Within an hour or so of Newspaper Tree making inquiries into the nomination of District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez to the Fair Housing Task Force, Northeast city Rep. Melina Castro pulled the item from proposal for next week's agenda.

Castro was not immediately available for comment.

Sanchez said that he didn't want to be a burden for Castro, and had no problem with his name being withdrawn.

"I understand why," he said. "And she has enough problems. She doesn’t need mine."

Sanchez has been named as a target of the FBI public corruption investigation. He has said repeatedly that he has done nothing wrong and will be vindicated. Meanwhile, he said, he faces a difficult balancing act.

"I haven’t been picked up, I haven’t been charged, I haven’t been indicted on anything, yet I have to be very much aware of the stigma of this investigation," Sanchez said. "When is it going to end, and even if it does end, will these individuals say 'You know what Mr. Sanchez? We apologize for thinking this or accusing you.' "

Sanchez said he and Castro are long-time friends, and she used to work for him in the District Clerk's office.

He said when Castro was elected "I turned around and said 'when are you going to appoint me to a city board?' As a citizen and member of El Paso County I think its important to be as active as possible. Jokingly, we talked back and forth."

Sanchez said that she asked him to submit information, which he did.

"I think she had openings on three boards," he said. "So it was kind of luck of the draw."

According to the city Web site, The Fair Housing Task Force "reviews the current Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice in the City of El Paso, to identify any additional impediments, to develop a city-wide strategy to address the impediments and to make an annual report to the City Council of the Task Force's recommendations and findings."

The site lists three of 10 positions on the Task Force filled, with the rest vacant.

When asked why he would put himself through the public vetting process, Sanchez said, "I'm not going to hide in a hole. I know in my heart I did nothing wrong so I have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm obligated to serve. Why shouldn't I?"