June 28, 2009
Though the so-called Progressives on council won by substantial margins, there are still areas in this town that want a better community, but don't want it at the sake of out-of-control spending.
Progressives is a term usually attributed to liberal Democrats. El Paso is one of, if not the largest Democratic strongholds in the state of Texas. The Lower Valley, or Mission Valley if you prefer, is the most solidly Democratic area of El Paso. In county-wide elections, if you win the valley you win the election.
So you'd think the "Progressives" would be pretty popular there.
But they aren't.
The valley is a much more conservative-Democrat area, especially on local issues. This is something that the "Progressives" better get a grasp of if they want to push forward their agenda or they may end up with a few bloody noses.
The debate over a new port of entry has turned into a fire storm. The community clearly doesn't want another bridge. They have packed the house every time there has been a community meeting on the issue and voiced their opposition to a bridge at city hall. At a recent meeting on the issue, city Rep. Steve Ortega was loudly booed and wasn't able to speak because the community was upset about his stance on the bridge. But guess who got a standing ovation at the meeting?
State Rep. Norma Chavez.
There are times in politics that you have to make hard decisions that benefit the community no matter how much they fail to see the benefit. They'll kick and scream, but it's for their benefit.
This isn't one of those times.
The debate over a new bridge is one of those times where the City Council needs to pay attention to the voice of the people. Three members of council in particular should listen or they may lose their jobs in a few years: City Reps Emma Acosta, Ortega, and Eddie Holguin, Jr. It wouldn't surprise me if someone mounted a recall campaign, which would be really interesting considering the fact that Acosta and Ortega won by huge margins.
The "Progressives" would be making a huge mistake if they ever came to the conclusion that their large margins of victory in their parts of town was a sign that Holguin is weak. Some people disagree, mostly because they don't know the valley all that well, but Holguin is very popular in his district and is likely to serve in office as long as he feels like it. He's very well-liked by the people because he's one of their own. He shops at Wal-mart and goes to the swap meet and people in the valley identify with that easy-going, down-to-earth style.
Holguin is already on the side of the people and he's traditionally been someone who governs based on what the people want. Acosta and Ortega, whose districts partially cover parts of the Valley, need to make the right decision on this one and will most certainly feel the heat from the community on the bridge issue.
City Rep. Beto O'Rourke stated in the council meeting that there was a "regional interest at stake" and asked that people opposed to the bridge "not be so selfish as to stop the conversation with a non-negotiable point that does not take in to account the interests of the rest of the city."
He's 100 percent right. There is a regional interest at stake and the interests of the rest of the city should be taken into account. Which is why there should be a port-of-entry on the West Side of town. Sunland Park is a largely Latino community that actually wants a port of entry, so why not put one near Sunland Park?
Word on the street is that city Rep. Eddie Holguin is looking into a previous study that examines the feasibility of a West Side port of entry.
Why would a bridge in the Valley not be scrapped when most of the community is against the idea?
Please tell me it has nothing to do with color or economic clout. Please tell me that a decision to build another bridge in the Valley isn't because it's easier to pull it off against poor Latinos.
The debate over the bridge brings into light the fact that El Paso is still a very polarized community along ideological lines. Just because Holguin's BFF got waxed in the election doesn't mean that Holguin is weak. He's up for re-election in two years and this bridge debate is exactly the type of issue that is going to give him a shot in the arm and make any challenge to Holguin a colossal waste of money, time, and effort.
Recruiting a Challenger
I'm hearing some whispers about a recruiting effort to drum up a challenger for state Rep. Norma Chavez. Another waste of time and money. People really hate for me to say this, but Chavez can't be beat in her district. Sure, she's taken some lickings in the press lately, including from Yours Truly, but the reality is that while she might not be liked much in some parts of town, but she's popular where it counts.
As I mentioned previously, she received a standing ovation at a recent public meeting on the proposed new bridge. She's not called "The People's Rep" for nothing.
Marty Reyes was the last person to take Chavez on and she took a major beat down. If there was ever a candidate that was positioned to make a serious challenge against Norma from the Block, it would've been Reyes. She was well-funded, had a presence in the Valley, and is related to the Congressman and she still got beat handily.
Now the two are on the same team. Reyes, who is the President of the Ysleta Independent School District Board of Trustees, has been an outspoken opponent of the bridge.
I've had my differences with Chavez, but there is a rule of the streets that a potential challenger should keep in mind -- don't get in a fight that you know you can't win.
People who know me know that I often use the iconic phrase of Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers' Union, Si Se Puede.
But when it comes to taking out Representative Chavez, No Se Puede.
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Abeytia writes the Lionstar 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.