Writing Individual responsibility the other day got us to thinking about our situation with city council.
When we had the strong mayor form of government we were able to hold one individual accountable for what happened at the city. The mayor served two year terms and had to face the electorate.
Now with the city manager form of government the mayor is less powerful than a city representative. He can only vote in case of a tie.
The city representatives, on the other hand, are free to vote for (or ignore) matters with relative impunity from the voters. After all no one of them was responsible for any bad decision. They only have to face the voters every four years.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Reducing terms to 2 years would help with accountability because it would force reps to face their constituents and account.
Oddly with 4 years terms they get too entrenched and it seems to discourage other people from running.
Also 2 year terms may reduce the amount of damage they seem to like to inflict.
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The point of this post, as I see it, is not the length of the terms, but the simple fact that taking away a Strong Mayor is what is hurting us! Think how much money could be saved by cutting the City Manager (and, all his supportive staff) from our budget! Let each department be run by the people hired to run them! And, let City Council be controlled by a STRONG Mayor.
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I voted against the city manager form of government in El Paso because I thought the same thing. I’ve changed my mind. A city this size needs a city manager. Do not believe the propaganda campaign against him by nit-wits on Council. The current cm has done a good job. He has saved money for taxpayers, streamlined operations and tried to make city government more efficient. Entrenched city employees have no incentive to change on their own and change is necessary for progress. Department heads should answer to a professional cm, not a mayor who has never run a city, and certainly not to childish Council reps. That said, the cm and his office, and the city attorney blew the arena research on Duraguito but Council blindly went along and some are now moonwalking back their original vote, looking for a scapegoat as usual. There is no mayor strong enough or enough hours in the day to do what a good professional city manager does.
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Respectfully I disagree. El Paso needs a professional manager with the appropriate education to run the city.
There is no guarantee that a QUALIFIED person would run for Mayor and if they did there is no guarantee that a QUALIFIED person would be elected.
Just look at the current candidates for Mayor. Not a single one is qualified to manage a city and unfortunately none are qualified to fill the Mayoral role as now defined.
Reducing terms to 2 years gives voters the chance to cycle thru the garbage that we seem to routinely elect and minimize the damage they do.
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Then why in all the MANY years before the Joyce Wilson era, did El Paso have ONLY Mayors? The outrageous salary, expense of a City Manager and his, her entourage, Assistant to the Assistant, to the Assistant, is just an UNECESSARY burden on the TAXPAYERS of El Paso. IF a Mayor cannot do the job, make decisions, run a staff, spend OUR money wisely, like it was HIS own, then that person should not run for, be elected to the JOB. The Mayors always did it before. It’s like everything else in El Taxo. The Politicians, Public Officials want to think that this is a giant Metro City, like Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio. It is not and no matter how much of OUR money they waste buying all the stuff THEY want, it will not change the FACTS of NO jobs, NO industry, NO tax base to buy all the stuff THEY want. Tax, waste, spend, tax some more.
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All true, Brutus. Once they lie, deny, deceive to get US to vote for THEM, it’s over. Once they get in office, THEY do whatever THEY want. No longer have to say, impress upon US that THEY will REPRESENT US. In El Paso I would suggest that the everyday working, not working person simply does not make, doesn’t have the money to make campaign donations. So the campaign donations come from Businesses, BIG Business men, women, Contractors, companies looking for city business, companies, people who want something from THEM. So THEY become “Indebted”, THEY owe. How much money did the Council people get in “Campaign Donations” from their baseball field “Deal”?? And then THEY lied to US about the cost, the deal, the whole thing. This is how it is in El Paso. THEM against US and WE don’t have a chance. In El Paso the Mayor is just another person WE have to pay. He goes to meetings, ceremonies. Fire the City Manager, WE can’t afford his pay or the politics.
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Even members of the House of Representatives only serve two years.
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What is needed is a city manager without this current Silly Council. Seriously folks, what is the purpose of having city representatives? They are nothing but useless bloviators. They serve no purpose other than making fools out of themselves and being the laughing stock of our city and state. Pray tell, what education or experience do these clowns have in public administration (or common decency?) Didn’t think so but yet we elect and allow these self-serving pseudo-elitists to be in charge of our local lives and cause hardships and despair to our poor community? What a most despicable bunch.
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You’re right. Without Council, Gonzalez, a professional city administrator, would be able to run the city. But those fools (especially Limon, Tolbert and Niland) can’t resist making headlines. Going back to a strong mayor puts us at risk of having someone like Tolbert in charge. God forbid!
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Right on. Nice thought.
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just look at Albuquerque. The have a strong mayor form, they upgraded their stadium to keep their baseball team without demolishing a perfectly good building so the baseball owner could walk to the game, they vote Dem like we do, and they have wrose weather. They are in better shape fiscally than we are without a bloated City Manager salary.
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