10/12/2020 – Trophy Club, TX
We believe that most people in Trophy Club are going about their lives not very much concerned with the ongoings of Trophy Club politics. Until it affects their lives directly, most people are content to ignore the nonsense. Generally, citizens are not very familiar with the political class of Trophy Club, and don’t generally keep scorecards. Some may even wonder, “Does Trophy Club even have a political class?”
The answer to that question is most definitely, yes! And without that understanding people are often confused (or annoyed) by the interactions they see on social media. In fact, unless they are intimately involved with Trophy Club politics, they may not even be aware that much of the conversation they see on Facebook is choreographed by shills from the “FriendZone”.
You may have heard us use that word before. Maybe you are wondering what that is? Who are the people involved in the “FriendZone”?
In this editorial we will explain the FriendZone, their membership, and why it matters to you, the citizens of Trophy Club. And we won’t beat around the bush … this time, we are naming them.
In short, the FriendZone are a group of people who have banned together to seize control of our town government and work towards their own agenda and vision for the town. On its face, this would seem honorable. It’s just people giving of their time to the Town in order to make Trophy Club a better place. They are all volunteers … unpaid volunteers no less.
But as there often is with politics, there is a dark side that goes unseen by the public. The FriendZone operate as an oligarchy. The group sees themselves as the keepers of the town. At one point, a member even publicly commented that they “own” Trophy Club.
The group does not permit dissenting opinion or allow others to participate who do not share their version of what Trophy Club ought to be. Their ultimate goal is to keep Trophy Club as their singular possession, a town built by and for themselves, with their group controlling all aspects of town government … citizen opinion be damned.
It’s not all bad. After all, they live here and do genuinely want Trophy Club to be a great place to call home…for themselves. But it’s always about their vision…their opinions…their choices…their dealings…their terms… their friends that matter. If you are not part of the group, you are a nobody, and your opinion is not welcome. Despite claims to the contrary.
Knowing that citizen participation in government and local elections is generally low, with fewer than 1200 votes in a typical election, with their small group of about 20 people they have been largely successful in controlling the narrative of every town election for the last 7 years. It takes only about 600 votes (or less) to win a typical contested election in Trophy Club for Town Council but often they have been successful in having their candidate run unopposed.
From time to time a citizen has tried to stand up and oppose them…with occasional success. Each time this happens the FriendZone sends out attack dogs to discredit, intimidate and delegitimize the candidate in any way possible. Remember, it only takes a majority of about 600 votes … out of a town of 12,000 people. With so many people disengaged it is not that hard to control an election.
Sociologists tell us that it only takes about 5% of a group population to manipulate and control the opinion of the rest. Therefore, in Trophy Club you only need about 30 people to make that happen. With those whom they have already placed in positions of trust, their families, and extended network of social media shills, they easily make up 5% of the necessary votes.
When they are faced with opposition, which does happen from time to time, the advice to a candidate running against the FriendZone is to “take the high road” when under attack. It’s hard to disagree with that when you are a good person, trying to make a difference and want everyone to get along and play nice. Unfortunately, those in the FriendZone are playing a different game and have no problem resorting to dirty politics.
The question most often asked is, “Why would someone go to all that trouble for an unpaid, volunteer position?”
The answer is exactly the same here in Trophy Club as it would be in any other city, Money and Power.
But the money doesn’t come from a salary, it never does, in any city. The money comes from helping your friends. Friends that will one day return the favor somewhere else, on another project in another city. There is nothing illegal about helping out one’s “Friends” as long as there is no offer or acceptance of a bribe. But when you have a mutual understanding, there is no need for such an arrangement. In the old days this was called the, “Good ol’ boys” club. Later, it became simply, “Cronyism”.
The Power comes from the ego trip that they are in control. They own the town so if they want to change the rules, they can. Of course, the commoners are welcome to come along for the ride.
To make all this happen you need to take control of the town and start appointing your friends to all the boards and commissions. The FriendZone began planting their people on the Town Council and public boards starting around 2013.
In the pages of the Trophy Club Journal we have put a spotlight on many of the activities of the FriendZone but until now we have yet to illustrate just how pervasive and deep the FriendZone goes. We feel that the time has come to just come out an name them, so that when you read their posts on Facebook you will understand that the conversation you are reading is not one of unbiased, average citizens, but one of a calculated effort to maintain power by a select group of Trophy Club elite.
Of course, our ethical standards here at the Trophy Club Journal mean that we will only draw your attention to those who have served the town in some capacity. Legally speaking, it is bad practice to call out citizens who, while they may be part of the FriendZone, are not public servants. But by knowing the public service players of the FriendZone, you can draw your own conclusions as to their friends on social media.
The easiest way to illustrate the FriendZone, as well as their connections, is with a simple chart. (See above) Every name on this chart is a person who we believe to be a member of the FriendZone. While their connections are shown here at a high level, you can witness for yourself the interpersonal relationships throughout social media. They consistently come to each other’s defense, even when their acts are indefensible. They mock or attack any and all who voice a different opinion. Rest assured; this post will be mercilessly attacked.
The goal of this group is to maintain a perpetual grip on the levers of our town government. As they take control of the Town Council, they nominate their friends for commissions, then elevate them to higher office when a new seat opens up. The result is an incestuous oligarchy where this elite political class is forever in control.
What Trophy Club needs is to rid themselves of this oligarchy. We need new people, with high moral standards and no vested interest in securing deals for their friends to step up and be independent voices on the Town Council. We need people who understand that government is about “partnerships” with vendors and developers but that this is not the same thing as “friendship”. The only “friendship” that should ever exist in government is with the People.
Our town government exists for the sole purpose of safeguarding the way of life for the citizens of this town. They are to be good stewards of our money. When “friendships” with developers intercede, the outcome will always be to disadvantage the People. There is no escaping this. It is this reason that so many have lost faith in government at all levels. From the Federal government to the State and even to the local community … our local community.
Trophy Club Journal stands with the People of Trophy Club. We will always be looking out for you, regardless of who is running our great town. We will root out corruption wherever we find it… and we will praise those good souls who do good for our community with selfless acts.
We hope you will join us in our journey and help us, help you, make Trophy Club a Great Place to Call Home.
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