Let’s do a little comparison between our economic development efforts and those over at Santa Teresa.
Earlier this year city council agreed to give over $100 million in economic incentives to a hotel/waterpark. The recipient plans to spend about $150 million to build the facility and has told us that they will employ 385 hospitality workers.
Just the other day we learned that Santa Teresa will be getting a new cable manufacturing facility. The company will invest $50 million and plans to employ 342 workers. The economic incentive granted will be $3.92 million.
Good grief!
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
The big difference is they don’t have Paul Foster wanting to swap 44 acres for 2313 Acres. They also don’t have our stupid city council and mayor. Evidently nobody on Council or in city hall has any decent negotiation skills, nor do they need them because they already have their marching orders from the people who supplied money to their political campaigns.
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Tommy Gonzalez has been pushing for Great Wolf since Council hired him…you have to wonder what his next job will be…Foster is an incidental beneficiary as the original plan put GWL higher up the mountain. The real question is why Council was so stupid…but then we know the answer, don’t we? But only about 10% of those who pay the bills for all this bother to vote.
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Foster benefiting is more than incidental. It’s definitely not coincidental. I’ve heard of coincidences, but I’ve never seen one, especially when El Paso politics and money are involved.
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It is ludicrous, to say the least, to watch our City Council operate. We began bleeding manufacturing jobs way back in the 70’s as plants moved here from elsewhere, and then jumped across the border when they saw how much cheaper labor over there was. We then became a mostly warehousing center for goods en route to and from. Bad decisions were made then, and they have only gotten worse over time. Instead of working to create an exceptional educational system to provide a good employment base, our representatives chose to give the store away, and now, our brain drain is toxic to the point of terminal, and all the deals in the world are not going to change things.
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You need to remember the City’s Economic Development Department moved into the Mill’s Building. Oversight for the department is probably more influenced by the private sector rather than the public sector. The public sector being the folks who are burdened with taxes and more taxes. The private sector being the few who receive(d) wonderful tax incentives and giveaways.
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Because El Taxo POLITICIANS prefer to do “Deals” where THEY can get the most “Pay-offs, kick-backs, campaign “Donations”. All THEY can get HERE is the Fast Food, Phone Centers, cold beer-popcorn sellers, sweep, mop, clean up, polish, make the beds, etc,etc. NOTHING more than $5-8 bucks an HOUR. I remember when, not too long ago, there was little more than a U.S. Port of Entry at Santa Teresa. Now just take a look around over there. In El Taxo THEY constantly fabricate, inflate Property “Values”, just to INCREASE taxes. And then THEY turn around and GIVE AWAY MILLIONS$$$ in “Incentives”, so that THEY can get the kick-backs, “Donations”. Tax, waste, spend, tax some more. OUR money all goes to their POCKETS. Inherent Public Corruption in El Taxo .
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Outsold? Gonzalez and El Paso city council weren’t selling. They were giving. Follow the money.
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PS – I have a package of frozen Softstix Super Pretzels which offers a 15% off bonus for a stay at Great Wolf Lodge! Just shows you what an upscale place this is!
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Good deal for somebody…
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And yet El Paso voters decided to reelect every single City council member that ran this past election. To include the ones who are supporting tearing down Durangito as well as developing our open space by franklin mts. So I guess someone likes the status quo.
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I have always thought that elections, “Votes” in El Taxo always came out “Different” than voters intended. I mean really, how STUPID can “voters” be to vote THEMSELVES tax INCREASES? Vote for MILLIONS$$$, BILLIONS$$ in school Bonds? And keep on voting for the politicians in El Taxo that do THIS to US, line their own “Pockets:?? Maybe we need to start having Voter I.D. checks, vote RECOUNTS by State, Federal Officials?
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These are the kind of business people who we are forced to subsidize. Any private for-profit business that demands millions of dollars in tax subsidies would not hesitate to screw a vendor.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2018/12/17/los-angeles-contractor-claims-fraud-el-paso-hotel-renovation/2314133002/
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This all goes back to something that is not addressed in school: APATHY. When only 6% of the eligible voters showed up in the run-off elections, that says volumes. Another example of apathy:
A few years ago, my wife, who taught second grade at the time, wanted to take her students to the Magoffin Home art the end of the school year, Her principal told her it would be a waste of time.
She had materials that showed it was curriculum based, so she finally got permission. Her kids loved it! Secondly, these reelected people can outspend other candidates since they are financed by the big money.
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I really can’t understand how or WHY any politician, Public Official gets RE-ELECTED, gets their CONTRACTS extended. in El Taxo. They are just CAREER politicians, “Carpet baggers” passing through El Taxo, to scam, con, fleece “US stupid, ignorant peons”, to get RICH off of US. THEY OWE people for financing THEM, controlling THEM, paying THEM off. So whatever the idle RICH of El Taxo want, THEY will FORCE US to pay for. They BUY these politicians. And when “You” BUY something , You expect to USE it, to get your MONEY out of your “Investment”. The politician, Public Official “You” bought, OWN. THEY scammed US with their ball field, that increases in price every year and will never be paid off by US. Now THEY want US to buy THEM an Arena. Kick El Pasoans out of their life-time homes to build where THEY want. And THEY want US to pay for a HIGH-dollar motel. $300-600 per night, so that RICH people passing through El Taxo have some where to stay. Maybe El Taxo VOTERS just like the outrageous taxes, fees, constant tax INCREASES?? Maybe VOTERS like, want the FABRICATED, INFLATED Property “Value” INCREASES, always followed by MORE tax INCREASES??.
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