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Dear District 7 Constituent,
In this newsletter, I will provide you updates concerning the proposed storm water utility, give you an update concerning the activities of downtown revitalization opponents, and share my opinion about the Oņate statue. I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who attend my community meetings. I have a great turnout at each meeting. It is encouraging to see the support and concern for the welfare of our community. For those of you who have not yet attended, this next meeting will be a great time to start as David Crowder of the El Paso Times will be the guest speaker.
Last Wednesday, the City of El Paso held a joint meeting with the Public Service Board in order to discuss the merits of creating a Storm Water Utility. The discussion is in response to the hundreds of millions of dollars of damage that the area suffered during last August's deluge. For too long, investment in proper storm water infrastructure has been deferred. Storm water projects are not "sexy" and don't incite headlines - yet they are greatly needed. Historically, there has not been the political will to properly address infrastructure issues related to storm drainage. The Storm 2006 acutely highlighted the City of El Paso's shortcomings when it came to having sufficient infrastructure. The City of El Paso itself, as an entity, has over 80 infrastructure repair projects directly related to the Storm 2006. The estimated cost of repair is over $115 million. Although nobody can predict when the next big storm will hit, we can predict that without proper infrastructure, we will again experience mass destruction whenever we get another deluge.
Last Wednesday, the message from our storm water experts was the following: We can invest now, or pay more later. As proposed, the PSB, which deals with water issues, would run the utility. The PSB would charge a user fee for those that have land that water runs over. Large commercial operations with lots of acreage (i.e., Cielo Vista Mall) would pay a higher fee based on the size of their land. The average residential rate proposed is three dollars a month. At the initial meeting, I stated that I would be able to support the proposed Storm Water Utility as long as there are caps as to how much the utility can grow and as long as creation of green space is part of the charge of the utility. Many communities, including our own, have merged water management with the creation of additional greenspace. Our most used park, Album Park, is a natural ponding area. If we can channel water in a way that allows for the creation of more park ponds, then I think we are killing two birds with one stone. The engineers, as well as the city manager, stated that this can be done and integrated into the charge of the proposed utility. Over the next two months, there will be an information campaign regarding the pros and cons of the proposed Storm Water Utility. The El Paso City Council is expected to vote on the creation of the new utility in two months. I will invite PSB Chairman Fermin Acosta to an upcoming community meeting to answer questions about the proposal.
Recently, some of you may have received a multipage propaganda piece from the Land Grab Opponents of El Paso. The title of the piece is "YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS UNDER THREAT." The Land Grab Opponents are a group of downtown businessmen led by Jerry and Marvin Rosenbaum who oppose the downtown revitalization plan. The Rosenbaums own the Los Angeles-El Paso bus company that is located in residential downtown neighborhood (You may recall one of their buses recently destroyed an apartment dwelling by running into it.) and a downtown swap meet located on the corner of Paisano and Oregon. The Rosenbaums are painting those on city council who support downtown revitalization as unconscionable squelchers of property rights. Those are the accusations, the facts are the following:
- Texas law severely limits eminent domain for economic development purposes to cases where there is "blight"
- The El Paso City Council passed a two year moratorium on eminent domain for the purposes of working a compromise with the opponents
- The City of El Paso has no record of abusing eminent domain (This administration has tried to use it one time with the Fall Mansion.)
- With election season around the corner, falsities and misinformation will be used by opponents so that "their" candidates are victorious
I ran for this office to help move this city forward. Rest assured that I will not be intimidated by narrow special interests whose agenda is not the community - but the welfare of their wallets. Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams states: "Great cities have great parks, great transportation systems, and great downtowns" - El Paso deserves great parks, a great transportation system, and a great downtown that we can all be proud of.
Recently there have been several newspaper articles regarding the new Oņate statue. The statute was built pursuant to a mid-1990s agreement with the 12 Travelers Organization that sought to highlight twelve notables in the region. One of the 12 was Don Juan de Oņate. Historians state that Oņate blazed the Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe and that Oņate crossed the Rio Grande here in El Paso and was part of the first Thanksgiving. Some professional historians and Native American leaders also note that Oņate savagely mistreated the Acoma tribe of New Mexico by mutilating and murdering a number of Acoma men, women, and children. It is argued that his legacy of bloodshed should not be celebrated by the erection of the world's largest equestrian statute.
If it was up to me, there would be no statue. There is no doubt that Oņate played a role in this region's history - but I don't think that role should be celebrated (for hyperbole, Hitler played a role in Germany's history but I don't think that warrants a statue of Hitler in Berlin). Unfortunately, this administration inherited the Oņate spectacle. I have asked Mayor Cook that the story board that will accompany the statue be honest and accurate in its depiction of the atrocities committed by Oņate. Revisionist history should not be part of the Oņate recount; and current and future, generations should be educated as to the good and bad of our region's colorful history.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. Feel free to contact me with your questions, thoughts, or concerns. I look forward to seeing you at the community meeting.
Regards,
Guest Speaker David Crowder, El Paso Times
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