Photo - Brax, Valley Publishing |
Photo - Brax, Valley Publishing |
Photo - Brax, Valley Publishing |
Interview: Beto O'Rourke EP District # 8.
(Late Interview: Due to Scheduling Problems) Beto O'Rourke is a well-mannered and respectful young man. However, his underlying passion for bringing El Paso into the 21st Century is easily awakened. He is able to consolidate complex issues and has a vision that is lofty and runs far into the future.
We met at Barnes & Nobles (we met Rep. Cobos there as well) and while looking for some chairs and without knowing what section we were in; I turned around and Beto had already picked up a book. This turned out not to be a fluke. The manager wished him good luck... apparently he had been there before. He reads... and he is somewhat bilingual.
But what about the political lineage? Why did this "brain" come back to El Paso when we lose so many to other cities? Is he just another born and bred politician looking for power? I think we found out.
UVB: As a newcomer to a campaign for elected office, what brings you into the race?
BO: My family has been involved in public service all of my life and so that was always a part of my mind set since I can remember. And, I definitely had a role model with my Dad who worked very hard to make El Paso a better place. And at the same time I see both, a number of needs in the community and opportunities and they’re all coming to a head and that was the impetus for me to get involved.
UVB: What do you mean the issues are coming to a head right now?
BO: You have our four-year medical school, Ft. Bliss expanding as we speak, and Downtown is getting a serious look and even investment with the business community, federal, and city government, all putting in a quarter of a million dollars. And that plan is due out this fall with the business community committed to an additional investment for the actual infrastructure and buildings of Downtown El Paso.
On the needs side, a report is just out that indicates that if you are born in into a Hispanic household in El Paso there is a 35% chance that you will be born into poverty. So the needs could not be more pressing now and the opportunities could not be more wonderful and so I believe that it is all coming together now and I want to be part of the change that’s going to take El Paso in the right direction.
UVB: Have you ever been involved in serving the community before?
BO: Yes, I’m a business owner and have had a business in Downtown El Paso and I’ve also been very involved in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, especially there entrepreneurial development program. I’ve also been involved in the Center for Family Violence, United Way, the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at UTEP and the Rotary Club. And those service and civic organizations have given me the opportunity to spend time helping in El Paso and learn a lot about El Paso; its needs and its opportunities.
UVB: You gave a long list of organizations; how much of your time has been actually serving the people of El Paso face-to-face?
BO: A lot. The Hispanic Chamber has but together a called Biz-Tech held at the Convention Center as a way to introduce technology to the small and start-up businesses who may not have even purchased their first computer. Or they may not have been able to get their business on the web or who have not yet become familiar with mobile technology. It’s a way to make a level playing field for these businesses so that they can compete worldwide. And that is very face-to-face interaction with business owners in El Paso. They (Hispanic CC) also have entrepreneurial business centers in El Paso so people who don’t even have a business but are thinking about doing it. The small business owner is very important to me.
UVB: What is your educational background?
BO: Mesita Elementary School, El Paso High School and Columbia University. I graduated in 1995.
UVB: What was your degree in?
BO: English and Literature. And right after that started working in the technology field in New York for three years and then came to El Paso and opened up a technology business in El Paso in 1999.
UVB: Has any of your community service been direct involvement with people or groups down at City Council meetings?
BO: I do come to City Council meetings from time to time. One meeting that I made of point to attend was a special “Arroyos” meeting at City Council. I do make a point of watching City Council meetings every Tuesday on Cable 15. So I do watch all the meetings. Ah, I have not gone up and spoke before council on issues. In the past I have attempted to contact elected representatives directly or work with people at city hall. But, I’m very interested and I follow the process very closely.
UVB: With the advent of the neighborhood groups, the community is somewhat better represented. How would you do to help those groups?
BO: I’ll tell you one thing that I wouldn’t do is attempt to decertify any of the neighborhood groups. My opponent has attempted to decertify the Five-Points Neighborhood Association and that is something that I believe sends the wrong message from City Hall. I think that these associations are the most direct democratic experience any of us will have. You can literally go to a NA meeting, listen to what your neighbors think about an issue, give them your thoughts and then come together on a consensus and then go petition on behalf of that consensus conclusion at City Hall. I would support them and I would make a point of visiting them on a regular basis. I’ve been doing that, of course, as a candidate during the campaign and it has been the quickest way for me to get my finger on the pulse and to find out what opportunities there are for assisting them.
UVB: Prior to the campaign have you been involved with any of the NA’s?
