El Paso Matters – District 7 runoff matches former city representative against Ysleta school board member

Voters in District 7, which covers parts of East El Paso and the Lower Valley, will return to the polls to choose a new city representative in the Dec. 14 runoff. Their choices are a retired educator who once represented the district, and a political consultant who has moved on to running for office himself.

Former city Rep. Lily Limón finished first in a four-candidate field in the Nov. 5 general election but fell short of the majority needed for election. She retired as a principal in the Ysleta Independent School District and served on City Council from 2013 to 2017, when she lost a reelection bid. Chris Hernandez, who finished second, describes himself as a political consultant and community organizer, and was elected to the Ysleta school board in 2023.

Limón, 74, said three issues repeatedly rise to the top when she talks to voters – property taxes they think are too high, and spending on public safety and streets, which they think are too low. And taxes are at the top of the list.

“Oh, my goodness. That is just a hot topic. Some people get very angry, very, very angry,” Limón said.

The majority of property taxes collected by the city government is spent on public safety and streets.

When asked what she would cut out of the city budget to increase spending on public safety and streets while reducing taxes, Limón said: “Oh, that’s like a catch-22 question.”

“The message that we need to get out is we’re going to do things not because we  deserve them, not because we like them, but we need to focus on what we need. What is it that we need? And sustain that,” she said.

Hernandez, 40, said he would only respond to El Paso Matters if the questions were submitted in writing. Throughout the 2024 election season, El Paso Matters has done in-person or phone interviews with candidates – including Hernandez –  because it allows for follow up questions and clarification. El Paso Matters declined to treat Hernandez differently than Limón, who has continuously agreed to live interviews.

On economic development, Limón said the city needs to shape its tax incentive policies – known as Chapter 380 agreements – to better focus on increasing wages.

“On all of these 380 agreements, it’s always the wages, that you’re going to set a certain wage. I think at one time it was like $16 (an hour), which is good, but it’s not great, it’s not fabulous,” she said.

Limón said sustainability is the most important issue for her when examining tax incentive proposals for businesses to relocate or expand in El Paso.

“Are we going to give money to a 380 agreement that will fold within the lifetime of the agreement? If that’s what’s going to happen, then that’s not a good agreement for us to get into,” she said.

With Donald Trump returning to the presidency, El Paso and other communities are likely to find themselves increasingly in the national spotlight. Trump campaigned on a promise to conduct mass deportations if elected.

The Migration Policy Institute has estimated that El Paso has more than 50,000 undocumented immigrants living in the community, including 16,000 who live with a U.S. citizen child. 

Limón said uncertainty about Trump’s specific plans makes it difficult to determine how the city should respond to an attempt to deport thousands of its residents.

“As I look at this, right now is a difficult time to determine this. I’ve got a feeling that our hands, City Council’s hands, may be tied by (Texas Gov. Greg) Abbott, by Trump. If you help these migrants or if you protect the migrants, then we’re going to take funding away from you,” she said.

The immigration issue is personal to Limón. Her daughter, Mariza Garza Limón, is executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso. Her religious beliefs teach her “that we need to help each other and help our community.”

“El Paso is a very giving community, and I believe that’s going to continue. What the city can do is going to be left up to what are the specifications that we will receive,” Limón said.

Early voting in the city runoff elections is Dec. 2-10, and Election Day is Saturday, Dec. 14. People who didn’t vote in the Nov. 5 election are eligible to vote in the mayoral runoff as long as they are registered to vote at an address in the city limits, and they can vote in one of the five City Council races if they are registered at an address within the boundaries of the particular district. The runoff election also includes a municipal court race that will be decided by voters citywide.

The post District 7 runoff matches former city representative against Ysleta school board member appeared first on El Paso Matters.

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