El Paso Recall Date Still Not Set; Reps Concerned By Cost

El Paso City Attorney Sylvia Firth says uncertainty over the Texas congressional maps is still creating uncertainty when it comes to the city’s planned recall election, tentatively set for April 14.

During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Firth advised the city reps to hold off at least one more week before officially calling for the recall.

“There needs to be a lot of discussion, a lot agreement,” Firth said regarding the maps. “(State lawmakers) are just not there yet.”

Firth said if the map drama drags on, the Texas primary elections could be moved later than the scheduled date of April 3.

That would allow the city to proceed with the April 14 recall without presenting a conflict for El Paso’s county elections department.

But city officials say it would also mean the recall, being a special election, would cost the city of El Paso an extra $620,000 on that date.

At the meeting, District 8 City Rep. Courtney Niland told her fellow council members that the city doesn’t have that kind of money to throw around.

“It was clearly stated by our city manager that (the cost of the election) is not in the budget,” she said. “If we can save $600,000…that’s a lot of money.”

District 5 Rep. Dr. Mike Noe agreed, saying. “I respect the taxpayers; I am not willing to spend that kind of money with no benefit.”

Eddie Holguin, councilman for District 6, did not agree with his fellow reps, and said he feels El Paso voters would want to schedule the recall election sooner rather than later, regardless of cost.

“It’s the taxpayers that made the decision to move forward,” Holguin said. “I think we need to spend the money.”

Mayor John Cook, District 2 Rep. Susie Byrd and District 7 Rep. Steve Ortega face recall for helping to overturn a voter-approved city ordinance that stripped the health benefits of gay and unwed partners of city employees. The vaguely-worded ordinance also affected the benefits of some city retirees and some dependents of city employees.

Firth said if Texas lawmakers come to a decision on the congressional maps in time to keep the primary on April 3, the recall election could be moved to May 12.

Holguin pointed out that date could create scheduling conflicts too, because of its proximity to the county’s June primary runoffs.

In the end, city council unanimously voted to reconvene next Tuesday with options laid out by the city attorney’s office for each different scenario.

Firth reminded the reps that if the city plans to move forward with an April 14 recall, they will have to call for it then, in order to give state and federal officials the proper notice.