When will they tell us the truth?

January 26, 2014

Carried over from last year there are at least two issues that citizens would like to know about.

First, our west side city representative was accused of threatening a city employee last October.  The Times wrote:

City Manager Joyce Wilson said all council members have to go through standard investigative procedures when allegations are raised against them.

“They are treated the same as any other citizen. An investigation takes place and the outcome is referred to the District Attorney,” she said in an email.

Standard?

How long does it take to investigate a he-said-she-said?  Is it our district attorney that is burying this or is it the city?  Either way we deserve to know.

El Paso suing Texas attorney general

While many may think that the email issue is over, many are not aware that El Paso is still suing the attorney general over his ruling.

Why?

What are they trying to hide and when will we find out?

We deserve better

Brutus

4 Comments | City government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

The rest of the story

January 25, 2014

We learned last week that the founder of Helen of Troy stepped down last week after spending 46 years building the company.

Mr. Rubin started his company with almost nothing and built it into one of El Paso’s few publicly traded companies.  In the process he gave generously to the community, the Sun Bowl, his church, and untold numbers of charities and individuals.  El Paso is better because of him.

In the process he also built another business and is one of the handful of individuals that essentially own commercial real estate in El Paso.

The Times told us that the departure was part of a management succession plan.

Maybe that will turn out to be true.  I certainly hope so.

What bothers me is the timing.  The departure came in the middle of a month.  A new CEO will take over March 1.  There will be an interim CEO for the intervening 45 days or so.

That does not sound orderly to me.

What the Times did not tell us is why this is happening.  Maybe it is none of our business but the company is publicly traded and the stockholders have the right to know if the departure had anything to do with the operation of the company.

If it relates to his personal health and he is out of the company then I feel that this is not our business to know.

It would be nice if the Times reporters asked questions and then wrote pieces of their own instead of reprinting publicity pieces.

Muckraker

5 Comments | El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Muckraker

Troubled Times

January 24, 2014

I got a bill for my subscription to the El Paso Times.  I buy the 7 day home delivery option.

They bill me for 24 weeks at a time.  The previous bill was for $105.60.  The new bill is for $152.40.

That is almost a 45% increase.  No notice.  No explanation.

Rip off

I don’t mean to start a discussion about the value that paper provides or their editorial positions that seem to be anti tax payer.

What I did do was go to the online site to see what my subscription options are.  The closest offering I could find to the one that I have now is called “7-Day Home Delivery + ALL ACCESS”.  Evidently I would get a code to enter to access the online version in addition to getting the paper delivered.

The site only offered a 4 week option.  The price?  It is $4.87 per week.

Ok, $4.87 times 24 weeks comes to $116.88.

Why did they bill me $152.40?

I could not help but notice that the payment needs to be sent out of town.  Local labor need not apply.

Muckraker

6 Comments | El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Muckraker

Who benefits from the San Jacinto Plaza project?

January 23, 2014

The 2012 quality of life bonds are funding the new Cheryl Ladd neighborhood park in east El Paso.

According to El Paso Development News:

New amenities planned for the park include a new multi-purpose field, playground areas, a canopy shelter, picnic tables, benches, bike racks, paths, rock walls, lighting and an angled parking lot. The picnic tables and parking spaces with be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Aside from the multi-purpose field, other athletic improvements include a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, and exercise equipment. Opposite the basketball court will be a “futsal” court. Futsal, from the Portuguese meaning “hall football,” is a form of soccer played on a hard-surface “pitch” which resembles a miniature soccer field.

The site’s landscaping plan includes an underground irrigation system, new grass, mulch, trees, shrubs, and boulders. The majority of landscaping will be focused on the park area closest to the parking lot, as the soccer field takes up much of the rear park space.

The park will be 6.3 acres in size and will cost $1.67 million dollars.

Plazas are expensive

On the other hand we have the San Jacinto Plaza project downtown.  It will remodel for the umpteenth time the square block.  That project will cost $4.5 million  according to the city and over $7 million according to two of the contractors who bid it.

Who benefits?

The neighborhood park probably will be used by residents of the area.  Who will enjoy the benefits of the plaza?

We deserve better

Brutus

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

Shocking news

January 22, 2014

El Paso Development News published this article about our coming digital wall.

The wall will be located outside the entrance to our museum of history and will be 180 square feet in size.  It will be made up of four electronic screens and will be interactive with the viewer.

We will have the second one in the world like this.  The city sent some staff members to Copenhagen, Denmark to learn about the first one.

All this for only 3 million dollars!

Oops!

Although the digital wall is being funded out of the 2012 quality of life bonds it seems that something was forgotten.

You see the wall is electronic and it will be outside.  According to El Paso Development News:

Museum officials would like to raise another $1 million in order to build an enclosed glass structure around the courtyard that will help protect the Digital Wall and its users from the elements. 

We deserve better

Brutus

12 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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