Municipal elections in El Paso, Texas (2017)
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| 2017 El Paso elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: February 17, 2017 |
| General election: May 6, 2017 Runoff election: June 10, 2017 & July 15, 2017 Special election: June 10, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor and city council |
| Total seats up: 6 |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
Ethics and government transparency were central issues in the 2017 municipal elections in El Paso, Texas. Mayor Oscar Leeser, District 1 Councilman Peter Svarzbein, District 2 Councilman Jim Tolbert, District 7 Councilwoman Lily Limon, and District 8 Councilwoman Cortney Niland were alleged to have violated the state's Open Meetings Act by attending closed door meetings about proposed locations for a city arena.[1] Learn more about ethics and transparency in city government, the controversy over the arena site, and other issues facing El Paso in 2017 by clicking here.
Just one of the five races held on May 6, 2017, was decided in the general election that day; challenger Henry Rivera unseated incumbent Limon in District 7. None of the candidates in the remaining four races won a majority (50 percent plus one vote) in the general election, so the top two vote-getters in each advanced to a runoff on June 10, 2017. Dee Margo defeated David Saucedo in the mayoral runoff, and Cassandra Hernandez-Brown and Sam Morgan won the city council contests in District 3 and District 4, respectively. Challenger Alexsandra Annello defeated incumbent Jim Tolbert to pick up the District 2 seat. Read more about the runoff election below.[2][3][4]
The runoff election shared the ballot with a special election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of District 8 incumbent Niland. That race advanced to a July 15 runoff election between top two vote-getters Robert Cormell and Cissy Lizarraga. Lizarraga defeated Cormell in the runoff.[5] The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in the special election was May 1, 2017. The candidate filing deadline for the May 6 election was February 17, 2017. Read more about the special election here.[6][7][8][9]
Contents
- 1 Elections
- 2 Special runoff election
- 3 Special election
- 4 Runoff election
- 5 General election
- 6 Campaign finance
- 7 Additional elections on the ballot
Elections[edit]
Special runoff election[edit]
District 8[edit]
Incumbent Cortney Niland announced her resignation from the city council in April 2017.[6]
☐ Robert Cormell
☑ Cecilia "Cissy" Lizarraga
Special election[edit]
District 8[edit]
Incumbent Cortney Niland announced her resignation from the city council in April 2017.[6]
☐ Trinidad "Trini" Acevedo
Robert Cormell
☐ Gilbert Guillen
Cecilia "Cissy" Lizarraga
☐ Adolfo Lopez
Runoff election[edit]
Mayor[edit]Incumbent Oscar Leeser opted not to run for re-election.[2] District 2[edit]☐ Jim Tolbert (i) |
District 3[edit]Incumbent Emma Acosta was not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits.[3] District 4[edit]Incumbent Carl L. Robinson was not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits.[4] |
General election[edit]
Note: Candidates for municipal office in El Paso all run in the general election, rather than first competing in primaries. If a candidate takes a majority of the vote in the general election, he or she wins election. If no candidate wins a majority in the general election, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff election.
Mayor[edit]Incumbent Oscar Leeser opted not to run for re-election.[2] |
District 2[edit]
District 3[edit]Incumbent Emma Acosta was not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits.[3] |
District 4[edit]Incumbent Carl L. Robinson was not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits.[4] District 7[edit]☐ Lilia "Lily" Limon (i) |
Campaign finance[edit]
The figures in the tables below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of May 24, 2017. They are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries.[10]
Mayor[edit]
District 2[edit]
District 3[edit]
District 4[edit]
District 7[edit]
The figures in the table below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of June 3, 2017. They are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries.[11]
District 8[edit]
Additional elections on the ballot[edit]
- See also: Texas elections, 2017
The El Paso Community College District and the El Paso Independent School District held elections on May 6, 2017. Click on the following links to read about their elections:
Issues[edit]
Special election[edit]
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The location of a proposed arena, which was a central point of contention in the regular election in May, also featured in the June special election. Adolfo Lopez favored the city's proposed site in the Duranguito area of Union Plaza while Gilbert Guillen and Trinidad Acevedo opposed it. Robert Cormell and Cissy Lizarraga said they would accept the existing plan in order to move the project forward. Click here to read more about the arena site dispute.[12][13]
The candidates also disagreed about whether Duranguito should be named a historic district. In response to a question from El Paso Inc., Acevedo, Guillen, and Lizarraga said they would vote for a measure to designate the area as a historic district. Cormell and Lopez indicated that they would not. Guillen, who helped establish the Union Plaza Entertainment District in 1994, helped lead a petition drive to put such a measure on the November 2017 ballot.[14][15]
Cormell and Lizarraga, who agreed about how to handle the arena location dispute but disagreed about whether to designate Duranguito as a historic district, were the top two vote-getters in the general election. They advanced to the runoff election on July 15, 2017.
Runoff election[edit]
Mayor[edit]
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Although mayoral elections in El Paso are officially nonpartisan, both of the 2017 runoff candidates were associated with the Republican Party.[16] El Paso traditionally leans Democratic, and some Democratic Party leaders emphasized the option of not voting in the mayoral race.[17] "Both [Dee Margo and David Saucedo] are Republican and don't hold the same values as Democratic values," El Paso County Democratic Party Chair Iliana Holguin said. "We are trying to inform people and educate them that there is a third option [of not voting in the mayoral race]."[18]
Margo and Saucedo both criticized Holguin's position:[19]
- Dee Margo: "That [Holguin's position] is very disappointing. First of all, this is a non-partisan election. It should not have any basis whether we are Republican or Democrat from our prior lives or our historical voting preferences."
- David Saucedo: "This is another example of party over the people. And at a moment when voter apathy is at an all time high and people need to come out and vote, to be advocating for something like that is really unfortunate. And I believe the people of El Paso deserve better."
