Congratulations are in order for the voters of Port Aransas.

Apparently, the majority of those who voted did their homework on the 11th Street bond issue and, in our view, did the right thing for the future of Port Aransas.

It’s a no-brainer that no one wants her taxes going up. If you don’t have kids in school and/or are retired, you might not be inclined to approve a school bond issue.

If that kind of logic is employed as a rule of thumb, we wouldn’t fund public education – and what would that get us? In a world of hurt, that’s what, as we begin to experience the effects of an uneducated workforce. The economic impact would be disastrous.

Good streets, drainage, public facilities and public services are essential to every community, and they must be maintained and adjusted to accommodate a growing community. Failure to uphold that responsibility eventually and inevitably puts an enormous burden on taxpayers.

Port Aransas voters have once again shown they want the job done and they want it done right. That’s a high standard, and we should be true to it.

Port Aransas voters did just that on Saturday and through the early voting period.

Speaking of standards, by Port Aransas standards the voter turnout of 19 percent was low, but compared to other cities in the area, the turnout was huge. That’s typical for Port Aransas and one more reason to be proud to call Port Aransas home.

It is clear that the people of this community care about their home in the present tense as well as the future tense.

With all that going for us, the future of Port Aransas is bright. We could teach Austin and Washington, D.C., a thing or three, could we not?

We can now look forward to “11th heaven.”

Cheers to the voters of Port Aransas!

Mary Henkel Judson is editor and copublisher of the South Jetty. Contact her at southjetty@centurytel.net, (361) 749-5131 or P.O. Box 1117, Port Aransas, TX 78373.