BO: No I haven’t. I have recently joined the Golden Hills NA which is my neighborhood. My hats off to Mayor Wardy and his administration for spearheading this movement and making it a central tenet of his administration to help people get involved.
UVB: You have a strong background in the technological field. Why not just stick to that and let the issues be handled by Mayor Wardy and his administration?
BO: Because I don’t know that El Pasoans really want to have career politicians. I think that they respect people who have a business background as I do or other backgrounds that allow them to offer a different perspective on city issues that they wouldn’t find otherwise. I think that my background in business, my educational background and my civic background give me the basis to make contributions to El Paso as it faces these challenges.
UVB: You come from a very affluent family. How would you relate to some of the poverty that is constant in your district?
BO: Well, relatively speaking, I don’t know how affluent my family is. My parents are both small-business owners and my Dad served as County Judge in the early 80’s... my business is in Downtown El Paso my home is in the central part of the city. My work with the Hispanic CC has included areas of South El Paso.
But you know, I talk to people in the Upper Valley and people in el Segundo Barrio and they all want the same thing. They want their roads taken care of, their parks taken care of... they want open space for their children to play in, they want big city services and they want their taxes controlled.
Although there may be a huge income gap between these two groups; their basic needs are the same. I think that City Hall does its best when it is meeting basic needs and I think it can do a better job of that.
UVB: So you would find fault with the suggestion that you’re just another rich kid running for office?
BO: Yeah, I would. I don’t think that’s the case at all. My hats off to my opponent for having run so many times for political office before and having served in City Council because it is a very thankless job in many ways and is very demanding and takes a lot of time. So, there’s nothing easy about the job.
UVB: You are going to be maintaining your business office. How will you balance those constraints with those of City Council if elected?
BO: The day to day operations and the management is in very capable hands. I play a more strategic role in my business and that allows me to serve as a full-time full-service councilman.
UVB: What kind of strategic input do you provide?
BO: When we change our business plan to meet changing circumstances or opportunities. For example, we thought about expanding our services in the Rio Grande Valley and looking at all the aspects of that option; such as who do we hire and what we need to pursue. Also, when we take a look at how we can better serve our clients... I work with the managers to see what we can do to accomplish that.
UVB: You mentioned City Hall handling basic needs. One of those is health care. How do you see city government improving the health care in El Paso, especially for those without insurance.
BO: A lot of that comes from the state level and I applaud our legislative delegation in getting CHIPS funding restored and Medicaid funding restored. It is important, also, to support our City/County Health Department in my district. You have the third poorest zip code in the entire United States in South El Paso District 8 and you have the wealthiest part of the city in the Upper Valley so there are some real districts. So I think the only thing that will solve all the problems that you could present to me is to grow the city’s economy. Whether it’s tax relief, city services, better jobs... I think City Hall has to do a better job of working with the private sector, the neighborhood groups and the non-profit associations to grow the city’s economy and attract the type of industry and investment here that will solve a lot of these problems.
UVB: In the past City Council has not provided great support for State Senator Shapleigh’s efforts to maintain CHIP funding and accessibility for El Paso children.
BO: I don’t know if that is necessarily the case. Most of us would agree that with 25% of us living below the poverty line, we need that funding. I think we have a unified front on that, although I could be wrong. I know that there has been some friction between the Senator and the Mayor on some issues, like ASARCO, but on this one I hope that we’re singing from the same page.
El Paso city government sends that message along to Austin with our legislative delegation but remember, we have to balance our holding out our hand with showing the rest of the world that we are an aggressive and ambitious city to become once again one of American’s leading cities. I think it will take some new leaders and a commitment to excellence that I think has been missing to a large degree from City Hall right now.
UVB: One of the other issues we have to improve is jobs. Construction is fueling our city’s economy to a large part right now... How do you deal with the clash between more development and deteriorating quality of life?
BO: Development is going to take place in this region and the expansion of Ft. Bliss is going to place new demands on our infrastructure but it’s also going to add to our economy. And it’s fortunate that we have this new development.
But I would like to see what I could do with the Mayor and City Representatives to give incentives to developers to make smart development
and to rehabilitate much of our central city and the existing housing stock and infrastructure that is already there.
But, we as we develop in other areas. I want to make sure that our open spaces are taken care of... our arroyos, wetlands, mountain and river... those are, in my opinion, Gods gift to El Paso. Once we use them they are gone forever, and future generations won’t be able to enjoy them.
I want to work with developers to insure that we do protect these resources and that we promote smart development.
UVB: The present administration has been overly supportive of what developers want. Mr. Cobos has said in council meetings that “developers are people too”. Does that mean that developers get any zoning that they want?
