Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Rick Noriega picked up some cash and a slew of endorsements when he was here a week ago. According to the Rio Grande Guardian, Noriega was endorsed by state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, state Reps. Paul Moreno, Joe Pickett, and Inocente “Chente” Quintanilla, County Commissioner Veronica Escobar, County Attorney Jose Rodriguez, and City Council members Steve Ortega, Susie Byrd and Beto O’Rourke. KHRO 1650 AM radio show host Paul Strelzin was heard saying he'd have Noriega on the air as often as possible, and fellow 1650 show host Mario Solis Marich said Noriega's race was on the national radar, as Noriega had raised $570,000.
But next up in El Paso is Mikal Watts, a San Antonio lawyer who the Houston Chronicle reported raised $1.1 million and is willing to loan himself about $7 million. His fund-raiser is Saturday at La Nortena, 212 Overland.
The two Democrats are vying to take out U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, deeply unpopular in El Paso -- at least with the grassroots, and read on for more about that -- for shutting down the Tigua's Speaking Rock Casino when he was Texas Attorney General. Yet, Cornyn was in El Paso fundraising from the money guys not very long ago.
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Speaking of the money guys, Texas Gov. Rick Perry was in town for a fund-raiser Thursday night at the East Side home of Harold Hahn, he of Rocky Mountain Mortgage. Among the 100 or so attendees at the $250-a-player table were some familiar names: Dee Margo, Rick Francis, Paul Foster, Ted Houghton, and state Rep. Pat Haggerty and Debbie Kastrin. Oh yeah, and David Thackston, (mentioned separately because he didn't have a check but got in anyway because he's on the state Republican Executive Committee).
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You guys already know this, but in actually writing it down, it dawns that El Paso is really, really schizophrenic. The big money folks generally are Republican, and the grassroots generally are Democratic. Maybe that's why this city and county seems so bitter, angry and divisive at every level of politics. The hand that feeds is the hand that takes, and the hand that gets bitten, or something like that. Anyway, a list of campaign contributors compiled by Texans for Public Justice recently shows that El Paso's large Republican contributors, and in some cases, the large statewide Republican contributors, are doing just fine for many of the El Paso lawmakers, who overwhelmingly are Democratic. For a full look at the top donors, follow the hotlinked names. For those of you with less stamina or interest, in no particular order:
-- State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh raised the bulk of his money from various PACs, including trial lawyers, as might be expected. Also on the list were the Texas Association of Realtors, Woody Hunt, the HillCo PAC, Gerald Rubin and Stanley Jobe.
-- State Rep. Pat Haggerty is the lone Republican, and he also received a chunk from the trial lawyers PAC. In addition, he got some from Bob Perry of Houston, one of the major Republican donors in the state, as well as Jobe, who donates to many, if not most El Paso office-holders, and Robert Brown of Desert Eagle distributing, a major El Paso donor.
-- State Rep. Norma Chavez took a nice piece off Perry of Houston, as well as from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Brown, Hunt, and the HillCo PAC.
-- State Rep. Paul Moreno raised by far the least of the state delegation. His largest contribution came from Fred Loya, he of the insurance, as well as from the trial lawyers and from Brown.
-- State Rep. Joe Pickett got money from the Realtors' PAC, from Bobby Bowling, the Texas Association of Builders, and Hahn.
-- State Rep. Chente Quintanilla received money from the Realtors' PAC, Brown, and the trial lawyers.
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On another note … Brian Kennedy said he is not running for state Rep. Moreno's seat. Kennedy, the president and CEO of the El Paso Sports Commission http://elpasosports.org/, said the company is "not ready to not have me be in the office. I love this company. We've had some great successes." Despite the great interest in Moreno's seat, he has only one announced challenger thus far, Marisa Marquez.
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At Monday's HACEP meeting, the board hired Arturo Huerta as assistant executive director. Huerta, chairman of the El Paso Community College Board of Trustees, was interim human resources manager of the Housing Authority when he was hired as interim director in late July, on the condition he not apply for the full-time position. [npt background]
The authority still is looking for an executive director, as the top position has been redefined (it was president and CEO previously). This raises some interesting questions: Will a number two already in place be a factor in how many people will be willing to apply for the top job? Might the board be on the road back to where it was a year ago, when former CEO Pablo Salcido clashed with the board? The conflict ultimately led the board to fire Salcido and for Salcido to sue HACEP, a lawsuit that has not been settled. [npt background]
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Wednesday fund-raiser for Northeast El Paso city Rep. Melina Castro at Chama. It's almost two years before she has to run for re-election. Anyone out there have any idea why she might be trying to raise money?
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By the way, Castro still has an active lawsuit against the city of El Paso and City Attorney Charlie McNabb. [npt background]
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Police Chief Richard Wiles continues to test the waters as a potential candidate for El Paso County Sheriff. Most likely, he'll have to retire from the city in order to run. It's going to get crowded, with three announced candidates, and the potential for more. [npt background]
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Previous Inner Loops
-- 9.28.07: Regional Congressional politics, but where's the big guy? Meanwhile, we see and hear Kennedy, O'Rourke, Elizondo, HACEP, a handful of judges, and a crowded house in the sheriff's race, with a new entry ready to announce. The Inner Loop, where the rubber hits the road to the best of all possible El Pasos.
-- 9.21.07: This week, we take you inside the tinfoil hat, featuring a cast of thousands: Lee Trevino, The Strelz, Asarco and Quintana, a Shapleigh sitdown, Reyes, Leon, Wiles, fundraisers and more. The Inner Loop avoids traffic by circling around the urban gridlock of El Paso politics.
-- 9.14.07: Getting loopy this week with Richardson, Esparza, Shapleigh, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Tenet, Parra, Aguilar and Moreno, just to name a few. Is there a voter rollback in Ysleta? How about candidates for district courts? Read on for questions, answers and mass confusion.
-- 9.7.07: Theresa Caballero and Jaime Esparza, plus other campaign contributions. Margo and Haggerty, Tilghman and Reyes, Rosenbaum and Quintana, Samaniego, Cobos, Perez, Friends of the El Paso School District, Hunt, Hicks and Pickett, Marquez and Moreno, and so on. To paraphrase a comic genius, El Paso, we have met the enemy, and we is us.
-- 8.24.07: Pushing the polls has begun, the city is facing "one tough lawyer" (but not that one) in the Elizondo case, a city appointment dilemma (hint: Holguin wins on one, but will the mayor get his Jobe?), and Shapleigh, Chavez, the Republicans and more. By the way, where'd Ann Lilly get off to?
-- 8.17.07: It's election season, and here are a few dates to keep. Also, some fund-raiser updates, a TIRZ tidbit, some FBI fallout, a lawsuit over construction at the UTEP Garden Inn, Glass Beach and more.
-- 8.10.07: Moreno’s challengers emerging, and a few other answers about candidates for Chavez’s judge seat and Teran’s county seat. Also, an intriguing City Council board appointment, a high-level Hunt resignation, a major Margo move, and more morsels for you political junkies.
-- 8.3.07: Notes and quotes about Reyes, Perez, Teran, Moreno, Lozano and more. Plus tidbits about CF Jordan, the Children’s Hospital, and finance reports. A new NPT feature.
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