Resident urges removal of “enchantment” from Lake Jackson branding; council encourages grassroots review

A Lake Jackson resident told council on March 2 that she wants the word “enchantment” removed from the city’s logo, and she urged a grassroots campaign to persuade the council to change the branding.

“I’m here today to talk about words...Words today matter,” Pilar Blanca Laredo told the council. Laredo said she and others worry that “enchantment” carries connotations of being put under a spell and urged council to consider replacing the word with terms that emphasize family and community.

Council members and residents responded with differing views. One council member said the word evokes family, community and the city’s history and cautioned that changing it could be “disrespectful…to the people who have upheld those values for 80 years.” Another resident and a number of council members suggested that Laredo take the request to the wider community first: staff explained the council will consider such a change only if there is broad community desire to move forward.

The mayor and staff clarified that the previous guidance to Laredo — given during an earlier visitors’ comment — was that council would not pursue the change on its own and that proponents should organize community support and return the item to the council if there is sufficient public interest.

No formal action was taken; the item will return only if petitioners present clear community support.