President of El Paso Chamber and El Paso’s mayor at odds over “call to action” letter sent to members of the chamber

EL PASO, Texas -- The President of the El Paso Chamber sent a letter titled, ""Call to Action: Advocating for Transparency and Opportunity in Local Governance."

ABC-7 was told that Mayor Oscar Leeser was notified of the email, and sent a two-page response back to the leader of the Chamber.

ABC-7 sat down with the President & CEO of the El Paso Chamber, Andrea Hutchins, to discuss her letter and the mayor's response.

Hutchins told ABC-7 that her letter was not targeting one specific politicians, on the city or county level, and was due to a number of issues, "This was based on a growing and numerous amount of concerns that we've had from our members. So I don't want to point to any one particular item as the reason why."

ABC-7 asked Hutchins to name specific complaints or agenda items that members of the Chamber have spoken to her about.

Mayor Oscar Leeser's two-page response included this passage, "to paint with a broad brush all elected representatives in the manner that you did in your communication - over any given item - is unnecessary, unwarranted, and provocative."

In Hutchins' original letter she wrote, "We have observed a concerning trend where significant decisions involving the business community are being added to the agendas of our respective local governments over the weekend with minimal or no communication."

The mayor also rebuked the claim from Hutchins' letter saying that agenda items have been added late, stating that the city is always in compliance with the 72-hour public posting requirement, as noted in the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Both Hutchins and the mayor cited that the two have monthly meetings with one another, however in his letter, the mayor noted that the Chamber's letter has him questioning if they will continue to meet.

ABC-7 reached out to the mayor's office for an in-person interview, and was sent this statement by his chief of staff:

"That transmission was brought to the Mayor’s attention. The Mayor responded to Mrs. Hutchins and included the City Council, the Interim City Manager and the El Paso Chamber Board of Directors in his response. The Mayor is not available for an interview as he is participating all day in the City’s first day retreat for our Strategic Plan. He stands by the contents of the letter and below is statement should you like to use it: 'My response speaks for itself. We have an incredible City team and a dedicated City Council that has a wonderful relationship with the business community, one in which we foster business growth and collaboration, and one that we have continuously supported. I could not let such an outrageous and inaccurate outreach go unchallenged.'”