Council rejects nomination of county official’s assistant for city planning commission

City Rep. Michiel Noe spoke out against a City Plan Commission nominee during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Rep. Claudia Ordaz nominated Jose Landeros, who currently works for County Commissioner Vince Perez, Ordaz’s fiance.

“I feel, before council votes on this, that you know exactly who Mr. Landeros is,” Noe said.

Noe argued Landeros has tried to alter city business, pointing to a series of text messages he sent to Ordaz during a council meeting, guiding her on what to say.

“It was a late night the night before and we were going over the presentation,” Ordaz explained. “He provided a service in educating me.”

Noe said he does not believe Landeros can be unbiased on the commission. Noe said he believes Landeros will take direction from Perez. He also said people who contribute to political campaigns, stand before the commission. Noe said because of Landeros’ previous work on Perez’s campaign, he could be influenced where to direct funding.

“I can’t honestly feel that as good as he is and as bright as he is, that he can be unbiased on that commission,” Noe said. “He serves at the pleasure of a county commissioner, and I believe he will take direction from that county commissioner.”

Ordaz responded, saying she understands Noe’s concerns. But she argued, Landeros is a resident of the Lower Valley, who has been instrumental in getting upgrades for the area. Ordaz explained why Landeros has given her advice during council meetings in the past, saying he was educating her to a very complex issue. She said he has also helped her better understand zoning laws. She said she has no reservations at all about appointing him.

Reps. Cortney Niland and Emma Acosta agreed with Noe, saying because of Landeros’ close ties to Perez and Ordaz, Landeros should not be appointed to what is an independent body.

Rep. Lily Limon said she found it offensive Noe used a public forum to smear Landeros.

The appointment failed 5-2, with only Limon and Ordaz voting in favor.

PREVIOUS STORY SEPT. 7, 2015:

El Paso City Rep. Claudia Ordaz has turned over 3,000 text messages stored on her personal phone. The messages were related to city business, meaning they were subject to an open records request by the writer of El Paso blog “Max Powers,” Ali Enrique Razavi. What turned up in those texts has one council representative concerned.

“There was an open records request made to my office about any official business being done on my person cell phone,” Ordaz said.

The Max Powers blog wanted all of Ordaz’s texts from March through August that involved city business. The blog didn’t request anyone else’s. Ordaz told the city attorney those messages had been deleted, due to Ordaz routinely dumping her inbox to make space.

“There is this culture that exists that you read and delete text messages,” Ordaz said. “But under the law, anything that deals with city business is suppose to be made public.”

Ordaz soon found a $50 software program that recovered her texts.

“I wanted to hand over everything to be as transparent as possible,” Ordaz said.

In that transparency, the public now has a look inside Ordaz’s communications. She texts her regret at voting for County Manager Tommy Gonzalez’s raise, and refers to a female rep when saying, “I don’t give an (expletive).”

But what really stands out is what appears to be minute by minute coaching by Jose Landeros, County Commissioner Vince Perez’s aide during a city meeting. Perez is Ordaz’s fiance. At this meeting, Ordaz was bringing to light $40 million in transportation funding the Metropolitan Planning Organization missed out on, due mistakes made by the city during the application process. A picture obtained by ABC-7 shows Landeros in the audience.

The texts from Landeros read: “You’re gonna do great! Have confidence…”; “Call him on not answering your question. He’s giving you fluff…,”; Tell him to cut the (expletive)”; Push Niland and hold her accountable.”; You’re kicking (expletive)!!”

“{Landeros} sits on the subcommittee on the MPO,” Ordaz said. “And so I have no shame in using resources that are available to me that are going to help me through these issues.”

“If she wants to go outside her office and ask for advice that’s fine, ” City Rep. Michiel Noe said. “But if she’s being directed by the county and a commissioner on the commissioners court, then yeah, I’m not sure that’s a conflict of interest, but it’s not doing your job, not standing up for the people you represent and instead standing up for something else.”

Noe takes issue with the conversation, saying this is more proof Ordaz has another agenda.

“She’s done a lot of things that make, and not just me, a lot of people feel she does not have the city’s best interest at heart and more the county’s,” Noe said.

“Just last week, the city lost out on an additional $2 million that has yet to be made public, from any member on the MPO, Dr. Noe and the city,” Ordaz said. “And so to say that I am pushing an agenda I think is a distraction tactic to minimize the internal problems that are happening at the city.”

It is city ordinance that all private communications regarding city business be immediately sent to the city’s server.