The 8th day campaign finance reports are out for the candidates in the upcoming election.
I want to clearly say that I support citizens contributing to campaigns. Personally, I don’t think that companies should, but the supreme court seems to have a different view.
The city councilman who is running for mayor has lined up an impressive list of well known and respected people from El Paso as contributors. This is good and I am glad to see it.
The 8th day reports evidently do not disclose previous contributions. I guess that each reporting period stands on it’s own. The January 1, 2013 to April 1, 2013 report does have one contribution that bothers me a lot.
The Union Pacific Corp. Fund for Effective Government gave the candidate $1,000 on January 18, 2013. Why would the railroad care about a local mayoral candidate? Does the Train wreck post provide a clue? If the railroad was simply trying to improve the local political process, did they contribute to the other candidates?
The reports show significant monies from out of town companies that are in the architecture/engineering/public works businesses. Do they hope to profit from a new city administration? Why else would they be donating money in an El Paso election?
And what about the owners of the baseball franchise? If you add up the contributions of those individuals (thankfully not their companies) you get a lot of money. Is this a payback for voting in their favor? I doubt it. What I suspect is that they realize that the downtown renaissance will need more affirmative action from the city in order to be successful. I guess we will see in the coming months what else the city will make us pay for.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
The Union Pacific contribution to Ortega’s campaign preceded city council votes on financial transactions including land purchases/swaps and lease agreements that benefited UP. Both Ortega and UP clearly do not care about perceived conflicts of interest. It’s their way of saying “UP yours” to the public. How many other council members have received donations from UP?
UP is planning to relocate its El Paso rail yards to New Mexico as part of an expansion which will generate significant investment in New Mexico. That means more jobs and tax dollars for New Mexico, not El Paso. Even El Paso workers who are able to keep their jobs will go to work in Santa Teresa, eat lunch in Santa Teresa, and pay New Mexico income tax. New jobs will likely go to New Mexico residents as part of UP’s tax incentives deal with the State of New Mexico. So much for creating El Paso jobs and improving our own commercial tax base. Once again we’re on the giving end, not the receiving end.
http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2011/01/07/abqnewsseeker/updated-union-pacific-hopes-to-move-rail-hub-from-el-paso-to-santa-teresa.html
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My prediction: Oligarchy Ortega really put his foot in his mouth when his full page ad said ‘l gave you little peons the sun, moon, and stars, and the least you can do for me is to elect me.’ The peeps in this town don’t like pompous egomaniacs (except for me) just ask Sly Reyes, Norma, Cabarerro, and (sort of) Wardy. So l’m guessing that Captain Cliche’ – “The Good Boy” will be the next Chief Bottle Washer. He started from nothing and ended up living the “Amercan Dream” …..by selling cars built in a foreign land thousands of miles away.
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Spend it, spend all of it, Steve. Watch it all disappear down the drain along with your fantasies of making a comeback on this runoff!
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