Steve Ortega, El Paso mayoral candidate

NAME: Steve Ortega
OFFICE YOU SEEK: Mayor of El Paso
AGE: 36
OCCUPATION: Attorney/City Representative District 7
EDUCATION: B.A., Government – University of Texas at Austin; B.A., Sociology – University of Texas at Austin; J.D., The George Washington University Law Center
FAMILY: Married

1) NUMBER-ONE CAMPAIGN FOCUS: My number one campaign focus is to talk one on one with El Pasoans about our community and its future. The feedback that I have received leads me to believe that many El Pasoans are very optimistic about El Paso’s future as people believe that our community is moving in the right direction.

2) WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM YOUR OPPONENTS? I am the only candidate with experience in city government. I have institutional knowledge and have a strong record of public leadership. Whether it is working with neighborhood associations to help achieve their goals or working with local leaders on issues such as transportation, downtown, and job attraction, I can have proven results that show significant successes for our community.

3) RELEVANT EXPERIENCE THAT QUALIFIES YOU FOR THE POSITION YOU SEEK: The relevant experience that qualifies me for the office of mayor is a record of experience with results. If elected, I will hit the ground running as I understand the organization of the City of El Paso. I have established and strong relationships with neighborhood leaders, business leaders, and local elected officials that will allow for continued progress in our community.

4) IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO REVOKE ONE ORDINANCE IN EL PASO IMMEDIATELY UPON TAKING OFFICE, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE? I would revoke ordinance 16852 which establishes the Midwivery Commission.

5) DESCRIBE A MOMENT THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE: Leaving El Paso to attend school changed my life because it made me realize how special this city is. I wanted to be in El Paso to take part in this city achieving it’s potential. El Paso is a city that sometimes settled for mediocrity in its expectations. Those days are over, and I happy to be part of a city that is now on the move forward.

6) IN WHAT WAYS IS EL PASO ON THE RIGHT TRACK, AND IN WHAT WAYS DOES IT NEED TO CHANGE COURSE? El Paso is on the right track in that our economy is seeing new jobs with higher wages. There is now investment in downtown, the building of a transportation system, and a community expectation of greatness for our city. To change the course from the direction that we are moving in would set this community back.

IF ELECTED, HOW WILL YOU BALANCE THE NEEDS OF FAMILY, YOUR CAREER AND YOUR OFFICE? As an elected official I know the difficulties of balancing family, career, and office responsibilities. It requires the discipline to dedicate quality time to each need.

WHEN AND WHY DID YOU COME TO EL PASO (IF APPLICABLE)? I am a 5th generation El Pasoan. The only time that I have not been in El Paso is the time I spent away at school.

PLEASE INDICATE WHETHER YOU HAVE A WEBSITE, TWITTER OR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT:
Website – www.ortegaforelpaso.com
Facebook – Ortega For El Paso