April 25, 2009
A lot of things happened this week, my first as a contributor to NewspaperTree.com. Looks like I picked a good week to start.
Over at the county, more of the never-ending debate over the proposed ethics bill. Absent from the Monday Commissioners Court meeting was County Commissioner Anna Perez, who was out of town. County Judge Anthony Cobos said a few things that sparked a letter requesting clarification from the office of state Rep. Norma Chavez.
Cobos' chief of staff Jaime O. Perez entered the fray to smooth things over and compliment Chavez on her "excellent response to the county's concerns." There is now some confusion on just exactly who Perez was speaking for, since the county speaks through the Commissioners' Court, which already has voted unanimously more than once in support of the ethics proposal. His remarks left a few of the members of Commissioner’s Court trying to figure out what Perez's role in this is, and for whom he is speaking (or writing).
Tuesday was the city’s turn at bat with ethics issues; the City Council passed an ordinance making the existing ethics code stronger. The highlight of the ordinance was a new rule on gifts -- they can't take them if they're worth more than $70. [link]
Tuesday was also the day my first piece for NPT was published and I led things with a report pointing out the surprising number of relatives working in the courthouse.
Apparently I hit a nerve. I didn’t even point out all the family relations in the Courthouse, just the ones I was able to verify by deadline. I never said the people got their job because of their relation to others either, but a lot of people have contacted me to state their case about person X who has X amount of years experience or a degree in X. Funny thing is, they all seem to think that everyone except the person they know probably got their job because of nepotism. Don't worry, I won't let this drop. Keep those tips coming.
As the week progressed I checked in with several of the campaigns just to see how things were going on the ground. So far, it looks like a lot of the campaigns are in full door-knocking mode, so you may be getting a knock at your door soon. Even if you don’t support the campaign, offer them something to drink and let them use your restroom. Trust me, it will be appreciated.
I also heard an interesting tidbit from Luis Ruiz’s campaign. Ruiz is running against incumbent Northeast city Rep. Melina Castro. Apparently Ruiz and a staffer were pounding the pavement in Castro’s ‘hood and ran into her chillin’ in her yard. After some exchange of polite pleasantries, the staffer tells me that Castro said she was done walking the district and had started back in January. If true, it’s the earliest I’ve ever heard of a candidate hanging up the door-to-door operations in a campaign season. Of course, its highly likely that the exchange was just a bit of political gamesmanship.
Speaking of Ruiz, he picked up the endorsement of the Camino Real Mexican-American Democrats after a forum held on Saturday. The group, headed by his sister Lily (a staffer for state Rep. Norma Chavez), also endorsed Mayor John Cook and city Reps Emma Acosta, Susie Byrd, and Steve Ortega. The endorsement for EPISD Trustee was won by Isela Castanon-Williams. She and Ruiz are members of the organization, as is Carlos Rivera, candidate for mayor, who did not earn the endorsement of MAD.
Speaking of endorsements, the Black El Paso Democrats endorsed Carl Robinson, who also won the endorsement of a daily English-language print publication. Brian Burds picked up an endorsement from the American Federation of County, State, and Municipal Employees (AFCSME). This was a big win for Burds because it came with a commitment of volunteers to conduct visibility activities for the campaign.
On Friday I spoke with Acosta, who told me that she is looking into who provided Alejandro Lozano, her opponent, with advance copies of her employment applications with the county before they were officially released to Lozano. Both candidates are calling for investigations into the other, Lozano in relation to Acosta's residency, and Acosta into Lozano's access to county information.
The week ended for me with the Cesar Chavez Commemoration March Saturday. The march was put together by the Sin Fronteras Organizing Project and the Centro de Trabajadores Agriculos Fronterizos. The march went from the Farmworker Center in Segundo Barrio through South El Paso, to the San Jacinto Plaza, and back. The march had more than 250 participants. More on that and my thoughts on it next week.
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Abeytia writes theLionstar blog and is a political animal who spends way too much time traveling the wilds of El Paso politics. Reach him at lionstar@thelionstarblog.com.