Renard Johnson is the candidate for Mayor who is backed by the same elites who backed Dee Margo.
We previously reported that Johnson appointed the daughter of County Judge Samaniego as his Campaign Treasurer, that Congresswoman Escobar “lent” him her Campaign Manager, and that his basic strategy is to project himself as the New Beto even though he is a Dee Margo clone in terms of his policy positions.
Margo got only 20% of the vote in his failed bid for reelection in 2020 despite outraising Oscar Leeser by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Johnson plans to raise even more money than Margo, with the aim of blitzing El Pasoans with a tidal wave of mailers, television ads, and social media posts.
We have learned that Royce Poinsett, one of the highest paid lobbyists in Texas and former Senior Advisor and legal counsel for Governor Rick Perry, held a fundraiser for Johnson at the Texas Lyceum in Austin on March 27. Apparently the invite was sent out by text only to a group of wealthy Texans.
Why would a candidate for Mayor of El Paso be raising money in Austin? Whose interests are at stake?
We have also learned that Johnson will hold his next fundraiser on April 17 on the 19th floor of Weststar Tower, which should be well attended by our local developers and their bankers and attorneys.
WANTS MORE ENTERTAINMENT PROJECTS
If you visit his campaign webpage, you will not see a single word about tax relief or fiscal discipline, but you will read about his support for “new forms of tourism, entertainment, and recreation throughout the city to increase the quality of life for our residents.”
Hence his Instagram post of this past Wednesday in which he poses next to a gigantic Chihuahuas doll, sporting his Beto-inspired look (although he forgot to roll up his sleeves).
He writes, “Additions to our city like the ballpark improve our quality of life vastly, and we must continue to strive for more entertainment for our community.”
You see, it is not enough that we have an insolvent Ballpark that requires $4.2 million in annual subsidies to stay afloat or that we have insolvent water parks, insolvent streetcars, and Quality of Life Bond projects that are $64 million over budget.
If elected, you will see Johnson push for a half-billion-dollar arena, a new soccer stadium, a galaxy of corporate welfare initiatives, and Lord knows what else.
Do you enjoy your sky-high property tax?
If the answer is “yes” then Johnson is your man.