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Last year, the Mayor and City Council decided to pass an ordinance offering medical and family benefits to unmarried domestic partners. The ordinance received a backlash from several voters, most especially those from the Christian and religious right citing that the ordinance opened city benefits homosexual domestic partners.

Christian Pastor Tom Brown, founder of “Word of Life Church”, organized a local effort to have the ordinance overturned. With the help of his congregation and several other churches in El Paso, including the Catholic Diocese, the initiative was placed on local election ballot and passed by a 55-45% margin. The success of the initiative led to unexpected results and a new host of problems for City Council, city employees, and city retirees.

For the initiative to be placed on the ballot, the wording could not be discriminatory to any one particular group of people. Due to the generalities, the initiative asked that “only city employees and their families” receive benefits. The implication was that city retirees were also going to lose their benefits. Instead of repealing the benefits of the 19 unmarried partners who had filed for benefits, including two homosexual couples, retired police and firefighters were also set to lose their benefits unless City Council and the Mayor intervened.

City Council and the mayor have the power to vote to amend or overturn any ordinances on the city charter, even those approved by voter initiative. Once a judged ruled in favor of the voter initiative Mayor Cook moved fast to reintroduce the issue to city council. Two council members the mayor needed to overturn the new ordinance, Beto O’Rourke and Rachel Quintana, were soon being replaced by newly elected members. Before the new City Council took their seats the mayor and four representatives voted to overturn the El Paso voter initiative and give employee benefits to everyone. The vote that took place was not without its own new set of consequences.

Pastor Tom Brown stepped back on the public forum and argued that the Mayor and two remaining representatives need to be recalled. The new voter initiative to recall Mayor Cook and Representatives Susie Byrd and Steve Ortega is now underway. Pastor Brown would need 7000 voters to sign a petition to recall the mayor and 700 signatures for Ortega and Susie Byrd.

The passage of a city ordinance that affected a few people has now escalated and has an effect on the entire city. This has created a controversial situation that may end political careers and place the retirements of countless city works up in the air.

El Paso’s national profile is generally what many El Pasoans see when they live in this town: A “small” big city without a chance to grow in these harsh economic times. Despite what many people think of their town, this is not the case. El Paso’s growth is actually much more drastic that what most citizens notice. Let us take a look at the facts:

Myth #1 – You can’t find a job in El Paso.

While it is true that we currently have a 9.5% unemployment ratio, we are still under the national average, which is 9.6; in addition, before the 2008 market recession, we were close to full employment, with the unemployment ratio at 5.6% during 2007. It is important to remark that there is a trend which suggests that El Paso could come out of this high unemployment in the next 2 years or so.

Myth #2 – El Paso doesn’t have enough teachers.

Even though the quality of the school systems is always debatable, the number of education jobs has increased heavily since 2000. This is mainly due because of the Paul Foster Medical School, which has allowed a near 47% increase to the field. The opening of University Medical Center has also contributed to this increase.

Myth #3 – People have stopped buying due to the recession

Despite the fact that there was an approximate $800 thousand decrease in consumer spending in 2009, that number is at its highest point in the past decade with a near 1.2 million increase, leading to an $8.6 million total. It should also be noted that this amount is on track with El Paso’s rising sales prior to the recession.

While some economists still debate over the timeline of the recession, one thing can be understood; El Paso is coming out of this recession stronger than ever.

Source: REDCO Business Barometers, 2011

The following is an account of the events that lead to the present reality of El Paso’s border community.

June 9, 1993

A sad day for the Sinaloa drug cartel. On this date, Guatemalan authorities apprehended Joaquin Guzmán Loera, nicknamed El Chapo. El Chapo, predecessor of drug lord Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, was sentenced to 20 years in jail and was scheduled to be extradited to the United States in early 2001. He remained powerful even behind bars because of his influence over prominent politicians, prison guards, and public office candidates.

2000

Seven years passed and El Chapo was now incarcerated in the “maximum security” Puente Grande prison in Jalisco, Mexico. In this same year, the PAN party celebrated the victory of Vicente Fox, the first non-PRI party President in over 70 years.

January 19, 2001

El Chapo escaped from prison a few days before his scheduled extradition, apparently hidden inside a laundry van. Curiously enough, Calderon’s recently appointed Sub-secretary of Public Security, Jorge Tello Peón, visited the prison a few days prior to the escape to conduct a “surprise inspection” of the facility. Peón announced El Chapo’s escape and was later investigated for possibly collaborating in the incident. Although the Mexican government found no connection, Peón resigned 45 days later citing personal reasons. Peón’s resigning sparked a series of investigations that lead to the implication of at least 78 people.

