elpasospeak

Fifteen years later

September 11, 2016

Fifteen years have passed since the September 11, 2001 attacks on our country.

More people were killed in the attacks (2,996) than at Pearl Harbor (2,402). To say that no nation state was responsible simply does not make sense. Congress just passed a law allowing the families of those who died to sue the countries that they feel are responsible. Our president is reported to have threatened to veto the act.

It seems that we are still in danger because of the beliefs of a group of people that are determined to exterminate us.

Are they a religious group, or an economic one, or are they a political one?

Either way we have to find a way to remove their threat.

I pray that a solution can be found.

We deserve better

Brutus

10 Comments | Federal Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

The Times has reporters

September 10, 2016

The Tuesday, September 6, 2016 El Paso Times was a pleasant surprise.

There was a well written front page article about local school superintendent compensation.

Another well written article headlined the Borderland section. It was about city boards and commissions and their relative effectiveness.

Yet another article focused on our county hospital’s proposed tax increases.

New management

Are we seeing the influence of the new boss at the Times? Are their reporters being allowed to research issues and print factual articles without being shut down for political reasons?

Let’s hope so.

Still some old influences

Unfortunately the front page article about TXDOT property acquisition for the Border West Expressway was more of what we have been getting from the Times. The article cited numerous cases where property owners were paid for their property. It even pointed out that some property owners were resisting. What the article did not address was the fairness or unfairness of the amounts being paid by TXDOT.

We deserve better

Brutus

2 Comments | El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Too little, too late

September 9, 2016

The Texas Supreme Court created a loophole in the Texas Public Information Act when it delivered its decision in Boeing v. Paxton last year. The ruling allowed Texas governments to withhold information if disclosing the information would cause competitive harm.

Our city is leading the charge by refusing to release some emails that the Times has requested.

On second thought

Section 552.301 of the Texas Government Code says:

The government body must ask for the attorney general’s decision and state the exceptions that apply within a reasonable time but not later than the 10th business day after the date of receiving the written request.

The Times requested some information.

The city objected and wrote their required letter to the attorney general citing 25 reasons why they believed they should be able to withhold the information. They did not mention Boeing v. Paxton.

Last week the city recognized that the court decision would help their argument and sent a second letter to the attorney general.

Time matters

Section 552.303 of the Texas Government Code says:

If a government body does not request an attorney general decision as provided by Section 552.301 and provide the requestor with the information required by Sections 552.301(d) and (e-1) the information requested in writing is presumed to be subject to required public disclosure and must be released unless there is a compelling reason to withhold the information.

The attorney general’s ruling in this situation should be based on the 25 reasons the city offered in its first letter.

Why on earth would the city manager be negotiating via email?

Once again the city wants to be above the law.

We deserve better

Brutus

3 Comments | City government, El Paso Times, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Ill spent funds

September 8, 2016

Our county hospital board has let us down again.

According to a recent article in the Times they paid $208,000 to a recruiting firm to perform the search for a new hospital administrator.

Comparing that amount with the $23,000 that the city paid when searching for a city manager or the $30,000 that EPISD paid looking for a superintendent makes the hospital board look like fools.

Even more damning is that the new hospital administrator that the board hired was working right here in El Paso and was the obvious choice.

Our county commissioners need to quit planning how to spend their astronomical pay raises and put some people on the hospital board that will get things under control.

Instead they recently appointed the city’s former chief financial officer to the board. Remember what she did to us?

We deserve better

Brutus

3 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

They built it and no one came

September 7, 2016

It has been almost a year (edit: two years) since Sun Metro started their Brio service on Mesa.

Unfortunately bus usage has declined more than seven percent when compared to last year.

Operating costs per trip have gone up during the same period more than seven percent. The Sun Metro report is for the period ending May 31, 2016. Take a look at what natural gas prices did during that period:

Their proposed budget for next year will use $43.8 million of our sales taxes. They are budgeting $8 million in receipts from fare boxes, down from a budget of $9.3 million last year.

They are working to open Brio service on Alameda and Dyer even in light of declining demand.

We deserve better

Brutus

12 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

elpasospeak

Fifteen years later