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June 27, 2018

Comments

Come to grips with the fact El Paso will never be a destination city and let's get on with our lives.

"I have the easiest constituents in Texas. They don't want anything. They just want their guns and to pay lower taxes. That's all."

Well they have made major changes by saddling the City's balance sheet with enormous debt which requires more in taxes from its citizens..

Ihave also come to the realization that El Paso will never amount to amnything momre than it is now. We will not get a noteworthy business to moove here, we will not have a university that amounts to anything nor will be able to overcome our under-educated work force. We are a stopping off place for more and more illeterate immigrants. Many of those holding the city back are over the hill gringos, longing for the old days when they were king of the hill, when downtown was filled with shoppers from Mexico and you could buy a cheap lunch on every corner. They abhor success, hey bitch about those who have made money and are positive that something crooked must be going on. Poor El Paso. Too bad because our city is so much nicer that Austin and Phoenix, cities which used to be smaller and less affluent. Guess I'll hang around here because I'm too old to start over in some other place. Sadly, I'm stuck

Over;

I agree with you that El Paso is what it is, but you overlook several key demographic points in its favor that relocating companies do not take for granted. First, El Paso has a growing population. The northern industrial cities would envy that. Second, El Paso has a young population that is important when a company relocates; it does not want workers who will retire in 10 years.

OK, it's not Portland but neither is it Cleveland or Milwaukee. It is what it is - the American face of Mexico.

Jerryk and Over. The drug war of 2008 and now beyond is what basically killed downtown. Big business should like it here due to our lower wages and lower cost of living. They are not gonna come here because we have baseball, soccer, new Arena, or cultural whatever Grossman wants. The reason they don't come here
is because of our high property tax and we don't give incentives unless it involves Woody or Paul and a few others.

Charlie, Top Golf got incentive and has nothing to do with Woody or Paul, same with Jim Schere's two downtown hotels. And that new entertainment thing... I Fly ??? .… nothing to do with Woody or Paul. So you're full of it. Another envious, conspiracy thinker.

Did i not say "a few others" and businesses are not gonna come because of Jim's hotels or "Top Golf" because they see our property tax keeps rising because of the incentives given to the select few here in town. Who will take advantage of the TIRZ ? You watch who does. Its not a conspiracy. Its just a fact that our property tax keeps rising due to our incentives and deals in this town. Arent we like the third highest property tax in Texas ? That's why they wont come. Also Woody just got his downtown High Rise building. Its bigger than both of Scherrs Hotels. How much incentives did he get on that ?

JerryK, I don't know where you got the idea that El Paso is growing. Population growth has pretty much flatlined since 2012.

County population is growing. We have a young work force. We have "name" companies moving to El Paso that are not related to either Hunt or Foster. BTW Thank God for Hunt & Foster because they have done so much for the City of El Paso. Before everyone gets their knickers in a knot, they are allowed to do good things for the City and not cost themselves a lot of "extra" money. Tax Incentives are not automatically a bad thing. I like the direction El Paso is headed and am proud to have moved here 38 years ago! Some of you folks would bitch if you were hung with a new rope!If you don't like it here, just MOVE!!

Ken,

According to US Census Bureau estimates, the population of the County of El Paso grew from 831,126 in 2012 to 840,410 in 2017. That's 1.1 % over five years. That's less than natural growth, births minus deaths.

Can I get you some more KoolAid?

I like grape KoolAid! The stats you quote meet the definition of growth in every dictionary I have read. Really not opposed to El Paso remaining one of the best kept secrets in our country. What does it say about you to be a grown up and choosing to live somewhere you don't like? Easy solution - just move!

I love El Paso. I don't think we need to spend half a billion dollars to "fix" it. I don't think we need to cede control to people who don't like El Paso. Maybe we can change things.

Which are those "name" companies moving to El Paso that you were talking about?

Top Golf, the two Jim Scherr hotels downtown and the indoor sky diving company, might be called IFLY. I understand there is another big announcement coming soon. I probably left out one or two others. My only point is good things are happening in El Paso witnessed by all of the positive business activity. In another 18 months the Go 10 Project is hopefully completed and that huge pain in the A-- will be behind us. The future looks very bright for El Paso.

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