Keep an eye on the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso board … at Wednesday's meeting, a 2-2 vote meant the board did not hire Fernando Parra as the information manager for HACEP. Larry Medina and Kenna Ramirez voted against, Jaime Rubenstein and Kevin Quinn voted for. When the item returns in a week or two, the resident commissioner would be the swing vote.

You remember Parra, right? For reference, here is a previous Inner Loop item from 9.21.07: "Last week's Inner Loop featured a blurb on the availability for this campaign season of Fernando Parra, a former employee of District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez, and a current EPISD employee and a numbers guy who has worked on successful campaigns in El Paso with such behind-the-scenes gurus as Luther Jones. (By the way, Parra never thanked us for the plug). However, NPT neglected to mention some of the campaigners for whom he's worked. Those include former Mayor Joe Wardy, state Rep. Norma Chavez, and state Rep. Joe Pickett."

The authority also is getting close to hiring a new CEO, a hotly contested issue for much of the past several years. You all remember the Housing Authority, right? For background, go to NPT's home page and type in search term "housing authority."

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Heard No. 1: There's always some grumpy old men at City Council, it seems. This week, four City Council members walked in a few minutes after the executive session started (you guess which ones), prompting this comment: "Always late," punctuated by "hrmph!"

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Heard No. 2: On 11.2.07, Inner Loop reported that the answering machine at South-West city Rep. Beto O'Rourke's office tells callers that they have reached the office of the mayor pro-tem. Of course, East-Central city Rep. Alexandro Lozano is mayor pro-tem ... the answering machine message has since been corrected.

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Editor's note 11.18.07: Shuvalov sent NPT an email stating that he did not help O'Donnell in her campaign against Haggerty

Round 1 against state Rep. Pat Haggerty, Lorraine O'Donnell had some help from Kevin Shuvalov, an Austin-based political consultant. Round 1 for Dee Margo against state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, Margo had some help from Shuvalov.

So now, with Margo poised to run against Haggerty, who is going to step up to help his campaign?

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Seen having lunch at Roscoe's on Tuesday: Paul Strelzin and SISD trustees Charlie Garcia and Willie Gandara, Sr. Strelzin has been a severe critic of both trustees' roles in supporting SISD Superintendent Yvonne Atkinson, who Tuesday night was blamed by SISD parents and some officials for declining morale in the district, which contributed to the failure of the district's proposed $400 million bond issue.

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Speaking of the bond issue, part of the context there is that SISD is poised for unprecedented growth, as the Inner Loop project and Fort Bliss expansion open up a part of the East Side as a bedroom community for Fort Bliss. Until now, Fort Bliss was approached almost exclusively from Northeast El Paso. That will change dramatically in coming years.

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Speaking of the Strelz, from his web site: Retiring El Paso CBP Director Luis Garcia is announcing for sheriff. Friday was his last day on the job. Saturday is his last official day. He's to appear at the Pearson Breakfast Forum Saturday morning, but here's a question: If he does, would another former border security official who has done well politically -- built an organization, in fact -- jump in to help him out?

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Seen Part 2: Guess the Council member chilling with pals at Vanilla a couple of days ago.

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As reported in the El Paso Times, the IUOE Local 351, which is attempting to unionize the David Carrasco Job Corps, lodged a complaint with the NLRB alleging interference in the elections. See the complaint here.

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Luis Aguilar, who said he has taken over as city Rep. Rachel Quintana's lawyer, is himself no stranger to the public eye. The former district judge was accused of derogatory and sexual remarks to women in his courtroom and lost re-election to Maria Salas-Mendoza.

He also represented Arturo Duran, the Thomason trustee who has acknowledged he is implicated in FBI public corruption investigation.

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Heard this back story on Bowie Principal Leonel Rubio leaving the school, announced by the school district this week. The release cites family health concerns. One theory has it that a confluence of events -- poor test scores and Sal Mena no longer being an EPISD trustee -- meant it was time to go. This theory has it that Rubio was a great guy, but that politics and performance caught up to him …

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Help us keep you informed. Keep the tips flowing by contacting Owen at owen@epmediagroup.com, or send them to npt@epmediagroup.com and we'll pass them along.

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Previous Inner Loops

-- 11.2.07: Guess who's coming to dinner? Read items about Giuliani, Teran, Castro, Strelzin, Asarco and the Children's Hospital election. The Inner Loop, where we dress appropriately for every occasion.

-- 10.26.07: Dannenbaum, Madla, and Shapleigh. Quintana and Karlsruher. Olivo and Smith. Ruiz, Marquez and Moreno. Teran and friends. Wilson, Castro, Ortega and O'Rourke. And two Texas Senators. The Inner Loop, bringing people together since 2007.

-- 10.15.07: El Paso GOP: Elephant or mouse? Meanwhile, Democrats are busy raising money, and we know where that comes from. Plus, Asarco, EPISD and Montoya, HACEP, the Children's Hospital and Castro's fund-raiser. This week's Inner Loop, delayed and stopping just short of completion.

-- 10.5.07: Money, and lots of it. Noriega, Watts, Cornyn, Shapleigh, Pickett, Hahn, Brown, Kennedy, Huerta and a cast of about 1,000 members of the El Paso "hot core" of political animals and political prey. And who was at Rick Perry's fund-raiser? The Inner Loop keeps circling.

-- 9.28.07: Regional Congressional politics, but where's the big guy? Meanwhile, we see and hear Kennedy, O'Rourke, Elizondo, HACEP, a handful of judges, and a crowded house in the sheriff's race, with a new entry ready to announce. The Inner Loop, where the rubber hits the road to the best of all possible El Pasos.

-- 9.21.07: This week, we take you inside the tinfoil hat, featuring a cast of thousands: Lee Trevino, The Strelz, Asarco and Quintana, a Shapleigh sitdown, Reyes, Leon, Wiles, fundraisers and more. The Inner Loop avoids traffic by circling around the urban gridlock of El Paso politics.

-- 9.14.07: Getting loopy this week with Richardson, Esparza, Shapleigh, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Tenet, Parra, Aguilar and Moreno, just to name a few. Is there a voter rollback in Ysleta? How about candidates for district courts? Read on for questions, answers and mass confusion.

-- 9.7.07: Theresa Caballero and Jaime Esparza, plus other campaign contributions. Margo and Haggerty, Tilghman and Reyes, Rosenbaum and Quintana, Samaniego, Cobos, Perez, Friends of the El Paso School District, Hunt, Hicks and Pickett, Marquez and Moreno, and so on. To paraphrase a comic genius, El Paso, we have met the enemy, and they is us.

-- 8.24.07: Pushing the polls has begun, the city is facing "one tough lawyer" (but not that one) in the Elizondo case, a city appointment dilemma (hint: Holguin wins on one, but will the mayor get his Jobe?), and Shapleigh, Chavez, the Republicans and more. By the way, where'd Ann Lilly get off to?

-- 8.17.07: It's election season, and here are a few dates to keep. Also, some fund-raiser updates, a TIRZ tidbit, some FBI fallout, a lawsuit over construction at the UTEP Garden Inn, Glass Beach and more.

-- 8.10.07: Moreno’s challengers emerging, and a few other answers about candidates for Chavez’s judge seat and Teran’s county seat. Also, an intriguing City Council board appointment, a high-level Hunt resignation, a major Margo move, and more morsels for you political junkies.

-- 8.3.07: Notes and quotes about Reyes, Perez, Teran, Moreno, Lozano and more. Plus tidbits about CF Jordan, the Children’s Hospital, and finance reports. A new NPT feature.