Last week’s El Paso Inc includes an opinion essay by City Rep. Cassandra Hernandez, who thankfully has only 199 days left in office.
She is the last remaining elected representative anywhere in El Paso County who still thinks the City has a mandate to build an arena in downtown El Paso, arguing that it would bring “economic growth, job creation and a more dynamic urban landscape.”
This is the same politician who voted to increase our property tax six times, to issue hundreds of millions of dollars of debt without voter authorization, and to fund every boondoggle that came across her desk.
She is also the same politician who declared in open session that the Central Appraisal District should increase our property valuations “to ensure that all of the homes are being appraised at a higher level so that we can see more valuations and more tax revenue.”
She is also the same politician who, together with her husband, consumed $6,691 worth of gasoline in a single year, lied to KVIA about it, and was soundly reprimanded by the Ethics Review Commission.
And yes, she is also the same politician who cast the only vote against authorizing a private corporation to build a 12,500-amphitheater in Northeast El Paso at its own expense that is projected to generate $5.4 billion in economic impact.
Mind you, Hernandez has precious little experience in the private sector. After finishing at UTEP in 2013, she was employed for a short time at Workforce Solutions Borderplex and then went straight into politics.
Perhaps if she had spent a few decades working in the real world before running for political office she would have understood that large entertainment projects should be paid for by private investors rather than the taxpayers at large.
In her op-ed for El Paso Inc, Hernandez lectures us about the benefits of public capital improvement projects and advocates for “investing” $160,000,000 in a downtown arena.
Wait, we thought she wanted us to invest $500,000,000! Never mind…
Most incredible of all, Hernandez has convinced herself that she is qualified to be our next mayor, but we believe the position should be held by an individual with several decades of experience outside of government who possesses both financial acumen and a strong moral compass.
PHOTO CREDIT: KFOX 14, 16 June 2024