County Judge Anthony Cobos’ new chief of staff, Jaime O. Perez, started work Monday. On Tuesday, he answered questions from the media about the whereabouts of Cobos, who Perez said missed Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting because he “had a personal emergency and he decided it was best to take care of it.”
Perez declined to elaborate, but did state that Cobos was in El Paso yesterday (Monday, July 16).
Perez is the former editor of the Border Observer, which published its last issue Friday, and a long-time political consultant in El Paso. His appearance in the Cobos’ office was a major development among the political class in El Paso.
Perez declined to discuss his salary, referring the question to Human Resources. A posting on the county Web site lists the salary as $89,697 a year. It was posted on May 28, and states that it is open until July 17. The job description is “Ability to analyze organizational structures, policies and procedures. Ability to perform budget related analysis. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, department heads, the judiciary and various officials of other governmental entities. Ability to express oneself, both orally and in writing, clearly and concisely. Ability to prepare and present reports relating to activities performed. Ability to manage and coordinate multiple tasks. Expertise in all forms of public and organizational communications.” [job description]
Perez said as Cobos’ chief of staff his job will be “to make sure the day to day work at the county gets done and to make sure that everything that occurs in Commissioners Court is something people can have access to.”
He also said that he will continue the work he started at the Observer.
“I plan to continue, of course. That’s my job. I will continue to write and expose what I see as the Bush Administration’s lynching of the County Judge and other commissioners,” Perez said.
In May, the FBI raided several offices in the County Courthouse, including that of Cobos and Commissioners Luis Sarinana and Miguel Teran. [story]
Travis Ketner, then Chief of Staff, resigned shortly after. On June 8, the U.S. Attorney announced that he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of public corruption.
[story] [plea document]
Perez has written extensively about the FBI investigation of the legal, business and political communities, which intersect in multiple ways. One of his theories has been that the investigation is driven by the top levels of the Bush Administration due to pressure from a group of wealthy El Pasoans who want to discredit politicians who may stand in the way of such proposals as the Downtown Plan.
When asked whether his job as chief of staff will conflict with his work in supporting Cobos and others who might be part of the FBI investigation, Perez responded: “I have my personal opinion and my job. You catch me on the street or on the net, I’m going to say what I think. Simple.”
He then ended the interview.
County Commissioner Veronica Escobar said that the decision to hire Perez was Cobos' to make; however, she said, she was concerned by Perez's statement and wondered whether he would use his position to further the political arguments, as opposed to doing the county's business.
Escobar also noted that Perez, both with the Observer and as a campaign consultant, has been a bitter opponent of herself and other elected officials. "(County Judge) Cobos could have used his choice to bridge trust on the Commissioners Court," she said.
Before ending the interview, Perez did address a murmur from the political underground, which was that he was going to work for new East Side city Rep. Rachel Quintana.
“She’s a great representative,” he said. “I think she’s a great lady. I’m sorry she’s being assassinated in the media.”
Jaime Perez has a long political history in El Paso. He ran for mayor in the 1980s against Jonathan Rogers, and worked on the campaigns of many public figures, including the City Council runs of now-Commissioner Luis Sarinana.
In 2000, Sun Circle, one of many companies registered at the time by Perez, received a contract for consulting work for Life Management Center. [background]
Around that time, he also formed a group called Citizens for Good Government, which was active during the term of Mayor Ray Caballero. That group primarily worked on tax rollback and tax freeze issues, two issues Perez has consistently championed through the years. He also worked on several rollback efforts. [perez interview, part 1] [perez interview, part 2]
Perez also worked on recall initiatives, including one against then-city Rep. Larry Medina. [background]
His activities during the rollback efforts led to a lawsuit, Medina v. Perez et. al. [background]
That lawsuit was dismissed, according to the county’s case search. [link]
That recall effort was linked to Perez's activities in opposing a Tax Increment Finance district planned for the area around Thomason. That issue, and other elements of the long-running political battle in which Perez has engaged, is recounted in this Texas Observer article. [link]
Perez went to work at City Hall in 2003, worked for a brief time in the administration of Joe Wardy, then left the city. He came back in 2005, splitting his time between representatives Eddie Holguin and Alexandro Lozano. [background]
His last position before hiring on at the county was at the Border Observer, leaving that position last week. [hired at the observer] [leaves the observer]
Rene Leon contributed to this article
