“Until the time comes when we can make positive change, we must continue to live with our past decisions.”

 Residents of Dominion Ranch subdivision should be proud of Jenna Dean and Troy Devillier in how they represented and spoke up for all residents on the subdivision during the Port Arthur City Council meeting this week.

Dominion Ranch rests in northern Port Arthur, just east of Jack Brooks Airport and is a part of District 4, a position currently held by Councilman Harold Doucet.

The presenters put together a very descriptive, graphic and fact-filled presentation on how residents there have felt neglected by the city of Port Arthur since Tropical Storm Harvey flooding.

The Dominion Ranch area was hit hard during the flood with over 5 feet of rain falling in that area. Bad enough, but to make matters worse, there has been much construction going on in the area with new home construction. Debris from these construction sites filled drains and backed up floodwaters even more.

I know the Dominion Ranch area well. I lived there for five years before being pushed out from my home due to flooding and have not returned.

During the presentation, both Dean and Devillier shared with council members frustrations by residents that city ordinances had not been followed by the construction company, emails and phone calls to city officials had not been returned, meetings with city officials had been cancelled two hours before the meeting time, video still shots of improper city practices and the effect all this had on the citizens throughout the subdivision. They were more than prepared for their endeavor last Tuesday night.

Dean pointed out Dominion Ranch residents were not seeking preferential treatment; they just want the areas of concern fixed before the next hurricane season, which begins June 1.

Now, unless your head was in the sand over the past seven months, you know this was a citywide issue. Nearly every residential neighborhood has been struggling with similar, if not same, issues. Unfortunately, District 4 seems to have been hit the worst.

So when it came time for council members to reassure Dominion Ranch residents they are sorry for their frustrations leading to this presentation, sorry for not responding to calls and emails, sorry for not paying attention to their subdivision over the past seven months, and that they would make sure to begin the process of correcting these issues, they were met with defensiveness and minimizing of their concerns.

Doucet made certain to point out to the presenters in the beginning of his rebuttal that Dominion Ranch was not one of the last areas to be free of water. Areas of Montrose, Elvista and Vista Village were last.

Presenters also shared pictures of additional flooding from a rain event in January. Pictures showed similar high waters and concerns for the subdivision that reminded them of Harvey flooding.

Again, instead of validating their concern, their own councilman basically told them that Port Acres flooding in January was worse. He added some houses were flooding for the second time in four months.

Devillier stated, “With all due respect, councilman, every time you bring up other areas, you minimize our situation.

“We understand that this was a widespread event but we can only advocate for our neighborhood. It is our goal to work out a plan, to find a workable solution, with a timeline acceptable to get something done before hurricane season. We have tried to petition anyone that would listen and assist us, and we just want to be heard and know that our concerns are taken seriously.”

Luckily, District 5 Councilman Willie “Bae” Lewis supported all their claims and ultimately stated that City Council needs to do a better job.

District 6 Councilman Osman Swati followed with apologies to the citizens of Dominion Ranch for the frustrations felt and feeling neglected.

Interim City Manager Harvey Robinson arrogantly stated that he stands by his email, that Devillier was mischaracterizing him and his limited response.

This 55-minute exchange showed citizens again how divided the city and City Council is, how uniformed some on council are, and how disrespectful a councilmember can be toward the citizens he or she represents.

In the end, we applaud Dean and Devillier for their candor, preparation and self-restraint while defending their homes and their neighborhood. Nice job, folks!

Rich Macke is publisher of the Port Arthur News.