We’re debating the location, density and design of Galveston’s public housing, as if its construction or removal will make all the difference.

But the larger question is this: How do we eliminate intergenerational poverty on the island? The solution goes beyond simply building more or less public housing.

The Fair Housing Act is the law of the land, and we must respect it, but why stop there? We’re ultimately making choices about human beings, especially our youngest.

The answer isn’t idealistically to expect other cities to welcome our poor, though some have moved on anyway; nor is it just to build more public housing, though replacing some affordable, decent housing is a step.

Rather, the answer is to create a four-way plan for jobs, education, affordable housing and quality of life improvements that you’d expect from any competent, American city management. So, where do we start?

First, our elected city council, rather than Galveston Housing Authority, must establish itself as the policy body to tackle poverty by creating not only a comprehensive affordable housing policy, but also by supporting cradle-to-college educational opportunities, jobs and job training, health and wellness programs, transportation access, recreational opportunities and commercial investment.

Galveston is on the brink of receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in disaster recovery money. Some of this money should be used to solve our most serious, persistent housing problems.

We have to seize this opportunity because it will not come our way again. Let’s not risk the loss or delay of these federal funds.

If we don’t manage our future now, we risk others managing it for us; that’s what happened six months ago in St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana when a federal judge finally stepped in and brought an end to the post-Katrina impasse. It was a humiliating process for everyone. Can we agree to avoid that embarrassment?

Almost two-thirds of our families (of four) in Galveston earn less than $60,000 annually. Most islanders rent. To even have a shot at improving their situation, these men, women and children need decent, safe and affordable housing.

The next council and city manager must finally solve our economic decline, and modern housing resources and programs will be part of the solution, just as it is throughout urban America. With recovery money arriving at last, there is a sense that 2010 could see Galveston’s becoming the place we always wanted it to be. The stakes are high, almost as high as the distrust many feel for our government and now each other. People, please, let’s work this out.

David Miller and Chula Ross Sanchez are good people, but this column isn’t just about them. It could be about anybody — it could be about you and me.

We want the best-qualified residents to serve, but it becomes harder to recruit the best candidates for Galveston’s boards and commissions after witnessing an able commissioner being fired without cause.

That’s no comment on the qualifications of the replacement candidates. The point is that the council should encourage public service by conducting a fair performance review before even considering new talent.

Let’s say a commissioner or a trustee seeks reappointment; the council should reappoint him or her as long as he or she regularly attends meetings, grasps the issues and acts professionally.

GALVESTON — Mayoral candidate Joe Jaworski already has outpaced his challengers in the race to raise money for next year’s city election.

Jaworski has raised $35,500 since January, about one-third of what he expects to spend on the race, according to campaign finance reports filed this week.

Almost half of the donors have Houston addresses. Fifteen donors list their principal occupation as “attorney.” And six donors are law firms.

Most of the contributions came from family friends or people he knew growing up in Houston, Jaworski said.

GALVESTON — Only a few people eating lunch at The Press Box, 2401 Postoffice St., on Friday had smoke curling up from ashtrays next to their plates.

The absence of smokers was unusual, said owner Rudy Betancourt, who estimated 70 percent of his customers smoke.

“Drinking and smoking go hand in hand, and I seldom get complaints about it,” he said.

But in a few months, Betancourt’s smoking customers might have to eat their lunch outside — if the city council passes an ordinance banning smoking in all public places.

Editor’ note: In his May 31 column “An open invitation to island’s leaders,” Heber Taylor asked the members of Galveston City Council to write their thoughts on their vision of Galveston in 20 years. None responded, but we received this submission from a former member.

By 2029, commuter rail will connect Galveston Island to southeast Houston (where Metro’s southeast line terminates), with stops in League City and Clear Lake. This connection to what will soon be the nation’s third largest city will be a “game changer” in Galveston’s economic vitality.

The south-side of the seawall will present an unobstructed view of the Gulf for biking, jogging and strolling. Vehicles will park in three-story, attractive parking garages for a voter-approved reasonable fee on the north side of Seawall Boulevard, between Sixth and 61st streets. Retail businesses and secure crosswalks will accompany each garage so families can safely traverse the boulevard without impairing traffic flow.

Former Galveston city council member Joe Jaworski officially launched his campaign for mayor of Galveston in a speech to the Galveston Kiwanis Club on Wednesday.

GALVESTON, TX -- A lawsuit filed Tuesday is asking that a decision by the University of Texas System to approve massive layoffs at a Galveston medical facility hit hard by Hurricane Ike be voided because it was made in violation of state law.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday ponders whether University of Texas System regents used a catastrophic hurricane as cover to carry out a long-desired but thorny political coup — moving the state’s oldest medical school to Austin.

A group representing faculty says it plans to file a lawsuit Wednesday asserting the University of Texas System’s governing board violated state law when it met behind closed doors before authorizing mass layoffs.