Welcome to our latest installment of the Political Gossip Corner. In today’s edition we examine three items making the rounds at the proverbial political water cooler. We also share some news about a former El Pasoan who is running for a state seat.
Claudia Ordaz Perez Faces lawsuit
Several sources have told El Paso Politics that Art Fierro has prepared a lawsuit to file against Claudia Ordaz Perez should she file to run against him. As of yesterday, Ordaz Perez has not filed to run according to online records. The last day to file to run in the upcoming primary is Monday, December 13.
According to the sources, Fierro’s rumored lawsuit would seek to prove that Ordaz Perez does not meet the residency requirements to run against him. As readers may remember, we reported on November 15, 2021 about a lawsuit Ordaz Perez’ husband, Vince Perez, filed in 2015. Our understanding of the ruling issued in that lawsuit makes Claudia Ordaz Perez ineligible to run for office because she filed a change of address with the election’s department that leaves her three days short of meeting the one-year requirement for the office she seeks.
Attempts to get a comment from Art Fierro and his consultants about the rumored lawsuit have been met with “no comment”. We will continue to monitor this and update it as necessary.
Confirmed Dora Oaxaca And Michael Apodaca
The other political rumor we were hearing is that El Paso Democratic Party Chair, Dora Oaxaca, was not seeking a second term as the party chair. Yesterday, Oaxaca announced via the party Facebook page that she “will not be seeking re-election”. In her Facebook message, Oaxaca announced that Michael Apodaca will be running to replace her. Apodaca is currently the deputy campaign manager for Veronica Escobar, according to Oaxaca’s online message.
Freddy Klayel-Avalos and Sergio Coronado
Rumor has it that Freddy Klayel-Avalos and Sergio Coronado will file to run for Carl Robinson’s county commissioner seat. Klayel-Avalos is registered as a voter under his full name, Fareed Issa Khlayel but has used Freddy Klayel and Freddy Klayel-Avalos to run for office. Neither have filed to run for office as of yesterday.
News Byte, Not A Rumor – Jay Kleberg
Some readers may remember Jay Kleberg as a videographer who worked with Beto O’Rourke in 2017. Before that, Kleberg ran for Texas State Representative District 78 in 2010. Prior to running in 2010. Kleberg worked for Verde Realty, founded by O’Rourke’s father-in-law, Bill Sanders. Kleberg is part of the family that owned the King Ranch in South Texas. Kleberg is now running for the State Land Commissioner vacated by departing George P. Bush. Kleberg is running on a climate change and land conservation platform.
Important Information About The Political Gossip Corner
It is important to note that this column is nothing more than political rumors swirling around political operatives. As rumors they are unsubstantiated and none have been validated. So why are we publishing rumors? We have given this lots of thought and ultimately we decided that the more information that is allowed to become part of the political narrative the better informed the community is. The moment we decide to be gatekeepers of the information we become arbiters of what the community should know and what it should not know. That is the definition of censorship.
