Fireworks

April 22, 2013

My good friend M. T. Cicero alerted us to  an article in El Diario the other day.  He used Google translation.  Just getting the article was an eye opener, El Diario will now become a source of news about El Paso for me.

I don’t think it would be fair to quote the article directly since Google was used to convert it to English.  It was in the April 18, 2013 edition if you want to read  it  yourself.

The reporter wrote about city council’s decision to close several streets as part of the ball park deal with the railroad.  Evidently school districts, neighbors, and other agencies were not informed by the city.  Government officials and citizens were interview and some of their concerns were discussed.

The manager of El Paso County Water Improvement District Number One spoke of the 532 water users who would evidently suffer because of these closings.

The Ysleta Independent School District (YISD)  learned of the situation from a third party, not from the city.  Students use the Cadwallader street crossing to go to and from Riverside High School.  YISD held an emergency meeting.  Also some 16-22 buses will have to be re-routed.

We don’t know how many others will be affected by the closings yet.

The article tied the closing of the crossings directly to the construction of the ball park and the parking lot east of the new city hall.  It pointed out that city council will be discussing (and probably taking action) on this next Tuesday at 8:30 AM in the downtown library.

We have been writing here about the closings.  Train wreck was our most recent article about them.

Once again the city is acting with disregard for the public.  It appears that there will be some opposition from other agencies at Tuesday’s meeting.

It’s about time.

One more thing.  According to the reporter the city did not return her calls.  Had it been a call from the city’s media outlet and real estate partner The El Paso Times I suspect the call would have been returned.

Let’s vote for a change and for change in May.

We deserve better

Brutus

Leave a Comment » | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

The week of April 21, 2013

April 22, 2013

Monday Brutus wrote Proposition 6, civil.  He did not express an opinion, hoping that someone would give us some information.

Tuesday  in No one will notice I criticized a Times article.  It failed to point out several things about the ball park bond debt.  Instead it acted more as a spokesman for the city, in my opinion.  Proposition 7, waiting for input by Brutus got a nice response from a civil service commission member.

Cato wrote about the hospital district bonds in Heal thyself pointing out that their financial situation is not good and that the bonds will increase our costs.  Then also on Wednesday Brutus wrote about Proposition 8 and once again pointed out that the ballot language was inconsistent with what the city web site says it means.  The civil service commissioner provided some more input in her comment.

Thursday saw Demolishing trust and Proposition 9 by Brutus.  Demolishing trust was an update about the real financial situation relative to the ball park and the moving of city hall.  Proposition 9 was the last of Brutus’ introductory posts about the proposed city charter amendments.

Cato wrote about one of the city manager’s emails in Stacking the votes.  She was attacking a citizen member of the civil service commission because he would not the way she wanted.  That was the only article Friday.

Then on Saturday Cato asked why members of our state legislative group are trying to take away our right to vote.  Another issue might be taken away from the voters was about how the voters of El Paso must currently approve any bailout contributions that would be made to the Fire and Policemen’s Pension Fund.  This legislation would give that power to city council.  Why would some of our state legislators want to do that to us?  Could it be the campaign support that Police and Fire give to them?  Then M. T. Cicero posted El Diario  an article about institutions not consulted by city council when they agreed to close the rail crossings and how El Diario was doing a better job covering what is happening than The El Paso Times is.

Lastly on Sunday Brutus wroteBall park clarification, explaining that he was not against the ball park but was against how it is being done.

Muckraker

Leave a Comment » | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Muckraker

Opening government

April 21, 2013

El Diario de El Paso has done it again.  In an article the other day they wrote about item 27 on the commissioner’s court agenda for April 22, 2013.

The backup material for the item reads:

Discuss and take appropriate action on prohibiting the use of private/personal cellular phones for texting, instant messaging and the use of private electronic communication devices during open meeting by a Court member.

Hallelujah!

An elected official wants to respect the Texas open meetings act.  I thank him.

In the past other elected officials have contended that they have a personal right to receive private communications from family and other people during public meetings.  Maybe they do.  If it becomes necessary for them to communicate with their family during a meeting, they should excuse themselves from the meeting and do it in private.

We have seen through what we commonly call open records requests that elected officials communicate between themselves and staff during public meetings.  How can that be public?  The public is supposed to be able to see and hear all communications relating to the business of the meeting.

I look forward to how the court will handle this matter.

More progress

Also item 14 on the April 23, 2013 city council agenda  would direct the city attorney (hopefully without Scrivener’s help) to draft an ordinance similar to the one in Austin Texas that would make electronic communications with elected city officials and city staff through city owned facilities public property.  I think they already are, but this would be a nice step in the right direction.  I don’t see a proposed ban on the practice council members texting about city business during council meetings.

