One of our readers pointed out the other day that our county judge took the oath of office for her second term in a private club the other day. The club is on the top floor of one of the downtown buildings that houses some of the more influential movers and shakers in local politics.
According to the Times she was surrounded by “friends and supporters”. Most of us weren’t invited.
Since most of us missed it we print here the oath that she should have taken:
IN THE NAME AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS,
I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of [title] of
the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God.
That would be nice.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
I’m not a supporter of Ms. Escobar but I don’t think her swearing in was private. Anyone who subscribes to her updates (you can do so on the county web page) got an announcement of the event.
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An announcement and an invite are two totally different things.
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It was an invitation and I believe the paper carried one too. Not the best choice of venues but I think anyone who wanted could have gone. I bet Matt Caroll was there. He goes to anything and everything that has free food.
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We missed an opportunity when we didn’t make him mayor.
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His first priority would have been to make sure the city budget funds buffets at all his meetings.
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If she really wanted to involve the general public, she would have also picked a public venue where parking is more convenient and less expensive.
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There are a number of subliminal messages in Ms. Escobar’s choice of venue for her ceremony.
El Paso government, like the El Paso Club, is for Members Only. Only the wealthy and privileged need apply.
The club, which sits high above a bank and affords a majestic view of the city, is symbolic because Ms. Escobar and her county and city colleagues have a healthy appetite for money (both tax income and campaign contributions) and see themselves as above those they serve. I can envision her making a sweeping motion with her arm as she looked out the window and commented on all she has done for her kingdom and her many minions.
Ms. Escobar’s decision to re-take public office at a private ceremony at an exclusive private club proves once again just how out of touch she is, or that she doesn’t care. If not a conscious choice, it’s a telling Freudian slip.
All hail the Queen. Keep calm and carry on.
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Also, the Chase Bank Building, which houses the El Paso Club, Is owned by the Borderplex REIT. Draw your own conclusions.
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Yes, it would be nice if our local governments came out of hiding 🙂
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Not exactly what one would expect from a public servant.
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It would be interesting to know if there were any more “personal” invitations sent out and who was on that list, if a list was prepared, and I’ll bet there was one.
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An announcement/invitation was posted on her Facebook page…and yes, the El Paso Club sounds like an exclusive place, but the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and the Friends of the Rio Bosque are having their annual meeting and dinner there later this month and the price for the meal is $25, so it’s not exactly in the stratosphere however much they may want to generate that kind of image.
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Okay, but with all the public buildings available, including those with auditoriums, why hold a swearing-in ceremony in a private club where parking is a problem? Putting aside the discussion about an exclusive club, why wouldn’t a public official prefer to do an event such as this in a place that is symbolic of community and government? The choice still doesn’t make any sense.
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Get real. Who would go anyway? There are more important things to worry about, like whether the new county manager will follow in the footsteps of the departed but not forgotten city manager. That thought gives a whole new meaning to the term Wilsonianism.
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LOL!!! (it’s worth remembering that Wilson campaigned as the guy who “kept us out of the war,” and then immediately plunged the US into the war, and arranged for the Espionage Act to ensure that anti-war groups were suppressed…quite a guy!)
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