Matthew James Kozik, candidate for El Paso City Council District 1
Name: Matthew James Kozik
Occupation: Attorney
Relevant Experience
I grew up near Cleveland in a family shaped by immigration and military service, and I learned discipline at a very young age. I've spent my career since then standing up for people who needed an advocate.
After earning degrees in political science and African American studies at Ohio State, I attended law school at an HBCU in Washington, D.C., working in HIV/AIDS and special education clinics, and Capitol Hill, while also moving to New Orleans to help Hurricane Katrina survivors.
In the Army JAG Corps, I deployed to Afghanistan as Brigade Judge Advocate for 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, earning the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge. At Fort Bliss, I prosecuted serious crimes. In Korea, I advised a four-star general on ethics and reviewed multimillion-dollar contracts. I’ve been awarded two Meritorious Service metals.
That experience is what District 1 needs. I've read contracts line by line, so I'll scrutinize deals like Meta's, where a $550 million tax break guarantees only 50 jobs. I've enforced ethics rules at the highest levels, so I'll give our Ethics Commission real teeth. I've prosecuted and defended criminal cases, and represented individuals seeking a legal pathway to the American dream - I know what keeps neighborhoods safe. I’ve created and implemented policy at some of the highest levels of our government.
I met my spouse, Gloria, when I was stationed at Fort Bliss and have two children and we are EPISD parents. Since 2019, I've run The Matthew James law firm, so I know what small businesses face. I've written ten detailed plans, with every number sourced, to hold property taxes, fight utility hikes, make growth pay its way, and deliver cleaner streets. Principled. Experienced. Proven.
Personal
I was raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area by a family shaped by Polish heritage, immigration and military service. I spent much of my childhood on my mother’s farm, where caring for farm animals at a young age taught me discipline, responsibility and perseverance. While growing up, with my father near Cleveland and my mother in a farm community, I had the opportunity to see firsthand the difference in opportunities afforded to those who lived near a world-class city and those who lived where opportunities were much hard to find. Regardless, I was raised by my parents to lead and take care of others.
After law school, I worked as an attorney for the federal government while also being involved in local D.C. city local leadership, working on Capitol Hill, and working on a presidential campaign. After a few years of working in Washington, D.C., I felt it was time to serve our nation in uniform, much like my grandfathers before me, and joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.
At one point while in the Army, I was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, where I met my spouse Gloria, who owned a clothing business called Hommework. It was at this time, upon my arrival to Fort Bliss and meeting my future spouse that I knew El Paso was home. I had more time to serve and was stationed in Korea, Colorado, and Afghanistan.
At the conclusion of active-duty service, my spouse and I decided to move back to El Paso to raise our family. We created our business where we pay all employees a living wage with paid sick and family leave, and have raised our two boys, Mateo and Thiago, with Mateo attending EPISD. We remain involved in our community, providing immigration legal representation and criminal representation. My family takes advantage the mountain ranges throughout the mountain west to ski, hike, and swim. My oldest child has already climbed to the top of the Franklin Mountains.
What is your position on data centers?
I will oppose any more data centers in El Paso. They drain our water and power, create few permanent jobs, and leave residents paying for the infrastructure they need.
The Meta agreement is signed, so our job is making it work for El Paso. As an attorney, I know a contract is only as strong as the party willing to enforce it.
The public was told 300 jobs, but Section 4.3 binds Meta to just 50 full-time jobs at the area median wage. Council declined to renegotiate, but it doesn't need Meta's permission. Section 20 requires Meta to negotiate in good faith and then go to mediation. I'll push Council to invoke it on four issues.
First, local jobs and contractors. Under Section 4.5, Meta promised commercially reasonable efforts to hire El Paso and minority-owned companies. We'll demand proof. Second, pay. Full property tax grants depend on meeting the jobs commitment, and every job counted must pay the area median wage, verified annually in public. Third, water. Section 5.3 waived nearly every City fee, but Meta must still pay water and wastewater impact fees adopted under Chapter 395. Council should adopt fees reflecting real costs so ratepayers don't cover Meta's pipes. Fourth, transparency. Water use, electrical load and job counts are not trade secrets, and El Paso City Council should not help Meta hide them - we deserve to know the truth.
Enforcement means yearly compliance audits in open session and every remedy the contract allows used when Meta falls short. El Paso deserves every dollar and every job this contract requires.
What would you do differently to reduce property taxes?