The candidates were also at odds with each other in the lead up to the runoff election. KVIA reported that Saucedo made allegations of corruption in city government, including bribes and preferential treatment, at a May 2017 debate with Margo. Mayor Oscar Leeser and Councilmembers Emma Acosta, Michiel Noe, Claudia Ordaz, Peter Svarzbein, and Jim Tolbert subsequently endorsed Margo, and Saucedo said, "It's not a surprise [that they endorsed Margo]. The minute I mention corruption, we came out on the news all of a sudden birds of a feather flock together. And all these people came together. And they are just going to perpetuate the culture of corruption."[20] Margo later opted not to participate in further debates or candidate forums with Saucedo. He told KVIA, "Our platform of holding the line on taxes, on time and on budget bond projects, repairing our streets, and bringing new jobs to El Paso, resonated with the community. Mr. Saucedo's recent accusations do not provide any productive solutions to our city's issues."[21]
Both candidates made suggestions for addressing issues facing El Paso. Click "show" on the bars below to view proposals they offered in response to questions from El Paso Inc.[22][23]
| Where should the arena go and what is your assessment of the city’s progress on the quality of life bond projects? | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Response |
| Dee Margo | "We aren't moving as fast as we should be. The longer we're delayed, the more costly it's going to be, and we need to get those implemented. Frankly, what I'd like to do on City Council is put that as a regular agenda item for a report at every meeting on the status of these projects so everybody understands what’s going on. I'm talking about all the projects. The signature projects should be done – should be started, at least. As far as where the arena is, the studies all point to that. What I've heard from architects that are aware of cultural treasures and historical preservation is that this arena is not going to harm, for the most part, any of those cultural treasures in the Duranguito area. |
| David Saucedo | "Personally, I'd still rather see it in the railyards behind city hall or we can expand the Downtown boundaries. The renderings for Plan El Paso in 2006 were beautiful; they developed that entire area. I'm not sure of the reason we changed it. Perhaps political expediency. Who knows? The city botched the arena rollout. I think that got people very upset about how it was handled. The quality of life projects in general are coming in under budget, and that's a big concern for me because all these things were promised to the voters as being world-class. But there's not enough money for the Mexican-American Cultural Center or the children's museum. |
| Do you think the city should join El Paso County in suing the state over S.B. 4, the so-called sanctuary cities bill? | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Response |
| Dee Margo | "We're not a sanctuary city. Our police chief has said he has neither the resources nor the manpower to enforce immigration. They cooperate with our federal officials to whatever extent is required. I think it's the Schaefer Amendment that said you could make an inquiry for a traffic stoplight violation. Before, it was only a felony or a criminal stop. The Schaefer Amendment got in there. I'm not in favor of S.B. 4 at all, period. It doesn't require a police department to do that, and if it doesn't require it, and the Police Department says we're not in the business of doing that, then we're not going to do it. |
| David Saucedo | "I think it's a good idea, and we should use local attorneys to join in the lawsuit. We should come together and fight the law that Dee Margo originally supported." |
| What do you want to do about taxes? | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Response |
| Dee Margo | "Well, I don't want 'em to go up; that's the bottom line. Given the revenue estimates, we'll have to budget accordingly. No, I'm not in favor of increased taxes. Everything you're saying is correct, and we're going to be heading into two different utilities wanting rate increases. We're going to have to get into that and determine how it's going to be handled." |
| David Saucedo | "First and foremost, we need to hold the line and at the same time expand the small business owners here in town to be able to find success. I have a commercial property plan to fully abate your tax bill for the first two years if you meet certain criteria to do building improvements. Then, with the new, higher appraised taxable value, you'll be taxed at 25 percent for the third year, fourth year 50 percent and 75 percent the fifth year until the sixth year. |
| Do have any ideas about how to address road problems?[24] | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Response |
| Dee Margo | "I was reading where Houston has the same issue, and Mayor Sylvester Turner put a priority on it, put a team on it and they're out doing pothole repairs and street replacements. They put a real focus on it, and it's like a war. Let's prioritize this and marshal all the resources. The key is figuring out the issues and then figuring out how to implement the solutions. I'm not going to be able to implement solutions until I'm elected mayor." |
| David Saucedo | "It goes back to economic development, being able to flip the 60 percent tax burden from the homeowner onto the commercial tax base. If we can identify the new industries that come into El Paso, these are things that will help find more money to do more things. Another thing is we need to start looking at helping private partnerships of certain departments and start saving money for the taxpayer and doing things that really matter and are important – such as fixing sidewalks." |
City Council District 2[edit]
|
District 2 challenger Alexsandra Annello made ethics and government transparency centerpieces of her campaign. Her opponent in the runoff, incumbent Jim Tolbert, was under investigation for his participation in a meeting that allegedly violated the Texas Open Meetings Act. Annello told the El Paso Times, "I have said so many times that the people in this district really feel like they have been misrepresented. Mr. Tolbert came in on this cloud that he was going to be an ethical candidate and bring more transparency, and we have not gotten that. We are seeing a lot of frustration from the residents. I want to be that representative to make them proud of their community again, and I am looking forward to the runoff."[25] Click here to read more about the Open Meetings Act investigation.
