Four political newcomers will compete in the District 6 special election to replace Claudia Ordaz Perez as the Mission Valley representative on the El Paso City Council.
The race will see Arnulfo Hernandez, Claudia Lizette Rodriguez, Eric Stoltz and Debbie Torres competing for the District 6 seat that represents the Mission Valley and parts of East El Paso.
The deadline for filing was Monday and the names for ballot positioning were drawn by city clerk Laura Prine on Wednesday afternoon. Stoltz, 26, will appear first on the ballot and then is followed by Torres, 69; Hernandez, 71; and Rodriguez, 34.
Stoltz was the only candidate to miss the drawing Wednesday at City Hall in preparation for a campaign announcement.
The winner of the race will complete a term of about three years.
She made her announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, in front of the Ysleta Mission. Under Texas law, the city has to hold an election to replace her within 120 days of the announcement.
Ordaz Perez holds the mayor pro tempore title on the council and she is joining Elisa Tamayo in the race for Texas House District 76. The Democratic candidates will compete for the nomination to run against a Republican challenger in the November 2020 race.
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The special election is scheduled for Dec. 14. It will coincide with a runoff election between Cassandra Hernandez and Will Veliz who are competing for the District 3 seat.
The city of El Paso does not have an estimate on what the runoff and special election will cost, a city spokeswoman said. The city has reached out to the El Paso County Elections Department, she added.
Stoltz lost to Ordaz Perez in an election for the seat last year. She beat him with 72 percent of the 17,113 ballots cast.
But the young candidate expects to do better in this election and says local government has only benefited the most wealthy in El Paso. City policy has only gone to bettering special interests and has put a burden on residential taxpayers, he added.
Stoltz says his campaign will focus on providing a platform for community voices and reform the kind of incentives businesses receive. As a representative, his focus would be on bringing better paying jobs, he added.
"It's unsustainable for us to have $11-an-hour jobs and live here," he said.
Torres, who is the president of the Pueblo Viejo Neighborhood Association and has been a member of the city's plan commission, said she wants to continue advocating for the district.
She was involved in a fight between the community and a business that wanted to open a medical waste treatment facility on Billy the Kid street.
"I am looking forward to working and advocating for all of District 6," she said. "I am anxious to continue listening to what the community has to say. Both, on the north and south of the freeway."
Hernandez says he feels he can make a difference in the community as a city representative. An author and advocate for education on the World War II "Men of Company E," Hernandez is also a licensed attorney in California.
He also wants reform on the way shopping centers and their businesses claim parking spaces to protect residents from having their cars towed or booted.
Hernandez vows to be an independent voice on the council and takes issue with what he perceives as favoritism on the council. Sam Morgan should resign from his seat, he added.
"I understand the due process. I understand beyond a reasonable doubt, but in criminal law" he said. "This is not a court of law, this is a court of public opinion."
Rodriguez, owner of MR Transportation, says said she wants to ensure that changes in El Paso benefit families and roadways for residents. As a volunteer in the county's elections department, she has also had an interest in being involved in politics, she added.
The candidate says as an elected representative she would continue advocating for street repairs and promote wellness in City Hall and in the community.
