As if that wasn’t bad enough, consider that the Greater Chamber of Commerce not only wholeheartedly endorsed a notorious public corruption figure but they also named him Entrepreneur of the Year! As you remember, Bob Jones swindled the taxpayers of the city while the chamber, not to mention the political elite, were bestowing accolades upon accolades on him for his business “acumen.”
Now, that same chamber of commerce wants to tell you who you should elect to take control of the same entity heavily involved in numerous corruption scandals. Coincidently, many members of the chamber benefited directly and indirectly from many years from public corruption at the city.
Even the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce acknowledges that this is the first time they are getting into the business of telling you who to elect. Look closely at why all of a sudden they want to tell you whom to vote for.
According to the El Paso Times article on January 29, 2015, titled “Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce to endorse school board candidates,” by Lindsey Anderson (kudos to Anderson’s investigative reports), the sudden interest to endorse candidates derives from a recently created PAC called Kids First of El Paso. According to a quote by a member of the PAC, the PAC was formed for “encouraging community organizations…to identify and endorse candidates who will ‘put politics behind’ and focus on preparing students.”
All laudable until you see who is financing the PAC.
Anderson reported that the PAC is financed with $11,000. Ten thousand of that financing came from Woody Hunt. This is the same individual whose company has a problem with the US flag adorning the façade of a school in one of his developments. This is the same individual that I have already documented caused a journalist to be fired because the journalist wanted to report on one of his shenanigans. It is the same individual that has spent money through various PACs to put certain individuals into office to drive his public policy agenda.
I don’t know about you, but understanding that most businesses associated with the El Paso Chamber of Commerce depend on the largess of Hunt related businesses who do you think the endorsements would favor?
Clearly there is a problem with this whole endorsement thing and it isn’t about what is good for El Paso, but rather a public policy agenda that is driving El Paso into bankruptcy.