Letter to the Editor: Anderson Land Jr. Shares His Thoughts Following JEDCO Meeting

The following letter was submitted to the East Texas Banner by Anderson M. Land Jr., former Mayor of the City of Jasper. It reflects his personal thoughts on the June 3, 2025 JEDCO board meeting and the future of economic development in Jasper.

I would like to thank my friend and Jasper High School Class of 1972 classmate, Roger Westbrook, for his thoughts and comments on the JEDCO board meeting held on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. I would also like to thank all those who attended and offered their comments, too.

To add to the list of businesses Roger stated, let's not forget the 7-Up bottling company, two hospitals (Richardson and Hardy Hancock), a jewelry store (Gem Jewelry), a shoe shine/cobbler shop, a photo studio (Max Studio), and several drug stores (George Gee, Henderson, Hancock) — along with soda fountain shops, too. We can long for those days, but those days are long gone. The logging, lumber, and plywood industries are not what they used to be in this area.

I remember growing up in Jasper and seeing a vibrant downtown thriving with people coming from surrounding communities to shop. There are a lot of different types of businesses I would love to see come to Jasper, but let us be realistic. Location, location, location is what companies are looking for when they choose a site for their business. Is it economically feasible for them to bring their business to Jasper? I’m sure these companies have marketing departments and research and development teams that look into all the variables when choosing where to operate. Sometimes, there is just nothing you can do despite your best efforts.

As I said earlier, location is one of the main determining factors that a company considers when choosing where to locate. The resources a town can offer are another determining factor, depending on the type of business. I do agree that transparency is key to keeping the public informed, but as stated at the board meeting, sometimes that depends on whether the company JEDCO is negotiating with wants their interest in the area to be publicized.

I loved every year, month, day, hour, minute, and second being a City Council member and your Mayor for the City of Jasper — and I would do it again, no matter how nerve-racking and tumultuous things were at times. Yes, I would do it again. That’s how much I love this town and want to see it grow, succeed, and move forward.

How many of you can say you’ve even tried? Don’t keep being a part of the problem — become a part of the solution. Stop making the same old speeches. Stop bringing up the same old issues that sound like psychobabble and make no sense at all — without offering anything positive or at least a thought of a solution to help. I refer to a quote made famous by Abraham Lincoln: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” Or, as Mark Twain said: “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”

I’d also like to say this — and no disrespect to anyone who has moved to Jasper from another city, state, or country — but unlike Roger Westbrook and me, who were born here, raised here, left, and came back: this has always been, and always will be, our home. Believe it or not, we have nothing but love for this city. And there are others who’ve moved here and love Jasper too. Every hand in the room, including mine and Roger’s, was raised when asked, “Who in this room loves Jasper?” That’s the kind of togetherness we need — not the separatist attitudes held by a few.

To those with that divisive mindset, I’ll say this: “Jasper, Texas — love it or leave it.”

— Anderson M. Land Jr.