ABC-7 City Council District 1 debate

outgoing city rep. ann morgan lily. to help you make your decision, we’re proud to present a debate between the candidates… with your voice, your vote el paso. your voice, your vote el paso. our economy as well, not waiting for someone to save us. we can save ourselves. >> okay. i see. we have to take a break. when we come back, we’re going to ask an individual question to each of the candidate, a question catered specifically to them. so stay with >>> welcome back. i’m maria garcia. and today we’re talking to the candidates for city council district 1, which as we told you encompasses a large part of the west side. we’re going to get to specific questions for each individual candidate. ms. gallardo, we’ll start with you. you’re a high level executive. you said in a recent debate that council, quote, absolutely could move funds from one quality of life bond project to another. then why give voters the specific amount of money that will be earmarked? surely you can see why that’s a little troubling. >> let me the it that in context, though. what i said is if the projects are rescoped, if they are tweaked for whatever reason, and it’s possible to move money from one to the other, when we feel that — or felt that there’s a shortfall in one, then possibly be able to do that. bringing in my idea from the very beginning was absolutely to collaborate with the private sector. so that we could add funding for these projects. so in the context of moving funding, it’s not to create a deficit on one or the other. it’s if we feel that one has a priority over the other, maybe funds could be shifted temporarily so that we can get that particular project going. it all has to do with priorities and what’s going to benefit the community quicker. >> when you say move funds temporarily — >> well, i mean, in the way that the funding works and the way i understand it is that we have this pool of funds and these funds are there for the particular projects that were voted for. and the staffing at the city put dollar amounts for each particular project. so that doesn’t mean that it has to — that the hispanic culture center stays after 5.6. maybe we could do something if we know it’s going to benefit the community. >> i see, okay. mr. weisenberger, you said you playoff to be a one-term candidate if you win. for voters who are concerned that that means you won’t be fully invested in city business because you’ll be there for a short-term, what do you say? >> i think four years is a short sterm in my stage of life to be honest with you, okay? first, let me say, i’m a practicing attorney but my intention is, it’s certainly during the first year to, phase out my law practice so i will be a full-time city councilor. but the reason that i think one term is the way to do it is because we face the biggest challenges in the next four years. i see to many times where people on city council, they’re thinking about running for re-election or they’re thinking about maybe running for mayor. they’re thinking about running for congress or whatever it is. so every vote, they think about how it’s going to affect their election in the future. this is the last election i’m running. and so i don’t have to worry about that. i can only — i only have to be concerned about doing what i think is the right thing and what the citizens of the district want. >> okay. dr. bonart, you got a lot done during your time at the public service board. but also based on your service there, there’s some perception by some that you maybe don’t have the temperament to be a consensus builder on city council. and that you can be divisive and some say this is especially troubling for city council which already gets its good share of political bickering. >> how would i addres that? >> yes. >> the answer is this. when i came on the public service board, it was a 52-year-old organization that had everything engrained in it. we couldn’t even get computers. so when you’re challenging that kind of status quo, it appears as though you are argumentative or you are bickering. and as far as what i would do on city council and how i would pull that together, i think i’m going to create the balance that that organization needs. it’s no longer an organization that requires just yes men and rubber stamping but some creative solutions and that’s what i can pring. >> okay, mr. hina hosa, you’ve run for city council before. some people have told me they can’t take you seriously because you’re a chronic candidate with a whole lot of talk about fixing the budget but no real experience with big budgets. >> well, i do have experience with big budgets. i was the manager and part owner of a almost a $2 million apartment complex. so i know about money. i’ve been in business most of my life. i’ve had a car repair service. i’ve been serving the community and i still do. i think what you need to remember about me is that i am going to go forward with the city’s progress but i’m going take care of the working class and the working poor. that seems to be the element that is missing here. but i have the experience as i’ve had my own businesses and i’m successful even right now in the properties that i own. >> thank you, mr. hinajosa. mr. svarzbein, you’re an artist and a professor. there’s people wonder what exactly your job is. how can we take you seriously when your okay paying seems ambiguous to some people and that means a lack of experience for some voters. >> well, i’ve been an instructor at the texas tech college of architecture for two years now. i’ve an instructor at msu. i’ve had a photographer and production company now that i started in new york city. i shop shot for the “wall stree journal” and “new york times i’ve been featured on npr. i’ve lectured at harvard university. i don’t see how you can call mae anything but professional. i’ve also brought tangible results to this city and i took forward to working harder for the citizens of this district and region. >> mr. lopez, you’ve talked about transparency, about managing the budget. that’s easy to stay in a cam — say in a campaign but very few people know what your actual vision is, your actual plan for voters who have been paying attention to this. but find very little distinction with your platform. what do you say? >> well, basically, what i want to do is help bridge those communities together. builders, community, and the city government, the employees. to make sure that the flow of managing these projects goes well, because it’s difficult with the complexities of each project. they each have a particular design, a particular need. and the community has a particular desire. >> that’s your vision? >> i see that we can pull together as a community like what you’ve done as community building. i’ve been able to help businesses when they’re in trouble. bring them together to service their customers. and get back on track to doing what they dreamed as far as their business was concerned. and that’s what i want to do for the city, is bring them together with the community. and have government for the people once again. >> okay. now we’re going to allow the candidates to