Tolbert emphasized other issues, such as infrastructure. "I think the big issue for most people is the streets and sidewalks," he told KVIA. "And I have recently discovered the standard by which the city paves streets is really skewed to helping the east side and the west side. And we need to make that change so it is helping more of central El Paso where the infrastructure is just in terrible shape."[26]
Tolbert had the backing of AFSCME, Black El Paso Democrats, and Paso Del Norte Tejano Democrats in his bid for re-election.[27] Annello was endorsed by Annie's List and the El Paso Times.[28][29]
City Council District 3[edit]
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District 3 runoff candidates Jaime Barceleau and Cassandra Hernandez-Brown both supported building the city's planned arena in Duranguito and shared priorities such as economic development and public safety. Hernandez-Brown also emphasized restoring trust in the city council and improving its working relationships with other city offices. Barceleau stressed the importance of engaging residents in local government affairs.[30][31][32]
Barcleau had the backing of the Greater El Paso Association of Realtors, the Rio Grande branch of the National Association of Social Workers, state Sen. Jose Rodriguez, former state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, state Rep. Cesar Blanco, El Paso County Commissioner Carlos Leon, El Paso Independent School District Trustee Alfonso Velarde, and former El Paso Mayor Joe Wardy.[33] Hernandez-Brown received endorsements from Annie's List, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, the El Paso County Sheriff's Officers Association, El Paso Fire Fighters IAFF Local 51, the El Paso Municipal Police Officers' Association, the El Paso Times, and the Texas Latina List.[34]
City Council District 4[edit]
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District 4 is home to Cohen Stadium, a venue that had hosted city festivals and minor league baseball’s El Paso Diablos. Runoff contenders Shane Haggerty and Sam Morgan thought the space could be repurposed to revitalize the district. Both candidates were supportive of a proposal to remake the stadium as a concert venue and event space.[35]
They took a less unified position on another proposed use for the stadium. Morgan was open to the possibility of building the city's arena at Cohen Stadium rather than the currently planned downtown location. Haggerty, on the other hand, was concerned that moving the arena outside downtown could prompt lawsuits against the city.[36]
Haggerty was endorsed by general election opponent Diana Ramos, the El Paso Municipal Police Officers' Association, and the El Paso Times in his bid for election to the city council.[37][38][39] Morgan had the support of AFSCME, Black El Paso Democrats, Eastside Democrats of El Paso, the El Paso History Alliance, and the Northeast Democratic Party Association.[40]
General election[edit]
Campaign priorities[edit]
The Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce surveyed the May 2017 candidates about their views on the most important issues facing the city. Click "show" on the bar below to view the survey responses available as of April 25, 2017.[41]
| What are the three most pressing issues facing your district? In 100 words or less, how do you propose to address those issues? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Candidate | Response |
| Mayor | Emma Acosta | "Taxes, Streets, and Economic Development. We must continue to find efficiencies and savings within city government. We must also inform the public of the issues facing our city and provide them an opportunity to engage with their government. The first is to formulate a short term and a long-term plan to address each of these issues along with the cost of both the short term and long term plan and have public input on how they want to address these issues. I believe that getting the public involved by providing them necessary information would aide council in making those decisions." |
| Mayor | Willie Cager |
"• Lack of Infrastructure (increases / retention needed)
• Job Creation (better type of jobs)
• Restoring Public Trust in our City Government – (transparency and accountability)" |
| Mayor | Dee Margo | "Taxes – Hold the line on taxes. Prioritize funding needs, and complete projects on time and within budget. Economic Development (Jobs) – The Mayor should be an Ambassador for jobs and I will work with community leaders to recruit more industry to our region. Job recruitment is key to the growth of the economic tax base. |
| Mayor | Jaime O. Perez |
"1. Mismanagement (Unsustainable Municipal Debt); |
| Mayor | David Saucedo | "There are several pressing issues that the City of El Paso faces such as rising property taxes and utility rates. I will work with council to develop more creative funding options to deliver Quality of Life projects through Public Private Partnerships reducing the burden on the tax payers. Utility rate increases are primarily due to the growth of our population and the urban sprawl towards the East Side of El Paso. As mayor, I would examine reducing the annexing of land into the City of El Paso that burdens the utility infrastructure." |
| City Council District 2 |
Jim Tolbert (i) |
"1. Our streets are in disrepair and the delays in implementing the 2012 Street Capital Improvement Plan have made the situation worse. 2 weeks ago, Council gave new direction to do a pavement study and reprioritize the street repairs. I will continue to work with CID and the rest of the Council to get the program moving forward for District 2 and El Paso. Much of the economic development in El Paso has happened outside of District. |
| City Council District 2 |
Alexsandra Annello | "The three most pressing issues facing District 2 include addressing transparency and accountability in leadership, street improvements, and economic development.
The current representative faces criminal investigation for allegedly breaking open meetings laws and his predecessor was found to have violated ethics rules. I commit to strictly adhere to straightforward laws and rules governing ethical behavior. I intend on working with City leaders to restore $18.4 million in street funds that were misappropriated and ensure staff has the resources to track projects and meet community and budgetary needs. A sound economic development strategy includes incentives for both large and small businesses." |
| City Council District 3 |
Jaime Barceleau | "55% of district 3 voters say street conditions are the top priority, 12% say taxes and 11% say public safety. I will work with council, the city manager, and citizens to review/develop/update priorities in each of these areas.
|
| City Council District 3 |
Cassandra Hernandez-Brown | "The three most pressing issues identified by voters as I have knocked on their doors is streets in poor condition, high taxes and stalled Quality of life projects. Residents have attributed the lack of action on their priorities to City Council’s poor planning, lack of appropriate oversight and accountability and lack of focus. I propose to address these concerns by focusing on priorities identified by District 3 residents, advocating for more robust budget planning sessions and the reinstatement of Legislative Review Committees to fully vet projects to ensure they are in line with strategic priorities." |
| City Council District 3 |
Antonio Williams | "Roads, Streetlights, and Public Safety
My platform is designed to address issues of accountability between the city council, mayor, city manager, and department heads. I would move council to restore the mayor’s power to hold department heads accountable with the power of termination by amending the city charter. Second, establish an ombudsman’s office to investigate constituent and public employees concerns about city government deficiencies. Third, provide a process by which the people of El Paso directly elect the city police chief and city attorney which will help further establish the public’s trust in law enforcement and help facilitate a direct dialogue with the public to improve public safety." |
| City Council District 4 |
Sam Morgan | "The three most pressing issues facing my district are:
|
| City Council District 4 |
Jose Plasencia | "Economic Growth, Flooding and Roads, City Investment.
