El Paso City Council votes to bring in federal lobbyist Forward Global

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso City Council voted 7-1 in favor of awarding a contract to Forward Global to act as a federal lobbyist for the city.

The company will give the city a permanent representative in Washington D.C to help bring more funding and information to the city about bills that impact them.

"We need someone to be there, to be in communication with us, to be pushing our federal legislative agenda forward, and to make sure that we have a seat at the table in every bill that is introduced that could potentially affect us as a city," said District 1 representative Alejandra Chavez.

The city has been working to get a federal lobbyist for around a year. Forward Global was selected through a procurement process that rated them the highest out of 8 different companies in 4 separate categories.

The categories included qualifications, understanding of the city, methodology, and resources. Forward Global is a global company with over 1,200 clients in multiple countries.

District 2 representative Josh Acevedo was the only council member to vote against the company. He believes a lobbyist is necessary, but wasn't convinced with Forward Global.

"This is a lot of money that we are spending on this, and we need to get it right," said Acevedo.

The contract is worth $200,000 for one year, and the city has the option to renew after a year if they choose for the same amount. The city believes it's necessary to have a voice outside of Congressional representatives to cover all the bases.

"We work hand in hand with Rep. Escobar, when Tony Gonzales was there we were also working with his office," said Acevedo. "There's funding opportunities. There are things that are in the city's interest. It helps our staff navigate that."

ABC-7 reached out to Forward Global for comment, but they have not responded at this time.