Within the next two weeks approximately 1,000 voters will determine the next District 3 City Representative while over 12,000 recent voters will remain disconnected from yet another crucial local election. If the unusual voting trends of 2008 continue, next week’s early voting will account for well over half of all votes cast and will eclipse election day turn out.

Whoever emerges victorious on June 7 will not only become a formidable incumbent in next year’s election, but will also be a key factor in the balance of power on council throughout the next 10 months that remain in former city Rep. Lozano’s unexpired term.

For those who are unaware of the scope of District 3, the western boundary begins near the ‘spaghetti bowl’ and reaches down to the border, north to airport, and nearly the entire length of Yarborough represents the shores of its eastern frontier. Its educational, industrial, medical, and commercial assets are vast, and the homeowners of this area account for a tremendous segment of our city’s tax base. More tourists, Mexican nationals, and business travelers engage this part of town because of the proximity to the airport, the range of new hotels that have emerged, and the shopping opportunities that are available around Cielo Vista Mall. Additionally, its collection of over 100,000 residents, its proximity to Mexico’s northern border, the essential ground and air transportation systems that it contains, and the common boundaries it shares with four other districts augment its political and social significance.

In essence, District 3 is the heart of El Paso and the strategic coordination of its internal resources is crucial for the future of our entire community and region.

After being away for over a decade, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have gained an enriched perspective about this vital region of El Paso during the last few months as I walked door-to-door to over a thousand homes and engaged active citizens in community forums throughout this massive and diverse district. Four other outstanding candidates and I received a first class education about El Paso directly from residents who have lived in this area for several decades. Many of these engaged citizens are part of the waves of bold El Pasoans who moved up and out to the edge of the desert, utilized the new schools and employment opportunities that emerged, and who have families who have flourished in a safe and beautiful part of town full of parks, well-constructed homes, and cohesive neighborhoods.

For the most part, the residents in District 3 are older than the average El Pasoan, there is a high rate of home ownership throughout the entire area both south and north of the freeway, and a unique racial diversity exists that is more akin to the demographic profile of El Paso from the 1960s and 1970s than of today’s environment. Additionally, an extremely large concentration of veterans, widows, and retiring baby boomers reside in District 3 and account for the most engaged segments of the electorate. And with age, education, and income being the primary factors that determine likely voters, a victory in District 3 hinges on mobilizing longstanding voters in five out of 20 polling places.

Victory on June 7 will require an authentic connection to voters and will be assured in 2009 if one (1) stays in perpetual communication with their base of support and (2) revives and reorganizes the 13,000+ voter base that we now know exists in District 3 thanks to the efforts of the two Democratic presidential candidates.

For the next 10 months and throughout any term that follows, I believe that the new representative must enhance the capacities of residents by expanding and elaborating the currently anemic community-based organizational infrastructure that is already serving this part of the community at a ratio of one organized group to roughly 5,000-7,000 residents. With that said, the legacy of our next city representative should not be based on the number of problems that were treated while in office, but should be based instead on how this representative expanded the community’s internal abilities to resolve its interior distress collectively and prepare for the challenges of the future—particularly those derived from the mass retirement and departure of longstanding residents.

If this type of legacy is realized, District 3 will experience a proliferation of more leaders operating on the ground who are capable of mobilizing higher levels of community involvement, and greater voter awareness and participation will be achieved during an era of dramatic demographic transitions. However, if District 3 remains in disarray and its voters disconnected from local politics, its endemic problems will be perpetuated if not magnified, a growing body of seniors in need will remain neglected, entire cohorts of students will continue to be civically detached, and the future of the overarching community will be compromised.

Whether you live in District 3 or not, get out the vote because the economic and social trajectory of El Paso is what is at stake. And to determine who is the most appropriate candidate to elect, ask yourself who is the most capable of sustaining and expanding their base of support in the community continuously.

Joseph Villescas was a candidate for District 3 city rep, and has endorsed Emma Acosta. He is owner of Villescas Research, Media and Instruction.