In the Dec. 14 runoff election to decide who will represent the upper section of Northeast El Paso, incumbent Joe Molinar and challenger Cynthia Boyar Trejo believe that a continuation of their general election campaigns will earn them a victory.
Molinar, 64, is completing his first term in office. He said he will promote his four years as a Marine and his 28 years with the El Paso Police Department where he retired in 2013 as a lieutenant. He also is proud of his years of community service and leadership with two neighborhood associations, and his voting record in primary and general elections.
Boyar Trejo, 58, is a first-time candidate. Her goal is to continue to build relationships with residents and find common ground. The entrepreneur is founder and CEO of Crowning Point, a resource for women who want to advance their careers and business, and founder and president of In Her Element Foundation, a nonprofit that provides support systems for underserved girls and women.
In the Nov. 5 election, 21,122 residents cast a ballot in the race. That is about 39% of the district’s almost 54,000 registered voters. The district is bordered by Hondo Pass Drive, Railroad Drive, the state line and the eastern slopes of the Franklin Mountains.
Molinar earned 38% of the votes and Boyar Trejo secured 29%.
Among the voters was Maria Williams, a 30-year resident of District 4 who lives near the intersection of U.S. Highway 54 and Hondo Pass. She would not say who she voted for in the general election, but said she planned to do additional research into the candidates’ accomplishments.
“I want someone who will be a true public servant,” Williams said.
City representatives can serve up to two four-year terms. They have legislative powers to include the duty to hire and fire the city manager and adopt a budget and set a tax rate. Their annual salaries are $63,038. The seats are nonpartisan.
Early voting for the Dec. 14 runoff election will be Dec. 2-10.
Boyar Trejo called her campaign “an amazing experience” in part because she was able to enjoy the district’s diversity and hear residents’ perspectives. She said the Nov. 5 election results showed that District 4 voters wanted a new representative who is transparent, trustworthy and accountable.
She heard from people who were concerned about long-overdue street repairs and wanted to elevate the Northeast’s public image. In a past interview, she said that she would work to bring the district a hospital, a wider variety of sit-down eateries and more big-box stores.
She said that the community would grow stronger and more connected by focusing on those quality-of-life priorities.
“I’m committed to being a representative who truly cares, listens and takes action,” she said in a prepared statement for El Paso Matters.
Molinar said he continues to deal with issues that affect District 4 such as potholes, speeding and economic and business development. He named streets that have been resurfaced and others that are scheduled for maintenance to include Wren Avenue and Fairbanks Drive.
“The challenges remain the same because we have a lot more work to accomplish,” Molinar said.
On a citywide level, Molinar said he voted in favor of no-new-revenue tax rates for the past two fiscal years, and the elimination of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone-10A on the Westside. He mentioned his opposition to the proposed Downtown deck park over Interstate 10, and his efforts to enhance police recruitment and retention.
“I stand by my leadership skills and experience as a dedicated public servant,” he said.
While both mentioned their efforts to promote economic development in the district, the city said its staff welcomes the collaboration with representatives, said Karina Brasgalla, interim director of Economic and International Development.
“While individual members don’t directly recruit businesses, their leadership in creating a business-friendly environment and their ability to advocate for community priorities are critical to economic development success,” Brasgalla said in a statement to El Paso Matters.
When Molinar and Boyar Trejo were asked about how they would approach immigration issues such as the proposed mass deportations by President-elect Donald Trump, they had different perspectives.
Molinar said the city would continue to follow the country’s laws. If necessary, he said the city would reevaluate the federal government’s migrant processing center off U.S. Highway 54 in the Mesquite Hills subdivision.
The incumbent said that the processing center is costing U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars in human and material resources to include contracts for water, nurses, security, waste disposal, vehicle rentals and food service. He said he hoped to work with U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales and his staff to make any necessary changes.
“My hope is to reduce the operations at this site on a steady basis and possibly eliminate it,” he said, adding that it could take years.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened the large, soft-sided facility in 2023, which is used to process migrants detained in El Paso and other Border Patrol sectors across the Southwest border. The average number of migrants in custody in the El Paso sector has dropped from about 4,000 in January to just over 1,000 this month, according to the city’s migrant dashboard.
Boyar Trejo said she disagrees with a mass deportation program because it fails to address the complexities of immigration and could harm families and communities. If elected, she would advocate for a humane and compassionate approach that prioritized public safety.
“It’s essential to enforce laws in a way that protects our community, but we must also ensure that children, families and innocent individuals are treated with dignity and respect,” Boyar Trejo said. “This is a humanitarian crisis, and addressing it effectively requires practical, thoughtful solutions that uphold our shared values while maintaining order and security.”
El Paso Matters contacted District 4 general election candidates Dorothy “Sissy” Byrd and Wesley Lawrence to see who they planned to vote for in the runoff election. Byrd did not respond to a phone call. Lawrence said he had not decided, but was leaning toward the challenger because Molinar has not done a good job in his opinion.
“Most people in the Northeast, they know he’s not delivered for our people,” he said in reference to District 4 residents.
Lawrence said he wants a candidate who understands the needs of the working class and how they are affected by rising taxes and home valuations. He wants someone who will respond to constituents’ needs such as better roads, and to their questions. He understands that representatives may not have an immediate response, but residents deserve better than a final answer of “I don’t know.”
Prior to the Nov. 5 general election, both candidates received sizable campaign contributions.
Among the top donors for Boyar Trejo were $5,000 from philanthropist Woody Hunt; $2,500 each from car dealer Steve Fox and businessman J. Kirk Robison; $1,700 from car dealer Raymond Palacios; and $1,000 each from Frank Adams, Jim Cardwell, Edward Escudero, Miguel Fernandez, Edward Houghton, Josh Hunt, Steve Ortega and Gary Porras.
Molinar received donations of $9,000 from the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association; $8,000 from retired University of Texas at El Paso Professor Richard Teschner; $3,500 from Houston oilman J.P. Bryan; $5,000 from the Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee; $2,500 from the El Paso Association of Firefighters; individual donations of $1,500 from businessmen Thomas Georges and Stanley Jobe, and five individual donations of $1,000 from businessmen and politicians.
The next campaign finance reports are due Dec. 6.
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