ABC 7 Listens: Regulations Of Political Activities For Sunland Park City Employees

The primaries in Texas are scheduled for March 4. One of the bigger races on the ticket is for El Paso CountySheriff.

A viewer on the West Side asks, “How is it that police chief Jose Ramirez of Sunland Park can run for office?” As ABC 7 has reported, former El Paso Police Chief Richard Wiles had to leave his job before formally announcing for sheriff, because the city’s civil service rules say a municipal worker can’t run for office while still an employee of the city.

But the rules aren’t the same everywhere. Sunland Park City Attorney Enrique Palomares said there is nothing in Sunland Park’s incorporation documents or in the city code that prevents a current city employee from running for office.

The only condition, Palomares said, is that they do not engage in political activity, like campaigning, during working hours.

Sunland Park’s rules regarding political activity by its employees are available here.