On Aug. 18, Council voted 6–2, including incumbent Ms. Chavez, to raise the property tax rate from 75.96 to 79.8 cents, costing the average homeowner about $105 a year. It didn't have to. The City had $33.5 million in reserves above its own 60-day policy floor sitting unused. I'll vote against any further increase and hold the rate at 79.8 cents through FY 2028.
First, make growth pay its way. Today residents borrow to pay for the roads, water lines and drainage new subdivisions need. Impact fees on developers end that subsidy.
Second, stop paying for the same thing twice. Sharing dispatch, training, crime labs and fleet with the County can save the City $4.6 to $9 million a year, with no officer layoffs.
Third, end business giveaways that don't deliver. Meta received a tax break valued at $550 million with only 50 jobs guaranteed. The City's own 2024 audit found 6 of 7 incentive files missing required financial records. Every incentive should carry binding jobs, wage floors and clawbacks, with its cost per job published before the vote. Small businesses deserve relief before corporations get handouts.
Fourth, budget honestly. Council should start from the no-new-revenue rate and justify every dollar above it, instead of setting spending first and raising taxes to match. That means using reserves above policy, deferring capital projects that can wait, cutting long-vacant positions, and publishing the full tradeoffs before any vote, not after.
El Paso families have absorbed enough. It's time City Hall tightened its belt first.
What’s your position on the Deck Plaza project?
I oppose the deck plaza as currently planned for we cannot continue to have taxpayers pay the bill. If the federal government or state of Texas desires to cover the full cost-plus yearly maintenance then a discussion could be considered. Until that time, taxpayers should not be responsible for the costs. Taxpayers have to balance their books, yet city council budget has increased 11% over inflation.
What are your plans to ensure transparency and make sure you are accessible to constituents?
Transparency isn't a slogan for me; it's how I've run this campaign. I've published ten written plans with every number sourced, the legal authority cited, and the tradeoffs named, in English and Spanish. When I get something wrong, I post the correction. That's the standard I'll bring to City Hall.
In the Army, I served as ethics advisor for the general offices stationed in the Republic of Korea - I know ethics rules only work when someone enforces them. El Paso's Charter promised an independent Ethics Commission that can levy fines, yet in its two most-scrutinized cases the only sanction was a letter. I'll push to give it real independence and enforcement power, strengthen financial disclosure and lobbying rules, and require conflict-of-interest checks on every contract and incentive deal. We cannot allow our representatives to accept donations for those they are required to regulate.
Big decisions should never be surprises. The City's own 2024 audit found 6 of 7 incentive files missing required financial documentation. Every incentive should have its cost per job and full terms published before the vote, followed by annual compliance reports in open session. Budgets should show residents the tradeoffs before taxes go up, not after.
Accessibility means showing up. I'll hold regular District 1 town halls and office hours in the neighborhoods, not just downtown, and I'll explain every major vote in plain language, in English and Spanish, before and after I cast it. My phone number is public, and residents will get answers from my office.
District 1 deserves a representative who works for you and answers to you.
What makes you the best candidate?
I bring experience this seat needs. As an Army JAG officer, I advised commanders in Afghanistan, prosecuted serious crimes at Fort Bliss, reviewed multimillion-dollar contracts, and served as ethics advisor to a four-star general. As a small-business owner here since 2019, I know what our employers face.
And I've shown my work. I've published ten detailed plans, every number sourced, to make growth pay its way, fight utility hikes, put more officers on patrol and give our Ethics Commission real teeth.
When it matters most, Ms. Chavez chose City Hall over you, and I would choose differently. She expects us to trust us with the budget but she’s the same candidate who has declared bankruptcy and allowed the city budget to increase 11% over inflation.
In August, she voted for a budget that raised the property tax rate to 79.8 cents, about $105 more a year on the average home, while the City held $33.5 million in reserves above its own policy floor. I will vote against any further increase and hold the rate through FY 2028.
In June, she voted against reopening talks with Meta, leaving in place a deal that gives up to $550 million in tax breaks for just 50 guaranteed jobs. I've read that contract. Section 20 requires Meta to negotiate in good faith and then go to mediation, and I'll use it to press for local jobs, verified wages, water fees and transparency.
She’s accepted donations from El Paso electric CEO as well as members of the Public Service Board, both raising our rates during her term.
District 1 doesn't need another vote for higher taxes or representation that takes donations from those they are required to regulate. It needs a representative who reads the fine print and fights for you.
