December 13, 2019 • Local News
Times Editorial Board endorses Debbie Torres, Cassandra Hernandez for City Council
Times Editorial Board endorses Debbie Torres, Cassandra Hernandez for City Council
Special elections are a major challenge when it comes to representative government.
History has shown that voter turnout is low during these types of elections, even though the impact on the overall eligible voter population is significant. Simply explained, this means a small group of voters will decide who is placed in these positions of power.
So, we urge voters in El Paso City Council Districts 3 and 6 to cast their ballots in the runoff and special elections.
Early voting continues through Tuesday, Dec. 10. Election day is Dec. 14.
Candidates in the District 3 race are in a runoff because neither person secured a majority in an earlier special election. The District 6 candidates are running for the first time. The winner must secure a 50%-plus majority of the vote to avoid a runoff.
District 6
Four candidates are running for a seat left open by Claudia Ordaz Perez, who is running for the District 76 seat in the Texas House of Representatives in the 2020 general election.
District 6 has 46,852 registered voters in its East Side and Mission Valley precincts. It’s a district in which roads, public safety and quality of life issues are important to voters.
The candidates are:
- Eric Stoltz-Reyes
- Debbie Torres
- Arnulfo Hernandez Jr.
- Claudia Lizette Rodriguez
With Ordaz Perez pursuing higher political ambitions, District 6 voters are forced to elect their next representative from a field of candidates that has no clear front-runner.
Some have described the field as weak, but we are grateful for those who step up to run for office on short notice. Still, it’s clear the winner of the District 6 race will need to be a quick study to become a positive influence on the overall City Council.
Ideally, we are looking for city representatives who can take care of business in their home districts, protect residents’ access to their government, demand transparency from city administrators and be bullish about El Paso’s future.
They need to be independent but willing to work as part of a team to make good things happen in our city.
Given the experience level of the candidates in the District 6 race, we thought it might be useful to set some expectations.
We admit it is difficult to make a recommendation in the race, given that the candidates are relative newcomers to city politics. So, please take the time to watch the El Paso Times’ Facebook Live interviews with the candidates to help guide your voting decision.
We are recommending Debbie Torres in the District 6 race. She has a background that seems to make her the best fit for the district.
She has a history of advocacy. During her college days, she protested at the University of Texas at El Paso for equality for Mexican-American students. As a mother, she has advocated for children with disabilities.
Torres also serves as president of her neighborhood association, Pueblo Viejo. She has worked on local committees focused on issues including the 2020 census, the City Plan Commission and Ysleta Independent School District facility bond campaigns.
Torres is articulate and seems to understand public policy. She has shown signs she can also look at the big picture when it comes to the city’s future.
We encourage her to learn more about the City Council’s work to allow El Paso to join other large Texas cities in implementing a policy that directs law enforcement away from arresting residents for low-grade marijuana possession offenses.
This could reduce the number of residents incarcerated for Class A and B marijuana charges. It is costly to arrest, prosecute and jail these minor offenders. It’s worth exploring other ways to handle these offenses.
District 3
Incumbent city Rep. Cassandra Hernandez and challenger Will Veliz are competing again to decide who will represent District 3.
The seat represents East-Central El Paso neighborhoods and businesses.
While Veliz had a strong showing in the Nov. 4 special election, Hernandez clearly demonstrated that voters in District 3 still support her. She captured 46% of the vote in the special election, falling below the 50%-plus needed to win the seat.
We are sticking with our recommendation that Hernandez be elected. We also are reminding her to step up her game to avoid the kind of missteps that led to this runoff.
A special election was called by the City Council in September because of a Facebook post that contained an image of Hernandez and a message that read: “Cassandra Hernandez for Mayor of El Paso, Texas.”
Hernandez denies she authored the post, but we maintain she is responsible for items posted on her Facebook account.
The Texas Constitution has a provision that calls for automatic resignations when an officeholder announces a candidacy for another office. It is known as the state’s resign-to-run law.
Hernandez should have taken steps to avoid sparking the political controversy.
Share this Article
