Fabiola H. Arellano, candidate for El Paso City Council District 3
Name: Fabiola H. Arellano
Age: 57
Party: Nonpartisan
Occupation: Attorney
Relevant Experience: This is my first time running for office. However, I possess military, legal, and financial leadership experience. I currently work at the District Attorney’s Office, awaiting admission to the Texas Bar. I have been admitted to practice law in New York since 2000. I represented NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development in cases imposing civil penalties on landlords. I sought court orders forcing the landlords to remove lead paint violations, remove dangerous housing conditions, and make repairs to ensure health and safety in housing. I trained the newly hired attorneys in court. As an immigration attorney, I advocated for migrant children who fled their country due to poverty and other horrific conditions. I have successfully argued approximately one hundred Special Immigrant Juvenile Visa cases before various courts. I have a masters in accounting and have worked as a financial advisor. I also worked as an auditor, auditing hedge funds for one of the top four accounting firms in the country, PricewaterhouseCoopers. I have leadership experience serving in the Army, as well as the Army National Guard, and NY National Guard Reserves. I was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant, platoon leader, in the National Guard Reserves.
Personal: I was born in El Paso and grew up in District 3. My first job was at McDonalds during my junior and senior years at Eastwood High School. Upon graduation, I joined the Army and was stationed throughout the U.S. and in Seoul, Korea. In the Army, I worked in top secret telecommunications centers and held a top secret, SBI, SCI clearance. During my last tour in the Army, I was stationed at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, NY. With the financial help from the G.I. Bill, I graduated in 1994 with a B.S. in Legal Studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I attended Brooklyn Law School and received a Juris Doctor degree in 1999. In 2000, I was admitted to the New York Bar. In 2008, I received a Master of Science degree in Accountancy from Baruch College.
Website: www.vote4fabiolaharellano.com
Fabiola H. Arellano is running for El Paso City Council District 3. Here are her answers to KVIA's questions regarding her candidacy.
How will you work with your colleagues on City Council to enact change for El Pasoans?
I intend to work with the City Manager, the other city representatives, and the mayor to effectively and efficiently run the city. When enacting ordinances and resolutions in response to citizen needs and issues, I intend to do research, listen to the experts, listen to the community leaders, and listen to my constituents before deciding what is in the best interest of the citizens. I intend to study the 900 plus page budget cover to cover to ensure that we balance the budget and stop raising taxes. I will collaborate with the necessary parties to ensure community safety, provide basic services, and work to improve the quality of life for the citizens of El Paso. I intend to work during the day, in the evenings and on the weekends for the benefit and betterment of all El Paso citizens.
What steps do you think City Council should take to alleviate the impact of the immigration crisis on El Paso?
Having worked as an immigration attorney representing migrant children in Special Immigrant Juvenile Visa cases, I have empathy and compassion for the migrants in El Paso. However, El Paso taxpayers cannot bear the cost. To deal with the surge in asylum seeker arrivals straining local resources, the county opened the Migrant Support Services Center (MSSC) in 2022. It is funded by FEMA with the collaboration of many nongovernment organizations to provide essential resources. It has a monthly budget of $800,000 to $1 million. I will advocate to continue receiving federal funds to shoulder the burden of feeding and sheltering migrants allowed into the country. The administration can also change its policy and provide work permits to the migrants, while their case is pending in court, so they can support themselves.
What are your plans to ensure transparency and make sure you are accessible to constituents?
Elected officials have a responsibility and a duty to be transparent and honest with their constituents. I intend to make myself available to my constituents so that I may learn about their concerns and answer their questions. I will hold myself accountable to the citizens of El Paso.
What are your thoughts on the future of the Multi-Purpose Performing Arts Center?
The city does not need the Downtown arena. We have the Don Haskins Center, the County Coliseum, and the city council recently approved $31 million in incentives to a developer to build a 12,500 seat amphitheater in the Northeast where Cohen Stadium once stood. There has already been costly protracted litigation over the original Duranguito neighborhood site for the arena. Moreover, it is now estimated that the $180 million amount originally stated to build the arena is not sufficient. It is estimated that more money is needed to build the arena, approximately $400-$500 million. El Pasoans are paying high property taxes and do not need additional debt burden for supposed quality of life entertainment venues.
How should the city improve El Paso’s roads?
In 2022 the voters approved $237 million bond for repairs to city roads, streets, and lighting over a ten-year period. The worst streets will receive priority under the pavement condition index system of street repairs. For streets maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation, the city should seek state funds to repair the streets such as Mesa Street, Doniphan Drive, Dyer Street, McCombs Street, McRae Boulevard, Montana Avenue, Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive and Zaragoza Road. The Texas Department of Transportation provides grants. The Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program is one example of a federal grant program. There are $2 billion dollars left in that program. The Highway Bridge Program is a federal-aid program that provides funding to enable states to improve the condition of highway bridges through replacement, rehabilitation, and systematic preventive maintenance. The city needs to apply for as many grants as possible.
Whether it is a high property tax rate or climbing property values, El Pasoans are struggling with skyrocketing housing costs. If elected, what will you do in the next 4 years to provide relief for homeowners?
I commit to holding the line on taxes to the “No New Revenue Rate.” Property taxes in El Paso are the highest when compared to other cities in the United States. When elected, I intend to request audits of all departments to ensure there is no misuse of taxpayer money. I believe in transparency, making the audit findings available to the citizens of El Paso. I also believe in metrics and accountability. Holding the department heads and elected officials accountable for the use and misuse of taxpayer funds. We need to eliminate incompetence, mismanagement, waste, fraud, and corruption in the spending of taxpayer dollars. I also believe that affordable multi-family housing is needed.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
I am the best candidate for City Council District 3, because I care about the city and the community in which I grew up. My parents still live in the house in which I was raised in district 3. I believe it is an honor and a privilege to serve the community I grew up in. I am a leader, and I possess the financial acumen and legal knowledge to understand complex issues involved in running a city efficiently and effectively. I intend to serve my community competently. I believe there is voter apathy because voters have lost confidence and trust in government and in elected officials. I intend to restore trust and confidence by serving competently, intelligently, with integrity, and high ethical standards.
