City council members must be a little tired by now. They pass something and then a group from the community finds a way to tie it up by petition or legal means. Their future campaign mailers should feature "Well, I tried to..." and "We hoped to..."
The TIRZ votes passed only to be slowed by petitions to be dealt with now. It seems that the environazis and the hysterical society have become experts at shutting council down at every turn. This is mainly due to them growing their list of faithful followers to a number large enough to reliably file petitions. Back in the day they had to go beg in front of a grocery store or just forge a bunch addresses and signatures. Today they simply have an email chain that gets the job done almost instantaneously.
Does this hurt anything? Depends on what you want.
Council's feelings? Yes.
Progress? Depends on who you talk to. Some folks would rather there be no progress at all. That's a long-running El Paso theme - don't change anything, we love it the way it is. In other places those who are seeking change are the loudest. It just so happens in El Paso those seeking no change are the loudest.
If one was to look at El Paso city politics from an outside view, they might suggest a person running for mayor push a "I'm not going to do a damn thing" agenda and win. After all, no matter who gets elected the theme of their tenure is a steady drumbeat of citizens screaming "STOP DOING STUFF!" Go back to Mayor Caballero and trace the line to Mayor Margo - pretty much all of those agendas have been met with a wish for them not to do what they envisioned.
Instead, mayoral candidates (and city council hopefuls) always have big ideas on how to change El Paso. It must be really confusing for them after winning when the masses suddenly tell them to stop doing what they promised to do.
Of course, it's kind of funny if you think about the strategy here - defeat government by wrapping it up in its own bureaucracy.
Come to grips with the fact El Paso will never be a destination city and let's get on with our lives.
Posted by: ol' curmudgeon | June 27, 2018 at 02:44 PM
"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."
Posted by: Charlie Wilson | June 27, 2018 at 03:31 PM
Well they have made major changes by saddling the City's balance sheet with enormous debt which requires more in taxes from its citizens..
Posted by: LisaT | June 27, 2018 at 09:04 PM
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
Posted by: over the hill white collar | June 27, 2018 at 11:35 PM
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.
Posted by: JerryK | June 28, 2018 at 08:46 AM
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.
Posted by: Charlie Weelson | June 28, 2018 at 11:49 AM
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.
Posted by: voter | June 28, 2018 at 04:02 PM
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 ?
Posted by: Charlie Weelson | June 28, 2018 at 06:43 PM
JerryK, I don't know where you got the idea that El Paso is growing. Population growth has pretty much flatlined since 2012.
Posted by: elrichiboy | June 28, 2018 at 07:39 PM
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!!
Posted by: Ken | June 29, 2018 at 07:16 PM
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?
Posted by: elrichiboy | June 29, 2018 at 10:19 PM
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!
Posted by: Ken | June 30, 2018 at 03:42 PM
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?
Posted by: elrichiboy | July 01, 2018 at 04:05 PM
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.
Posted by: Ken | July 02, 2018 at 12:24 PM