Our new mayor has been traveling around the country trying to make good on his hope of bringing some new employers to El Paso.
He wrote a report a couple of weeks ago where he said two things that I found remarkable:
- First, he said that a message that he heard frequently from the firms that help companies find cities to relocate operations to was that he was the first official from El Paso that they had ever spoken with. Our suspicion that our economic development team has been letting us down seems to be confirmed.
- The second thing that he mentioned is the perception in other cities that El Paso is a dangerous place to live. While out of town last week I experienced the same mistaken perception on the part of people from out of town.
Maybe we should consider dropping our new city slogan “El Paso It’s All Good” and use something concrete like “El Paso The Safest City”.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
We should be glad that he wasn’t hearing about all the public officials under indictment. A business would likely not locate to a city where the first thing they face is a shakedown by the county judge or school superintendent.
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I think it has more to do with El Paso having a very low average income, high property taxes (which continue to rise), corruption in all government agencies, companes moving out of El Paso just down the road to New Mexico, and the overall incompetence of the city council that keeps companies from considering moving to El Paso.
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El Paso is safe and “we have a Fence”…..I-10 is dangerous though.
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Recently, someone from midwest told me she had a friend whose husband was with the FBI and was being transferred here (lots of work for them). This person told her friend she shouldn’t even consider coming here with her husband because it is so dangerous. Despite what I said to the contrary, this person refused to believe it is not dangerous.
As for companies not wanting to locate here, credible sources have told me of two things that keep companies out.
1) this is the most litigious community in the state — workman’s comp, discrimination or other employment cases.
2) the quality standards and punctuality of the trade workforce are below the industry norms of other cities.
You could call both of these perceptions false or culturally biased, but perceptions are the reality that must be dealt with.
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I had heard that ADP was really not happy with the quality standards of the workforce when it first got here – particular punctuality. But I think your comments are right on.
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It’s all good. Right? Please tell me it is. I need to know that it is.
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Can’t claim ” safest city” because it’s not correct. There were other safest cities in their category. Talk about spinning the truth. The other thing you can place blame on the “outside world” perception of El Paso by remembering the old slogans. Remember ” we are one and the same”, a “city two mayors(one being the Juarez mayor)”, “sister city”. And always violating the sovereignty of Mexico via abuse of the sister city program.
All those senseless political slogans used while Juarez was experiencing the high point of the murders, etc. and you wonder?
Utep lost a potential professor, when his wife read about the school scandal. Not to mention the large number of corrupt officials in prison or under indictment.
Fourth highest tax rate and nothing to show for it. Incompetent city agencies. Look at the infrastructure or try to obtain a permit.
The Nov 2009 Playbook article about the cats, their prices and their specialities. Of course, two local elected officials leading the tour didn’t help. Not one sentence about the nice things about El Paso.
The list is endless, until El Paso residents do something besides not voting, eliminating corruption, being passive, all the trips by the mayor or new buildings are a waste.
Why am I still here, I am here because this is my hometown and I will do my best to improve the city.
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What is the 2009 Playbook article to which you refer?
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Two local politicians took a writer on a tour of El Paso cat houses. You can google or we might be able to scan and send to you.
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If I were a business owner thinking of locating here and drove on any street around the university during my initial visit, and/or read a copy of our egregious newspaper, that would be it as far as moving here.
My car had to have new engine mounts after driving on these horrible streets for some years.
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[…] pointed out last week that Mayor Leeser’s been on a goodwill tour of sorts to promote El Paso as a good place for […]
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