Bringing smart growth in the NorthEast rather than building out. I support Green Infrastructure that reduces flash flooding, improves air quality, beautifies the area and slows road deterioration that would save thousands of dollars. I believe we must repurpose Cohen Stadium in a Local Artisan Green Market/ Amphitheater in order to bring much needed investments to the area also generating revenue for the city. Offering incentive packages and reduce permit cost we could grow small businesses in the Northeast to bring about economic opportunity." |
| City Council District 4 |
Diana Ramos |
"1. Cohen Stadium - Whether it's a waterpark, event center, sports complex or amphitheater, it is time to put this space to use and make sure the public is invested in its success. |
| City Council District 7 |
Henry Rivera | "The 3 issues affecting Dist. 7:
1. Transparency: Due to the ongoing Criminal Investigation by The Texas Rangers & lack of voter confidence, I will uphold my oath of office to the highest ethical, integrity, & lawful standards. |
Arena site dispute[edit]
El Paso residents voted in 2012 to approve $473 million in bonds for quality of life projects in the city.[42] $180 million of that total was earmarked for a new multipurpose arena. In October 2016, the city council approved siting the arena in the downtown Union Plaza area. Objections from residents who would be displaced by the development and the discovery that the Union Plaza neighborhood Duranguito could be historically significant sparked controversy and divided the 2017 candidates for city office.[43][44]
The participants in a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of El Paso and the local PBS station, KCOS-TV, were asked whether they supported using the Union Plaza location for the arena. Click "show" on the bar below to view a summary of their responses, including the proposals for alternative locations offered by opponents of the Union Plaza site. Candidates marked with an asterisk (*) indicated during the forum that, ideally, they preferred not to move forward with the arena at all.[45]
| Positions of 2017 candidates on the arena location | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Candidate | Supports Union Plaza location | Proposed alternative location |
| Mayor | Emma Acosta | Yes | - |
| Mayor | Jorge Artalejo | No | - |
| Mayor | Willie Cager | No | Northeast |
| Mayor | Dee Margo | Yes | - |
| Mayor | Elisa Morales | No | Northeast |
| Mayor | Jaime O. Perez* | No | Northeast |
| Mayor | David Saucedo | No | Another downtown location |
| Mayor | Charlie Stapler | No | - |
| City Council District 2 |
Jim Tolbert (i) | Yes | - |
| City Council District 2 |
Alexsandra Annello | No | - |
| City Council District 2 |
Jud Burgess* | No | Northeast (Lincoln Park or Cohen Stadium) |
| City Council District 3 |
Jaime Barceleau | Yes | - |
| City Council District 3 |
Elias Camacho | No | Northeast |
| City Council District 3 |
Cassandra Hernandez-Brown | Yes | - |
| City Council District 3 |
Louis Pellicano | No | Northeast (Cohen Stadium) |
| City Council District 3 |
Antonio Williams | No | Northeast |
| City Council District 4 |
Shane Haggerty | Yes | - |
| City Council District 4 |
Sam Morgan | No | Northeast (Cohen Stadium) |
| City Council District 4 |
Jose Plasencia | No | Northeast (Cohen Stadium) |
| City Council District 4 |
Diana Ramos | Yes | - |
| City Council District 7 |
Lily Limon (i) | No | Northeast (Cohen Stadium) |
| City Council District 7 |
Henry Rivera | Yes | - |
Ethics, government transparency, and government performance[edit]
A December 2016 meeting about proposed locations for the arena led to ethics investigations for Mayor Oscar Leeser and Councilmembers Lily Limon, Cortney Niland, Peter Svarzbein, and Jim Tolbert. Jud Burgess, who filed for Tolbert's District 2 seat, and David Aviles-Rodriguez, who completed preliminary paperwork for a mayoral run but did not officially file, alleged that the officials violated the state's Open Meetings Act by forming a "rolling" or "walking" quorum without opening the meeting to the public.[46][1]
The Texas Rangers, a state law enforcement agency, opened an investigation into the allegations in January 2017.[1] That investigation, which was ongoing as of April 2017, came while the Rangers were also looking into allegations of illegal payments to city manager Tommy Gonzalez and inappropriate communications about city contracts between the CEO of a financial advisory firm and Tolbert's predecessor Larry Romero.[47][48][49]
The participants in the League of Women Voters-KCOS-TV candidate forum were asked to grade the city government's recent performance. Many who gave poor marks cited ongoing investigations, ethical violations, and lack of government transparency as part of the reason for their grades. Click "show" on the bar below to view the grades the candidates gave the city council and the explanations they offered for their grades.[45]
| Positions of 2017 candidates on city government performance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Candidate grading the city council | Grade | Rationale the candidate offered for his or her grade |
| Mayor | Emma Acosta | D | "One of the things that I really was appalled by was the secret meetings that the four city representatives and the mayor had. And I want to say that I was not party to that. But I think if we're going to be accountable and we're going to be transparent, it starts with us. We are the ones that have to make sure that, if we're going to have a meeting, that we publicize that meeting, that we invite the community and we tell them what it's about and not go around having secret meetings, which is exactly what happened. Obviously, it's under investigation now, criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers. That is not something that we want our city to be known as. It is something that has gone statewide, and with that, I believe that was something that really was a black eye for us. I want to make sure that, if I get elected, that is not going to happen. And, as far as a grade level, I think it would be a low grade because that is simply something that we should not tolerate and the community should not tolerate." |
| Mayor | Jorge Artalejo | No grade given | NA |
| Mayor | Willie Cager | D | No rationale given |
| Mayor | Dee Margo | D or worse | "Everyone knows that city council is portrayed as very dysfunctional, and when you're dealing with pettiness and immaturity at times and the things that have gone on in the past, my position on things is that, from a governance standpoint, there needs to be civility and respect, mutual respect. You agree how you're going to handle it, and you follow Robert's Rules to the nth degree. But also, if you're a participant there and you're a member of it, then, from my vantage point, you're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem. When someone's been there for eight years and it's still rated by their estimation a D, then, you know, I wonder, what changes." |
| Mayor | Elisa Morales | Ability to work together: D Ability to work with the city: F |
"While there were members that violated the Open Meetings Act, that is indicative also that they're not even able to work with their peers... In federal policy, when you pass a big bill, you get public consultation, you get public comment before. With this big bond that had passed, public comment came a year after." |
| Mayor | Jaime O. Perez | No grade given | NA |
