

The pictures above depicts a house before and after a private investor invested time, money and energy into restoring a neighborhood eyesore.  An eyesore that surely was dragging down real estate values in the neighborhood.  You would have thought that a responsive government would have awarded the investor with a plaque commending the investor for helping improve the neighborhood.  No, that was not the case.  The investor that took that eyesore and turned it into a beautiful residence was rewarded with a 'stop work' order issued by the city.  Do you know why he was ordered to stop work on the project?  Because the siding he was putting on the house was not approved to be used by the rules contained in the documents protecting the 'historic district'.  

Lawsuits were filed, a jury pool was selected, time and money wasted.

In the end the investor was able to finish the home with the siding he had chose.  The silly rules which tell you what kind of windows you can put in your home or business are still in effect.  The rules that tell you what kind of siding you can cover your residence with are still in effect.  The silly rules are in effect in areas of the city that are about as historic as me!  Yet houses are boarded up, with windows broken, trees growing through wooden porches.  But dam the investor who tries to reclaim those structures!

Let us encourage private investment in our community!  Get the government the hell out of our way!

Like the quote says 'The road to ruin can often be paved with the best intentions...'