If you were Mayor... (San Antonio, Austin: amusement parks, crime, hotels)

[Muhnay]

What would you change about our city?

What would be your top priorities?

What do you see as the biggest problem of our city?

How would you address it?

[Six Foot Three]

I beleive El Paso should strive to create High Tech industrial parks or centers. Like in the new technologies coming out like Bio-Medicines (Stem Cells, Gene therapies, DNA medicines etc) Nano technologies, Alternative Energies etc... I notice alot of big time cities like Phoenix and San Antonio has these centers. Even up here in Alnuquerque there are the Science and Research tech parks that are a spinoff of the National Labs creating thousands og high wage jobs.

Secondly El Paso should try to lure major manufactures like automotive or aircraft plants. I see San Antonio has a HUGE Toyota plant now and up here we have the Eclipse Aviation factory with 2,000 high wage jobs and Tesla Motors just announced they will build a new Automotive plant here. We also have Intel with its 6,000 high wage jobs here as these are some examples.

Anyway thats just my thoughts about how to raise wages in El Paso so if i was mayor i would have tax incentives etc... to help in producing these employment clusters wiyh their high wages.

[malamute]

I would work on lowering taxes. To me that's one of the number one reason people won't move here and businesses avoid this area.

[wade52]

I think the only way for El Paso to become a more viable city going forward is to reverse its reputation as a low-wage, low-skill labor center. As we've seen, that type of work has been shipped off to China and Indonesia over the past decade and those jobs are never returning. If I were mayor, I'd make a concentrated effort to encourage technical skills (particularly based on data-processing and health-care) among El Paso's labor force and do what's necessary to attract quality employers. No more telemarketers, no more fly-by-night manufacturers who set up shop only to leave town within a few years, and NO to Asarco.

[Holaeptx]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

I beleive El Paso should strive to create High Tech industrial parks or centers. Like in the new technologies coming out like Bio-Medicines (Stem Cells, Gene therapies, DNA medicines etc) Nano technologies, Alternative Energies etc... I notice alot of big time cities like Phoenix and San Antonio has these centers. Even up here in Alnuquerque there are the Science and Research tech parks that are a spinoff of the National Labs creating thousands og high wage jobs.

Secondly El Paso should try to lure major manufactures like automotive or aircraft plants. I see San Antonio has a HUGE Toyota plant now and up here we have the Eclipse Aviation factory with 2,000 high wage jobs and Tesla Motors just announced they will build a new Automotive plant here. We also have Intel with its 6,000 high wage jobs here as these are some examples.

Anyway thats just my thoughts about how to raise wages in El Paso so if i was mayor i would have tax incentives etc... to help in producing these employment clusters wiyh their high wages.

We have been trying to bring in major manufacturers for many years and we have been sucessful(Delphi, Hoover, Leviton, Lear, JCI, Phillips Consumer, Lexmark, Electrolux too name a few...)but they come in with an eye to being in or moving to Juarez and beyond. They come down and setup shop on the US side while they get everything in order to move it to Mexico. Bringing in an Automotive "Marriage" plant is a huge undertaking that almost always requires the State's involvement.

Given El Paso's lousy turnout at the polls, our reps don't have the ammo to go after these projects. I've been involved with both Chambers and as Management in the Maquila industry for the last 26 years. I'm not just talking through my hat.

The move to the Call Center industry was an attempt to provide "jobs" to the brain drain generation that would/could stay in El Paso. It has been a success in that it replaced the Apparel industry jobs as they left.

The idea for the Bio-med industry is in the works. That's part of the reason the City was keen (imho) on buying out the Sapian neighborhood after last's year's flood. They are holding that area for possible investment from outside companies to develop that industry in the vicinity of the Medical School.

What we really need to do is flex some voter muscle and get more of the State's attention with votes. The City can only do so much without the State's help and we don't have Austin's attention.

I also think an "Alternative Energy" industry could be the next great industry for El Paso.

[EnjoyEP]

I think a Mayor in El Paso, while not being able to obviously single-handedly implement these changes, should use his/her position of viability and visibility (not to mention his/her power of a bully pulpit) to work to foster two things:

a) An effective, national tourism campaign, combined with a public relations campaign; in this, changing El Paso's focus to be much more geared towards welcoming tourism and promoting it.

