They pitch these projects as drivers of economic development, but they stifle the monetization of local culture, and tax (literally)
Category: Quality of Life Projects
A Homegrown City Manager?
Two weeks ago City Council rejected Mayor Oscar Leeser’s proposal to restrict the search for a City Manager to locals.
Revisiting the 2012 Quality of Life Bond Promotion
Debbie Nathan was a local hero. She’s still a hero, but she’s not local anymore. Ms. Nathan is an accomplished
The Failure of the 2012 Quality of Life Projects
They promised us economic development. They promised us a vibrant downtown. They promised us a minimal increase in property taxes.
Retrovision: The Road to Economic Development
This post originally appeared on 06 June 2013. This post has been slightly edited. As an El Pasoan, I appreciate
Rightsizing El Paso’s Government
by Rich Wright When you’re in a hole, stop digging. It’s time to acknowledge that the Borderplex Alliance’s plan for
Ancient History — Mayor John Cook’s Interview with the El Paso Inc.
From 9 June 2013: “Why are we making a significant investment in Downtown? The answer’s very simple. When I come
Why Tommy Gonzalez Got Fired
It happened. El Paso City Manager Tommy Gonzalez got canned Tuesday after 7 or 8 years on the job. By
Economic Development?
Everybody’s talking about all the Economic Development taking place downtown. Here, for instance, is that nice lady who has taken
About the Arena
Advocates say we need the arena as an engine of economic development. That’s not how economic development works. If you
Quality of Life Much?
Woody and Gayle Hunt are El Paso Inc.’s El Pasoans of the year, 2022. Here are couple of things that
Those Folks at City Hall Think They’re Special
The elected officials dress up, and look down at us from the dais, and once a week they might have
More Water Parks Boondoggle
Max Grossman recently brought to light the uncomfortable fact that the water parks are losing millions of dollars every year.
How Quickly They Forget
I stumbled across this gem the other day. From the El Paso Chamber of Commerce: Recommended Action [regarding the 2012
Do they have a long term plan?
I mean the richest people in El Paso. The people who got us into this mess. Do they have a
Is This What Corruption Looks Like?
From ElPasoTimes.com: The [El Paso City Council] voted to hire a San Francisco-based architecture firm to provide an updated cost
Retrovision – The Big Lie
This post originally appeared on 23 April 2018. The advocates for the City’s Quality of Life projects pretend that we
Homeowners Carry the Burden
Here’s a couple of factoids I extracted from this El Paso Times article about rising property valuations: The overall market
The Myth of the Trickle Down Economy
From Business Insider India: Inequality has remained persistently high for decades, and a new report shows just how stark the
Quality of Life Much?
Here’s a heartbreaking story from the El Paso Times. I am reprinting it in its entirety. This holiday season, the