Email Reveals Change of Heart by Lilly

In a strongly-worded message to the editorial board of the El Paso Times, Charlie Wakeem, the Chairman of the City of El Paso Open Space Advisory Board, revealed that Ann Morgan Lilly has buyer's remorse over her decision to vote against NOS zoning for the Scenic Transmountain Corridor.

Mr. Wakeem took to task Times editors, Charlie Edgren and Joe Muench, for an editorial published today that is filled with misinformation. Wakeem's message disarms all of the blatant untruths that have been used to prevent NOS zoning. Here is the text of his email to them:

Charles and Joe,

This is a fairly long email, but I'd like to clear up misinformation about the very important Natural Open Space (NOS) zoning issue in the Transmountain Rd. scenic corridor.

I am not challenging the Times editorial board's decision to support City Council's decision last week not to zone the city-owned land to NOS. However, I'm challenging the validity of the arguments being used by opponents of the NOS ordinance. I'm also disappointed that you bought the misinformation opponents of the ordinance have thrown out without researching the truth.

Ann Morgan-Lilly called me Thursday and told me that if she could do it again, she would vote for the NOS zoning and now supports the petition to take it to the voters. The reason she gave me was she felt Ed Archuleta lied to her by telling her the day before Council met that he would support Smart Codes. The day after Council made it's decision, Archuleta did not say anything to his board in support of Smart Codes and, if fact, alluded to problems with them at the monthly PSB meeting. Rep. Lilly told me she was betrayed and she thinks others on Council who voted against NOS felt the same way.

The Open Space Advisory Board has been examining this issue since January, 2010 (for one entire year). OSAB defrayed a recommendation to Council until the TexDOT Plan was finished August 10, 2010. At that time, TexDOT proposed the Plan to City Council and set an artificial deadline to start the project in order to get the $80 million+ funding. Loss of the funding is a Red Herring. TexDOT has all the right-of-way it needs and the artificial deadlines keep getting pushed back. Furthermore, the federal highway Environmental Assessment is not finished and it is not automatically expected to get the green-light for the project. There are several environmental issues east of the Gas Line Road, mostly brought to the fed's attention by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

OSAB also exposed serious flaws in the TexDOT plan. Among them are no safe entrance to the Tom Mays Unit at the State Park, no wildlife crossings, a pork barrel overpass with no roadway or on/off ramps that is not even on the city's Master Thoroughfare Plan, and poorly designed commercial development in the scenic foothills.

In addition, the claim that Natural Open Space zoned acreage cannot be touched, making it impossible to provide water service is absolutely false. It's another Red Herring. I know, I helped write the NOS zoning ordinance, and it does no such thing. In fact, the ordinance is being modified to make it easier to allow critical infrastructure as well as infrastructure that enhances open space, such as parking areas, picnic areas, visitor's centers, etc.

The other fallacy is that water rates may skyrocket if water utility officials don't sell the land. False again. The savings to ratepayers is negligible, if any savings at all. The PSB sells land at wholesale, it has to put in the water infrastructure and maintain that infrastructure for ever after the developer has made his profit by selling at retail. Even if we take the utility's inflated value with no expenses, the savings to the rate payer is negligible. Sales in the last ten years have averaged $4 million per year. Using the average number of rate payers in that time, the one-time savings for the rate payer is $24.70. I know. The PSB's land sales in 2010 were only $400 thousand out of $155 million total revenues or .01%. I've studied the PSB's financial records. Furthermore, the tax base may or may not be increase with development along the scenic corridor. Development generally does not pay for itself, especially sprawl.

I don't mind disagreeing with others, including you. It's part of the debate. We're not clones. I do expect facts and truth through proper research. You haven't done either. You've simply taken the word of so-called professionals. You shouldn't believe everything those so-called professionals say. Check out the misinformation they throw out as I have.

Best regards,

Charlie

Time for a re-vote? Time to sign the petitions? Download them here or at www.franklinmountains.org and share with your friends and family. It's time that the lying stops.