I note that I did not see a mention of these issues in The El Paso Times, I hope that I just missed it.

We deserve better

Brutus

Leave a Comment » | City government, County Government, El Paso Times, Open Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Ball park clarification

April 21, 2013

OnlyinElPaso posted a comment to Demolishing trust that made me realize that I have some explaining to do.

I have written a few times that I am not against the ball park per se.  I am against the way it was done.

My feeling is that if we had a strong mayor the ball park would have been handled differently.  The mayor would have sat down with the businessmen who made the offer to bring a team to El Paso and would have negotiated a public/private relationship that made more sense.

Time was used as an excuse to try to justify the over $85 million dollars that we have commited to spend relocating city hall.  If the ball park had to be in downtown then property should have been acquired for a different site.  That would have taken time.  I believe that I strong mayor would have been able to convince the owners to wait the year or two involved.

The economics of the ball park deal do not look fair to me either.  The voters are investing all of the money for the facilities.  The city has agreed to pay fully or share in many of  the operating expenses.  The city is giving away parking fees.  I think that the final share of the ticket revenue that the city agreed to is now 10 cents per ticket.  I don’t think that the city gets any portion of the concession revenue.  Public safety expenses appear to be paid by the city.

Maybe I don’t appreciate the economics and a stronger negotiator on the side of the taxpayers would not have been able to do any better than we have ended up.  In that case the ball park does not make sense to me.

I have been opposed to using the city hall site from day one.  My personal opinion is the city manager was bound and determined to get out of that building and the ball park gave her an excuse.  We have been sold down the river.  When the public comes to realize what effect closing 16 rail crossings in town will have, I expect that there will be an outcry, albeit too late.  Read Train wreck for more details.

I am not commenting about the team owners.  I note that they have been consistent in saying that they needed a downtown location.  What I do not remember hearing them say is that they need to be open for next baseball season.  I suspect that they would have been willing to buy the team and leave them in Arizona for a year or two.

I don’t know if the owners got a good deal or not.  What I do know is that the citizens of El Paso did not.

Maybe the May elections will change the direction of city council.

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

El Diario

April 20, 2013

With the El Paso Times conveniently evading the presentation of El Paso City Council shenanigans, the source of information about their doings today is the Juarez Diario Paper.

If you recall, Brutus in Train Wreck April 5, 2013, delineated the “make up” deal the City was forced into because some genius forgot that we didn’t own “all” the land required for the already $120 million invested or committed, Ball Park.  It seems the Railroad owns 8,680 square feet of the proposed location. What businessman would let this happen?  Works with other people’s money, and long employment contracts and a bunch of “d____ies”.   Is this news, Mr El Paso Times Editor Sportswriter?

Well to the rescue, our courageous Council approached the Railroad on bended knee to clear up this miscue.  Traded equivalent of 2 city lots at $27.50 a sq.ft from RR. for 2 adjacent acres for $11.10 a sq.ft.. to RR.  Not bad when u are on 1 bended knee.  Then the kicker: Pow!! Close nine Railroad crossings throughout the city.  On your Hands and knees!  This got pushed through Council in consecutive two weeks with little or no discussion.  No contract, you say . Leave it up to the Miscuer Manager.  We do as she tells us!  Consult with citizens?  Involved property owners?  Worry about School kids?  School Districts?

( Hey, we know better.  We are the progressives.  Please re-elect us).

Did you read about it in the El Paso Times?  Where was our clever Sportswriter Editor?  Isn’t this news.?

The Ysleta Independent School District (YSID) got wind of the Street closures from the El Paso Journal investigating their impact. The YSID Board had an emergency meeting. They knew nothing of the street closures which would cause severe difficulty School Buses with getting kiddos to school among other things. (Take them out to the Ballgame instead, you idiot! Buy them some peanuts and….).

The Water District found out they wouldn’t be able to distribute water to now isolated houses. (Dig them Wells).  Were they consulted?  informed?  Is this news Mr. Joe?

I learned about this in the April 18th, 2013, Juarez Diario News. (from Ms S Ayalla’s facebook page)

Still nothing in the Times.  They ignore the Emergency meeting but today they did report yesterday’s meeting about maintenance problems.  Great stuff.  Two big columns.

I think by now we all know that the El Paso Times which is shrinking in size, circulation and information,  is careful about what they say about the City Council.  Why, I wonder?  In the meantime,  look at Diario.

M. T. Cicero

7 Comments | City government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by M.T. Cicero

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »