Pedro Fernandez, candidate for El Paso City Council District 6
Name: Pedro Fernandez
Age: 26
Relevant Experience
From ~August 2016 until December 2022, I was involved in local, statewide, and out-of-state campaigns. First as a volunteer, later as entry-level, mid-level, and junior-level staff. Those experiences have provided me with the skills and understanding behind not only campaigning, but listening to voters as to their needs and concerns. Several of those campaigns consisted of meeting with elected officials, staff, stakeholders, and most importantly, the voters themselves. From 2023 until March of this year, I was Events and Outreach Manager for a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., directly interacting with Members of Congress, congressional staff, and policy experts/stakeholders, not only in the nation's capital, but across the Western United States. With this background, I seek to utilize what I learned in and outside of El Paso to put to work for my neighbors in District 6. As a now-former Brain Drainer, I also seek to devote myself to developing further opportunities for those who are still studying and want to stay in El Paso, as well as those who had to leave.
Personal
I was born in Ft. Carson, Colorado, to two U.S. Army veterans; my exceptional mother, Brenda, and my late-but-resilient father, Pedro Sr. My family moved to El Paso in 2004, later welcoming my sister to the family that year. We moved to be closer to my grandparents, who have lived in El Paso since 1995, and as well as for my Dad's permanent change of station (PCS) to Ft. Bliss. I have called El Paso my home ever since. Initially, I wanted to be a pilot but developed astigmatism and myopia when I was in middle school, thereby diminishing any chances of a great career in aviation. I had already been a student of U.S. history, government, and U.S. president history buff at that point, so I switched to a deeper interest in government. As mentioned previously, I've been staff on campaigns, worked in a Capitol Hill-adjacent non-profit, and now I'm looking to apply what I know to focus on reining in property taxes, fortifying our infrastructure, and increasing civic engagement to give back to, and involve, the community that raised me.
What is your position on data centers?
I oppose hyperscale AI data centers and the erroneously negotiated agreements that have come with them.
What would you do differently to reduce property taxes?
I would vote against issuing non-voter-approved debt to finance projects that don’t focus on emergency infrastructure, further adding to our debt service obligations in the City budget, costing the City of El Paso and potentially raising taxpayer bills down the road, without their say so. Additionally, I would rigorously review the City’s budget book and focus on government waste/redundancy to find expenses to cut in the next fiscal year’s budget and proactively work to avoid budget proposals that include tax increases, way in advance of the day of a vote on the budget, not arguing for the sake of election season theatrics the day of. Any major proposed cuts should constitute a need to hold public comment or community meetings to discuss with residents whether they would be supportive or against such cuts to adjust accordingly.
What’s your position on the Deck Plaza project?
I oppose the Downtown I-10 Deck Plaza. The price tag is still a question mark, and that's a real risk for taxpayers through public debt and higher property taxes we can't afford right now. Although there hasn't been any more money committed than what the City has approved with its non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Foundation hasn't hit its fundraising goal and is already staring down another extension in October. That doesn't sit well with me since the backup plan has usually been to use Certificates of Obligation (COs) to fund these types of projects in the past, which gets added on to the bill of El Paso taxpayers. Beyond the money, this is much akin to the META 380 deal the incumbent keeps backing: big promises, thin specifics. I haven't heard a real plan from TxDOT or the project team on traffic flow, detours, or how the arterial roads standing in for I-10 hold up during construction of both the widening and the plaza. Supporters point to Montecillo and similar projects as proof, but Montecillo's own iFly location just closed recently and a concerning amount of "For Lease" signs are up across the city, signaling commercial losses compounding with population loss since 2023. That's not a track record to bet over $412 million dollars on. I'm not against big projects for El Paso. But pointing at Atlanta, Dallas, or Richmond and saying "I want that too" isn't a concrete plan. Look at the Kress Building instead: real, funded, opening this year. I'd rather find other ways to bring life and green space to downtown without putting it on taxpayers.
What are your plans to ensure transparency and make sure you are accessible to constituents?
Reinstituting monthly town halls in the District, using discretionary funds to support local businesses for said town halls, as well as a thorough yet easy-to-read newsletter that is accessible year-round to constituents. Additionally, making myself and staff personally accessible via telephone, email, and social media to answer resident questions. I want to be proactive in building a real sense of community within the District to build an accountability network and get proper feedback from constituents. Meeting El Pasoans where they're at will be my goal throughout all four years, not just election years.
What makes you the best candidate?
Ultimately, it'll be up to the voters as to who they believe the best candidate is. The bet I'm putting on myself and hope to earn the support of my neighbors with is that I'm not seeking office as a step-up but to bring everyone along as to what their city government is doing and could be doing better. At the start of the year, I was looking to step away from politics. What we've seen this year has proven me wrong, and that it's the time to get more involved. With my experiences, both professionally and personally, I know I can devote my energies to being the best city representative for District 6. Unlike my opponents, most of my lived experience has been what is now historically District 6. I grew up here, went to school here, have friends and family who live in the District, shop here, and have enjoyed our local parks such as Marty Robbins and Walter Clarke since 2004, when my family and I started calling El Paso home. It's time that someone who is sincerely from District 6 represents it.
