By: Xavier Miranda
For too long El Paso has succumbed to a colonized mentality, which has made us the epicenter of much injustice.
Our history is peppered with travesties ranging from the mass shooting at Walmart, the separation of children from their families at Tornillo, the toxic air quality plaguing the families living in the Chamizal neighborhoods, the displacement of African Americans in order to build the interstate highway, and the Ku Klux Klan running our school system at the turn of the 20th century, to name a few.
Sadly, local leadership has not authentically reflected the majority of Paseños and has lacked conviction to stand up against wealthy outsiders.
We have long been denied self-determination. Case in point, local billionaires, under a philanthropic guise, have recruited unscrupulous individuals to serve as political operatives so that they may craft municipal policies that exploit our community.
How else to explain why we rank right up there with New York and San Francisco in incurring the highest property tax rates in the country?
How else to explain how we demolished our City Hall and gave away the land to Paul Foster and MountainStar Sports to build and subsidize their ballpark?
How else to explain the creation of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ), which siphon taxes from public funds to make our downtown a playground for the wealthy?
How else to accept the $600-$900K golden parachutes awarded to corrupt school superintendents and unscrupulous city managers?
How else to explain why we incur some of the highest electricity rates in the country?
Well, we now have an opportunity to shed our colonized mentality and assert our collective voice by voting for Verónica Carbajal for City Council District 2, a woman of integrity and conviction.
Verónica Carbajal has established a reputation for being a fearless community attorney and leader who has advocated for local marginalized families bravely standing up to developers and corporations that have a history of polluting the air we breathe.
Verónica Carbajal currently serves the families of the Duranguito Neighborhood facing displacement in favor of a new sports arena that billionaires Paul Foster and Woody Hunt deem necessary. Verónica has actively echoed the voice of our community by opposing the increase of taxes to pay for this boondoggle.
Just as she actively supported our community’s call to dismiss grifter, City Manager Tommy Gonzalez, Verónica Carbajal recently joined over thirty community members in addressing our City Council to oppose Marathon Refinery’s audacious request to increase pollution thresholds.
The connection between the rich and our elected representatives is clear when one reviews campaign financial reports, her current opponent notwithstanding.
Campaign finance reform is vital in order to achieve equitable representation. Once again, Verónica Carbajal has led the effort to limit contributions to mayoral and city council candidates, which would prevent political action committees (PACs) from exerting corporate influence on the electoral process.
It is therefore necessary to call out political operatives, such as Chris Hernandez, who work for deceptive-sounding consulting firms and PACs such as El Paso Progress that seek to undermine the good work of honest candidates.
Case in point: El Paso Progress was formed in 2022 to work on the Street and Road Bond. The declared contributors of the bond initiative include the Hunt Companies, Jordan Foster, the El Paso Contractors Association, AECOM, (just awarded a contract to advise the City on Climate) and MVP Investments, a subsidiary of Marathon Oil.
Not surprisingly during this special election, Chris Hernandez was instructed to focus El Paso Progress PAC operations to oppose Verónica Carbajal’s campaign. Utilizing devious tactics is common practice by Hernandez, best exemplified by the mailers and texts sent to District 2 constituents which included insinuations and lies implicating the candidate he previously represented, resulting in her not even making the run-off.
Sadly, Verónica’s opponent is evidently accepting campaign contributions from wealthy individuals and dubious political advisors; no doubt with the expectation of a quid pro quo.
“Dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres.”
To that end, Verónica Carbajal has supporters from all walks of life, which include educators, environmentalists, attorneys, labor and immigration activists, marginalized and exploited families, as well as young and seasoned community members.
The respect and enthusiasm for Verónica Carbajal’s candidacy has been nurtured as a result of the integrity and devotion she’s demonstrated for our community.
Please consider casting your vote in support of Verónica Carbajal. Early voting started on January 3rd, and concludes on January 16th; with January 20th as Election Day.
About the Author
Xavier Miranda is a retired public school teacher.
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