September 21, 2007
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.
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Inside the tinfoil hat: Let's have fun with conspiracy theories about the Lee Trevino extension. And we're going to assume you have some background on the issue, ok? City Rep. Eddie Holguin made the motion that reopened the issue up for discussion a little while back. Why? He says because he was trying to make nice with the City Council majority, and give them a chance to explore the issue, which he knew they weren't going to give up on. The tinfoil hat says that he suckered them into a debate he knew was an emotional flashpoint for many in the Lower Valley. The tinfoil hat says that city Rep. Alexandro Lozano wants to run for a higher office, and is straddling the line with the majority until such time as he can take off on his own.
Also, it was heard on The Strelz (Radio Free El Paso, 1650 AM in case you don't listen), that Lozano was getting pressure from County Commissioners to oppose his own Lee Trevino alternative proposal because of his own Ascarate Park proposal. Lozano denied that, pointing out that his relationship with County Judge Anthony Cobos wasn't what it had been, during a phone call in which he also said he hadn't read his own Op-Ed piece in the Times opposing the Lee Trevino extension. He tried to clarify that he meant he had submitted several pieces, and wasn't sure which one was published, but by then the one-liner reached the political subculture. A suggestion, then, to Rep. Lozano: If you don't want to read it, at least have Jaime Perez brief you on the next column before you go on air.
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Seen: One wag calls it "The Shapleigh Sit Down." At Ardovino's Wednesday night, state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh with County Commissioner Veronica Escobar and City Council reps Steve Ortega, Susie Byrd, and Beto O'Rourke. And lobbyist extraordinaire Debbie Kastrin.
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Speaking of City Council, Asarco is working it. The company has gone door to door, and even hit the festival circuit (Fiesta de la Flores, for example), gathering signatures in support of its bid to reopen. The first signature? Rachel Quintana. There is a city representative named Rachel Quintana. But you already knew that.
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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.
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Seen: El Paso FBI Special Agent in Charge Manuel Mora flying back from San Antonio to El Paso Monday morning.
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Interesting reading: The list of registered lobbyists with the city of El Paso. link
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Seen: Gwen Pulido, a potential candidate for state Rep. Paul Moreno's seat, and Marisa Marquez, an actualized candidate for the seat, introduced to each other by Greater Chamber Governmental Affairs liaison Mike Guerra at La Nortena Monday. Marquez to Pulido: Are you running? Pulido: It's not the right time. So that would seem to be a "no." But there's still a little toenail holding that door ajar.
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Ok, who in the El Paso Police Department is not going to run for sheriff? There's a backstory developing that Chief Richard Wiles is considering a run for the position, but might get a better offer from the city. Meanwhile, a couple other names have popped up: Lt. Gabriel Serna and former Deputy Chief Robert Almonte, who retired from the department in 2004. That's the same retirement year a former Police Chief Carlos Leon, who already has announced he is running for sheriff. Also in the race is Al Patino, a former U.S. Marshall.
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Fund-raiser in Austin for Shapleigh on Sept. 27. Shapleigh has a statewide presence, and might be positioned well when the Democrats retake the state. Check this out: link
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Since you read this column, you follow El Paso politics. So you already know the big-picture -- El Paso is really the borderplex, a regional conglomerate. Big money is flowing to such regional and national figures as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and N.M. Gov. and presidential candidate Bill Richardson. Now, three city reps (you guess which ones) and Mayor John Cook are hosting a fund-raiser for Dona Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley, who is running for Congress against incumbent Steve Pearce, a Republican. Event is Thursday at Café Central. Will Congressman Silvestre Reyes be there to support his El Paso Democratic comrades?
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Speaking of Reyes, El Paso Inc. notes his fund-raiser Oct. 7. On Oct. 6, six members of Congress will be in town with him at the First Annual Tigua Indian and Traders Market to be held at the El Paso Saddleblanket Co., 6926 Gateway East in El Paso. They are listed as Xavier Becerra of California, Ed Pastor of Arizona, Solomon Ortiz of Texas, Joe Baca of California, Ciro Rodriquez of Texas and Grace Napolitano of California. Let's connect the dots, and end this column the way it started: Reyes, Tiguas … Lee Trevino!
Until next week!
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Previous Inner Loops
-- 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 we 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.
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