With El Chapo’s return, the Sinaloa Cartel, whose main operation was smuggling cocaine from Colombia to the United States, began to rebuild.

El Chapo began to exercise his tremendous influence to extend the Cartel’s operations across the country. He became Mexico’s top drug kingpin in 2003 when Cárdenas, leader of the Gulf Cartel, was arrested. With Cárdenas’s arrest, the Sinaloa Cartel became the most powerful Mexican cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel added production, transshipment, storage, and marijuana and heroin distribution to its list of illicit activities.

2004

Mexico held its presidential election. Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, the top contender, lost to PAN candidate Felipe Calderón Hinojosa by a small margin (35.31% to 35.89%). The small margin raised suspicions of corruption and electoral fraud because a vote-by-vote recount was never granted, although a general recount took place.

President Calderón vouched to fight the drug cartels by cutting their money supply and using the military to command captures. Calderon’s pledge marks the beginning of Juárez’s current violent reality.

Juárez’s drug trafficking activity was under the control of the Juárez Cartel, an ally of the Gulf Cartel, lead by Vicente Carrillo Fuentes. Juárez Cartel’s activities ran smoothly and rarely had incidents with authorities and civilians. The city ran its normal course; business was flourishing, U.S. imports and exports were growing, and economic development was advancing. Although Juárez occasionally did see murders, the targets of these attacks were connected to drug-related activities.

Late 2007

The Sinaloa Cartel, intending to extend its control, began to infiltrate the operations of the Juárez Cartel. This sparked an inter-cartel war that lives to date.

2008

Up to this point, Calderon had curiously directed his anti-drug war only to El Chapo’s enemies. Calderon’s administration captured leaders of the Gulf Cartel, dissidents of the Sinaloa Cartel, and leaders of the Juarez Cartel, including Alfredo Beltrán Leyva.

In addition, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, Chapo’s brother, and Claudia Adriana Elenes Salazar, Chapo’s cousin, were both released from jail. Furthermore, El Chapo openly married beauty queen Emma Coronel Aizpuru in Canales, Durango in 2007. Authorities did nothing to stop him. Finally, a study by the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México yielded that out of 53,174 drug trafficking related detentions, only 941 were related to Sinaloa Cartel operations.

Pressure mounted as Calderon’s initiatives began to take a toll on the Juárez Cartel’s finances and operations, which lead to an obscure and rarely mentioned event. Governor José Reyes Baeza walked into his Chihuahua City residence to find his family at gunpoint. The governor has had his hands tied to the Juárez Cartel since. The Juárez Cartel has responded to its decreasing money supply by extorting prominent individuals, business owners and civilians, and brutally killing innocent bystanders to demonstrate authority.

The Future

These events outline an inter-cartel power struggle that has killed thousands of Mexican residents, annihilated business creation and growth, and has caused community anger, fear and disbelief.

As Juárez’s sister city, El Paso has a duty to support its brothers and sisters from Juárez. It is essential that Calderon’s successor do everything in his power to stop the violence in Mexico.

Certain careers have large obstacles to overcome, however dedication and persistence will be determining factors that will enable everyone to reach their goals and be successful. Differentiating themselves from the crowd and taking self-initiative will secure the dream job a student hankers to obtain. “This is a long process of training and high performance. My recommendation is that you always achieve the highest grades during school; and during your work experience, make the most possible effort to be the best. The level of competition among government agencies, businesses, and corporations is very high, therefore it is imperative that one differentiates from the rest,” said Antonio Ortega, Commercial Counselor for Mexico in Michigan and Trade and Investment Representative for Hidalgo and Estado de Mexico, during one of our conversations.

Many students, like me, want to pursue a profession that is not necessarily common and requires a lifetime commitment.

I want to become a prominent ambassador to my country. Specific prerequisites and a challenging background, stated in Chapter IV of the Law of the Mexican Exterior Service (Ley del Servicio Exterior Mexicano), come adhered to my goal. Even though the requirements are challenging, the burden I have imposed on myself to promote the prosperity of Mexico and its untapped intelligence and talent weigh more than any other barrier that may come along my journey.

Living in a border city like Juárez has enabled me to experience the desperation of people from South Mexico and Central America. These people come to Juárez to attempt to illegally enter U.S. borders, in the hope of having a brighter future for themselves and their families. People still believe that “the grass is greener on the other side of the River,” and do not take into account that they will jeopardize their life and their family’s wellbeing by walking long days in hot deserts or traveling inside unventilated trailers as cargo before they reach the green grass. Why is it that immigrants do not stay in their country and prosper with its country’s resources? Is it the government’s inefficiency of creating jobs for its people? Or is it the people’s attitude?