| Mayor | David Saucedo | F | "I think the reason that there's a lot of dysfunction at City Hall is all stemming from the arena, right? And you look at the time that the arena vote was taken and nothing happened, there was complete silence for 68 days until there was a threat of a recall, right? And then you had a city council representative that got excited, and that's where the Open Meetings Act violations happened. Because, again, that was my definition of pandering 101. Do I think the people on the city council are bad people? Absolutely not. I think a lot of the people that run for office are good people, I think they have good intentions in mind. However, with what we have seen transpire in front of us, you know, I think there's an F for just the failure to stick to your guns, to do what you believe in, and to do what you believe is right. And I think that it was pandering. Look, although I'm happy that the arena site was moved, the manner in which it was done was wrong. And now there's been a political price to pay, not only for our city council members and the mayor but for the entire city of El Paso. This is a black eye, and that's why I think the vast majority of us are running." |
| Mayor | Charlie Stapler | Individually: C- As a group: D- |
"I've had dealings with each and every member on a one-to-one basis in the city council, and including the mayor, and I've seen them in action as a group." |
| City Council District 2 |
Jim Tolbert (i) | Self: A Council as a whole: B |
"There's a lot of good things going on that might not be understood right now. For example, it's the things that are going on downtown are just incredible. You have the Bassett building, you have the Martin building, you have the Old (...) building, you have the Camino Real. All of these things, which are treasures to El Paso, are being remodeled and brought into pristine state again. So that's what's important to understand. And as far as how council is working together, I think for the most part we have worked together very well, and we will continue to do that. I think we've had to make some hard choices, some tough choices, and indeed will keep on doing that. We have economic development in mind. Most of our decisions, I think all of our decisions, have been majority or unanimous votes about that, and I'm happy to be part of that." |
| City Council District 2 |
Alexsandra Annello | B | "I believe that our city council has struggled to make tough decisions, but I do believe that, with the right leadership, the council will be able to work together. I think we've seen a lot of bickering amongst councilmembers. A big issue I have is—you know, we are very fortunate to have a really strong news media in El Paso, and one only has to read, watch, or listen to the news to understand the problems that our council is having. For example, criminal investigations. And that only serves to drive away potential business from our city... I also want to say that I think it's important to recognize that this is a democracy, and you're not going to agree with everyone. And it's important to understand the successes that the councilmembers have had, even if you do disagree with them." |
| City Council District 2 |
Jud Burgess | C- or D+ | "The reason I'm being so harsh on them is because they really have misspent El Pasoans' dollars. Jim [Tolbert] says that this arena is, that it's by law that we have to keep it in downtown. They've been going back and forth, 'It's gotta be a thousand feet from the convention center,' 'Oh, it's gotta, no, hotels have to be a thousand feet within the convention center.' This city council... This council has had to have eight different meetings with city leaders to explain exactly how this arena works, and, to me, they're not getting it, they're not understanding what's going on in downtown. And when they say that the voters voted for it, yeah, we voted for it, but there was ambiguous language, it didn't mention anything about it having to be in downtown on the ballot. And so there's lawsuits that are being threatened right now because there's nothing that indicated it had to be downtown. I believe that they've made decisions and they've made deals with people in downtown right now, and they can't get out of them and they're worried about their own careers." |
| City Council District 3 |
Jaime Barceleau | C | "I think things started going out pretty good, then there seemed to be a deterioration. There was a lot of controversy going around with what was happening with the city manager, with the city representative Larry Romero, and now we have these other things going on with the arena and stuff. And there seems to be a little bit of disjointed effort going on with city council. For me to say what I like, well, there's a lot of investment that has happened in the city, a tremendous amount of private and public investment, and it's from all sectors—the private sector is doing a lot of things downtown, the two large school districts have big bonds, the city's got the bonds going on. So, there's a lot of things happening, and I think we've got a lot of building on in El Paso. And it's by us, for us, so there's a lot of excitement. I would certainly like to see a whole lot more cooperation because it does appear, from where I'm sitting, that there's a lot of infighting going on and bickering [on the city council], and I'm saying that I can bring leadership that the voters can trust." |
| City Council District 3 |
Elias Camacho | C | "I think that we have lost common sense in many of the things that are being done. We have also lost respect for the taxpayer, not properly spending the money. Priorities are out of whack. Very often, the city council can't make their mind up, to do one thing or do the other. We passed bonds to spend money for a specific project, and it takes 5, 7 years before we can get it going. And then it costs much more than what it did originally." |
| City Council District 3 |
Cassandra Hernandez-Brown | B | "The city has seen some rapid growth, and I think that can be attributed to city council decisions. But, for the most part, I'm dissatisfied with the decisions that we have recently seen and headlines like the use of certificate of obligations for pet projects. It is clear that we've already fully vetted quality of life projects, and the irresponsible use of certificate of obligations for non-emergency-related projects is something that is really discouraging and that's something that I plan to address. The use of certificate of obligations should be used for emergencies, like fixing your streets, like repairing garages that are dilapidated or falling apart. So, we need to be responsible with planning, we need to be responsible with budgeting. And these are just examples of poor planning. So, if we put city council representatives that understand, that are transparent, and that are competent, then you will see better outcomes with projects and you will see them come to fruition." |
| City Council District 3 |
Louis Pellicano | No grade given | NA |
| City Council District 3 |
