Attached is a letter candidate for city rep Trini Munoz has written to District 7 Voters. I think it is succinct, well written and packed full of very important information if you intend to vote in the city elections being held in May.--The El Paso Times and the people who run it have yet to write an article, and nor will they, outlining who is who and what the voting records are of the incumbents.
City Rep Steve Ortega is the one term incumbent in district seven. He is part of the Ray Caballero, Eliot Shapleigh, Jose Rodriguez click. As a result, he will be favored by the El Paso Times which will continue to ply you with the usual pabulum that Rep. Ortega is "progressive," etc. and therefore deserving of your vote.
Who exactly is Steve Ortega? He is an attorney. He is the nephew of Evelina Ortega, the law partner of Ray Caballero. I do not know if he is a practicing attorney as I have only seen him at the El Paso County Court house one time and never in any other court house.-- When Ray Caballero was mayor he tried very hard to seize by eminent domain private property around Thomason with the plan to turn around and give the property to private individuals. The Thomason neighborhood rose up against Ray Caballero and went to City Counsel almost every Tuesday to complain about the attempted taking of their land by the city under the name of a TIF. Out of this citizen group arose a leader, Vivian Rojas, whose grandmother's house was in jeopardy of being seized. Ms. Rojas was adamant that private property should only be taken for a worthy public cause and she soon became a thorn in Ray Caballero's side. Caballero would, as the mayor, frequently point Ms. Rojas out of a crowd and viciously, verbally attack her and accuse her of being against the "progress of the city." Ray Caballero would tell crowds of people that Vivian Rojas and her ilk were what ailed El Paso and kept it back. Ray Caballero's attacks on Vivian Rojas, who was a mere citizen speaking out and protecting her grandmother's property, were brutal and relentless.
Vivian Rojas stood up to Ray Caballero. She devised a campaign platform, collected money and gathered supporters and went out and ran for city rep and won in District 7. In the meantime, Ray Caballero lost his second bid for mayor to a nobody and a not very smart nobody, Joe Wardy, in a landslide defeat. Why did Caballero lose so badly? Because the people were tired of Caballero's taxing, spending, lying and property taking ways. Ray Caballero was very angry with Vivian Rojas and he has a long memory.
The next time Vivian Rojas came up for re-election, Ray Caballero put his law partner's nephew, Steve Ortega, up to run against Vivian. She lost to Steve Ortega by approximately 20 votes. During Vivian Rojas' term, she held the line on the tax rate and voted to undo the damage of Caballero's TIFS and was a huge proponent of individual property rights. She was even featured in People magazine as being part of the national movement fighting the tide of legalized theft by the government under the guise of Eminent Domain.
Also elected with the help of the El Paso Times and then editor Dionicio Flores (who abruptly disappeared from the scene last year) were Susie Byrd (Ray Caballero's campaign manager), and Robert O'Rourke, (Ray Caballero sycophant). Byrd, O'Rourke and Ortega along with Lilly Anne Morgan, who appears to be asleep half the time, have voted consistently to forward Ray Caballero's policies that the voters had so decisively shunned earlier. This of course includes continuing Caballero's policy of moving the power of the city to the hidden Public Service Board (PSB-Water Utility). Byrd and Ortega have been especially aggressive regarding keeping the PSB safe as well as hiking up taxes and fees on the citizenry. They are on a mission. They have also voted to condemn as blighted whole regions of town thereby starting the taking of private property by the eminent domain process.
Steve Ortega, et. al. are so arrogant with other people's money it makes your head swim. They do not hear the cries of the citizens who are being forced from their homes monthly in droves due to their inability to pay their property taxes which are the second highest in ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS!
Let Steve Ortega defend his tax the people to death and let them eat cake attitude. Mr. Munoz' letter is interesting and should be read carefully.
City Rep Steve Ortega is the one term incumbent in district seven. He is part of the Ray Caballero, Eliot Shapleigh, Jose Rodriguez click. As a result, he will be favored by the El Paso Times which will continue to ply you with the usual pabulum that Rep. Ortega is "progressive," etc. and therefore deserving of your vote.
Who exactly is Steve Ortega? He is an attorney. He is the nephew of Evelina Ortega, the law partner of Ray Caballero. I do not know if he is a practicing attorney as I have only seen him at the El Paso County Court house one time and never in any other court house.-- When Ray Caballero was mayor he tried very hard to seize by eminent domain private property around Thomason with the plan to turn around and give the property to private individuals. The Thomason neighborhood rose up against Ray Caballero and went to City Counsel almost every Tuesday to complain about the attempted taking of their land by the city under the name of a TIF. Out of this citizen group arose a leader, Vivian Rojas, whose grandmother's house was in jeopardy of being seized. Ms. Rojas was adamant that private property should only be taken for a worthy public cause and she soon became a thorn in Ray Caballero's side. Caballero would, as the mayor, frequently point Ms. Rojas out of a crowd and viciously, verbally attack her and accuse her of being against the "progress of the city." Ray Caballero would tell crowds of people that Vivian Rojas and her ilk were what ailed El Paso and kept it back. Ray Caballero's attacks on Vivian Rojas, who was a mere citizen speaking out and protecting her grandmother's property, were brutal and relentless.
Vivian Rojas stood up to Ray Caballero. She devised a campaign platform, collected money and gathered supporters and went out and ran for city rep and won in District 7. In the meantime, Ray Caballero lost his second bid for mayor to a nobody and a not very smart nobody, Joe Wardy, in a landslide defeat. Why did Caballero lose so badly? Because the people were tired of Caballero's taxing, spending, lying and property taking ways. Ray Caballero was very angry with Vivian Rojas and he has a long memory.
The next time Vivian Rojas came up for re-election, Ray Caballero put his law partner's nephew, Steve Ortega, up to run against Vivian. She lost to Steve Ortega by approximately 20 votes. During Vivian Rojas' term, she held the line on the tax rate and voted to undo the damage of Caballero's TIFS and was a huge proponent of individual property rights. She was even featured in People magazine as being part of the national movement fighting the tide of legalized theft by the government under the guise of Eminent Domain.
Also elected with the help of the El Paso Times and then editor Dionicio Flores (who abruptly disappeared from the scene last year) were Susie Byrd (Ray Caballero's campaign manager), and Robert O'Rourke, (Ray Caballero sycophant). Byrd, O'Rourke and Ortega along with Lilly Anne Morgan, who appears to be asleep half the time, have voted consistently to forward Ray Caballero's policies that the voters had so decisively shunned earlier. This of course includes continuing Caballero's policy of moving the power of the city to the hidden Public Service Board (PSB-Water Utility). Byrd and Ortega have been especially aggressive regarding keeping the PSB safe as well as hiking up taxes and fees on the citizenry. They are on a mission. They have also voted to condemn as blighted whole regions of town thereby starting the taking of private property by the eminent domain process.
Steve Ortega, et. al. are so arrogant with other people's money it makes your head swim. They do not hear the cries of the citizens who are being forced from their homes monthly in droves due to their inability to pay their property taxes which are the second highest in ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS!
Let Steve Ortega defend his tax the people to death and let them eat cake attitude. Mr. Munoz' letter is interesting and should be read carefully.
on March 14, 2009, 3:43 am
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