The City of El Paso, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, and MountainStar Sports group are waging a class war against El Paso’s working class, small businesses, and people who live on fixed incomes.
City Council’s five year extension of the City Manager’s contract is the latest salvo in the prolonged battle to put taxpayers’ money into the pockets of El Paso’s wealthiest citizens.
The principals of MountainStar Sports Group have been the biggest campaign donors to the five City Council Representatives who voted to extend Tommy Gonzalez’ contract until 2029. By my (probably faulty) ciphering, the owners of the the El Paso Chihuahuas and Locomotive have contributed at least $23,500 to the campaigns of Peter Svarzbein, Isabel Salcido, Cissy Lizarraga, Cassandra Hernandez, and Henry Rivera since 2017. That’s not counting any money that the sitting council members have received for November’s election. Or tips.
Some of MountainStar’s surrogates – Rick Francis, Dee Margo, and Ted Houghton – also kicked in to the tune of $17,500.
There are probably not a lot of cities where you could buy a City Council for less than $100,000. Maybe that’s what Cassandra Hernandez meant when she said that El Paso was affordable.
The extension also caps the City Manager’s salary at a ludicrous $450,000 a year, while continuing to kick in an additional $20,000 a year to his retirement fund.
If you’re making more than $400k a year, do you really need the taxpayers to kick in for your retirement fund?
If the City Manager needs more money, we should try to raise it for him the old-fashioned way. We should host an enchilada dinner for him, and maybe raffle off a bicycle.
Who’s in?
Your exactly right! He is there to help and facilitate the rich and city hall insiders. If you are a just a regular citizen, you are no better than a cockroach to him. For example, witness the fight over the Duranguito. The protests, the marches, the signature gatherings, the numerous speakers at the city hall chambers. He, the whole time, displayed nothing but contempt the whole movement. He and his fellow puppets on the city council are suitable for the garbage can.
Affordable corruption is a real selling point of the city to certain kinds of businesses.
Surprisingly, Leeser did Veto that motion, but until we elect a Council that will represent us, this bunch will just give tommyboy more and more down the road. If I wasn’t so old, I’d really like to look into a relocation. Maybe to a place like Valentine?
Let’s work to get the money out of our local elections.
https://elpasoansforfairelections.org/
more details here: https://elpasomatters.org/tag/el-pasoans-for-fari-elections/
I will post this on a couple of your sites. But have your readers google “Larry Romero KFOX14, Feb. 5, 2016. Larry Romero got his hand in the cookie jar by: Having his brother, John, help Tommy Gonzalez and his wife set up a “consulting firm.” Romero also “led the charge” to give Tommy a $60,000 salary increase in 2016. Does anyone remember that? In addition, Romero had Gonzalez over-ride city ordinance and put in a set of speed bumps in front of Cathedral High on N. Stanton. Also, Romero AND Gonzalez tried to fire the City Financial Adviser and replace him with Romero’s previous Employer, Estrada-Hinosa. WITHOUT CITY COUNCIL KNOWLEDGE. And, Romero’s brother prepared Gonzalez’ income tax. For $100! The same Romero who was out on “sick leave” but was caught attending the Master’s at Augusta, while being paid by the El Paso Taxpayer. Romero also had his streets paved (unapproved) as well as the alley behind the Pershing Inn–his former H.Q. This is a pattern that Gonzalez has done and the current City Council wants to give him a $450,000 City Contract? What is wrong with this picture?