Gandara Quote Raises Questions

County Commissioner Willie Gandara said something in an El Paso Times (http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_18308886?IADID=Search-www.elpasotimes.com-www.elpasotimes.com)interview back in June that I found pretty interesting. Commissioner Gandara, according to the Times’ article, is coordinating the project for the county.

The article also says he purchased property in the area. Here is a portion of that article:

"My family has owned land in that part of the county for a long time, and I bought two or three small lots here and there, mostly in tax sales," Gandara said.

"This project will bring a dramatic, nearly an overnight, change to the valley," Gandara said. "It will improve the economic environment for my constituents. And it will be good for the entire county region."

Gandara was in the news a while back after video surfaced of his recycling company’s vehicles at the construction site of the new mall that will be going up soon. If you recall, Commissioner Gandara was the deciding vote on whether or not to award tax abatement to the company seeking to build the project. It is said that the project would not have gone through without the tax abatements that Gandara ultimately supported.

There are growing voices of concern over financially benefiting off of votes made while in office. The El Paso Times article does not indicate when Gandara purchased the land in the area. If Gandara purchased the land before he was in office or before the deal went through, I don’t think there is an issue. Who can fault a guy for making a solid business investment that works out for him in the end? That’s the American way.

If however, the land was purchased after the deal was in the works, it may raise questions. People may question whether it would be appropriate for a sitting County Commissioner to purchase land in an area that will improve in value predicated on a specific deal they might have influence over.

This is video from an interview I conducted with Commissioner Gandara back when the deed was signed with the County and the GSA last year. Gandara points out that the value of the land in the area will rise.

Commissioner Gandara’s term is up in 2012. There has been no indication as to whether he intends to seek re-election, but he appears to have at least one opponent, Rudy Loya. His campaign slogan appears to be “Restore Public Trust”, which may be a not-so-subtle shot at Gandara and the Gandara family's recent public relations issues. A recent flyer identifies his campaign manager as Mayela Mejia.

For those of you not keeping score, Mejia recently lost a run-off election to Representative Noe, who’s campaign staff included Dora Oaxaca, Commissioner Gandara’s key staffer.

There are indications that another high-profile politico with experience, the ability to raise money, and strong knowledge of issues is strongly considering running for the position as well.