Dysfunction at City Hall while El Paso bears the brunt of COVID-19

El Paso City Council held a work session yesterday evening for close to 10 hours.

It was clear to me and everyone watching, that City Council and this administration are not collaborating to combat this global pandemic here at home. Several city council members addressed questions to the City Manager, to the City Attorney, to the Public Health Director, to the Public Health Authority, to the Fire Chief, and to the Mayor of El Paso and it is obvious there is no clear direction forward. Every response was punted to someone else and there was ambiguity in the answers. It is clear that we do not know who is leading a Rapid Response to COVID and that there is no prioritization of public health. And we have a mayor who won’t take responsibility.

Public health (n.): The health of the population as a whole, especially as the subject of government regulation and support.

We have become the epicenter of this country’s COVID-19 crisis.

And yet, we spent more time assessing the menutias of probable cause — more worried about lawsuits and liability of the police officers than the public health and safety of every El Pasoan. We spent more time debating the political values, the constitution, and social vs. individual responsibility while El Pasoans are being airlifted to other cities because our hospital beds are at capacity.

Let’s be clear about this. This Mayor cares more about business than people. He cares more about falling in line with Governor Abbott than serving his constituents in El Paso.

We have several courageous city council members requesting to speak and inquiring about information and Mayor Margo limits discourse. Instead, he offers city council members to reach out to the County Judge of El Paso for clarification on the recently issued Stay at Home Order with a 10 PM curfew.

And in light of the spike in COVID cases, Mayor Margo’s words could not be more in line with Republicans — “We control our own behavior” — relieving himself from any responsibility and accountability.

We have become the epicenter of this country’s COVID crisis. The New York Times is reporting El Paso among the top 10 metro areas in the U.S. with the greatest number of new cases. (Updated Oct. 27) And we have no clear path forward, no collaboration within council, no collaboration among local governments, and it would be far too great of an ask to collaborate with our sister-city, Ciudad Juarez to combat this pandemic.

Here is a start:

Follow the recommendations of Public Health experts.

• Enforce the Stay at Home Order to its fullest extent without exceptions.
• All events should be canceled. Stop issuing waivers for any gatherings until we have this under control.
• Release the clusters. People of El Paso deserve to know the hot spots of this pandemic and have the information they need to stay safe.
• Hold daily public service announcements to inform El Pasoans of the testing sites. And improve testing capacity. I have heard from people it takes up to 10 days to get their results in.
• Implement the recommendations issued by public health departments ASAP including improvements to the COVID-19 dashboard to be consistent with the data we’re reporting on social media.
• And as mayor, I will work around-the-clock to combat this crisis. I will set up a War Room and invite every single stakeholder to the table. We will meet every single day for as long as it is necessary, and provide solutions to El Pasoans seeking answers and comfort.

I spent the day making calls to El Pasoans fighting for their lives. I talked to dear friends currently in the hospital and checked-in on others who are resting at home. I learned about the passing of a great El Pasoan, Javier Diaz. And each day I learn that more people I know are being infected.

El Paso is fighting like hell to survive. I have no doubt that every nurse, every doctor, every teacher, every essential worker and every person doing their part to stay safe and keep others healthy, is fighting this pandemic on their own. We owe it to them to stay home. To wear a mask. To not gather in events. We owe it to each other to get out of this as quickly as possible.

But our leadership at city hall at this moment is not only failing us, it is making things worse. This is unconscionable and I’m deeply concerned. Yesterday’s city council meeting was evident that we need a new mayor at city hall and that we will have to rebuilt trust with the public.

What brings me hope is that on a cold snowy day in El Paso, at 30 degrees, El Pasoans stepped up to serve other El Pasoans. A line of cars was backed for half a mile on Montwood and resilient people were outside in the snow unloading two semi trucks full of food boxes and into trunks of cars for 5 hours this morning. I was proud to join them.

While City leadership continues to fail us, every day El Pasoans continue to step up. Let’s do our part and keep each other safe.

About Carlos

Carlos is a native El Pasoan, the first person in his family to attend and graduate college. He has dedicated his life to improving the lives of El Pasoans. His work includes affordable housing development, community master plans, modernizing school facilities, and international philanthropic work. For the last three years Carlos has managed his own small business — Gallinar Planning & Development, LLC focusing on community development and urban planning. His goal is to improve the quality of life for all El Pasoans through a more sustainable and healthier city.

Carlos has been married for 15 years to Janine, a social worker and mental health professional. They met while volunteering at Annunciation House, an immigrant shelter and refugee advocacy center. They live in El Paso’s historic Sunset Heights neighborhood with their two young children, Olivia and Joaquin.

You can learn more about Carlos and his run for Mayor of El Paso at www.CarlosForMayor.com.