Lubbock: about to boom?

For years I've been hearing that Lubbock is poised to be the next hot spot in Texas, in terms of "good place to live" and "good place to do business" and "good place to go to school." And I see physical evidence of that just-beyond-the-horizon growth: Texas Tech always has new construction and expansion, the east-west freeway project has started, the construction on west loop 289 is almost finished, and downtown is getting some long-overdue attention from builders and planners.

I hope very much that Lubbock will also grow to be the progressive hub of West Texas. I feel in tune with the growth of the city when I see our new party headquarters put to good use and when I see progressive groups organize out of nothing. I am already confident that organizations like DFA, Tech Democrats, Students for Social Justice, YET, TDW, and the local Democratic party will continue to flourish.

So - how do we as progressives keep up with and contribute to the growth of Lubbock? I think the answer is to involve ourselves in all aspects of the city's growth. For many of us, this means branching out into new areas, sometimes areas that have traditionally not been friendly to progressives. We need our voice heard in every professional group, governing body, and neighborhood association. Sometimes this means taking the time to find those who are sympathetic to us and already in these groups; sometimes it means joining a group or running for office ourselves.

After this weekend's DemocracyFest in Austin, several of us will have new tools and techniques to share that will help us boom with Lubbock.

Got any ideas to share?