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I’d like to discuss how Peter Swartzbien is able to cheerlead the whole trolley issue through livestream & has little or no regard for the safety issue on Cincinnati Street after the recent death. I mean wouldn’t public safety be more important than promoting the trolley???
David, he still doesn’t get it. Most of the people who have to drive or live along that route hate it. He, however, sees it as his greatest lifetime achievement and possibly the reason he was re-elected. Poor guy.
I had a conversation at a Christmas party with a transplanted mover and shaker from Mexico City who thought that our current incentivized tourist attractions were great because folks from Mexico weren’t interested in outdoor activities or stuff that was uniquely El Paso. They just wanted name brand shopping, sports and stuff like Great Wolf, Ifly and Top Golf. The only problem is Mexican tourists can file manifestos and not pay sales tax and if they stay at hotels with HOT rebates no real public money is being returned. There were some preserve EP history folks there and she was pretty underwhelmed with their point of view. We really need to look at the return on investment equation. If we are simply building a tourist Mecca for the Chihuahua wealthy we aren’t going to get much of a return. US tourists have plenty of Iflys and Top Golfs in much larger cities so that won’t be a draw for folks who do pay sales tax. Our outdoor options, 5000 years of history and a true Mercado (think Albuquerque, Santa Fe grade artisans and artists) could be. We need a “hook” they can’t find anywhere else. It really appears that right now the mind set is just replicate successful cities in the hope folks will come here instead if we are closer. The only thing we “closer” to is northern Mexico.
The other part of that issue is that we’ll only attract people within driving distance. That small pool is Chihuahua City and Casas Grandes. If any Mexicans fly, they’ll probably go someplace else in the U.S., like DFW, or Phoenix.
Stop trying to promote El Paso as anything other than what it is – a Mexican city on US soil, the American face of Mexico. Enjoy the food and margaritas but don’t expect anyone from Iowa to come here for the water park or trolley.
Why are we paying tens of thousands of dollars of the city manager’s personal legal fees? I have personal liability insurance and professional liability insurance that I pay out of my own pocket. As much as he is paid, he can afford insurance. I hope the IRS is paying attention because he has to declare that as personal income.
It is interesting to see that the ‘meeting in the night’ was missed by two EP City Representatives. I would like to know what their answer to being absent from such a supposedly important meeting be? Representative Morgan is doing a good job in my opinion, but I have noticed that he has quickly learned the political survival ropes, which forces me to watch him more closely. For those who may not have seen it, there is a an excellent City Of El Paso Gov’t. report card shell floating around on the internet. Get a copy of it, fill it in for your city representative and mail it to them. There is a quote that says something to the effect of: ‘there is nothing like a noose around one’s neck to focus one’s mind’. Political leaders understand clearly what the written word means. If I take the time to sit down and write, then I will definitely vote. One last point. I wonder if the City of El Paso could have sued Jim Tolbert for the $58K, rather than tap into the taxpayers piggy-bank? He (Tolbert) admitted that the whole episode was false. Regardless of his phony apology, I believe that legal actions should be taken against him if possible. It would be about teaching liars a lesson in what happens when you lie in the public space, and cause taxpayer funds to be needlessly spent.
Why did a representative of the Mexican Consulate in El Paso speak to City Council in favor to the Great Wolf Lodge? I understand that graft and corruption are standard operating procedure in Mexico, but do they have to promote it here?
In 2016, Mrs. De la Vega-Foster was appointed by the Governor of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico to serve as Secretary of Innovation and Economic Development for the electoral period of 2016-2021.
She is actively involved in Desarrollo Economico de Juarez, serves as Co-Chair of the Borderplex Regional Economic Alliance
Duh! Well of course Desarrollo Economico de Juarez is for the project. Both it and Borderplex Alliance are controlled by Foster and Hunt. Foster and his wife benefitted greatly from the land swap.
Who was the seller of the Mills Street building that the city bought to turn into bathrooms? That small detail is missing from all the news coverage. Once again the city paid a premium over the appraised value for a property that will no longer generate tax revenue. Something is very wrong here.
Why do they call it a “shutdown” if approximately 85% of the government is still open? If we El Pasoans stopped paying our local taxes, does that mean our local government would shutdown? BTW- does anyone know what these yellow trash cans that l continue to see more of in my neighborhood are for? l’m guessing it’s either to put your dead pets in or to dispose any nuclear waste you might have. So, which one is it?
elpasospeak 
When is the City finally going to start repairing our streets?
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I’d like to discuss how Peter Swartzbien is able to cheerlead the whole trolley issue through livestream & has little or no regard for the safety issue on Cincinnati Street after the recent death. I mean wouldn’t public safety be more important than promoting the trolley???
