Best Revolution

Democracy reared its not-so-ugly head in Seabrook this year when residents got mightily pissed off that their elected officials were determined to bring a mammoth billion (with a "B")-dollar container port to the doorstep of their small town. Visions of a huge rail yard and 7,000 trucks a day rumbling down now-rural roads to deliver goods to the proposed Bayport terminal didn't fit in with residents' image of their sleepy gulfside town. But the mayor and several city councilmembers seemed determined to help the project along, negotiating contracts with the Port of Houston Authority. The incumbents argued they were only trying to make the best of a bad situation, but Bayport opponents wanted more aggressive officeholders. So they went out and got them. First they went door to door and held events to gather the necessary signatures for a recall election. Then they had to go to an appellate court to force the city council to set an election date. Then they turned out in force in February, ousting the mayor and three other councilmembers (the only other pro-Bayport councilmember had but a few months left in his term). The new council might not stop Bayport, but it won't be for lack of trying.