Renard Johnson is running for Mayor of El Paso and is backed by Veronica Escobar and our local business elites, together with their bankers and attorneys.
He has held three major fundraisers and by all accounts is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, which he will spend on an advertising blitz aimed at convincing us we should vote for him.
JOHNSON WOULD TAX AND SPEND US INTO OBLIVION
In his messaging Johnson promises everything to everyone, but the one thing conspicuously missing from his campaign webpage is any mention of tax relief, which is what El Pasoans want the most!
According to Adam Powell of the El Paso Times, “though he acknowledges the crushing weight of El Paso’s burdensome property taxes, which are consistently among the highest in the nation, Johnson stopped short of supporting a no-new revenue budget if he’s elected.”
You see, Johnson is all about issuing more bond debt, financing more large capital improvement projects, and doling out corporate welfare to his moneyed donors.
His campaign webpage is stuffed with new spending proposals, which deceptively he mixes with issues like student retention and healthcare, over which the City has no power.
There you will read about investment in “new forms of tourism, entertainment, and recreation throughout the city to increase the quality of life for our residents, with a mission to enhance El Paso’s appeal as a place to live, work, and visit.”
Maybe we can invest a few hundred million in a deck plaza over Interstate 10 that would include a new soccer stadium for the Locomotives, or perhaps the City can lure back Great Wolf Lodge with an even sweeter deal!
It’s Margonomics all over again: The elite investors and construction firms profit, but we pay.
Johnson seems not to know that the City must issue $601 million in voter-approved debt in FY 2026-2029 and cannot sustain any new bond debt for many years.
He is totally oblivious to the plight of the El Paso taxpayers, who are angry and frustrated and will not tolerate a Dee Margo disguised as Beto O’Rourke.
NOW CLAIMS TO SUPPORT LOWERING OUR PROPERTY TAX
Starting in February, Johnson adjusted his messaging and is now in favor of lowering our property tax. Evidently, his gaggle of advisors conducted polls and hurriedly revised his political strategy.
Johnson posted a highly polished video in which he declares he wants to lower our property tax while advancing economic development, even though his tax on one of his two commercial properties has been 100% abated by the City until 2030.
And now he is shooting out memes claiming, much like his tax-and-spend opponent Gassandra, that he will strive to lower our taxes.
The election is still more than six months away but we can already tell you with 100% certainty that Renard Johnson is a fraud because there is absolutely no way he can deliver on his core campaign promises.
MEDIA REFUSES TO SCRUTINIZE HIM
We at the El Paso Taxpayer Revolt and our friends at El Paso News are the only two media outlets that are systematically investigating Johnson’s record and policy positions.
Recently we learned that his brother Tim has been indicted for a $3 million Ponzi scheme and could face decades in prison if convicted.
During the period of the Ponzi scheme, from 2009 to 2021, Renard and Tim Johnson were President and Vice-President of Management and Engineering Technologies International, Inc. (which relies upon preferential federal contracts for its revenue). They worked in the same office at 8600 Boeing Dr. and collaborated in various business ventures until Tim left the company only 2 years and 11 months ago.
The El Paso Times, KVIA, and El Diario de El Paso covered the Ponzi scheme rather superficially, without exploring the obvious question: How much did Renard Johnson know about the alleged criminal activities of his brother and business partner and will his testimony be subpoenaed?
El Paso Matters has been silent about Renard Johnson since January 30, when Bob Moore published a fluff piece (which he does for all Escobar-backed candidates), giddy with excitement that our City could potentially have its first Black mayor.
El Paso Matters will go after after Brian Kennedy, alleging issues with his management of the County Coliseum years ago, and Joe Molinar for asking a woman to dance twice, and Kennedy and Art Fierro for outstanding moving and parking violations; but they will ignore felony charges against the brother and business partner of the leading mayoral candidate!
As for El Paso Inc, there is a reason why we have dubbed it the Oligarchy Gazette. They, too, refuse to scrutinize Renard Johnson, even as the FBI investigates his brother, and lately they have been actively promoting the campaign of Cassandra Hernandez by parroting her talking points, even in their headlines.
None of the mainstream media are investigating Johnson’s ties to his brother, examining his business dealings, or fact-checking his policy positions.
That’s where we come in.
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