I wonder if the lack of honesty and accuracy that we have seen in the city’s financial numbers the last few years contributed to the firefighter’s victory.
The city posted a lot of numbers on their web site. Did anyone believe them?
Council lost big time on this issue. If council was in touch with the voters they would have made different offers. Obviously they misread the public.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
The council lost? The way they wrote the ballot made the numbers favorable to the firefighters so the council doesn’t have to take responsibility when the taxes go up!
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I think the City presented a fair offer to the firefighters. The ff just didn’t want to accept the offer. They knew that if the City did not cave to their demands the decision would automatically go to the voters. And because this was the type of election that normally draws small numbers of voters in El Paso there were enough family and friends of firefighters to make the difference. I received two calls from friends of firefighters. The callers were defensive and uninformed about the City’s offer.
I really wish the City had tried more to present their side of the issue. When there are bond elections the City spares no expense in taking out newspaper ads or sending out mailers to persuade voters to approve the bonds. Why didn’t the city do that in this case? Clearly because the City has nothing to lose. They will have to raise taxes anyway and now they can say it’s what the voters want.
The firefighters get good benefits, high starting salaries, and raises unknown in any other job. The City can say “Well we tried, but the voters approved this.” The buck stops with the El Paso property owner as usual and that’s the scary part. Hardly anyone in El Paso cares to say “no” to demands until they get their tax bill and then they complain. This pattern is very dangerous. Economically healthy communities do not spend money they don’t have.
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You’re absolutely right. The firefighters also now get a raise, which will come in handy when they get their higher property tax bills. Most people will have to cut somewhere to pay the extra taxes.
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The firefighters spent a ton of money to get that win. It’s no different than the massive campaign for the Quality of Life bonds a couple of years back. Or the expensive one-sided spending in the Niland race. Money buys wins, especially in tight races. The firefighters, who supposedly are having trouble making ends meet, had no trouble coming up with a boatload of cash to ask for more.
The firefighters also orchestrated the timing of their Fill The Boot for MD fundraising at street corners so that it fell just ahead of the election. Taxpayers paid for the cost of moving major pieces of fire equipment to those intersections. One also has to wonder if they were campaigning at street corners during shifts and on taxpayer time.
Lest someone accuse me of not supporting firefighters, I voted No – Yes – No on the firefighter propositions.
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We wouldn’t in this financial mess if the council would stop behaving like a teenager with a credit card.
The fact of the matter is we don’t need a trolley, cultural centers or a new baseball stadium. Those fall in the category of nice to have when you have extra money.
We do need healthy Firemen and for them to be sure their families have what they need. That is a necessity not a nice to have!
Perhaps council would be more accepting if one of them would propose a ski resort in the middle of downtown or national boat races in the Rio Grande.
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Needs and wants also applies to firefighters. Yes we want healthy firefighers, but taxpayers shouldn’t be expected to carry firefighters who care so little about their own health and safety or the safety of others that they do drugs. Do you want your life to be in the hands of an EMT who tested positive for drugs and was given a second chance? Many firefighters like the rest of us have health problems, which could be solved by eating and drinking less. The union celebrated their win at a bar and proudly hoisted beers for the cameras. I wonder who drove home.
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If you hope to land a job in the next three months, where in the country will you find the most vibrant employment scene?
According to this Forbes article NOT in El Paso.
http://www2.forbes.com/leadership/where-the-jobs-will-and-wont-be-this-spring/
El Paso is ranked 3rd from the BOTTOM
http://www3.forbes.com/leadership/where-the-jobs-will-and-wont-be-this-spring/12/
No surprise since Wilson, Fuzzy Math Lady, Ortega et al choose to model after Oklahoma City the biggest loser on the list.
Go Thunder. It’s All Good.
http://www3.forbes.com/leadership/where-the-jobs-will-and-wont-be-this-spring/14/
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