Brian Kennedy, candidate for El Paso Mayor

Name: Brian Kennedy

Age: 69

Party: Nonpartisan

Occupation: Attorney

Relevant Experience:

• I was a military analyst specializing in Russian order of battle. I was trained to analyze data, see the big picture, plot likely scenarios and form executable plans for a range of outcomes.
• I am a veteran. I understand first-hand the immense impact of Ft. Bliss on our community and the impact of military service on one’s life. I came to El Paso through Ft. Bliss and made it my home like so many other El Pasoans.
• I was a business owner. Once you’ve carried the responsibility for payroll and top line decisions you really never look at a dollar spent the same way.
• I owned an interest in several radio stations and radio led to an understanding of the concert and entertainment industry and an intro into tourism which led me to the El Paso County Coliseum where I created a private public partnership that still survives today that privatized the Coliseum…made it into one of the busiest facilities of its size in the Southwest, and created the El Paso Sports Commission which opened the door to sports tourism. We attracted hundreds of small to medium, regional and national, multi-day tournaments including the United States Women’s Bowling Congress and Conference USA Championship. I managed that multi-million dollar business for 23 years. Through the Sports Commission I developed a real understanding of El Paso’s tourism potential and how we often fail to meet those opportunities.
• I wasn’t born here. I chose El Paso out of almost a fascination with the one of a kind qualities we offer and their potential: history, climate, diversity of cultures, and the challenges of not being the wealthiest community. I believe my community service has often reflected that: Child Crisis Center, Sun Bowl, Rotary, VIVA El Paso, Historic Landmark Commission, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, FBI Citizens Academy have all added to my understanding of our communities challenges.
• I had always wanted to be a lawyer. I received my law degree at age 62 and passed the Coliseum torch to a new generation on leadership. I understand the power of fulfilling a dream.
• I am a believer in life-long learning. I don’t believe those opportunities ever stop. My bachelor’s degree from UTEP is in accounting, business and border studies. .My J.D. is from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Minnesota from which I graduated at the age of 62 magna cum laude Going to law school at age 59 while juggling the responsibilities of a full-time job was challenging but thrilling. It took great focus, organization and determination…not unlike public office.
• I have always been a natural negotiator. I was asked to participate in an American Bar Association competition that unpredictably led all the way from local, to regional, to national and finally to a gold medal at the International competition in Oslo, Norway. Successfully finding creative, win-win solutions to complex issues, in timed rounds, with cultural points of view from all over the world was a unique test, a validating experience, and a useful reminder that negotiating hard but with respect plays out from the personal to the professional level every day.
• While it takes a lot to tactically move things forward in private business, I have found public enterprise requires much more effort, planning and focus to achieve the same end and that’s what I’m giving it.

Personal: I am married to Dennece Knight. We recently celebrated twenty years of marriage. We have made our life together supporting each other's crazy ideas. One of those ideas is that you should leave things a little better than you found them. Together, we share six children including: a therapist, a chef, a counselor, a Technical Production Manager at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, a professor and soon-to-be lawyer, and an Emergency Medicine physician in his second year residency at Northwestern University.

Website: www.electbriankennedy.com

Brian Kennedy is running for El Paso Mayor. Here are his answers to KVIA's questions regarding his candidacy.

If elected, how will you collaborate differently with city representatives to create change for El Pasoans?

I think this is where my negotiate-hard-but-with-respect philosophy plays out effectively. People largely do things for their own reasons…not yours. Finding that common ground where you can establish a win-win means we all move forward together to the benefit of hundreds of thousands El Pasoans that we represent.

El Paso continues to be at the center of the immigration crisis. What steps will you take to address the impact of the crisis on El Paso, if elected?

The City of El Paso will always be on the front lines of migrant influxes but the Feds make the laws and we deal with the effects. Because of that we have made sure the Feds pay for ALL expenses. We have worked to be prepared to quickly implement a process that ensures everyone is dealt with humanely, quickly and efficiently.

We currently have a balance of over $10 million that is designated for handling the migrant crisis and influxes. It is critical to continue the policy of working with the federal government so the burden of funding the program remains with Washington.

The preparations of the vacant Morehead middle school as a shelter is an example of finding a safe solution for volume. Morehead needs to be completed as quickly as possible.

The city has a new Office of Climate and Sustainability. Are its goals going too far or not far enough?

