Andrew Polk of KVIA and Reyes Mata III of El Paso Inc conducted the first journalistic interview of Renard Johnson since he became Mayor of El Paso on January 7.
Unlike Bob Moore of El Paso Matters, who failed to ask Johnson any substantive questions during his Q&A with him the previous week, Polk and Reyes were well prepared and on point.
Here are some of the highlights:
1. Asked what he learned during his first 8 months in office and whether he shifted any of his policy priorities, Johnson only stated that he met with the various mayors of the region.
2. Polk reminded Johnson about his campaign Instagram post dated December 8, six days before the run-off election, where he promised to lower our taxes, create jobs for our youth, repair our roads, and focus more on public safety and improving quality of life. When asked asked how he felt he performed in these areas, he deflected, “I think each one of those are a work in progress. And again, my pillars are gonna be economic development, quality of life, infrastructure, and public safety.”
3. With regard to his failure to lower our property tax as he promised, he stated “It’s gonna take awhile but we’re can get there. It’s just gonna take some time.” He argued that the commercial base needs to be expanded so that businesses can shoulder more of the tax burden. Much as he did during City Council budget discussions, he bragged that the FY 2026 budget comes with the “lowest tax rate in 10 years,” which does not matter in the slightest. Like Rep. Acevedo, he blamed the CAD for the increase in property valuations, as if it is their fault that the value of our real estate assets has appreciated! In other words, Johnson is not going to lower our property tax.
4. When asked specifically about the 4.3% tax increase on homeowners for FY 2026, amounting to $83 per year for the average family, Johnson replied “I feel the pain because I’m a taxpayer as well. We kept it as low as we could.” He emphasized that economic development is a “long-term plan,” again negating his promise to lower our property tax.
5. The Mayor claimed the City raided the fund balance the previous two fiscal years, including $7 million for the FY 2025 budget, but that is utterly false. The fund balance was untouched in FY 2024 and FY 2025. He then boasted that the City is drawing only $3.2 million from the fund balance in FY 2026, as if that is some kind of achievement!
6. With regard to streets, the Mayor was again dishonest: “We felt a little short in this budget with being able to get the roads to where we need them.” Actually, the City did not expand the street budget at all for FY 2026. The Mayor concluded, “We’ve gotta figure out how to get that done” even though he has proposed nothing since his election.
7. When Polk asked Johnson how much new industry he has succeeded in bringing to El Paso, he was unable to respond, but he did state that pickleball courts “are really great for economic development.” We are unable to understand what he meant by that.
8. On the proposed Debt Plaza over Interstate 10, Polk asked the Mayor what percent of the ($412 million) project cost should be borne by the taxpayers. He responded, as he always does, that the Debt Plaza is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and should be given a chance to succeed. Rather than answering the question, he declared “I don’t want the bulk of that falling on the back of taxpayer” and, contradicting himself, “if it’s gonna be on the back of the taxpayer, it would would be a no-go for me.” Polk pressed him relentlessly on this point but the Mayor refused to divulge how much the public commitment should be, stating instead that he favors public-private partnerships though there are none as of yet.
9. Mata asked the Mayor why he refused to grant any media interviews after 100 days in office, which is standard practice, and why he waited until now to grant a proper interview to journalists. He replied that he did not give interviews earlier because he was still learning the ropes while facing a couple of crises that distracted him. When Johnson cited his social Facebook and Instagram, Mata reminded him that curated social media posts are different from sitting in front of journalists and answering questions. Johnson admitted he “could do better” in the area of transparency and added “I think I need to start increasing my awareness with the media and doing a much better job.”
The interview was conducted professionally and competently by Polk and Mata. The only thing missing was a discussion of the City’s deceptive messaging on the increase in the property tax exemption for seniors and the disabled, which equals $19 per year, not $380 per year as the Mayor keeps repeating.
MAYOR FAVORS INCREASING OUR PROPERTY TAX AGAIN IN FY 2027
The most stunning moment in the interview was when the Mayor revealed that he favors increasing our property tax yet again in FY 2027.
He complained that the previous two budgets were irresponsible because they included no tax increases, putting the City in a “bad position,” and tried to frame the 4.3% tax increase for FY 2026 as “responsible.”
When Mata asked him what the future holds for FY 2027, he responded “I don’t think the solution is a no-new revenue-type solution.”
Thus he feels that El Pasoans should face yet another tax increase in FY 2027.
In summary, Polk and Mata succeeded in exposing Mayor Johnson’s dishonesty. We feel strongly that he deserves to be removed from office and are hopeful that a citizen group will file a petition with the City Clerk in order to begin the process.