ask a question to another candidate of their choice, if they choose to do so. ms. gallardo, would you be participating in this? would you like to ask another candidate a question? >> sure. with all due respect, and i want to set a caveat. i think we all have more or less the same plans and wishes for our city. so — but i’ve been interested in knowing, mr. hinajosa, the $100,000 tax, i guess abatement or relief for homeowners, how are we going to replace that revenue deficit in something like that was implemented? >> thank you for — >> you’re talking about the $100 tax abatement that you’ve proposed in your campaign. >> yes, it’s my baby. it’s my jewel. $100,000 tax exception for anyone 65 or older, elderly. first of all, i want to make things very clear. it is a proposal. and you’re asking the wrong person for this reason. we were promised quality of life investment four or five years ago. witch been investing in quality — we have been investing in quality of life i. it’s time too reap the benefit. either we’re going to have quality of life which does include some tax relief or let’s stop calling it quality of life and qual call it what it’s becoming and that is a tax on recreation and sports. >> but her specific question — >> i understand. >> how will you replace that revenue? >> as i said, first we have to admit that we’ve been doing it wrong. that’s number one. once people who have been proposing and selling this idea to the city that we’re under a quality of life track, once they admit that we’re not giving people quality of life because we’re taking away 20% of their paycheck, then the next step will be to now have someone like me with a high criteria on spending that i’ve been repeating and that is that nothing will be approved until it can really show that it’s a financial benefit to the taxpayer. >> okay. >> so the criteria. it all goes back to going back to the table and revision of all projects to make sure they’re going to benefit the city. >> mr. wise enberger, will you be asking another candidate a question? >> yes, i will. i’d like to ask peter svarzbein when will you move into district 1 and are you a district 1 homeowner? >> that’s a very good question. i’ve been living in district 1 now for over two and a half years. i currently live with my girlfriend. i have not yet purchased a home but i am a homeowner. i’m a property owner. in el paso and i do pay taxes. >> you’re not a property owner in district 1. >> i’m not a property owner in district 1. >> mr. bonart, the question? >> can i just finish that? i was born and raised in district 1. i grew up in the upper valley. i used to spend my childhood running down the banks of the rio grande rough housing on the ditches. in the upper valley. i graduated from elementary school at the day school over by the coronado country club. i have come back to el paso to be living in the current place. so i know district 1 inside and out. i have for decades. thank you. >> mr. bonart? >> in order to not appear contentious or divisive, i’m not going to ask a question. >> okay. thank you, mr. bonart. mr. hin asjosa? >> mr. weisenberger, you say that you’re going to phase out your practice. but nevertheless, to be clear, you’re stil going to have two jobs if you were to get elected, is that correct? >> i’ll have two problems probably for six — jobs probably for six months. but the nature of the work that i do which is criminal defense can very easily be wound down and i expect that it will be. i’ll be able to close down the practice within six months. >> so while some of us will be full time, you’ll be part time? >> for six months, that’s probably true. >> okay. mr. vars bine, a question? >> — peter svarzbein, a question? all your children have left el paso, is that correct? >> that is correct. >> i’m going to be 35. a lot of my friends have gradated and — graduated and gone and blossomed in other cities and they always ask he what the sunsets look like in el paso and how they can come back. you had a successful business this the 1980s, which you sold. what concrete steps and proposals do you have to make el paso more competive for young, hard working el pasoans and to make us more competive in bringing back el paso expates? i — expatots? i don’t know if you’re familiar with this, but el paso is the largest county with people under the age of 40. and — yes. >> in terms of number of people under the age of 40? >> in terms of the people under the age of 40. >> i would — you know, i don’t know what percentage of that is people that graduated here and stayed or what percentage of that came from other places. i can say my three sons all graduated from college. and they would all love to come back to el paso. but unfortunately they all work in the financial industry and there are not job opportunities for them here. i do not believe that an individual city representative can be actively involved in going out and pursuing jobs. but that person — that individual can be supportive of the enties that try to bring jobs in and i certainly would do everything i could do to that. >> but his question is what concrete steps will you take specifically to make this city more competive for young professionals. well, i think that that’s — >> well, i think that’s kind of a trick question, if you will, because i don’t think a city rep takes concrete steps — >> what policies? >> other than to provide funds for the entity that is go out to provide the opportunities and look for industries to move here. >> okay. specific policies that you would support maybe? >> well, i would support providing more funds for the enties like the border plex alliance that go out to try to find the industries to move here. >> okay. thank you so much. >> certainly. >> mr. lopez, a question for a candidate? >> well, before i ask a question, i want to thank everyone here that’s run with me and — and i look forward that however the results, that we can continue working together, because we’re all el pasoans and we’re all proud to be here and we all want to serve and i know i want to serve and bring back people into the fold. of making decisions. but i wrote down a question so i’m going to read it because i want to be clear when i ask gallardo the question. i’m sure you’ve heard — 15 million dollars in electric fees. i would like to know if you agree with this statement considering the documents from the electric company show that those 15 million dollars were saved by industrial consumers only. so what’s your feeling on that issue? >> that’s a good qui. and i wish i — good question. and i wish i could address it with full knowledge of issue, of the topic. but it has been said that the homeowners have also been fitted. >> not much. >> so unless i am police officer ve to — privilegeie to the — privy — >> they’re open records. >> i know they’re open records but that information tends me to believe that the homeowners as well as the commercial base fees are the ones that have benefited. >> documents differ. they show the majority of the benefit went to industrial consumers and not the homeowners. >> okay. that wraps up our forum. thank you so much for joining us. ms. gallardo,