Dear Friends and Media,
It took 2,273 days, a half-dozen attorneys, three City Council election cycles, and a full-scale revolt from the community, but I am pleased to report that the City of El Paso’s corrupt plan to erase a historic barrio for the benefit of a small group of elite investors has been terminated.
From the start of yesterday’s City Council meeting, it was clear that there is a new political order. Immediately after the swearing in of the three new representatives, an election was held for the positions of Mayor Pro Tempore and Mayor Alternate Pro Tempore. Rep. Henry Rivera nominated two “strong Latina women,” his two Oligarchy Caucus friends–Cassandra Hernandez and Isabel Salcido–but Alexsandra Annello and Joe Molinar were elected for the positions, thanks to their new colleagues.
Under agenda item 13, our City Council voted 4-3 with one abstention to abandon the project to construct an arena in Duranguito and to reallocate the remaining $154 million in QOL bond funds to upgrading existing City facilities.
Reps. Molinar and Annello, who co-sponsored the item, voted in favor and were joined by Art Fierro and Chris Canales. Brian Kennedy would certainly have voted “aye” as well but was compelled to abstain by the City Attorney for what she perceived as a conflict of interest.
The video begins at the 1:10.30 mark and continues all the way to 10:14:58 for a total of more than nine hours, including a long executive session.
83 members of the public spoke during public comment: 30 in favor of demolition and 53 against. The Country Club crowd turned out in force. Among the speakers were Adair Margo and Dora Oaxaca, whose comments can only be described as angry rants that were utterly devoid of reason. But the anti-arena speakers, including two barrio residents, were clearly on the side of right. I have appended a complete list of the speakers below.
Toward the end of the discussion, Rep. Cassandra Hernandez tried as hard as she could to undermine the agenda item so that the public could have three more months to digest the results of the Oligarchs’ feasibility study. It was painful to watch her contortions as she struggled in vain to get her way. Rep. Salcido made a feeble motion to put the arena matter to another vote but she could not get a second to her motion.
What we saw yesterday was the final attempt on the part of the Oligarchs to destroy Duranguito for an arena project. The $798,611 feasibility study was a transparent ploy to make the Oligarchy Caucus on City Council seem reasonable and thoughtful, but this time no one drank the kool-aid, in spite of City Architect Daniela Quesada’s desperate support of the Gensler plan.
But the consultants showed themselves to be as disingenuous and deceptive as our City staff have been since the time Tommy Gonzalez was appointed City Manager. They insisted that their proposed arena options would be profitable while omitting the cost of debt servicing from their expenditures columns. The bottom is that their proposals are destructive and, quite frankly, perverse.
Yesterday’s vote was a victory for all El Pasoans, who will not face a tax hike as a result of this project and can take pride in the preservation of a historic barrio that showcases the history and culture of our City, from the Native American period through the Mexican Revolution.
God bless,
Max
The pro-arena speakers were as follows:
Leonard Goodman
William Kell (for Paul Foster)
Michael Bray
Adair Margo
John Cook
Desirae Manzanares (for the Hispanic Chamber)
Jim Scherr
Henry Felix
Joe Gudenrath (for the DMD)
Stuart & Nancy Shiloff statement
Guillermo Garcia
William Helm (his firm submitted an arena design)
General Manager of Podium Finish
Juan Martinez
joint statement (Lane Gaddy, Miguel Fernandez, Martin Morales, Paul Foster, Stuart Meyers, Alan Lozara, Martin Najera, Jim Scherr, Elma Carreto)
Sarah Laucirica
Andrea Hutchins (for the El Paso Chamber)
Scott Lynch
Abel Legaspy
Peter Svarzbein
Mario Porras
Michael Parra
Mark Walter
Rodolfo Benavides
Yolanda Giner (for Paul Foster)
Dora Oaxaca (wife of Rep. Henry Rivera)
Richard Clarence
John Barela
Stephen Poessinger
The anti-arena speakers were as follows:
Fr. Rafael Garcia
Dr. Oscar Martinez
Dr. Sharon Bonart
Wesley Lawrence
Chrisopher Falk
Graciela Brandon
Robert Storch
County Commissioner David Stout
Alicia Villa
Antonia Morales
Carmen Rodriguez
Cynthia Renteria
Jose Rodriguez
Dr. Yolanda Leyva
Ana Reza
Soledad Munoz
Romelia Mendoza
Damian Andrade
Veronica Carrillo
Dr. David Romo
Marcos Munoz
Cheyanne Lozano
Dr. Selfa Chew
Jose Quintero
Ingrid Leyva
Adriana Montoya
Kim Schulte
Celina Galicia
Melissa Arechiga
Aurelio Valdez, Jr.
Rich Wright
Deliris Montanez Berrios
Philip Laign
Alana de Hinojosa
Linda Zavala
Angel Ulloa
Arnulfo Hernandez
Gabe Valencia
Vanessa Medrano
Dr. Rick Bonart
Adriana Muniz
Annette Vela
Silvia Merjil-Frite
Sito Negron
Marilyn Guida
Leola Westbrook Lawrence
Richard Genera
Jaimes Peinado (for Republican Liberty Caucus)
Dr. Max Grossman
Gabriela Marcela
Michael Apodaca
Teodora Villanueva
Nicole Antebi
Photo Credit: Elida S. Perez, El Paso Matters