EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – El Paso voters will be going to the polls during the next two weeks to decide the fate of a controversial climate change amendment to the city charter.
In the same election, voters will also be electing trustees in four Borderland school districts.
Voters in Anthony, Texas, and Horizon City will be voting for mayor and several alderman (town council) positions, while San Elizario residents will be voting in two contested alderman races.
Early voting runs from Monday, April 24, through Tuesday, May 2.
Election Day is Saturday, May 6.
In El Paso, Proposition K, also known as the Climate Charter, is receiving most of the attention heading into the election.
Supporters say that it is necessary for El Paso to do its part to help combat climate change. They also say the amendment would place El Paso at the forefront among the nation’s communities trying combat this issue.
El Paso’s business community, however, has reacted with alarm and opponents of the measure say it will gut the local economy, cut jobs and raise taxes.
Both sides have trotted out competing studies and experts to support their position.
Here is a look at some of the key provisions.
If passed, the Climate Charter would require the City of El Paso to establish a city climate department with a director and staffers who would track emissions and produce an annual report.
The climate department director and city manager would also create a goal within the annual city budget to produce climate-related jobs and create targets for each city department to meet.
The Climate Charter would also set a target of having 80 percent of electricity that powers El Paso homes and businesses be generated by renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2045.
It also includes a section that would require the city to study what it would take to convert El Paso Electric into a city-owned and -run utility.
Proposition K would also prevent the city-run water utility, El Paso Water, from selling water to fossil fuel industry operations outside the city limits.
Another major provision would create a climate commission that would oversee the climate department and ensure the city is properly following the Climate Charter.
Voters in the city limits of El Paso will be voting on 10 other proposed charter amendments as well.
Proposition I would require that the City of El Paso contribute no less than 18 percent of the amount spent on police and firefighter wages to the pension funds for both groups.
In El Paso ISD, two seats are up for grabs on the Board of Trustees. In District 2, Realtor Will Veliz is facing Alejandro “Alex” Cuellar, an assistant county attorney. Enrique Herrera, an assistant superintendent with Socorro ISD, is listed as a candidate but is no longer actively seeking election to the board. Al Velarde, the board president, is not seeking re-election.
In District 6, four candidates are running – contractor David Adams; small business owner Valerie Ganelon Beals; teacher Jacqueline Martinez; and Josie Castro Garcia, a former county employee who now works in corporate operations for AT&T.
In Ysleta ISD, there are also two seats that are being contested in the election.
In District 4, Mike Rosales, a current school board member, is facing retired teacher Mike Dwyer.
In District 6, three candidates are vying for the seat – YISD trustee Sotero G. Ramirez III, retiree Debbie Torres and community organizer Chris Hernandez.
Socorro ISD also has two seats being contested. In District 1, current school board member and board president Eduardo “Eddie” Mena is facing off against retired school counselor Alice Gardea and Tony Ayub, an El Paso Community College professor.
Seven candidates are running for two at-large seats. Current board members David Morales and Michael Najera are facing Joshua Carter Guerra, David Ayala, Miguel Rico, Jose Alonzo Jr., and Marivel Macias.
In Anthony, Texas, five candidates are running for seats on the school board. The top three vote getters will be elected to four-year terms and the fourth-place candidate will be elected to complete an unexpired term ending in May 2025.
The candidates are Luz Elena Rodriguez, Cynthia Ramirez, Valerie M. Armendariz, Chrissy Singh and Sylvia Chavez. Rodriguez, Ramirez and Singh are incumbents.
Also in Anthony, incumbent Mayor Benjamin Romero is squaring off against two challengers – alderman and mayor pro tem Eluterio “Louie” Alfaro and Anthony David Turner.
Anthony also has two alderman positions on the ballot. For Position 1, incumbent Jose “Joe” Garcia is running against Alicia Leyva Stevens. In Position 2, incumbent Shawn Weeks is facing off with Stephanie Alexis Ramirez.
In Horizon City, Mayor Ruben Mendoza is not running for re-election. Six candidates are running to succeed him – Samantha S. Corral; Adrian Rivera; Johnny “Doc” Duran; Juan “Jerry” Garcia; Kizito “Zito” Ekechukwu; and Andres “Andy” Renteria.
Four alderman positions are on the ballot in Horizon but none of the races are contested.
In San Elizario, there are three alderman seats on the ballot, but only two are contested. In Place 1, incumbent Maria Covernali is facing Clara Sanchez. In Place 2, incumbent David Cantu is being challenged by Octavio Hernandez Jr.
Click here for a list of early voting locations.
KTSM will air a special report at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday April 26, called “The More You Know: Prop. K.”
