As clarification please be aware that the former EPISD board of trustees president did not move out of the EPISD school district. He moved out of (or did not live in) the portion of the district that he was elected to serve.
This graphic comes from the EPISD web site and shows his district (6):
His homestead is on Isla del Rey which is in the upper left portion of the portion marked 018.
His home is evidently one block out of district 6 and is instead in district 7.
Were there people at the district that knew about this?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
This is another classic case of people not knowing the laws and or not caring about what happens in their local government. Just look at voter turnout.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is very simple. Hatch wanted to run in the district where he knew he could get votes. He was a vice president of the Franklin High football booster club and his son was the QB. Hatch knew a Franklin booster club officer could not get elected in the Coronado district. The $#*! local politicians pull is disgusting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whether Hatch knew or not that he didn’t live in District 6 when he ran is really irrelevant. Ignorance is no excuse to break the law. Still, I can’t imagine him not knowing, along with Cabrera, at least at some point during the almost four years of his term, that he actually lived in District 7. He certainly should have known. But in any event, Hatch should never have been allowed on the ballot in the first place since he used the homestead exemption on Isla del Rey prior to the election. He basically had to lie to get on the ballot. This would have been illegal – as in a crime – to do so. Is our DA, TEA, or Justice Department looking into this or will they give EPISD a pass? Also, if I was Al Patino I would be extremely upset today and would be looking for justice. From a civil rights standpoint a Hispanic lost to a white guy who tampered with the election. Was it just an inosent oversight? No wonder the EPISD board never looks like its constituents (85% Hispanic). You can spin this story many ways or say I’m reading too much into it, but facts are facts. A crime was committed and there are victims.
At the time of the May 2015 election EPISD was lead by Cabrera and Dee (full of crap) Margo. I guess we can say that in hind site, they screwed up this election and the transition from managers to elected board pretty badly. Since the error/crime seemed to work out in Cabrera’s favor (he got a strong ‘yes’ man in Hatch), I think he had a real motive to stay quiet about the situation. When the media ran this story they didn’t seem to be asking any critical questions of EPISD, but instead they just ran Cabrera’s public thank you to Hatch for his service. Kudos to the Times for their follow up with some additional facts and questions.
Why people trust EPISD and believe their narratives is beyond me. Between now and the May 2019 election who will be keeping an eye on Cabrera and crew? Right now El Paso’s westside has no elected board member (except Geske). It’s going to be up to the citizens of EPISD to hold the administration in check until democracy can be restored.
Results of the May 9, 2015 Election:
Trent Kay Hatch. 53.5%. 1,454
Alejandro Patino. 30%. 815
Timothy Dean Martin. 16.5%. 448
LikeLike
It would seem the responsibility would actually lay with TEA and Commissioner Williams as they had appointed the Conservator and the Board of Managers who would have overseen the election. Assuming of course that It is the staff’s responsibility of each public’s entity to monitor the residential address of each member of the board or council. For example, does someone from the city monitor City Council members on a routine basis to ensure they don’t move out of their district?
LikeLike
The ultimate responsibility lies with Hatch. To say otherwise, lets him off the hook for doing the wrong thing.
LikeLike
Did Hatch vote in the election he ran in?
Not all candidates show up on the ballot, only candidates running in the district you are registered to vote in.
If Hatch voted in the election he ran in then surely would have noticed that he was NOT on the ballot.
LikeLike
Excellent point!
LikeLike
Not if he was registered in Dist 6 which is what happened.
LikeLike
The main clue here is that his wife voted in Dist 7 and did not notice or say anything about his not being on her ballot! Just a mistake!
LikeLike
It appears Hatch owned a home from 2003 through most of 2018 on Cherokee Ridge, which is in District 6 precinct 14. He bought the home on Isla Del Rey in 2011.
It does not appear that any tax exemptions, i,e. HS, were exercised on the home from 2014 forward.
However according to CAD, from 2014 on, Hatch’s home mailing address on the Cherokee Ridge home was listed as Isla del Rey.
http://www.epcad.org/Search/Details/89443/2014
Hatch sold the Cherokee Ridge home in late 2018. If he was using that address on his voter registration since 2003 he would have to change it.
If he changed his voter registration address from Isla Del Rey to Cherokee Ridge prior to running for office to be eligible then that may be a different problem.
LikeLike