Vero...The Good One

Damas y caballeros, please do not make this harder than it needs to be.

This is the person who should be your Mayor. 

Let's face it.

Oscar Leeser is running because he has nothing else to do.  He's bored out-of-his mind.  But much like the last time he was in office, nothing of note will happen. 

Dee Margo.  He thinks he is God's gift to El Paso.  Which is wrong, cos' I am.  But that guy is so damn self absorbed...it is everybody's fault, but his.

Carlos Gallina.  He will be nothing more than be Vero's...the Bad Vero...errand boy.  And you better believe it that Susie Byrd will be de facto City Manager should Gallina win.  And the last thing you want is for City Hall to become an open bar all over again.

So that leaves you with someone who from all appearances does give a shit about El Paso...Veronica Carbajal.  

"Max, she has a boyfriend."

I do not care.

She would be a legit break from all that bullshit at City Hall.

Yes, she has some ideas that I think are kinda, well, now is not the time to quibble over that.  I mean nobody is perfect.  We are after all human. 

"What the phuck, Max.  Are you being gay or something?" 

Not in the cool sense of word.

"Wait, what?"

So just quit the Allah damned bullshit and vote for Carbajal. 

"But what about her qualifications?"

She's smarter than me and the rest of the motherfuckers running for mayor.  That should be enough, but for some you that live sad and depressing lives, the lives that Carbajal wants to lift you out of, it is still not enough.  To those folks, well, come caca. 

 

 

 

Comments

[Jerry Kurtyka]

Well, Max, I took your advice and looked up Ms. Carbajal’s website and I have to admit there is much to consider in her campaign positions. It’s just too bad that the mayor has so little power to do anything because the one thing I long for is to get rid of the city manager position and replace it with a chief operating officer (I nominate Dionne Mack), then transfer the Economic Development, Planning and Finance departments (Purchasing and IT excluded) to the mayor. These moves would give the mayor some portfolio to move an agenda thru Council.

She is the first candidate I’ve seen to come out for no more corporate welfare which, I assume, is aimed at Paul and Woody’s city council and CM-assisted shakedown of the taxpayers the last 10 years. Ditto transparency that disappeared under Wilson. Ditto environment.

Very few candidates ever give more than lip service to environment and I am very much on board with her ideas. Really, environment, including sustainable and regenerative city practices, should be considered as an economic development strategy. Too bad the city let El Paso Electric be acquired by a private equity fund which means they don’t give a s**t about El Paso anymore. There is a petition to protect the Franklin slopes to the city limits that needs to see the light of day in council.

I think she is correct in pointing out the over-aggressiveness of the police department. This is part of the general militarization of police since 9-11. Armored cars and Humvees with gun turrets, like we saw in Kenosha, do not belong with the police. If it gets that bad, call out the Guard. Unfortunately, she does not give Chief Allen the credit he deserves for making and keeping El Paso one of the safest cities in the USA.

Housing, especially single family, is very affordable in El Paso compared to other comparable cities. When she talks about housing, she seems to be aiming at renters and multi family housing. I can tell you from my HFC experience that families in apartments want to get into a home and builders here do a pretty fair job of making that possible. Also, there are hundreds of vacant infill lots all over the city and no one has really come up with a solution to acquire and build homes on them as a business opportunity, I believe, for some enterprising UTEP grads. I am with her on protecting historic neighborhoods, but you have to get people to want to live in them, because my HFC experience was that first time buyers want a new home near good schools. There is so much that can be done at a public level on housing, especially finance and consolidation of city/county functions. As far as I know, there isn’t a comprehensive housing plan or strategy for the region.

She should stay out of education and leave it to EPISD to screw it up even more than it is. I will say the school board is very effective in seeing that Superintendent Cabrera, who never taught a class, is very well compensated.

I could go on because there are many opportunities just sitting on the table in this city to save money and make government more effective, especially in technology. But you are correct in pointing out that she has a vision and I wish her well. It is so good to see a young person running for mayor.

[F.A. Sommerfeld]

Hey now, that right there is a well thought out and well said comment Jerry Kurtyka. Keep 'em coming.

[Undecided]

I think the bottom line is that there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the current Mayor. There are two highly educated, young Latinos running. They are a true reflection of this community. Veronica is extremely intelligent, much more intelligent than Dee Margo and quite frankly most of the elected officials in this county. Carlos is bright not as intelligent as Veronica but smart. He is trying too hard with his Beto and Veronica endorsements. He needs to be a little more of a man and stand on his own a bit. He doesn't even mention his parents by name, but worships Escobar and O'Rourke like they're his mommy and daddy. A bit dissappointing.

[Xicana princess]

Jerry, that was a well thought out comment. I LOVE that a candidate like Veronica invokes this type of dialogue in the city. It is so refreshing. I am so tired of these ANGLO "businessmen" who have only known how to make money for themselves all of sudden have an inclination to know how to govern and lead a COMMUNITY, not a corporation.
While I believe that Veronica is a highly capable candidate, I wonder how she will function with the others on council and with other leaders in the community. Margo is so arrogant, he has isolated himself quite comfortably from his critics and Leeser just wants so badly to be liked. She seems a bit stubborn and not open to listen to the other side. Seems to be a trait of the anti arena, environmentalists which can make her tenure as Mayor a big failure. I would love to see a bright young Latina as Mayor of a 75% Hispanic community, just trying to look at all angles.

[JerryK]

Princess; The city owes Oscar Leeser a debt of gratitude for restoring some trust in city government after the Cook/Wilson debacle. Whether that translates to a 2nd term, I can't say but I lean toward younger leadership. It's your turn to f**k it up now, my generation has done enough damage.

[Xicana princess]

JerryK, you are correct. Leeser did help mend some relationships. He is easy going and likeable. Which with his local noteirity just might translate into a second term. Margo is white, only knows white and will always support white. Look at his donors, appointees--only his "help" is Hispanic. I was just happy to see some diversity on the ballot and some highly educated candidates.

[Tired of Max]

I'm glad you wasted a post on yet another Tamayo, aka Loser.

[Cemelli is fucking annoying]

Please tell her to dump Cemelli "Scream at every Event" Aztlan. If you want to lead a village find a village that will listen to your screaming bullshit, learn the issues that affect the majority or don't bother running for mainstream office.

[Voter]

It's been my experience after years and years of voting in local, state and national elections. Platforms mean absolutely nothing. The candidates never follow their platform and really don't care what they said on their website. They won, they will do whatever the "whoevers" were that put them in office. Doesn't matter whether they are young, middle age or old; male or female; educated or not - they all do what they want to do regardless of any platform on a website.

[Go Veronica!]

She is wiping the floor with Dee Margo in every debate. He is a pathetic turd in her presence. Dee, Hispanic women aren't just the help anymore. This Xicana is turning your world out. Bye Bye Dee!

[South central resident]

She lost my vote going against the police.

[Voter]

Yep - Carbajal wants to fire Greg Allen as does Carlos Gallinar. No reason why - they just want him fired. So - no - they have no credibility when it comes to EPPD.