It’s no secret that local politicians are a unique breed that is arguably more of a threat to personal liberty and economic freedom than any Congress or president has ever been.

A case in point comes from a lawsuit filed in Texas over the town of Lakeway’s decision to shut down a small daycare operation based on the complaints of…golfers? Yup. One of whom was the town’s ex-mayor:

The lawsuit argues that Lakeway’s use of zoning laws to stop a state-licensed home day care business is unconstitutional. A victory for Bianca would set precedent that would help Texans throughout the state defend their right to earn an honest living in their own homes.

“A former mayor’s desire to golf without seeing children’s toys outside any of the homes near the golf course does not defeat a single mother’s right to earn a living by caring for her neighbors’ children,” said IJ Attorney Jared McClain. “Citizens of Lakeway have a right to earn a living, even if it isn’t ‘effectively undetectable’ by a neighbor.”

Yeah..about the ex-mayor’s role:

In August 2021, Bianca learned that she would need a home occupation permit from the city, in addition to the license she already had from the state. She applied to get the permit from the Lakeway Zoning and Planning Commission; as part of that process, she had to inform her neighbors that there would be a public hearing about her business where they could voice their opinions. At the November hearing, former mayor Bain, who lives about half a mile away, was the only resident to speak out against Bianca’s business. He complained that toys were “fully visible from the golf course” and that the sounds of children was interfering with his golf game.  Bianca’s yard backs up to the tee box at the 8th hole.

The Zoning and Planning Commission denied Bianca’s request. Officials didn’t provide a specific reason, but several of them brought up the claim that the city’s ordinance requires home businesses to be “undetectable.”

Kids’ toys aren’t the cause of the ex-mayor’s case of the yips. But local busybodies making it all but impossible for small businesses to operate out of a home? It’s a sure way to undermine entrepreneurs and worse, prove to the rest of the world that your little burg is hostile to small business. Or at least those that make it hard for an old pol to line up a putt.