Photo - Brax, Valley Publishing |
Photo - Brax, Valley Publishing |
Photo - Brax, Valley Publishing |
Photo - Brax, Valley Publishing |
Interview: Col. Roy Gray EP District # 1.
Col. Roy Gray, retired Marine Corps officer is seeking the office of City Representative District #1 in El Paso, Texas. There had been some questions raised about his not accepting an invitation to address Upper Valley and Westside voters at the WVC forum. Another issue is whether he would make the transition from military life to that of El Paso politico. We met in Gray's home. He was not want for words.
UVB: What do you prefer to be called?
RG: Roy or Col. are just fine. I’ll answer to Col. quicker than I will to Roy because that was what I was called all those years.
UVB: You were in the Marines for 33 years.
RG: The Marine Corpshas been the greatest experience of my life. It allowed a country boy from North Carolina to see the world. I’ve done things that many people can’t even imagine.
UVB: I noticed that your web site has a patriotic theme.
RG: I think that everyone has an obligation to serve this great country.
UVB: Did you see active duty in Vietnam.
RG: I came into Vietnam at the very end of the war. My brother was already there and had just been wounded. I actually had orders.... in Vietnam and go all the way to Okinawa and... So I got turned around because we didn’t know if he (brother) was going to make it... So I didn’t get into Vietnam.
UVB: Did your parents or a congressman act on your behalf? How was it that you got turned around?
RG: No.... it is a matter.... if you have a brother there and you only have one brother.... ah..... ah.... in this case my brother got shot. Ah...., my orders got changed. Okay!? That is just the way it is. It used to be that way. It was the end of the war.
UVB: How does the military know that there are two brothers ... with one headed for the war zone and another injured.
RG: The Marine Corps is very family oriented. They knew my brother was there. You know when your brother gets hit everyone knows it and ah.
UVB: It sounds like a sad twist of fate. But the good thing is that your brother survived.
RG: Oh yes.
UVB: Politics is a different battlefield.
RG: It is quite a battlefield. Different groups.... I’ve met. The different people. Their motivation... their sincerity or their lack there of.... ah.... interesting at the least. Ah, it allowed me to meet different people. Civilians march to the beat of a different drum.
UVB: Because people do march to the beat of a different drum, how are you going to be a leader of many different drummers.
RG: The Marine Corps taught me to be a leader and a manager. They did it in such a way that it ah... marks you for the rest of your life. You follow a schedule. And when you get off a schedule... sometimes that’s not good. But, I’m learning to do that. I’m learning to react on my feet. I’m not saying that the civilian world is that different from the Marine Corps.
UVB: Politics is obviously very different from what you have been doing all your life. What is your focus at this point?
RG: I think the most important thing is.... ah... I’m listening to people and their ideas. I know that I’m not ... ah.. ah... the be all, do all, know all. And I’ve surrounded myself with good people... on the campaign trail... smart people who understand the politics of El Paso.
UVB: What is it about the present administration.... Rep. Susan Austin in particular, that makes you feel that it is important to run in this election?
RG: I’m not going to say anything bad about Susan Austin personally. But I met her about 18 months ago at a Westside campaign meeting. Actually, she had just been elected about a month earlier. And it was my first political gathering that I had gone to.
And I went to this thing with my good friend Jerry Mangrum who is my Treasurer by the way. I stood up and asked Susan... “as our representative, you need to know that I didn’t know you, and I’m knew to the community.... and I want to know how you’re going to be a representative to the people”.
And without batting an eye, she said that she felt very confident... that she was smart, intuitive and that she would probably not pursue too much of our support in making decisions for Westside El Paso. She would make decisions on her own. We asked her if she would hold meetings and she said that she wouldn’t. And she hasn’t. And everyone in the room was shocked.
And I said to Susan ‘That’s not why I voted for you.... because others had told me to vote for you. But because of what you have just said to me will cause me never to vote for you again.’
And I got home and decided that someone needs to run against her... and if no one will do it, I will. I have been waiting silently for the past 18 months watching her at City Council... how she acts and reacts. I decided about 3 months ago that I would run against her.
We need to have meetings and find out what the people want.
UVB: I get the sense that you don’t feel that she listens to people.
RG: I think she listens to people... but, it is a very small group. And they don’t always reflect what the majority wants.
UVB: Are you suggesting that there is a special interest that she answers to?
RG: I honestly believe that, one, she is a Democrat. And two, I believe that she is a Caballero Democrat.. And Caballero is somewhat of the past... not the future. Ah, I do believe that there are things that she is interested in.... she is a smart lady. She is a lawyer although she hasn’t practiced since 1999.
UVB: It has been suggested that Austin, and she wouldn’t deny in a City Council meeting, had campaign contributions by developers of over 35% of her total. How will you compensate for that kind of developer backing.