El Paso's #1 asset is its geographic location. Its weather is probably the best in the US outside of coastal areas in California and Florida. It is great for things like golf and other leisure outdoor activities in the 6 months where the rest of the nation is freezing cold...in a similar way snowbirds head to Phoenix and Tucson.

Those snowbirds don't necessarily care about an area's economy, etc., they care about mild winter temps, sunshine, clear skies, and a place to golf and drink margaritas. Well El Paso can provide that almost as well as any place.

People are often shocked when they realize that beautiful large palm trees sway in El Paso with mountain vistas in the background. They are surprised at the insane amount of sunshine EP receives and that while EP's winters are so mild, the summers aren't nearly as oppressively hot as Phoenix's or Tucson's or Vegas'. People who come from dead-flat areas like the Midwest love the rolling streets of EP.

Things like the tram are really interesting to people who are from non-mountainous regions of the nation.

El Paso surely has issues it needs to wrestle with, but one thing that will never "go away" in EP is the unbelievable year-round climate, the sunshine, the mountains, etc., and that should be a major focus for the city to promote. Not many other cities can rival EP in this way. (For example, up here in Milwaukee we could promote great golf in February all we wanted but it would take Al Gore times 10 to make it reality).

b) Trying to find an economic niche in terms of a skilled professional segment to bring to El Paso to try to lure professionals there. One of the biggest reasons that people do not move to El Paso is because of a lack of high-paying, professional jobs.

Well, that isn't going to change until companies are lured there. So pick a segmented profession, target it, and aggressively pursue it. In Albuquerque they are effectively doing this in the film industry and in aviation. They are giving financial incentives to organizations, tax breaks, etc., and are going after 'em. El Paso needs to do the same.

If / when a few key organizations would come, then professionals would follow. They would spend their higher salaries in the city which would help boost the city's economy. Then, with a bigger economy, more industries would come. Etc., etc., etc. It is a snowball effect. But to start the snowball effect, you gotta start.

[SA2EP?]

ttt.......

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by SA2EP?

ttt.......

Hi SA2EP - Did you mean to post this? (Or is this shorthand I the old fogie do not understand?)

[SA2EP?]

I just meant take it to the top. I think it's a good read. These are the kind of threads that flush out ideas that turn into possibly great things for the city.

[Muhnay]

Well I asked the question, but never answered it.. so besides nuking the city into a waste land, I guess I should try to answer the questions I asked if I were mayor.

What would you change about our city?

I would address our lack of tourism. We could have a river walk, we could have 4 star hotels, restaurants and attractions. We don't need amusement parks like 6 flags to compete either. We need more attractions and something to make people stop here, rather that heading into Las Cruces or onto Van Horn/Midland. I have read in Travel and Leisure, Texas Highway and other magazines where people have passed on El Paso because they found it ugly, or not worth stopping, and even to some extent scary and depraved. We need to clean up our city, and make people want to stop here, and make it a vacation spot.

What would be your top priorities?

Cleaning up the downtown area, and trying to hide the view into Mexico, I think people traveling though see that and think its El Paso and get the wrong impression. Lowering Property Tax, and finding other ways to address funding for our city. Give Tax breaks to Tech companies to bring more jobs to El Paso. Charge companies who have jumped the river pay higher import taxes to punish them for abandoning El Paso for cheaper wages in Mexico. Embrace North East El Paso, and make it the jewel of the city, for me it already is. I would also start community events, movies in the park, and other social events to bring neighbors together and help squash the rising crime in our city. Put Police back on Horse back, increase our transit system to the level of the one in Seattle WA.

What do you see as the biggest problem of our city?

Gang activity, unemployment due to a language barrier. Low wages.

How would you address it?

Bring back the Gang task force, treat gang bangers as terrorist and put them on trial as such with life terms for gang banging. I have already suggested I would give tax breaks to bring tech companies and other high skilled jobs to the area, with the stipulation that they could not use the bilingual card to hire people, must read, write, and understand English campaign in the city. Raise the City minimum wage to $8.00 an hour, have a commission to keep an eye on the cost of living versus wages to keep them in check. Also give term limits on Food stamps and other aid.. also due away with projects in the city.. these have been breeding grounds for crime.

I guess thats just the tip of the iceberg, and I know many of the Hispanic population here would hate me, because I wont bend over and kiss the hinney... and I would expect them to step up just as I would any one of any color to do, and get working and earn their way.. I would also hope I would help by providing better jobs, a fair working wage and an environment that fosters growth and a sense of community.