More Muni Election Buzz
So things are starting to heat up in the race for the El Paso city elections. As you know there are several seats up for grabs and there may be even more open seats depending on whether or not any of the sitting members of Council decide to run for Mayor.
As I've mentioned in District 2, City Rep Susie Byrd is termed out and her seat will be open. Getsemani Yanez already has a treasurer and is almost certainly a candidate. But some of the El Paso for Liberty folks might consider jumping in as municipal candidates since they are non-partisan races and I'm betting at least one will end up in District 2 as a candidate, through it wouldn't surprise me if they jumped in the westside races if one of those seats opens up.
District 7 is also becoming pretty interesting. The rumors of City Rep Ortega taking a stab at running for Mayor of El Paso are starting to reach critical mass and Ortega is going to have to address the issue pretty soon. At any rate, his seat is open in this election. That is another race that is likely to have a huge number of people jump in to it, but so far the two big names I hear are former Ysleta ISD Trustee Ray Mendoza and the appointed member of Commissioner's Court for Precinct #3 Tania Chozet.
Mendoza has a pretty big upside. Very likable guy, already has a base of support to work off of since he has already been elected by people in the district, and he has campaign experience. He'll have to tighten up the screws on a few things, develop some solid messaging, and have a strong ground-game plan in place, but that's all doable. Money, as in any race, is going to be an issue. He doesn't need the most, he just needs to know how to spend it.
Chozet has the potential to be a powerhouse in the race, and I should point out that at this point its nothing more than water-cooler chat about her running. But you figure she has to be interested in policy now that she's been appointed to hold a seat until January. She's an Hispanic female, but that advantage ain't what it used to be. Especially if another Hispanic female decides to jump in the race. She's smart, she's experienced policy debate and is currently in the middle of budget hearings at the County.
But she's got some real vulnerabilities that can be exploited. She has relatively little history in her district. She has almost no voting history in the district and by her own admission, wasn't involved in much of anything in the valley before being appointed to the position. To her credit, once she was appointed to the position she didn't dodge the tough or controversial votes that have come before Commissioner's Court over her stint on the Court. She's taken the Domestic Partnership vote and the budget stuff may also call for some tough calls on her part. All stuff that has the potential to be used against her.
There continues to be talk about Mayoral candidates but its all still the same old stuff for now. I'll keep you posted as things start to develop. But keep in mind, the municipal elections are some of the most fun to watch because thats when some of the more eccentric candidates choose to pursue office. And lets not forget the fact that Bishop Brown and his flock still loom around and are likely to show up in some of the races that are going to be in play.
As I've mentioned in District 2, City Rep Susie Byrd is termed out and her seat will be open. Getsemani Yanez already has a treasurer and is almost certainly a candidate. But some of the El Paso for Liberty folks might consider jumping in as municipal candidates since they are non-partisan races and I'm betting at least one will end up in District 2 as a candidate, through it wouldn't surprise me if they jumped in the westside races if one of those seats opens up.
District 7 is also becoming pretty interesting. The rumors of City Rep Ortega taking a stab at running for Mayor of El Paso are starting to reach critical mass and Ortega is going to have to address the issue pretty soon. At any rate, his seat is open in this election. That is another race that is likely to have a huge number of people jump in to it, but so far the two big names I hear are former Ysleta ISD Trustee Ray Mendoza and the appointed member of Commissioner's Court for Precinct #3 Tania Chozet.
Mendoza has a pretty big upside. Very likable guy, already has a base of support to work off of since he has already been elected by people in the district, and he has campaign experience. He'll have to tighten up the screws on a few things, develop some solid messaging, and have a strong ground-game plan in place, but that's all doable. Money, as in any race, is going to be an issue. He doesn't need the most, he just needs to know how to spend it.
Chozet has the potential to be a powerhouse in the race, and I should point out that at this point its nothing more than water-cooler chat about her running. But you figure she has to be interested in policy now that she's been appointed to hold a seat until January. She's an Hispanic female, but that advantage ain't what it used to be. Especially if another Hispanic female decides to jump in the race. She's smart, she's experienced policy debate and is currently in the middle of budget hearings at the County.
But she's got some real vulnerabilities that can be exploited. She has relatively little history in her district. She has almost no voting history in the district and by her own admission, wasn't involved in much of anything in the valley before being appointed to the position. To her credit, once she was appointed to the position she didn't dodge the tough or controversial votes that have come before Commissioner's Court over her stint on the Court. She's taken the Domestic Partnership vote and the budget stuff may also call for some tough calls on her part. All stuff that has the potential to be used against her.
There continues to be talk about Mayoral candidates but its all still the same old stuff for now. I'll keep you posted as things start to develop. But keep in mind, the municipal elections are some of the most fun to watch because thats when some of the more eccentric candidates choose to pursue office. And lets not forget the fact that Bishop Brown and his flock still loom around and are likely to show up in some of the races that are going to be in play.
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