When Hernan Cortes first landed in America in 1504, he noticed that the Mexican soil was rich and fertile, thus fought against anyone for the acquisition of such land. Mexico has excellent resources available to exploit and generate jobs, enough jobs to put bread on every Mexican table.

Illegal immigrants in the United States have an important role in the nation’s large economy. According to the Urban Institute, immigrants constitute 34% of the labor force in the domestic sphere, 23% in agriculture and fishing, 21% in assembly operations or machinery, and 18% in services. Immigrants contribute greatly to the success of foreign countries’ economy, although the economy of the immigrant‘s country is affected by the hard working immigrant that left. The USA Today could not be more accurate when on July of 2001 it stated, “USA just wouldn’t work without immigrant labor.”

Former U.S. President George W. Bush also had his opinion on immigration. Bush said, “Immigration is not a problem that needs to be resolved. It is a signal of a secure and successful nation… Foreigners should be welcomed, without prejudice and resentment, but with appreciation and courtesy.”

I want to be a part of Mexico’s economic transformation. I want other countries to see the potential filled in Mexico’s citizens. Many Mexicans have a strong desire to work hard for the wellbeing of their family. Hiking through deserts and working long hours for a poor salary in a foreign land demonstrates the immigrants’ determination and willingness to build a better future for their children.

My goal to change Mexico will certainly be difficult to obtain, but the passion and love I have for Mexico will get me to where I desire to be. A student’s story might be similar to mine, or their expectations might be higher, it does not matter. If somebody is determined to fight for his or her dream, the process will not be tedious, but exciting.

Since UTEP sits right at the border between Mexico and the United States, it is no wonder that it draws its students from both sides of the border.  Oscar Chavez, a computer science major, lives close to campus yet frequently travels across the Rio Grande to visit family.

“As I lifelong El Pasoan with strong ties to Juarez, the only thing that makes me feel I am visiting a foreign country when going to my grandmother’s house in Juarez is the waiting time at the bridges,” Chavez said. “Even though the day-to-day violence was enough of a deterrent from visiting my family often, the waiting lines only add to the problem of trying to get to and from Juarez in an efficient manner.”

Though commuters might feel otherwise, the Customs and Border Protection agency believe properly checking every vehicle entering the country is essential to maintaining the nation’s security.

Officer Ruben Jauregui, a Public Affairs spokesperson for the Customs and Border Protection, referred to the bridge waits as an “unfortunate circumstance”, yet feels nothing is more important than keeping our country safe from outside threats.

“Since 9/11, our department has increased our vigilance along the borders, and thorough car screenings is only one of the many steps that we have taken to prevent not only another terrorist attack, but to inhibit illegal drugs from entering the country.”

Jauregui stated that unlike other locations along the US-Mexico border, commuters in our area actually have a choice as to which port of entry is most suitable for them.

“In San Diego for example, there is only one port of entry with 24 lanes, and everyone must enter through this port even if it diverges them from their destination.  In our metro area, we have 3 major international bridges spaced out across the city, allowing drivers to ultimately decide which is most suitable for them.”

Jauregui added that the recent increase in violence in Juarez has not altered the Customs and Border Protection agency’s operations, and he also has advice for UTEP students who travel frequently to Cd. Juarez.

“I would suggest that by comparing traffic on the bridges at different times of the day and week, students can plan ahead and make their frequent commutes less stressful than they already are.”

“The Fed is the single most pervasive problem affecting every American, every age, race, and every socioeconomic status in the same way. It burdens us with tyrannical excesses of a small, elite class of people who view themselves as superior and intend to rule rather than serve,” said Matt Sistrunk, organizer of the group protesting in front of the El Paso branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Sistrunk, a West Point graduate and former Army Captain with 11 years of service, said he started questioning certain “status quo belief systems” in 1996, and has been active in working to enlighten the masses and to mobilize them to bring America back to the people by restraining government with constitutional rule of law ever since.

Although the Federal Reserve has been around for almost a century, Sistrunk, the other protestors, and those involved with the End the Fed movement do not think the Fed is necessary for economic stability. “That’s a lie. They create the crisis they claim they’re protecting us against. It’s an example of creation-reaction-solution. They create a problem, get a reaction, and install a prepared solution. They create slavery through the control of money supply. The government gives them the power to counterfeit money, something that if you and me did, we would go to jail.” The sentiment that the Federal Reserve has an ulterior agenda seems to be a unifying concern for members of the “End the Fed” movement. The introduction to a magazine posted on endthefed.us as educational material to be redistributed by group members says that “the Federal Reserve Bank and its owners are bringing to a conclusion the planned implosion of the financial economy of the United States.”