LikeLiked by 1 person
David, he still doesn’t get it. Most of the people who have to drive or live along that route hate it. He, however, sees it as his greatest lifetime achievement and possibly the reason he was re-elected. Poor guy.
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Follow the trolley and you’ll follow the money.
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I had a conversation at a Christmas party with a transplanted mover and shaker from Mexico City who thought that our current incentivized tourist attractions were great because folks from Mexico weren’t interested in outdoor activities or stuff that was uniquely El Paso. They just wanted name brand shopping, sports and stuff like Great Wolf, Ifly and Top Golf. The only problem is Mexican tourists can file manifestos and not pay sales tax and if they stay at hotels with HOT rebates no real public money is being returned. There were some preserve EP history folks there and she was pretty underwhelmed with their point of view. We really need to look at the return on investment equation. If we are simply building a tourist Mecca for the Chihuahua wealthy we aren’t going to get much of a return. US tourists have plenty of Iflys and Top Golfs in much larger cities so that won’t be a draw for folks who do pay sales tax. Our outdoor options, 5000 years of history and a true Mercado (think Albuquerque, Santa Fe grade artisans and artists) could be. We need a “hook” they can’t find anywhere else. It really appears that right now the mind set is just replicate successful cities in the hope folks will come here instead if we are closer. The only thing we “closer” to is northern Mexico.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The other part of that issue is that we’ll only attract people within driving distance. That small pool is Chihuahua City and Casas Grandes. If any Mexicans fly, they’ll probably go someplace else in the U.S., like DFW, or Phoenix.
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Stop trying to promote El Paso as anything other than what it is – a Mexican city on US soil, the American face of Mexico. Enjoy the food and margaritas but don’t expect anyone from Iowa to come here for the water park or trolley.
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Yep. You’re 100% right.
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Then we shouldn’t be spending public money on tourist attractions.
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We shouldn’t be subsidizing any private for-profit businesses. Period.
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Why are we paying tens of thousands of dollars of the city manager’s personal legal fees? I have personal liability insurance and professional liability insurance that I pay out of my own pocket. As much as he is paid, he can afford insurance. I hope the IRS is paying attention because he has to declare that as personal income.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are paying because he doesn’t want to spend his own money on insurance, and TweedleDee and 7 of the 8 Clowns are happy to do whatever he asks.
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It is interesting to see that the ‘meeting in the night’ was missed by two EP City Representatives. I would like to know what their answer to being absent from such a supposedly important meeting be? Representative Morgan is doing a good job in my opinion, but I have noticed that he has quickly learned the political survival ropes, which forces me to watch him more closely. For those who may not have seen it, there is a an excellent City Of El Paso Gov’t. report card shell floating around on the internet. Get a copy of it, fill it in for your city representative and mail it to them. There is a quote that says something to the effect of: ‘there is nothing like a noose around one’s neck to focus one’s mind’. Political leaders understand clearly what the written word means. If I take the time to sit down and write, then I will definitely vote. One last point. I wonder if the City of El Paso could have sued Jim Tolbert for the $58K, rather than tap into the taxpayers piggy-bank? He (Tolbert) admitted that the whole episode was false. Regardless of his phony apology, I believe that legal actions should be taken against him if possible. It would be about teaching liars a lesson in what happens when you lie in the public space, and cause taxpayer funds to be needlessly spent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why did a representative of the Mexican Consulate in El Paso speak to City Council in favor to the Great Wolf Lodge? I understand that graft and corruption are standard operating procedure in Mexico, but do they have to promote it here?
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This should answer your question.
Desarrollo Economico de Juarez are nothing more than surrogates for the former PDNG/ current Borderplex Alliance.
https://www.baylor.edu/business/globalbusinessforum/index.php?id=955674
In 2016, Mrs. De la Vega-Foster was appointed by the Governor of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico to serve as Secretary of Innovation and Economic Development for the electoral period of 2016-2021.
She is actively involved in Desarrollo Economico de Juarez, serves as Co-Chair of the Borderplex Regional Economic Alliance
LikeLiked by 1 person
Duh! Well of course Desarrollo Economico de Juarez is for the project. Both it and Borderplex Alliance are controlled by Foster and Hunt. Foster and his wife benefitted greatly from the land swap.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Who was the seller of the Mills Street building that the city bought to turn into bathrooms? That small detail is missing from all the news coverage. Once again the city paid a premium over the appraised value for a property that will no longer generate tax revenue. Something is very wrong here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why do they call it a “shutdown” if approximately 85% of the government is still open? If we El Pasoans stopped paying our local taxes, does that mean our local government would shutdown? BTW- does anyone know what these yellow trash cans that l continue to see more of in my neighborhood are for? l’m guessing it’s either to put your dead pets in or to dispose any nuclear waste you might have. So, which one is it?
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We probably would be better off if city council and the city manager’s office were shut down. When open, they only do damage.
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