The February 9-15, 2020 issue of El Paso Inc. had an interview with our first city manager.
They wrote:
Then came … a $44 million ballot item for a new ballpark that more than 70% of voters supported…
Not true
The voters were never asked to approve a ballpark. They were asked to approve using hotel occupancy taxes to pay for it. If the voters declined approval the bill would have been added to our property taxes. This is what we voted on:
VENUE PROJECT AND HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX PROPOSITION
“AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS, TO DESIGNATE THE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STADIUM PROJECT AS A SPORTS AND COMMUNITY VENUE PROJECT WITHIN THE CITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW AND TO IMPOSE A TAX ON THE OCCUPANCY OF A ROOM IN A HOTEL LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY, AT THE MAXIMUM RATE OF TWO PERCENT (2%) OF THE PRICE PAID FOR SUCH ROOM, FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCING SUCH VENUE PROJECT.”
Wrong amount
The Inc’s $44 million number is not true either.
Back in August of 2015 we wrote Latest ballpark numbers and showed our portion of the cost to be over $64 million.
The Inc reporter has been around a long time.
Why would he blatantly misstate the facts?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
The local media has an extremely poor record being honest with respect to local politics.
Mirroring a nationwide issue, journalists whose political interests align with politicians they cover, are loathe to offer facts and information which depict the politician or their policies in a bad light.
The co-called fourth estate has become a de facto cheerleading section for political causes they agree with, and damage control for politicians they like..
The ballpark, oddly enough, was a political issue. Essentially, the two wealthiest families in El Paso wanted to purchase a minor league baseball team, but they did not want to pay the larger long-term costs of having a team, part of which involved convincing city council to pay for the stadium.
Steve Ortega, Susie Byrd, Cortney Niland, et all even donned baseball caps after the vote for the stadium, thumbing their noses at the voting public who expects politicians to obey the law. They were not supposed to be speaking to each other about the vote outside of public meetings.
Of course, years later, we see that none of the promised benefits of the stadium have been realized. The two wealthy families got their stadium, and now they want an arena. El Paso politicians want to give it to them. Local media does not want to ask a single question about the need for an arena or why the Foster/Hunt families cannot build their own arena.
They can, but why do that if they can get one free? Better than free, tax-free and taxpayer subsidized, with free police protection and parking. Who wouldn’t want that?
In his paper “Civil Disobedience,” Henry David Thoreau encourages the reader to recognize when the government is doing something unjust and wrongful to the people.
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The Inc has become the Oligarchy Tribune…nothing inconvenient to the ruling families will be published, even if facts have to be ignored or turned into “almost facts.”
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Helen; The Inc did a pretty fair job covering the AAA stadium. They covered the angry meeting at the Westside Command Center under the title, Stadium Rage, as I recall. I was there even though I was a city employee at the time. That’s the one where Wilson and NIland at first denied being members of the PDNG and then conceded they were “honorary members”, i.e., they didn’t pay dues. They even interviewed Larry Francis who opposed the stadium.
It is a local independent print media in a world where six companies own 80% of our media, including the EPT.
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I agree about that reporting…but that was 6 to 8 years ago. The new regime at the Inc has a very different agenda, quite visible in the last few months…
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Well in El Paso, Inc’s, defense “misstating the facts” might be the wrong term. It’s more evident they just LIED. But the Media is good at doing that. Maybe they just LIED to support the corrupt politicians of El Taxo?. And then of course those CORRUPT politicians, John Cook, the Clown Council LIED, ran a SCAM on the PEOPLE of El Taxo.. “The hotel tax will pay for the RICH guys ball, field, no worries”. How much MONEY went in all their pockets, “Campaign donations”, for the scam they did on the PEOPLE.?? 44 MILLION$$$$, 64 MILLION$$$, MILLIONS$$$ don’t matter to the El Taxo politicians when THEY are lying, scamming the PEOPLE. That’s just the way it always is in El Taxo. Nothing ever changes. If the Mayor, Clown Council, Commissioners, School Districts are telling “You” something, just believe that they are lying, running a scam on “You”. Of course YOU, WE deserve better, but the only “better” is for politicians and the RICH, who support them, OWN them.
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BTW, guys, Item #18 on the Tuesday Council agenda is the report back from city staff regarding Lost Dog. It is listed as “discussion and action” so are they going to rescind the voter mandate to preserve Lost Dog in perpetuity? In the post-Wilson era we voters have lost our trust in government because we saw how blatantly and easily it is bought.
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This is why “OJO” aware citizens have their eyes on the greedy to protect the needy. I have been interviewing Spanish speakers asking why they don’t vote and many say because they are afraid. They left Mexico to try and leave behind a corrupt government and arrived here to find blatant corruption , in your face corruption and they know what that means. For the corrupt and greedy, all the money and power will never be enough. Think of it like this; for example there are 20 or 50 extremely wealthy people ruling , dictating , extorting, controlling, lying, to a population of over 600,000 and the people finally after thirty years are tired and decide to take matters into their own hands, think of a revolution any kind you want. It is all happening. The powerful just have gotten away with it for so long, the powerless have been oppressed for so long and something going to give. Frankly I am pleased as I love when tyrannical monsters get what they deserve. It is a natural dynamic . Las cosas por su propio peso caen.
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When I saw the video of Jud Burgess being slammed into a wall and arrested for exercising his rights as a citizen at a city council meeting I realized why people are afraid.
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And at one time El Paso Inc was the only news there was, now El Diario has taken it’s place. Let’s get out and vote❗️
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The oligarchs have to undo the citizens vote on lost dog to pretend they aren’t losing control
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQ2hyTBXkAY1A8N?format=png&name=900×900
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