Hey, District 6 Representative Claudia Ordaz Perez says that some faction is trying to “cause dysfunction in City Government.”
Well, I reckon (hope) she’s talking about me (and others). Here’s the quote, as was related to me in an email. If Ms. Ordaz Perez was misquoted, I would hope that she would let me know.
“There is this faction that you all are seeing, and I’m sure you’ve seen it in the media and others. It’s to cause dysfunction. It’s to cause dysfunction in our City government. We’re here trying to do the best thing we can for our community. It’s not easy, but we’re trying. MPC is one of those; but you saw it with the TIRZ; you saw it with the Mexican-American Cultural Center; and you’re seeing it with the MPC.”
Personally, I thought that City Council was perfectly capable of causing dysfunction in City Government without any help from the citizens.
You’ll note that the three examples Ms. Ordaz Perez cites are all instances where City Council retired to Executive Session to discuss projects outside of the public forum. In all three examples, City Council presented their decision to the citizens as done deals.
And any citizens who voiced their concerns after the fact (because they weren’t allowed to voice their concerns before the decisions were made) are causing dysfunction.
Are the members of City Council disconnected from their constituents? Are they living in an It’s All Good alternative universe?
El Paso has among the highest property tax rates in the United States. El Paso has among the highest electric rates in the state. Since 2012, El Paso’s population has only grown 1 1/2 percent, while our municipal debt has grown by 230 percent.
Yet the dysfunction at City Hall is the fault of some faction clamoring for honest, open, and transparent government. Some faction asking for some modicum of fiscal responsibility.
Look, we’ve trusted local government, and so far, it hasn’t worked out for us. Somebody needs to tell Ms. Ordaz Perez that the emperor is naked. Good intentions are nice, but not as nice as positive results. And so far, all the citizens of El Paso have gotten are good intentions.
Don’t worry, Rich. Something tells me that Perez is more than a little happy that her statement got “accidentally” leaked. lf you would not have posted this, l’m sure someone else would have. ‘ Here l am working 23.5 hours a day to continue to make El Paso an even greater place to live in, but there are some evil meanies out there who just want to cause dysfunction because they believe progress is a bad thing. l think that they’re just jealous because they realize that l, Claudia Ordaz Perez, loves El Paso more than anyone else on the planet!!!!! ‘