March 3, 2023
Rep. Cassandra Hernandez
Rep. Isabel Salcido
Rep. Henry Rivera
City of El Paso
300 N. Campbell St.
El Paso, TX 79901
Dear Reps. Hernandez, Salcido and Rivera:
The three of you have been demanding to know the reasons why your colleagues on City Council voted Tuesday to terminate the contract of City Manager Gonzalez.
Allow me to enlighten you.
Section 6.1(d) of the City Manager’s contract permits the City Council to fire him without cause, and that means that the City representatives who voted to fire him cannot state a cause unless they want to risk litigation. This seems to be obvious to everyone who has read the contract except for you.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Rep. Salcido demanded in open session to know why Gonzalez was fired, as if that could be discussed publicly.
Yesterday Rep. Rivera gave a disingenuous interview to KFOX14 in which he complained about his colleagues’ vote to terminate: “They haven’t told us anything at all. Just like they were silent that day on the dais, they’ve been silent with us.”
Please do not pretend that the reason Mr. Gonzalez was fired is a mystery.
And no, it was not because the five City leaders who voted to do so cannot tolerate a successful Hispanic, as Claudia Lizette Rodriguez has shamelessly stated at least twice.
I realize that a dozen or so individuals expressed their support Tuesday for retaining him, but I also know that you received scores of emails demanding his ouster.
If you really want to know why he was fired, just asked your constituents. I may not live in your districts but I am one of them, since I pay your salaries through my taxes, and your decisions directly affect my bank account and my quality of life.
I am not bound to the terms of 6.1(d) of the City Manager’s contract, so here are 19 reasons why I think firing him was the correct decision: https://elchuqueno.com/max-grossman-the-case-for-firing-tommy-gonzalez/
Rich Wright, another of your constituents, has provided additional reasons, so please read them attentively: https://elchuqueno.com/why-tommy-gonzalez-got-fired/
The fact that the three of you and those members of your Oligarchy Caucus who termed out, chose not to run again, or were voted out of office gave Mr. Gonzalez high performance ratings impresses no one, since the bulk of your campaign contributions comes from elite investors who have benefited from Mr. Gonzalez’s policies.
Have you noticed that most of the pro-Gonzalez politicians have been losing their elections? Dee Margo, Sam Morgan, Claudia Lizette Rodriguez, Analisa Silverstein and Bettina Olivares are among the latest casualties.
The only pro-Gonzalez politician who managed to win in December was Isabel Salcido, and that was only because Joe Pickett dropped out of the District 5 race just before the filing deadline, not because she is a talented leader.
The three of you have voted for every property tax hike, certificate of obligation, insolvent capital improvement project, and corporate handout that crossed your desks so if you want to blame someone for firing our City Manager, blame yourselves.
Respectfully,
Max Grossman, homeowner and taxpayer
District 1