August 10, 2007
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. Read on ...
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Looks like state Rep. Paul Moreno will have at least one challenger, maybe two … maybe even more. It’s getting crowded there in District 77.
Marisa Marquez is a 2000 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, with a degree in Finance and Business Economics. [candidate website]
Meanwhile, Gwen Pulido, an attorney with Kemp Smith, also is considering a run for the position.
Will there be a third? Brian Kennedy keeps getting mentioned as a candidate for something.
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The answer to the question “Who is running against Family Court Judge Alfredo Chavez?”: The answer: Yahara Lisa Gutierrez [candidate website]
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And another one … Precinct 6, Place 1 Justice of the Peace Ruben Lujan, who ran against County Commissioner Miguel Teran 12 years ago, may run again. Lujan said he cannot be a candidate and a judge, so still is considering whether to resign to run for the office.
“In 1995, Mr. Teran and myself ran against Rogelio Sanchez, a 26-30-year incumbent. Mr. Teran beat me by 82 votes to get in the runoff and he’s been there now 12 years. Mr. Teran and I are interested in the betterment of our community in the valley,” said Lujan, an eight-year Justice of the Peace.
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Note this appointment: “5A. Dan Chavez to the Airport Board by Representative Rachel Quintana, District 5. [Representative Rachel Quintana, (915) 541-4701] (Attachment)
Dan Chavez was one of the candidates for City Council District 5, and he endorsed city Rep. Rachel Quintana in the runoff against Jimmy Suerken.
Chavez replaced Joe Tarin on the Airport Board. Tarin, whose appointment was not up until May 2, 2008, was Suerken’s campaign manager. [campaign report]
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Speaking of Suerken, he hasn’t paid a campaign-related bill to Morris Pittle, owner of Two Ton Creativity who has managed advertising for various campaigns in El Paso. Word is the bill, which Suerken disputes, is more than $3,000 but less than $5,000.
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Dee Margo likely is moving JD Williams Insurance from its home in Wakefield Plaza just north of Downtown on the other side of the freeway. The new location is becoming a familiar Downtown address: The Chase Building, owned by the Borderplex Real Estate Investment Trust. “We haven’t signed a lease but we’re close to making a decision, and we would probably move into the Chase Jan. 1,” Margo said. “We’re investors of the Borderplex and we’re big backers of Downtown and I guess you could kind of say we’re putting our money where our mouth is.”
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Here’s a little story: Presi Ortega possibly is going to run against already-announced candidate Ana Perez for the seat of County Commissioner Luis Sarinana. Ortega has been eying that seat for some time. A little sidenote in the possible matchup: Perez is married to Art Fierro, a trustee on the El Paso Community College board. Fierro was close to Ortega at one time, but no more. In fact, that Ortega gave money to County Judge Anthony Cobos when Cobos was taking on Barbara Perez, who is no friend of Ortega and had as a key campaign supporter … Art Fierro. Watch out for this race, and as mentioned in a previous column, watch how the progressives in El Paso politics line up.
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Hunt Communities President Doug Wright is leaving the fold. This comes on the heels of Hunt’s so-far successful bid to buy nearly 5,000 acres of land in Northeast El Paso. Hunt offered slightly more than $27,000 per acre, not quite $5,000 more per acre than the other bidder, EPT. “As you can see, we left a few bucks on the table. But the process worked, and that's what's historic about this," Wright told the El Paso Times in a Thursday story. All told, the bid was more than $20 million more than the next bidder.
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Seen: City Reps. Rachel Quintana and Alexandro Lozano dining at Susaki on East Side with San Antonio lawyer James Deegear, counsel for the strip clubs, on Tuesday night (Aug. 7, 2007).
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Fundraiser for County Attorney Jose Rodriguez next Wednesday evening (Aug. 15, 2007) at the El Paso Club.
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