BO: Definitely not. I am very concerned about the influence of some developers on City Council. I’m concerned, especially with the Upper Valley, that there is a notion that high-density housing development is okay in the Upper Valley. I don’t want to see that happen. I think it would ruin the character of the valley which is known for its spaciousness. But, also, I don’t think the infrastructure currently in place can support the additional high-density development.
District 8 includes part of the Upper Valley and the only main routes of egress are Country Club Road, Sunset, Bird and Frontera. I can tell you that they can’t take any more traffic. And River Bend is not going to happen in the near future and the Gomez Road Bridge extension is not going to happen in the near future if at all. So, with those cards being dealt it, I don’t think it makes sense to do high-density housing in the Upper Valley.
UVB: In the Upper Valley Artcraft region, City Council ignored the fact that Fire, Police and Emergency personnel actually have to travel away from the scene to another route if a train is running along Doniphan. How do you see that impacting the region later on?
BO: It is going to be a huge cost and of course, cities are organized first and foremost for public safety. Police, fire and infrastructure... so if you can’t provide those three services and guarantee those to the taxpayers, you’re not doing your job.
I have met with the Fire Department’s union and they have a concern with the city’s expanding development. The Fire Department has just obtained the Class “1” rating which is wonderful for our home owners insurance. And they are doing a great job and they are concerned that they won’t be able to maintain the same level of service if there is poorly planned development and over expansion.
We still need to grow and development is essential but we have to be sure that we have the infrastructure and resources to be able support that new development.
UVB: With future development increasing in El Paso, Sunland Park and Cd. Juarez; how much of an issue is water?
BO: It is a huge issue. It is going to impact the BRAC committee in Washington and how they look at base expansion. It is a priority for our community to really define what our water resources are and that of our needs. We need to address the gap. It could come from the desalination plant or water resources in other parts of Texas. But it is a priority for long-term planning. But in the future these costs will probably be reflected in your water bill.
UVB: What is the main focus of your plans if elected.
BO: Working to bring the neighborhood groups, business community and the non-profit sector together. With Joyce Wilson, as City Manager we have someone very capable who will run the day to day operations of the city.
We need to be looking beyond the next budget cycle. We need to look 50, 75 and 100 years ahead. You bring up some good issues like water... we need to look at land use. We need to have a comprehensive plan for open spaces. We need to plan for the city’s economy and get our per capita back at the top in the nation.
UVB: Given the salary level in El Paso, could a hi-tech industry flourish and compete with Austin or Boston and Silicon Valley?
BO: I certainly think so. Our company has done well over the last six years. There is plenty of talent here... the entrepreneurial spirit is here. So, yes, and we have a bilingual advantage over these other areas and can expand markets in Mexico. We could provide software as well as hardware development and management
UVB: Many times City Council will postpone an issue over and over. It seems to be a ploy that developers love because the people have to leave work and family to come to City Council meetings again. What can you do to stop this practice?
BO: It is a really good question. I don’t really know how to answer the question. I am concerned how that occurs for zoning in the Upper Valley and Arroyos but it also happens with city bids. I think if we can get Council to work more efficiently and delegate more responsibility to the City Manager and be more friendly to the average citizen who wants to speak. There is some talk of moving the citizen discussion period to a more friendly hour. City Hall has to be more customer friendly... and we, the taxpayers, are the customers. It should not be hostile when people want to come down and talk.
UVB: You just mentioned hostile. Were you involved in a negative-smack talk episode with Rep. Cobos on the radio... something about an old DWI charge?
BO: Yes. I do have a DWI. He has brought that up as a campaign issue. I was arrested seven years ago after driving when I had too much to drink. The case was later dismissed but it was a mistake. I apologized for it and I’ve tried to take responsibility for it and have been very open and honest about it.
I hope people will vote based upon the issues and take into account that that was seven years ago and I have volunteered every spare minute of my time to civic causes and service organizations. I feel that I have been a productive citizen. I believe the campaign is about issues and that is what I focus upon. I have not once nor will I bring up my opponents personal life. I hope we can focus on the issues.
UVB: I apologize for suggesting that you were the one throwing dirt in this campaign. I was misinformed that you brought up dirt on your opponent.
UVB: Do you have a closing statement.
BO: I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you and to the residents of the Upper Valley. I have met a lot of people in El Paso and I have learned a lot about the Upper Valley and the citizens that I didn’t know. It has been a great experience and I just want to thank everyone who has been a part of this campaign.
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Editor, Upper Valley Beacon
Copyright 2004 Valley Publishing Company
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