The county commissioner is one of five members of the El Paso County Commissioners Court, which makes policy-making and budget decisions for county government. Precinct 3 serves the Lower Valley and portions of the Eastside including Horizon City. The commissioner serves a four-year term and is paid $133,466 a year.
Who’s running for this seat?
Iliana Holguin, 47, a Democrat, is an attorney and a current El Paso County commissioner.
Virginia Rodriguez, a Democrat running for County Commissioner Precinct 3, did not respond to the questionnaire.
Candidate Questionnaires
Candidates were asked to limit their responses to 100 words. Responses have been lightly edited for grammar.
Iliana Holguin: I strongly believe that voters should have a say in the county’s decision to issue debt, and thus generally support general obligation bonds, which require voter approval, but not certificates of obligation, which do not require voter approval. Because CO’s do not require voter approval, I believe that CO’s should only be issued in emergency situations. I do not support issuing debt that impacts the tax rate.
Virginia Rodriguez: No response.
Iliana Holguin: The county has been very proactive in mitigating the migrant situation and I am very proud of the work of the Migrant Support Services Center, which helps up to 1,200 migrants per day with travel arrangements to their final destinations, where they will receive the assistance that they need as they navigate the immigration court system. The MSSC is a very necessary component of our community’s response to the migrant influx and is funded entirely by federal funds, not local taxpayers.
Virginia Rodriguez: No response.
Iliana Holguin: I have never voted to increase my salary while on the Commissioners Court and will never vote for any increases in commissioners’ salaries if I am re-elected. During this past budget cycle, I was the only member of the court to vote against the increase for the commissioners court salaries. I was also the only commissioner that voted against adopting the voter approval rate, which is the highest rate allowable by law without voter approval, during this last budget cycle.
Virginia Rodriguez: No response.
Iliana Holguin: As the commissioner for that area, I have personally witnessed the tremendous growth and the accompanying increase in traffic and congestion. As a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, I closely monitor the projects in that area to ensure that they are being completed timely, and also advocate for more transportation dollars for that area. I also work closely with the Sheriff and the Infrastructure Department to resolve traffic-related problems as soon as they are identified.
Virginia Rodriguez: No response.
Iliana Holguin: During this past budget cycle, I advocated strongly for reducing the budget in an effort to avoid having to raise taxes. I suggested decreasing the County’s Economic Impact Fund, which is very rarely used but represents a significant amount in the budget. I also advocated for postponing some expenditures, such as some capital improvement projects and some salary increases, until the county’s financial position could be better determined after the close of the 2023 fiscal year.
Virginia Rodriguez: No response.
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The post Meet the El Paso county commissioner Precinct 3 candidates in Democratic Primary appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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