What El Paso Could Be (Canyon, Copper Canyon: city hall, luxury, shop)

[Robert Breton]

El Paso could be a clean, vibrant city that would be the pride of Texas. The only thing preventing this is the lack of intelligent, educated individuals running for office. Sadly those qualified don't seek office leaving the non thinking incompetents we get each election. Promises but never action is all we ever get. Each time one sad bunch leaves office another nay sayer runs and gets elected. Our county commisioners and their accoplishments to date are prime examples. The few downown merchants that call the shots at city hall are also what's holding EP back. Mayor Cook is overjoyed that Juarez busses are coming in to EP. End result more traffic, pollution and street repairs. Of course this will enrichen some Juarez business man. When EP officials stop catering to every proposal Juarez wants,then El Paso may have a chance to clean up the down town area. People shy away from visiting or shopping due to dirty trash cluttered sidewalks. The sidewalks are so gongested with clothes racks and outdoor displays of junk that the downtown streets look like one huge swap meet. This is one big turn off for most out of town visitors. Cleaning up the disgusting porno parlors called gentlemen's clubs or get them out of the city limits would be another good move. Of course this will never happen. Just more talk and promises from the next group of losers that get elected. Sad situation. I pray that someday things will improve for us all.

[lipbalm]

Originally Posted by Robert Breton

El Paso could be a clean, vibrant city that would be the pride of Texas. The only thing preventing this is the lack of intelligent, educated individuals running for office. Sadly those qualified don't seek office leaving the non thinking incompetents we get each election. Promises but never action is all we ever get. Each time one sad bunch leaves office another nay sayer runs and gets elected. Our county commisioners and their accoplishments to date are prime examples. The few downown merchants that call the shots at city hall are also what's holding EP back. Mayor Cook is overjoyed that Juarez busses are coming in to EP. End result more traffic, pollution and street repairs. Of course this will enrichen some Juarez business man. When EP officials stop catering to every proposal Juarez wants,then El Paso may have a chance to clean up the down town area. People shy away from visiting or shopping due to dirty trash cluttered sidewalks. The sidewalks are so gongested with clothes racks and outdoor displays of junk that the downtown streets look like one huge swap meet. This is one big turn off for most out of town visitors. Cleaning up the disgusting porno parlors called gentlemen's clubs or get them out of the city limits would be another good move. Of course this will never happen. Just more talk and promises from the next group of losers that get elected. Sad situation. I pray that someday things will improve for us all.

Good luck with that. I have posted about this topic in the past having had some first hand experience with the inner workings of city government. You are dead right about "incompetents" running the show at the local govt level, this is partly due to the very low pay that one of these elected posts pay. If I am making 71K/year why in heavens would I ever chose to run for local office at something between 17-30K per year. The result is that only "rich" folks, retirees, and incompetents are willing to take on said tasks.

[KimK]

I agree that this city is in sad shape. It has tremendous, but as yet, untapped, potential. This city does not seem to have its own identity. It has an "identity of the week" mentality. Last week it was the BRAC identity and this week its the Asarco identity and then there is the "sister city to Juarez" identity. There seems to be a grave lack of visionary ability on the part of its politicos. Everything is about today and yesterday. Nothing about tomorrow and all the rest of the tomorrows.

The Commissioners Court should just be abolished. It is quite worthless and the recent FBI investigations support that. Dan Haggerty may be in the clear but his sitting on that commission for eons is simply unacceptable. I am an outsider and I can see the potential clearly but try to convince people here of that.

I mentioned to someone once that there is a luxury train that leaves here and goes to Copper Canyon. It is about $4000.00 per person. The El Pasoan to whom I mentioned it said, "Oh nobody here can afford that." That is where the discussion ended. That is what everything comes down to. What can we afford? News flash: it isn't about us folks. Its about appealing to others to come here to invest here to spend their money here. Anyway, I take exception to the story that we are a POOR people....lol....there are some very rich people here and they are the ten or so small groups running the show for their very own advantage. They put the incompetents in office so that they can continue to reap the financial rewards and the rest of us bedamned.

[Cybersimple]

Absolutely agree! Robert Breton, Lipbalm, Kimk, very good post.

[Robert Breton]

Thanks Cyber, If only we can get the few that control the puppets at city hall to ease up and give our city a chance to propsper. I still have the hopes that this will someday be a reality in my life time.

[HIGH!Lonesome]

El Paso could be a tourist destination if it wanted to, but I almost agree with most comments above that the finger pointed at the direction in El Paso's shortcomings are from the results El Paso voters have put into play wether at city hall or commissioners court.

If anyone is paying any attention whats going on over at city hall, we have three politicals that dont believe in What El Paso Could Be, sitting on city council now, to add insult to injury one got re elected and the other is a Luther Jones puppet, and just forget about that NE El Paso rep it dont get any worst than she.

Anyway the blame goes to all those registered voters that dont get off their butts and vote on election days, only a small minority of El Paso voters are calling the shots by installing time wasting corrupted incompentent officials.

yes incompentent as in Rachel Quintana, Eddie Holguin, and Melina Castro, there use to be another one but he must have seen the LIGHT.

El Paso Could Really Be A Great Place, it is but it could really be GREAT!