Our mayor’s recent actions relating to the reporter from El Paso Inc. are disturbing on many levels.
Among them:
- The mayor takes the reporter to task for filing public information act requests. The reporter is following the correct procedure. He also seems to be looking into more things than other reporters in town. We thank him.
- The mayor accuses the reporter of attacking his integrity. No, the reporter wrote that the mayor failed to turn over information that he is legally obligated to turn over. Could it be that the mayor understands his own level of integrity?
- The mayor has stated that he will refuse further interviews with the reporter. Maybe if he had a better handle on his ego he would sit down and work things out. Instead we hear “I’m important–I don’t have to talk to you”.
- The mayor addressed his email to the reporter and to the reporter’s boss and colleague. Why would he do that unless he wants to cause harm to the reporter.
There are of course other aspects to this mess.
Wouldn’t we all be better off if the mayor followed the law?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
The 1% don’t like to be challenged by the riff raff.
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To say the current mayor is a disappointment would be an understatement.
However, in his defense, this reporter (nor any other) asked any such questions of previous mayors or representatives. Show me much interest at all in Niland, Ortega, Byrd, Cook, Escobar, etc.
So-called journalists in El Paso fully support progressive politicians. The current mayor acts like a progressive, but still has that R by his name, so he is fair game. He should just switch to the Democrat party and that would stop. Plus, we could quit wondering why he calls himself a Republican.
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Kudos to the reporter. The Mayor needs to realize that if he going to spearhead adding debt and raising taxes in an atmosphere that lacks transparency, he may get hard questions from reporters. Our founding fathers thought that check and balance was a good thing and it appears at least one of our local reporters understands that.
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Thank you for posting. Every citizen should be alarmed by the treatment of our journalists by a sitting Mayor.
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The reason Hizhoner the Mayor and his minions sit on that pedestal at City Hall is that THEY want US to remember that THEY are OVER us. THEY can lie, deny, deceive and people will STILL vote for THEM next election. “Professional” politicians that’s what we get in El Taxo. The ones who ever had a real JOB, working for a living, a weekly pay check , paying the Bills, buying groceries, TAXES, didn’t care for that at all. So they became politicians, Public Officials in El Taxo. That is where the real money is and THEY never have to look for another JOB, work ever again.
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Keep doing what you do best! Illuminate the public.
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Why is Woody Hunt involved in this ? I dont remember voting for him for Mayor or a Rep ? Could it be he wants this Arena for MountainStar Soccer ?
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Mountain Star Sports OWNS El Taxo politicians, Pubic Officials. The organization did not even exist until they moved into El Taxo and Mayor John Cook, Niland, Byrd, Ortega, Suzie Byrd, Noe, O’Rourke,Joyce Wilson conned, scammed, lied, FORCED the taxpayers to buy the baseball field for THEM. And yes these same kinds of people, POLITICIANS will FORCE people out of their life-long homes to build an Arena for Mountain Star Sports AGAIN. And of course these people being forced out, taxpayers will be FORCED to pay for it all AGAIN and WHO gets the PROFITS……………????
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The media — even the local guys — have all turned into “gotcha” reporting. Stories, short on information, and long on “gotcha” are the norm. So the mayor didn’t turn over those emails… they pretty much said nothing, had no new or secret information. It might be a different story if something secret happened. But it didn’t. So, in the end, it’s all about gotcha stuff. Who cares. I’m sure there are tons of emails out there that are not part of the public record and, like Margo’s, they are 99.9% inconsequential.
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I agree the media’s judgment has become more questionable. However, the lack of transparency in our local government is troubling. If anything our local media needs to be more gotcha. Why would it be appropriate for Woody Hunt, a downtown property owner who has ownership in an entity that benefited from a lop-sided, backroom deal public private partnership be involved in an attempt to settle the lawsuit associated with the downtown arena? He isn’t a city employee or elected official. Does the Mayor have additional emails on his personal devices that better clarify why Hunt was involved? It would also be good for the Mayor to clarify his “we’ve done what we can for you,” comment at the soccer team initial announcement. Was the public money that was spent on stadium upgrades that was over and above the city’s contractual commitments necessary for attendee safety upgrades (as publicized) or simply a slush fund for modifications that needed to be made to the soccer team’s temp home. I personally welcome more reporters asking gotcha questions like this. Our taxes are increasing and it is time for more transparency and an end to back room deals with big donors. Nothing about the Mayor’s behavior suggests those changes are in his agenda.
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Maybe we all (including myself) should not have believed him and voted for him in the first place. I certainly won’t vote for him again!
Hold the line on spending and taxes my a _ _
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After watching his agenda on the EPSID Board of Managers, I stopped voting for him. He is way too comfortable with adding to the public debtload.
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Didn’t vote for him. Margo is a professional, CAREER politician, just like most of the people on City Council, Commissioners. Voted David Saucedo. THEY don’t REPRESENT US. THEY represent big business, the idle rich of El Taxo and whatever they can get, TAKE from US. Tax, waste, spend, tax some more.
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Margo built and ran an insurance agency for 30 years. He never ran for office until he was in his 50’s.
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Agree wholeheartedly. I saw him in action on the El Paso City-County health Board, and he was a “do-nothing” on the board. He would get up half way thru meetings and say, “Well, I’m a busy man. I have to go now.” The board was made up of physicians, dentists, veterinarians, pharmacists, and the like. All of us were busy people as well. He seemed to think he was so much better than the rest of us on the Board. He was not well thought of. We were committed to better health in the Community, but he seemed to be committed to adding another Board to his resume for political reasons. I did not vote for him, as his only goal is to promote himself.
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