Antonio Williams | B+ | "I don't think it's perfect, but there are some things that I'm very happy that the city's done. I'm happy that they implemented that no cell phone [at the city council dais] policy, which was an issue about trust and transparency with city council. I'm very grateful for how they've worked with this Civil Service Commission. We've passed a whole bunch of policies and have made rule changes that have empowered city employees in ways they've never been empowered before, such as not letting the HR [Human Resources] director be also the secretary of the Civil Service Commission. That was a due process concern, a constitutional issue, that a lot of people really appreciated. And I was one of the, I was the vice chair of the Civil Service Commission that helped to spearhead that effort. We've done a lot to ask the city to evaluate their supervisors' practices, for how it is that they are reprimanding their employees and whether or not they're being consistent and fair. And what the city did in response was they did the investigation, found errors, and then set up a plan to re-educate and retrain their supervisors. I'm really happy with them about that. I appreciate their efforts to revitalize downtown. It has not been perfect, and I have issues on my platform to address that, but the stuff that has gotten done looks really nice, and it gives us all a sense of pride and we should embrace that. I appreciate the fact that the city also promotes city festivals, which have substantially increased our quality of life." |
| City Council District 4 |
Shane Haggerty | D | "When it comes to transparency, Ysleta [Independent School District] has led the way. It's been a tough fight, but we've led the way in transparency and there's been a lot of policies that we've put in place to make sure that the community can trust us, they know what's going on. They did trust us enough to give us a $430 million bond. Unlike the city that's had theirs for five years and projects are coming in past due, over budget, every one of our projects has come in on time, under budget. Every one of our projects that can be done locally has been done locally. This Open Meetings Act violation issue is something that should have never happened. They should have received that training six months after they got elected and should have known what was going on. We shouldn't have Texas Rangers here investigating our city council... I can't go with an F because things are getting done. The stadium did get built, we have clean water, we do have streets." |
| City Council District 4 |
Sam Morgan | F | "There's been a lot of issues that just have not happened that should have happened. One is lack of policy setting. If you take a look at the last city council, the major issues that took place with previous city councils, you saw quality of life bonds pass, you saw the stadium built, you saw city employees receive health care benefits for same-sex marriages. There's just a lack of transparency and just a loss of trust with this current city council. We obviously have an issue with the city manager as well. We provided the city manager with a significant pay raise without ever having an annual performance appraisal actually conducted on him. That, in itself, is something that I do not feel is right." |
| City Council District 4 |
Jose Plasencia | C- | "I go back to what Mr. Williams said about having a lot of events in downtown and bringing in revenue. I also think that the Placita took too long, and I think there needs to be more transparency in downtown. So far, there hasn't been. I certainly don't agree with what's going on right now in the Duranguito area, and I think people should be more responsible in city council and I think also other people should also know what's going on and let the people know what is going on." |
| City Council District 4 |
Diana Ramos | D | "There has been a lack of cohesion, there has been a lack of focus, there has been a flip-flopping of decisions that have cost taxpayers money, in surveying a location for the arena. I think we need to be able to count on our leadership to have the right information and disseminate the right information and have the public input to get any project off the ground. So, once you don't have the public trust, once you don't have the public believing that you're providing the right information, that's the problem that we've seen with this council and the lack of trust and transparency. Government 101 is dealing with this transparency issue, and we've seen the Placita take more than was allotted for completion. We've seen a phishing scam. We've seen a flip-flop in decisions." |
| City Council District 7 |
Lily Limon (i) | Self: A+ Council: B |
"Walk a mile in my shoes, and you'll understand what the job really entails. When you look at what we have been able to do as a council and have overcome incredible issues, the inefficiencies that exist through various leadership roles that have been there, I will stand very firm on the fact that I believe that this council deserves and should get a B. It's only when you know what you're talking about and you've walked the walk that you really understand it. The beautiful thing about our country is everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And so for anyone to equate any kind of a question or investigation as a criminal activity shows very deep lacking sensitivity, knowledge, and especially coming from a law enforcement officer [like challenger Henry Rivera]. I think that the council has accomplished many things. I'm very proud of Mayor Leeser and the work that he has done and the familiarization tours. There's a lot of good stuff, but it's the bad things, especially as presented by the media, that makes it that black eye that some people seem to think that they [the city council] carry... As a full time representative, the first three years of my service, we were meeting every week. So, if you kinda look at that as, let's round it up to 50 meetings a year. So, if we had 150 council meetings, I attended 148." |
| City Council District 7 |
Henry Rivera | F | "They're under current criminal investigation due to the arena. The open meetings that have been carried on. It's an embarrassment to this community, it's an embarrassment to El Paso as a whole and the businesses trying to come in and invest here in this community... that is the main issue on my plate here: just having a dark cloud over you, over this community, with a criminal investigation." |
The two subjects of the Open Meetings Act investigation who were running for re-election in 2017 were also given the opportunity to tell their sides of the story. They said:
- District 2 Councilman Jim Tolbert: "There was two separate meetings, one held by the mayor, one held by Ms. Limon. There were never more than three members of the city council in the room at one time nor was there ever any time when we talked together before the meetings and said we've gotta make sure that we don't have a quorum. It just simply didn't happen. So, of the three complaints, and Mr. Burgess filed two of them, of those three complaints, two have been dismissed, and I'm pretty confident that the third one will also be dismissed. I'm here to serve the people of El Paso and the people in my district, so I'm gonna ask questions and I'm going to talk to different people and I'm going to make sure that I have the right answers and I'm getting the right information so that I can do the best thing for you."[45]
- District 7 Councilwoman Lily Limon: "The beautiful thing about our country is everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And so for anyone to equate any kind of a question or investigation as a criminal activity shows very deep lacking sensitivity, knowledge, and especially coming from a law enforcement officer [like challenger Henry Rivera]... it's the bad things, especially as presented by the media, that makes it that black eye that some people seem to think that they [the city council] carry."[45]
Ballotpedia surveyed the candidates about the specifics of their proposals for ensuring ethical conduct and government transparency in city government.