RG: In order to have a successful campaign you have to have funds. And ah... to this moment I have not taken one penny from developers.
I honestly believe that she has paid back a few developers for providing those funds to her. And maybe that’s natural. But it’s too unnatural in some cases. where development has gone on is some areas where it wasn’t welcome... particularly in the Upper Valley.
UVB: You mentioned zoning issues; do you think that City Council can legally zone large tracts with water rights as R-1.
RG: Susan Austin believe that there is no more and shouldn’t be any more R-1 properties in El Paso.
UVB: Our readers want to know what you think. Do you think it is legally possible for R-1 zoning designations?
RG: As City Council Representative, I will do everything I can, as one vote of the 8 on council; that there is a mixture of all things. I believe in balance. I believe that families should be able to have a house on an acre of land.... especially if that family has been living their for a hundred years.
UVB: Do you believe that the high density construction in the Upper Valley, courtesy of Jan Sumrall (previous City Representative # 1) and Susan Austin and further high density construction is detrimental to the neighborhood?
RG: Absolutely. The Upper Valley is a perfect example of poor planning. Now some new high density housing is right next to farms... and the people are complaining about the smell of the animals. That is something that should have been planned for. Those people have horses and cattle and these problems should have been foreseen
I think you should have R-1 in clusters and then higher density elsewhere. Property values suffer when you build high density in areas where it doesn’t fit.
UVB: It has been suggested by one of the candidates, that because you have never run for office before or held office, that you are basically running on a campaign of "Whatever Austin has done... I'll do differently". How do you respond to that.
RG: There are some things that I would have voted the same and some that I would have voted differently. I do know that she got $10 million from the previous bond and she has put $9.975 million in the Upper Valley following those developers around. The people of west El Paso find out that she has no more money for the Westside... it’s all up there following those developers building all those homes in the Upper Valley.
UVB: District # 1 is very diverse. How will you represent this diverse group?
RG: First of all I will start Saturday meetings again. And I will have the neighborhood groups have representatives contact me and listen to them.... and ah, work out solutions.
The arroyos are a perfect example... pretty soon there won’t be any open land anymore. It used to be up behind my house back there... if you can see those houses... two years ago those houses weren’t there. I had an unabated view of Transmountain and you can see what is happening now. They are building all the way up to it and they haven’t stopped. Does it bother me? Yes it does. It is one of the reasons that I bought this house.
UVB: You live on top of hill and the development you point to is on top of a hill over there. It sounds like you want it both ways... you want to live on top of a hill but you don’t want to have a neighbor live on top of a hill next to you.
RG: Well, I’m just saying that I had a beautiful view at one time.
UVB: Where on the Franklin foothills should there be a limit to development?
RG: I think it is as far as it should go already. We have a Franklin State Park up there and people come to see the southern most tip of the Rockies.
UVB: You believe that the Franklin's are a treasure for all El Pasoans and visitors... how do you feel about the Upper Valley as an oasis in the desert?
RG: That is exactly what it is. We still have farming out there. It is the only place in El Paso where you have people growing crops and horse ranches. You see the birds and the beauty that you don’t see any where else in El Paso. It is the last bastion of hope for us to have something like that in El Paso. Now it is being consumed by development.
UVB: Taxation is an issue. You mentioned before we started the interview that you believe taxes are too high? How does that affect District #1 people.
RG: (Speaks at length about why he wants to live on the Westside of El Paso).
UVB: The question was about taxation and its not clear what your point is.
RG: The taxes are high. I was amazed when I first opened my tax statement. I paid $2,600 in Washington D.C. for a home valued at the same as this is valued. I won’t tell you how much my taxes are, but, they are at least 3 and a half times that here. Now there are no state taxes... but even with state taxes its more here.
People want services. Taxes are a necessary evil. But, I don’t think I’ve ever seen taxes just let go. It just seems like in El Paso, they fix problems by creating more money. And that money comes from the people that live her. 56.3 % of the entire tax base comes from home owners.
Texas law says that taxes should be spread out amongst all sectors. There is something wrong here. Tax abatements have been given... Am I happy about my taxes? ‘No I am not’. But there is nothing I can do about it. But what I would like to do about it is keep them to a minimum. I would look at how we can save with all of the entities we have here and what is being done redundantly. I would do whatever we can to save a buck.... to stop redundancy.
The Sheriff’s Department and the El Paso Police Department are doing a lot of crime facilities. There are a lot of things that Major... Mayor Wardy has done that I agree with.
I would like to see that departments will be told that they will get 10% and have the departments have to prove that they really need it.
UVB: It has been suggested that City Council basically lets all department run with a free hand because nobody wants to anger city employees.
RG: I am not going to disagree with that. I think the City Manager Ms. Wilson has done a good job and I hope that she takes a good look at that. I’m not going to call it cronyism or any thing like that. That is just the way that El Paso has grown up.
