Candidate profile: James Campos, El Paso City Council District 2

Name: James A. Campos

Office you are seeking: District 2 Representative

Age:   65

Education:   80-100 hours at SAC, St. Phillips, Valle Verde and UTEP.

Political experience: Ran for precinct (mid 80's won); ran for City Council EP (early 2000); and ran twice for mayor of Socorro.

 Number-one campaign focus?   

Financial Ability.  The City of El Paso is getting deeper and deeper into debt.  How are we planning to maintain our schools, hospitals and other services operating?  Covid-19 has caused this city as well as others a short fall.  I continue to see projects approved by the voters that are not completed, over budget, and/or installed and then later removed.  Our city Manager and planners are not being held accountable; they also have a long list of wasteful expenditures.

Relevant experience that qualifies you for the position you seek:

I have over 45 years in experience dealing with construction projects that include, Electrical Generation Plants, Industrial Manufacturing Plants, Production Assembly Lines, and Commercial/Residential Construction.  This also includes dealing with large group of people, either in training or working as a team.  I have the experience dealing with people, budgets and the completion of construction projects under budget and on time.

If you had the chance to revoke one ordinance in El Paso immediately upon taking office, which one would it be?

Maybe the correct question should be, before enacting a new ordinance would you be willing to eliminate 5 of the existing ordinance that no longer are relevant?   YES!

In what ways is City government on the right track, and in what ways does it need to change course?

The City government is looking at the near future and how it can change for the better, which is good.  But it is heading in the wrong direction by not understanding that most citizens cannot afford paying these high taxes and the increase in values of homes.  The City needs to start realizing that is has been over reaching their civil obligation and stop thinking that they are a business.  THE CITY IS NOT A BUSINESS, it is a service and they need to start thinking in that manner.

What steps can you or the city council take to increase transparency and the public understanding about what’s going on in the city?

By law, all governmental forms of government should be open to the public for transparency.  The real problem is, that most people, (I go as high as 80% of the populations) are not informed of the city’s operation.  This is basically due to the lack of the city population not wanting to know.  So, it is the responsibility of the MEDIA to put out this information, where people can find it easily and important to review.Are you in favor or opposed to the construction of the downtown arena in the Duranguito District?

I am in favor of the Arena, but not in its location in Duranguito District.  First, that area is not big enough for the arena.  Second, relocate the Arena to where Cohen Stadium was located at.  Haven’t we learnt from the past about the un-necessary destruction of a $100 million dollars building (City Hall)?  Duranguito is old and should be torn down.  This is a perfect place for a entertainment center. PERIOD!

Do you think local health and city officials have responded to the coronavirus pandemic properly?

The city responded as needed in the beginning.  THIS WAS NEW TO EVERYONE.  How are they reacting to it now?  It is not favorable and has caused many businesses, people, family units problems and/or failures.

Are you in favor of diverting some police department funding, reallocating it toward local social programs?

NO!  The police department NEEDS MORE HELP.  Keep our city safe.  Social programs are a different subject and these two should not be intertwined together.