We can never do enough to address climate concerns. Every City is grappling with this issue. There are measures that can be undertaken in almost every department. Some

require a lot of money that we don’t have for little or no impact . It takes real data and real planning. I think one of the effective methods for our City is a program that encourages an increased use of drought-tolerant native plants and trees to create more green space. The cooling effect of plants vs rock is greatly underestimated.

If elected, how will you make yourself available to constituents? Do you have any other plans to increase transparency?

It seems the more tools we have (phone, print, broadcast, social media, community meetings) the more we crave less noise and more honest, clear, communication. I plan to do regular “Straight Talk” recordings to boil down facts and perspective on current issues and challenges.

What are your thoughts on the future of the Multi-Purpose Performing Arts Center?

There is no multipurpose performing arts center. The voters were sold an arena renamed a multipurpose performing arts center at a price it couldn’t be built for the day they approved it.

The voters now have an opportunity in November to vote to say stop the madness and return the unused funds or build what we can get for the amount remaining.

What is your plan for the Duranguito area?

I think we are missing an opportunity. I favor the development of a downtown walking district with the use of bollards that rise up to keep through traffic out and create an Old Town that celebrates our unique history of three cultures, with incentives for mom and pop shops that will attract visitors to hotels, restaurants and retail 365 days a year, not just on game day. Tourism is found money. Every penny of sales tax collected through an increase in tourism provides relief for property

Whether it’s a high property tax rate or climbing property values, El Pasoans are struggling with skyrocketing housing costs. If elected, what will you do in the next 4 years to provide relief for homeowners?

We are not growing as a community because of high taxes. It requires a multi-pronged approach. If we want our kids to stay here they have to be able to buy a home. To buy a home they have to be able to find jobs in our community. Job creation through economic development should be paired with educational partnerships to guarantee needed skills are available here in the community.

I also think we should lobby for Central Appraisal District to only be allowed to exercise re-evaluations every three years.

It is critical to hold spending and seek cost-saving efficiencies whenever possible. I was a strong advocate for “no new revenue” each of the last two years that we

achieved il. It will be difficult to do it in fiscal years where there is hundreds of millions of dollars of voter approved bond debt to be issued.

The City only represents 30% of your tax dollar. We need to seek like-minded interests among other taxing entities with the understanding none of us win if El Paso loses.

Why are you the best candidate for this office?

I was a military analyst specializing in Russian order of battle. I was trained to analyze data, see the big picture, plot likely scenarios and form executable plans for a range of outcomes.

I am a veteran. I understand first-hand the immense impact of Ft. Bliss on our community and the impact of military service on one’s life. I came to El Paso through Ft. Bliss and made it my home like so many other El Pasoans.

I was a business owner. Once you’ve carried the responsibility for payroll and top line decisions you really never look at a dollar spent the same way.

Through the Sports Commission I developed a real understanding of El Paso’s tourism potential and how we often fail to meet those opportunities.

I wasn’t born here. I chose El Paso out of almost a fascination with the one of a kind qualities we offer and El Paso’s potential: history, climate, diversity of cultures, and the challenges of not being the wealthiest community. I believe my community service has often reflected that: Child Crisis Center, Sun Bowl, Rotary, VIVA El Paso, Historic Landmark Commission, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, FBI Citizens Academy have all added to my understanding of our communities challenges.

I understand the power of fulfilling a dream, becoming an attorney at age 62 was that for me. I am a believer in life-long learning. I don’t believe those opportunities ever stop. Going to law school at age 59 while juggling the responsibilities of a full-time job was challenging but thrilling. It took great focus, organization and determination…not unlike public office.

I have always been a natural negotiator. I was asked to participate in a American Bar Association competition that, unpredictably, led all the way from local, to regional, to national and finally to a gold medal at the International competition in Oslo, Norway. Successfully finding creative, win-win solutions to complex, spur of the moment issues, in timed rounds, with cultural points of view from all over the world was a unique test, a validating experience, and a useful reminder that negotiating hard but with respect plays out from the personal to the professional level every day.

I have come to greatly appreciate the immense talent and commitment of our 8000 City employees who are our partners in executing everything we try to achieve. They are only as good as the direction and resources they are given. They deserve a stable, secure environment. Serving as City Council Representative for District 1 has certainly given me a bird’s eye view into our city structure and processes, the status of most issues we face, whether our current approach is successful or failing, and the immense potential we have as a City.