Please Vote for Lyda Ness-Garcia

If you live in District 1, please vote for Lyda Ness-Garcia. If you don’t but have friends or family members who do, please urge them to vote for Lyda Ness-Garcia.

You know that I’ve agonized over this endorsement and thought it through as a conservationist and as someone who loves my native home town. Here’s how I reached my decision:

As you all know, Ann Lilly signed a letter in order to garner 858 votes from her opponents, Manny Hinojosa and Abe Peinado. That action disgusted me and disgusted everyone else I’ve talked to in her district. When I submitted petitions to City Council to save open space land, Ann pontificated that she was sick of petitions and that all of us should just go along with whatever our representatives (or, in Ann’s case, Woody Hunt and the Citizens for Prosperity PAC) want us to do.

I’m wondering. We have almost 1300 valid petition signatures so far – of which a sizable number are from District 1 – certainly more than 858 votes that Ann sold her soul for. Wonder if Lilly will sign a letter changing her vote to preserve open space now?

Remember how Ms. Lilly ousted her predecessor, Susan Austin? She told people in District 1 that she was the open space candidate. Open space people gave her money and went door to door for her. One of them told me – and I will not sugar coat this – “Ann Lilly screwed us and she needs to be kicked in the ass.”

Trust is important.

Ann’s opponent, Lyda Ness-Garcia wrote to her supporters: “My belief system cannot be compromised. My vote cannot be sold. You and I may not always agree on all the issues but you always know where I stand.”

I have been concerned whether Lyda was really firmly open space. The fact that some property managers and some in the building community support her did concern me. I asked her to her face with one of those business persons sitting at the same table whether she was for preserving land along Transmountain. She didn’t bat an eye and made it clear that her stance on widening Transmountain also meant no Plexxar and no Paseo del Norte. In fact, her stance on this issue and all others has been consistent with the newspapers and in the public forums. Her email makes all of her positions clear including the preservation of our open spaces and Upper Valley.

Being pro-conservation and open space does not mean being anti-business. Frankly, the fact that she wants to recruit businesses aggressively and reduce permits, fees and bonds is more the reason to support her.

Trust is important. So is leadership.

Lilly has flip-flopped while deferring to City practices that are unfriendly to business. Where was the leadership? Lilly refuses to debate, do interviews, appear in public. She does not return phone calls. Where is the leadership? Where is the representative who relates to the people she represents? Where is the transparency and accountability?

Ann goes with the money and Ann goes for votes. She will get elected by supporting open space and then betray her constituents. She will support domestic partner benefits until she needs to win an election. And, even after a Judge rules on the matter, she still can’t comment. Where’s the leader? Where’s the leadership? It certainly didn’t show up in the TxDOT Transmountain debate. Where’s the preservation? Where are the animal corridors? That’s something really to think about in this environment of drought and sprawl that is driving more animals into contact with citizens of El Paso.

One may have disagreements with one’s elected representative. My representative, Susie Byrd, and I sometimes disagree. She doesn’t hesitate to tell me that she thinks I’m wrong or that she disagrees. I respect that. I trust her honesty and integrity and count on her leadership. People in District 1 will be able to count on Lyda Ness-Garcia being straight with them. They can’t count on Ann Morgan Lilly.

Lyda Ness-Garcia is the conservation, environmental, business-friendly, transparent, accountable leader and candidate.

Early voting starts this coming Tuesday, May 31. It will end on June 7 followed by the run-off election on Saturday, June 11.

Please vote and urge others to vote for Lyda Ness-Garcia.