| Do you think more needs to be done to promote government transparency in El Paso? Does the city need to make changes to its existing ethical guidelines? If so, what do you think the city should do? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Candidate | Response |
| Mayor | Jorge Artalejo | "The city should always be promoting government transparency, otherwise how will someone like me know what issue to petition the government, one of sacred fundamental constitutional abilities gained with acceptance of the Constitutional Convention's work of the summer of 1787, added subsequent by amendment by the first Congress in 1790. Incidentally 1987 was the year of my admittance to the Jesuit school in Washington. The city doesn't necessary need to make changes to its existing ethical guidelines. What changes should be made should be of the participants who acted as the voice of ethics by way of their selection by each district and by way of the mayor as members of the board. Perhaps more specific criteria should be established for participation as a member of the commission." |
| Mayor | Jaime O. Perez | "No" |
| Mayor | Charlie Stapler | "Allow the city council to be more transparent by statute or ordinance. Give the people a voice in their city government by going out to them." |
Street conditions[edit]
Many of the participants in the League of Women Voters-KCOS-TV forum listed street conditions as a top concern for city residents. Specific issues they cited included potholes, insufficient street lighting, inconsistent median quality, and inadequate lane striping. Some of the candidates offered proposals for improving city infrastructure in their answers at the candidate forum or their responses to the Chamber of Commerce's survey:
| Proposals for improving city infrastructure from 2017 candidates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Candidate | Proposal |
| Mayor | Emma Acosta | "We must continue to find efficiencies and savings within city government. We must also inform the public of the issues facing our city and provide them an opportunity to engage with their government. The first is to formulate a short term and a long-term plan to address each of these issues along with the cost of both the short term and long term plan and have public input on how they want to address these issues. I believe that getting the public involved by providing them necessary information would aide council in making those decisions."[41] |
| City Council District 2 |
Alexsandra Annello | "I intend on working with City leaders to restore $18.4 million in street funds that were misappropriated and ensure staff has the resources to track projects and meet community and budgetary needs."[41] |
| City Council District 3 |
Jaime Barceleau | "55% of district 3 voters say street conditions are the top priority, 12% say taxes and 11% say public safety. I will work with council, the city manager, and citizens to review/develop/update priorities in each of these areas. 1. Review/update the current street improvement plan and prioritize future projects."[41] |
| City Council District 3 |
Cassandra Hernandez-Brown | "The three most pressing issues identified by voters as I have knocked on their doors is streets in poor condition, high taxes and stalled Quality of life projects. Residents have attributed the lack of action on their priorities to City Council’s poor planning, lack of appropriate oversight and accountability and lack of focus. I propose to address these concerns by focusing on priorities identified by District 3 residents, advocating for more robust budget planning sessions and the reinstatement of Legislative Review Committees to fully vet projects to ensure they are in line with strategic priorities."[41] |
| City Council District 3 |
Antonio Williams | "I think every person whose door I've knocked on has been concerned about the conditions of our roads throughout District 3. But my platform, I think, helps to directly address those issues because I'm trying to increase the ability for us to hold people accountable who are responsible for improving our streets. So my platform is calling for us to increase the mayor's power to hold department heads accountable, to put term limits on our city manager, and to establish an ombudsman's office to help investigate concerns from the city."[45] |
| City Council District 4 |
Sam Morgan | "Streets and sidewalks: I plan to develop a more accountable approach to street and sidewalk repairs and construction."[41] |
| City Council District 4 |
Jose Plasencia | "I support Green Infrastructure that reduces flash flooding, improves air quality, beautifies the area and slows road deterioration that would save thousands of dollars."[41] |
| City Council District 4 |
Diana Ramos | "Infrastructure - assure that Capital Improvement plans for resurfacing of streets are timely, address neighborhood lighting, signage, speeding deterrents, sustainable storm water drainage, and ensure connectivity of major traffic arteries (e.g. Sean Haggerty to Stonebridge)."[41] |
| City Council District 7 |
Lily Limon (i) | "The fact that we have a plan that was developed in 2012 for the allocation of resurfacing and reconstruction of streets, I think is a fair and adequate plan that allowed us to look at what were the priorities, what were the issues. And we were able to discern areas. I can tell you [...] Street were originally scheduled to be reconstructed, but with the floods of 2006, the money was moved away, unfortunately, and never came back... and that's one of the priorities. We need to say, if funds were allocated to a district, then those funds need to stay active with that district."[45] |
| City Council District 7 |
Henry Rivera | "Streets - Potholes/Lighting: Support a Street Pavement Management Program & Comprehensive Street Plan. Implement a citywide pavement assessment to prioritize funding for capital decisions."[41] |
Ballotpedia also surveyed the candidates about the specifics of their proposals for addressing infrastructure problems in El Paso. The table below presents their responses.