Despite all of the provocative language, Saturday’s protest was very peaceful. Federal Reserve security commended End the Fed’s orderliness and cooperation. “Oh yeah, the leader, he’s really good at keeping everything calm and in order.”

“This is completely peaceful,” iterated Sistrunk, “We want to achieve heightened awareness. We want to mobilize action. We want to equip people with the informational tools needed to affect their spheres of influence.”

End the Fed wants to abolish the Federal Reserve, but they think it will take several steps to get there, starting with an audit of the Federal Reserve’s records. “That’s the first step, auditing the fed. That falls under HR1207 which currently has [55] cosponsors. This audit will give a detailed look at the Fed, and it will uncover all of their secrets. Americans will no longer tolerate the Fed’s presence. The Fed is absolutely criminal.”

Besides their nationally based goals, the El Paso Campaign for Liberty Meetup Group has some plans locally as well. “We want to build a political machine made of people who support the constitution. We don’t want to fall into the typical paradigm of divisive politics,” Sistrunk said enthusiastically “We want anyone who loves our constitution. We’re looking into electing a few guys into city council and maybe a sheriff in 3 and a half years.”

Out of the six candidates that are running for Mayor of El Paso, four attended and laid out some of their proposals on how to make the city progress and prosper over the next four years.

Among the attendees were incumbent Mayor John F. Cook; Gus Haddad, a local businessman; Carlos Rivera, a former farm-worker and Air Force veteran; and Lee Mendez, a UTEP student and Navy veteran.

Each candidate did a good job presenting themselves to the UTEP students and to those that live in the surrounding community who took the time to attend. With that said, none of the candidates did enough to completely separate themselves from their opponents.

The big question going into this race is not whether one of Cook’s opponents will be able to beat him outright, but whether or not any of his opponents can force a run-off. A run-off occurs when none of the candidates can garner more than 50% of the votes, which then leads to another election where only the top two candidates compete.

The latest polls have shown Cook is close to that 50% mark that he hopes to achieve, yet at least one-third of El Pasoans remain undecided.

To those who might believe that a run-off is just delaying an inevitable Cook re-election, recent history proves otherwise.

Cook himself benefited from a run-off back in 2005, when then-Mayor Joe Wardy received the most votes but did not clear the 50% “safety line”, allowing Cook (as 2nd-highest vote-getter) to remain in the race. The one-on-one matchup and extra time to campaign before the run-off election proved to be more valuable to Cook than to the incumbent, as Cook came out on top after the final votes were counted.

With all this in mind, Cook, Haddad, Rivera, and Mendez took the stage at the Cinema on Monday, and the following is an assessment of their performances.

John F. Cook

Cons: Cook’s campaign organization at the event was very poor. While the other candidates had supporters present and shook hands with whoever approached them, Cook had no posters up (if he did, I did not see them) and did not spend as much time in the lobby as his opponents did. Also, while all the candidates criticized the status quo as being inefficient and out-of-touch with voters, Cook did very little in regards to refuting these claims, something he must do in the coming weeks so as to not be viewed as complacent.

Gus Haddad

Pros: Out of all the candidates present, he came off as the most “people-friendly”. While two other candidates also shook hands with the attendees in and around the Cinema, Haddad was the most engaging, making the majority of those with whom he met feel as if they held a true stake in this election. When on stage, he also made it clear that he played a key role in most of the initiatives that Cook was taking credit for, such as the 2000 Quality of Life issue.

Cons: The most controversial question of the day was the one concerning drug legalization, and in an auditorium full of students who made it evident through cheers and jeers (according to the direction that the discussion was headed) that they smoked marijuana, Haddad did not give a concrete yes or no as to whether he supported the idea. He is currently in second place behind Cook in most polls, and at some point, Haddad will have to answer tough questions such as this one and show that his views will not be swayed by a boisterous audience if he wishes to push Cook to the limit.

Carlos Rivera

Pros: The most energetic of the candidates, he constantly involved the audience when he was at the podium through questions which asked for feedback through a show of hands. He promised to give everyone in El Paso “a seat at the table”, making the city government more easy-to reach.

