Late to the show

February 29, 2016

Aren’t we lucky?

Our long time district attorney has stood on the sidelines while many of local politicos are convicted.

Now on the eve of an election where he has two opponents he has decided to ask a different agency to investigate some of the mess at the city.

Wow!  Talk about firm action to protect the citizens!

Note that his office is not talking about investigating.  He is asking someone else to do it.

We deserve better

Brutus

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

Divide and conquer

February 28, 2016

City council is now scheduled to only hold a regular meeting every other week.

In the mean time they are holding special city council meetings.  Are they hoping that we won’t notice or that it will be inconvenient to attend?

meetingposting

We deserve better

Brutus

3 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Lips Moving…Whose are Lying?

February 27, 2016

Helen Marshall sent this in:

Ms. Wilson asserts loudly that she never ever refused to cooperate with the city’s investigator, and any statements to that effect are malicious and the investigation moreover was deliberately orchestrated to discredit certain people, “specifically me.”  Boo Hoo!!!!

Meantime, while I am perfectly willing to consider the possibility that Ms Wilson is lying, I do have to wonder: when she stated in a 2013 email to the city attorney that “several members raised concerns,”  did anyone investigate that at the time, or did it take an ethics investigator from outside El Paso to raise questions about it? 

All the 2013 council members deny having raised any concerns.  And of course the Downtown Development Corporation, AKA City Council, did not keep any records, being, ya know, a corporation and all that.  The editorial comment by the Times today says that as the bond issue was delayed at the time of the May election, but then approved just before the run-off mayoral election, the delay must not have been for electoral reasons.  But then, for what?  

While Wilson and her former colleagues kick and punch each other, there goes our HOT money on much higher rates than might have been the case.  The Times downplays the importance of this, as it is Hotel-Motel tax money, not property tax money, ignoring that the funds going to pay higher interest rates could have been used for other projects to benefit the community.  

At the end of the editorial is a statement that Wilson “has a long, distinguished record of service to this community.”

I’m having a senior moment.  What are they talking about?  Help me out here!

3 Comments | Ball park, City government, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Retirement account

February 27, 2016

The Tuesday, February 22, 2016 city council agenda had a purchasing item on it that is both bad business and bad public policy.

The airport wants to have a software program designed for it to help with managing its various contracts.

The airport and purchasing departments are recommending the award of a five year contract with two five year extensions.  Fifteen years is a long time.

Also significant is that no local companies even bothered to bid.  We have good software firms here in town but it looks like they know better than to do business with the city.

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | City government, Purchasing | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Another attempt to get more people to vote

February 26, 2016
This came in from Xavier Miranda:
The upcoming election will impact a generation that has gone through 16 years of a crumbling public education system, as a result of the neoliberal reforms of No Child Left Behind, and Race to the Top. Insurmountable student-debt, 40 hour work weeks that result in substandard wages, and costly healthcare—these are few of the dim prospects our kids now face.


Our legacy to them is bleak. We see it in our dysfunctional two-party political system. We see it in the local District Attorney’s race, as evident by cases that have not been pursued, such as the alleged assault of a city employee by a former elected representative; or the suspect actions involving the ballpark and mayoral elections, which cost taxpayers an additional $22 million; or the shooting deaths of members of our community by our police department.






Rather than accept the status quo, folks from various generations are converging to make a difference. We see communities join in opposing exploitative deals such as theTrans-Pacific Partnership; we see neighborhood groups stand against corporations that expose school children to toxins; we see marginalized groups take a stand on global atrocities against immigrants;




What we don’t see is our community coming out to vote. The fact that there are 403,000 registered voters in El Paso, yet only 6% come out to vote, is proof of an eroding democracy.  All the gerrymandering and voter suppression has been successful in disenfranchising communities. Our voice continues to go unheeded, but our direction comes from highly-compensated zealots who purport to uphold universal values, yet our foreclosures continue, guns become prominent in our state, our families are burdened by health costs, and our taxes are diverted to vanity projects.






Fortunately, there are individuals in our community that have assumed the responsibility of authentically voicing our concerns and our solutions. As with all matters political, we will not be able to find 100% agreement or compatibility, but given their journey to represent us, their nobility and sacrifice are eagerly welcomed.






A race of notable interest is the Texas State Board of Education, a non-paid office, that either can  preserve or dismantle the concepts of democracy and pubic education. Unfortunately, political, financial, and ideological interests have established a stronghold in our state, which has resulted inTexas rating poorly on many education levels. 






Typically our group is focused on issues, one of which has been education. Given that, it is requested that you consider Georgina Perez, an educator and social justice advocate, to represent El Paso on the Texas State Board of Education. Her path is lined with authentic advocacy and tangible results. Her message resonates within our community, as evident by the diverse support of school board members, union officials, and supportive elected officials. 






Voting started on February 16, culminating with Super Tuesday on March 1. Voting information and polling sites can be accessed at this link: https://epcountyvotes.com/quick_links/early_voting






Please encourage family and friends to educate themselves on the issues and candidates, then bring them out to vote, please.






As the Texas elections have changed, information regarding the election process and subsequent county conventions will be forthcoming.








Regards,




Xavier Miranda


El Paso Grassroots

									


				

				 14 Comments				|  Ball park, City government, County Government, Federal Government								 |  Permalink

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