El Paso Recall Organizers Question Selection Of New City Attorney

El Paso has a new city attorney, but some of the voices behind the mayoral recall effort aren’t too happy about it.

Sylvia Borunda Firth, a senior assistant city attorney, has served as Mayor John Cook’s chief of staff. Tuesday, City Council voted unanimously to have Firth replace the now-retired Charlie McNabb as the city’s lead counsel.

Firth was greeted with smiles and kind words by some on council as she approached the podium before the vote.

“I think I can make a difference,” Firth told the council members.

Several times, City Rep. Emma Acosta referred to Firth as her “home girl.”

“I’m very happy to see that (the new city attorney) is someone local, someone from within the organization,” Acosta said.

But two key supporters of the recall effort against City Rep. Steve Ortega, City Rep. Susie Byrd and Mayor Cook were not as supportive of Firth’s appointment.

Tom Brown and Sal Gomez told council members that they were concerned that it was Cook who selected Firth for the position.

City Manager Joyce Wilson said the job was posted nationally and that another candidate was interviewed.

Brown and Gomez also asked that the vote to confirm Firth be postponed until after the April recall election.

“It is quite likely that the mayor will be recalled in two to three months,” Brown said. “It would be unfair to the next mayor to have this mayor appoint someone.”

It was the often-quiet westside Rep. Ann Morgan Lilly who got the last word before the vote, though, telling the recall organizers that their speeches swayed her feelings when it came to Firth’s contract.

“Thank you Tom Brown and Mr. Gomez for your comments,” Lilly said. “Now, I am fully in support of a five year contract.”

Lilly’s words were met with laughter in council chambers.

In the end, council awarded Firth with a five year contract, her salary set at $190,000 per year.

That’s roughly $23,000 less than her predecessor.

Council also put in place a measure to try and discourage future city councilors and mayors from easily replacing Firth.

Her contract was amended so that if a future administration wishes to replace Firth without cause within her first three years as city attorney, the city would have to buyout the entire five year contract.

Rep. Ortega said he hoped this would depoliticize the selection of a city attorney, so that the attorney wouldn’t be replaced with every new administration or city council.

Ortega said instability in the city attorney’s office is “something that can kill a city.”