City Rep. Alexsandra Annello of District 2 recently resigned her seat on City Council to run for state office, triggering a special election on December 9.
Of the four candidates running to replace her, we have determined that Judy Gutierrez is the most fiscally conservative. She is distributing a door hanger around her district making five promises:
She will not vote for a tax increase.
She will not support issuing debt without voter approval.
She will not use a City gas card.
She will not travel on City business but will remain in her district.
She will not accept a salary but will donate it back to District 2.
Gutierrez repeated these promises to Adam Powell of the El Paso Times in an extensive report published yesterday.
She also told Powell she is concerned about the more than $2 billion in City debt, fears that “hundreds of people are losing their homes because they can’t pay their taxes,” and is open to making spending cuts.
We had opposed Gutierrez in past elections because of her support for building an arena in Duranguito and because she accepted significant donations from the Oligarchs. However, she has stated publicly and told us directly that she deeply regrets her former support for the arena. She has also declared she will not accept campaign contributions in the current race.
JOSHUA ACEVEDO
Joshua Acevedo worked for Commissioner David Stout of District 2 before his election to the Board of Trustees of EPISD, which has seen its enrollment decline by 16.6% in only five years and has the highest teacher attrition rate in El Paso County. He was kind enough to speak to us on the phone to discuss his candidacy. We appreciate his volunteer work for EPISD but he did not share with us any substantive policy positions and did not seem committed to fiscal restraint.
VERONICA CARBAJAL
Veronica Carbajal stood firmly against the boondoggle arena project and for this we will always be grateful. However, she disappointed us when she served on the UMC Board of Managers and voted to issue up to $400 million in CO debt without voter authorization, before it was shot down by citizen petition. She then joined forces with Sunrise El Paso in support of Proposition K, the most radical and financially destructive proposition ever to make it onto an El Paso ballot. In a historic beatdown, 82% of El Pasoans who cast ballots voted against it.
Most disappointingly, she recently used her campaign Instagram page to oppose Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, opining on an issue that has nothing to do with representing District 2. She also shared the announcement of the anti-Israel protest in downtown El Paso on October 21, in which hundreds of activists chanted for Israel’s destruction, some wearing green armbands or scarves in solidarity with Hamas. The Instagram posts are gone and she has fallen silent on the issue, but El Pasoans will not forget.
BEN MENDOZA
Ben Mendoza told Adam Powell of the El Paso Times about his experience in the business world and on City committees, but he does not seem to offer any specific policy positions that will offer the taxpayers of El Paso any relief. He expressed his concern about high taxation (without offering any solutions) and cited the need to hire more police officers and support local businesses.
EARLY VOTING BEGINS NOVEMBER 27
We generally support the most fiscally responsible candidate, and in this election that would be Judy Gutierrez! We believe she will honor her campaign promises and, among the candidates for District 2, is the most committed to streamlining City government and providing relief to the taxpayers.
Early voting will be from November 27 through December 5, with Election Day on December 9.
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