UVB: So your saying that this form of spending has become basically institutionalized over time.
RG: Yes... I think that everybody will agree with that.
UVB: Health care is an issue. How can El Paso help with the many residents that don’t have health insurance.
RG: El Paso is a border city. We have to have guaranteed health care. It is another necessary thing. Thomason Hospital needs to be supported. There are people here that can’t afford high cost medical care.
But people in El Paso need to have guaranteed health care and if the taxpayers of El Paso have to pay for it, that’s just the way it is. Because we have to take care of our people.
UVB: Quality of Life is basically in the hands of City Council.
RG: Absolutely. And as my first mandate... to insure that people are safe here and well taken care of. Especially, for the aged people and those on fixed incomes... and on social security... and we know all about social security. It keeps you poor. That’s the way it was intended.
UVB: How will you hand a non-military environment?
RG: I’ll take care of my people. I’ll hold meetings on Saturday... Sunday and Monday if necessary. I’ll have my people go out and find out what the people want. And I’ll do it for the Westside and the rest of El Paso.
UVB: As of this date; is it true that you have refused to attend a Westside Voters Coalition forum for District # 1.
RG: Everything that I have been invited to I’m going to. The only thing that I have been invited to is the Tejanos Democrats and that was this weekend. I was sick and I couldn’t make it.
I know of nothing that I have been invited to that I have not attended.
UVB: Are you suggesting that your Treasurer Gerry Mangrum has not declined an invitation for the WVC forum.
RG: Ahh. I know exactly what you’re talking about now. Ric Schecter, who is a candidate also, assigned me to a specific date without coordinating it with me. And I had to be told by someone else that I was invited to this forum because no one contacted me.
He paired me up with Ms. Lilly. And he paired himself up with Ms. Austin. I send an E-mail to Ric Schecter right after I was told that I was invited. I already had something else that I had to do. And since he didn’t call or E-mail me I knew nothing of it.
You need to know that there have been some tough issues between me and Ric Schecter. And I think there was some undue advantage and it was well devised and planned.
I said if you will bring Susan to the table I will be there. I’ll meet anyone anywhere. But they have to ask me.
UVB: So you’re saying that you were never sent an invitation from the WVC. Your Treasurer was informed ahead of you.... How did that happen?
RG: He heard it 24 hours before I did and he told me about it.
UVB: Someone sent him (Mangrum) something?
RG: I don’t know how he found out. All I know is that I did get an E-mail 2 days later. They didn’t come and ask me. My campaign was already in full run.
Is there any bad blood between Gerry Mangrum and Ric Schecter? I don’t know that. That’s none of my business. But, I made the decision not to go. I will go when people will invite me. And they ask me when I want to be there... not tell me when the forum is being held.
UVB: I believe that the WVC has their forums on Saturday. And to this date no other candidate has refused to go... But yourself.
RG: I don’t know that. If you tell me that I believe you. I told them that I would be their if (emphasis added) the incumbent is there. I want to talk the issues with the lady.... The representative that is currently in office.
UVB: That sounds like more of a debate. The WVC holds forums for the voters to listen to what the candidates have to say.
RG: That’s right. I have to prioritize where I am and what I’m doing.
UVB: Are you saying that priorities make it such that you can’t attend the forum.
RG: At that time.... And my calendar was already full.
UVB: One of the things that Upper Valley and Westside residents are concerned about is the quality of life.
RG: What is important of what my constituents idea of what quality of life is for them... Not for me but for them. And I will work hard to protect it and improve it.
UVB: It really is just a matter of how more development will be handled in the future. Wouldn’t you agree?
RG: That’s right. We have city planners and the Westside has been laid out. And I’m satisfied on how it has been laid out. Development is necessary, but you have to keep a balance. You have to maintain property values. And you have to plan smartly. And you do that by... by not allowing encroachment into areas where it’s not wanted.
And if you look at the things that she (Austin) voted on and the schools were at 110% already... ah, she was told that and she still voted on that.
Col. Gray I want to thank you for the time that you have made available to me and our readers. Let me offer you some time to make a closing statement.
RG: I just want to make sure that the Westside El Pasoans will be well represented. Represented by someone who will hold meetings and have an understanding of how people think and what they want the Westside to look. If people want R-1 housing and we have an opportunity to do that... Then make it happen.
I’m going to support the people of West El Paso with my last breath and that’s the reason that I am running for office. I think we need a change. And a lot of people feel that way also.
People call or E-mail me all day and night and I answer them.
I will be quitting my job as a Junior ROTC instructor and to do this... I am giving up something that is important to me. I’m a listener and I am a doer. If people want laser-like attention to the major issues of El Paso.... Then I’m the guy.
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Editor, Upper Valley Beacon
Copyright 2004 Valley Publishing Company
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