County Judge Ricardo Samaniego originally ran for office on a platform of fiscal discipline but turned out to be just another tax-and-spend progressive.
He voted to raise his own salary to $152,700, supported the $34 million County tax increase, and now apparently backs the issuance of $482 million of bond debt (including $188 million in certificates of obligation), more than tripling the County’s debt service.
We also expect him to back the $396.6 million UMC debt issuance, increasing the total debt service of the County and UMC by more than $1.6 billion.
He has flirted with the idea of diverting bond funds to large capital improvement projects that lie far outside the purview of County government.
Most recently, he has endorsed the Margo-backed candidate Renard Johnson for Mayor of El Paso instead of Brian Kennedy, who is 100 times more qualified for the job.
Alas, Samaniego has gone to the Dark Side of the Force and is now the Darth Vader of taxation, and Commissioners Leon, Stout, and Coronado are his loyal stormtroopers.
Commissioner Holguin is the sole member of the Commissioners Court pushing back against deficit-spending and high taxation and she needs our support for reelection.
Ryan Woodcraft is our choice to replace Leon on the Commissioners Court and is running against Oligarchy candidate Jackie Butler and disgraced ex-city rep. Claudia Lizette Rodriguez.
Where is Luke Skywalker when you need him?