| In a forum hosted by KCOS and the League of Women Voters of El Paso, candidates listed the condition of city streets as a top concern for El Paso residents. What would you do to ensure that the issues with the city's streets were addressed? How do you think the city should fund work on streets and other infrastructure? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Candidate | Response |
| Mayor | Jorge Artalejo | "I don't recall I haven't mentioned city streets as my top concern for El Paso residents. Though perhaps had I thought through with associates what could be a top priority for El Paso, we would have concluded El Paso streets as this first concern. With a brain trust, however, as an elected representative for all of El Paso, this top concern of the candidates could become my top concern, too. When this becomes the case, I would establish with whatever staff I assembled a working group to the issue. Ascertaining by it the feasibility of obtaining funds from Washington, as the president proceeds forward with his plans for national infrastructure revitalization." |
| Mayor | Jaime O. Perez | "Repurpose bond issue" |
| Mayor | Charlie Stapler | "At the present time only one percent of the streets in El Paso are reconstructed each year. We need to increase this by many times." |
About the city[edit]
- See also: El Paso, Texas
El Paso is a city located in El Paso County, Texas. As of 2013, its population was 674,433.[50]
City government[edit]
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of El Paso uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[51]
Demographics[edit]
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic data for El Paso, Texas (2015) | ||
|---|---|---|
| El Paso | Texas | |
| Total population: | 676,325 | 27,429,639 |
| Land area (square miles): | 255 | 261,232 |
| Race and ethnicity[52] | ||
| White: | 83.7% | 74.9% |
| Black/African American: | 3.7% | 11.9% |
| Asian: | 1.2% | 4.2% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 2.5% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 79.9% | 38.4% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 78% | 81.9% |
| College graduation rate: | 23.2% | 27.6% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $42,772 | $53,207 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 20.9% | 19.9% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) | ||
Recent news[edit]
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms El Paso Texas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also[edit]
| El Paso, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 KVIA, "Texas Rangers Investigating Possible Violation of Texas Open Meetings Act," January 20, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 El Paso Times, "Mayor Oscar Leeser Will Not Seek Re-Election," July 28, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 KISS.FM, "City Rep Emma Acosta Confirms She Is Running for Mayor," October 3, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 El Paso Times, "YISD Trustee Haggerty to Seek City Council Seat," November 15, 2016
- ↑ El Paso County Elections, "Unofficial Final Election Results," July 15, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 KTSM, "City Council Representative Cortney Niland Resigns," April 4, 2017
- ↑ KVIA, "Special Election to Fill District 8 City Council Seat Set for June 10th," April 18, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Times, "City Council Set to See New Faces; Incumbent Tolbert Trails," June 10, 2017
- ↑ City of El Paso, "May 6, 2017 General Election," accessed April 28, 2017
- ↑ City of El Paso, "May 6, 2017 - General Election Campaign Reports," accessed May 24, 2017
- ↑ City of El Paso, "June 10, 2017 - District 8 Special Election Campaign Reports," accessed June 3, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Downtown Arena Point of Contention for District 8 Candidates," May 28, 2017
- ↑ KFOX14, "District 8 Candidates Address How They Want Arena Project to Proceed," June 1, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Inc. "Arena and Petition Loom in District 8 Race," May 22, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Inc. "Gilbert Guillen: Watching over Union Plaza," October 17, 2011
- ↑ El Paso Inc. "Saucedo Wants to Be City's Youngest Mayor," August 29, 2016
- ↑ NMPolitics.net, "Battles for the Heart and Soul of El Paso," May 9, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Times, "'Undervoting' May Rise in Mayoral Runoff," May 27, 2017
- ↑ KVIA, "Democratic Chairwoman: 'Undervote' an Option for Democrats Who Don't Like Mayoral Candidates," June 6, 2017
- ↑ KVIA, "Saucedo Fires Back: 'Birds of a Feather Flock Together," May 11, 2017
- ↑ KVIA, "Margo Declines to Participate in Forums with Saucedo Headed Towards Runoff Election," May 16, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Inc. "Dee Margo," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Inc. "David Saucedo," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ The phrasing of this question was slightly different in El Paso Inc.'s interviews of the two candidates.
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Annello, Tolbert Face Off in District 2 Runoff," May 6, 2017
- ↑ KVIA, "DISTRICT 2 RACE: Tolbert Survives to Fight Another Day, Will Face Anello in Runoff," May 6, 2017
- ↑ Jim Tolbert - City Representative District 2, "Home," accessed April 24, 2017
- ↑ Annie's List, "Candidates," accessed April 24, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Times Choices for Council: Editorial," April 22, 2017
- ↑ Elect Jaime Barceleau - City Representative District 3, "Priorities," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ Cassandra Hernandez-Brown for City Council, District 3, "Priorities," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Hernandez-Brown, Barceleau in District 3 Runoff," May 7, 2017
- ↑ Elect Jaime Barceleau City Representative District 3, "Endorsements," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ Cassandra Hernandez-Brown for City Council, District 3, "Meet Cassandra," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ KVIA, "District 4 Candidates Weigh in on Cohen's Condition," May 22, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Morgan, Haggerty Head to Runoff in District 4," May 6, 2017
- ↑ USA Today, "Morgan, Haggerty in Runoff for Northeast Seat," May 25, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Municipal Police Officers' Association, "EPMPOA & C.O.P.S. Announce Endorsements for May City Elections," March 21, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Times Choices for Council: Editorial," April 22, 2017
- ↑ Sam Morgan - City Representative District 4, "Campaign Endorsements," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6 41.7 41.8 Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, "2017 EP County Election Voter's Guide," accessed April 25, 2017
- ↑ El Paso 411, "El Pasoans Approve All 3 Quality of Life Propositions," November 6, 2012
- ↑ El Paso Times, "Council OKs Site for $180 Million Downtown Arena," October 18, 2016
- ↑ El Paso Inc. "Arena Site Stirs Controversy," October 17, 2016
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 45.4 45.5 KCOS-TV, "El Paso Election Forums," April 9, 2017
- ↑ City of El Paso, "May 6, 2017 General Election," accessed April 26, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Proud, "City Council Representative Cortney Niland Resigns," April 4, 2017
- ↑ KFOX-TV, "Texas Rangers Have Multiple Investigations at City Hall," January 23, 2017
- ↑ CBS 4 News, "El Paso District Attorney Asks for Texas Rangers to Help Review City Investigation," February 26, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Census, "State and County Quick Facts," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ City of El Paso, "Government," accessed September 5, 2014
- ↑ Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
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