Cons: At times, it appeared that Rivera and Mendez were saying the exact same thing. In fact, at one point, both candidates stated that “the culture must change” at the city government, seemingly word-for-word of what the other candidate stated. If Rivera is to change his current poll fortunes, he must show that he and his ideas are fundamentally unique from the rest of the field.

Lee Mendez

Pros: The most eloquent speaker, and by far the most quotable. He gave one-liners like “We cannot ask the poor to subsidize the poor”, and “the fruits of NAFTA come at a price.” Though the other candidates are graduates of UTEP, Mendez had the advantage of being the only one currently enrolled at the school, thus sharing a noteworthy link with most of those in attendance.

Cons: The least politically experienced, Mendez does not have a record to fall back on. This made it critical for Mendez to fully outline his plans while in office, and while he said many things that made sense, the substance behind those ideas was not there. Mendez spoke of keeping the city’s intellectual property in El Paso, but he did not outline how exactly he would facilitate this. A detailed plan of his ideas would be advantageous to Mendez if he hopes to not be seen as just rhetoric.

When Lee Mendez begins talking about the issues concerning him most, his youth fades into a stern look of confidence and assurance in knowing the platform he pursues. The “Three I’s” are the focus of his campaign, those being Industry, Infrastructure, and Innovation. When speaking of El Paso, Mendez strongly asserts that industry is a leg of the stool El Paso must gain once again in order to replace low-wage service jobs within the city by bringing industry back into the larger picture. “After NAFTA, many textiles were lost to Juarez and Mexico; yet, the city never renewed the industry sector with other higher-paying skilled job.” Mendez states that he is determined to bring high paying companies to El Paso to offer the strengths we can offer as a city.

Infrastructure is another issue that Lee wants to tackle; one that has been brought into a large focus in recent months after the Smart Bus Route along Oregon was introduced. He points to the fact that there has been a lack of foresight when it comes to city planning and development. “New York and Chicago are big cities because they planned their development in ways that allowed them to become big cities. El Paso’s quick-buck mentality is what led to inefficient government costs. The 2006 storm water disaster is a clear example.”

As for innovation, Lee Mendez describes a certain missing link between the city government of El Paso and the University of Texas at El Paso. Recently, talks have come into light about the construction of a new international bridge along the border, the problem he notes is that the lack of a firm network between UTEP and El Paso has not allowed for collaboration for the project and instead has been outsourced to a company outside El Paso to possibly construct the bridge. “This can be a great experience for engineers and students from UTEP to work and gain experience, but there isn’t the cooperation between the city and the university we need.”

When it comes to Lee Mendez’s age, it might be the most repeated attack on his capabilities as mayor of El Paso. However, when people say he still doesn’t have his bachelor’s degree Lee calmly responds, “I haven’t finished my degree yet, but I am not uneducated.” He cites his Navy enrollment as a strong showcase for his leadership abilities and his knowledge and familiarity with the working class El Pasoan. In fact, Mendez says his age is an actual advantage! Noting the large young population in El Paso, mostly mid-20s to mid-30s, he feels his candidacy carries a unique and young perspective on how we can manage this city to foster the talents and innovation its young residents can offer.

On top of his 3 I’s platform, Lee feels that the mayor of a city musts be the strongest and loudest spokesperson for their city. “With our unique population, I’d like to get on the road to command attention from companies and to show them the people we have in our city.” Job with high wages and benefits are some of the features he would like to see come to El Paso sooner rather than later.

In discussing UTEP Tier1 status, Lee emphasizes that although Austin and El Paso emulate different cultures, it should not be a reason to be ostracized from the decisions that affect us as a city and a region. “UTEP has the largest graduation rate for Hispanics, the UT system receives a lot of money for that accomplishment; yet, we don’t see much of that money being spent in West Texas. Instead, it is used and kept towards East Texas, and we never see the amount of money we bring in as UTEP.”

Lee Mendez shows great enthusiasm when it comes to the possibilities that surround the large acreage that will be left at the ASARCO site for future use. “El Paso has a great natural resource—the Sun! I know it might seem like a crazy idea, but those crazy ideas are the ones that can improve our city substantially.”

“We should focus on using the power that is available to city government to change the way we perceive our city; green industry among other things are ways of doing that. Despite the outcome of the election, the youth of the city must keep up the momentum that has been building. Just because you’re young does not mean you cannot do certain things. Take initiative and pursue what you want!”

When it comes to taking action, Lee Mendez certainly is taking that step in his career and life. It’s important to note that when most mayors receive funding through dinners and donations, Lee has bootstrapped his own venture, using bake sales and other creative fundraising activities to fund his campaign personally.

The Ri wishes this young UTEP student the best of luck!