Today's E-Letter: Reyes Deputy Chief of Staff Loses Control

Value conservation, preserved open natural space, green infrastructure/low impact development? Head doesn’t bob like a dashboard ornament? APPLY TO SERVE ON THE PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD. The Public Service Board is accepting applications for one vacancy. Applicants must have education and professional expertise in the field of Communications, Public Administration or Education. Go here for more information. Hurry. The deadline for receiving applications is Monday, November 28, by 5 p.m. Any application received after 5:00 p.m. on November 28 will not be considered.

Here’s a story you won’t read in the Times: Representative Silvestre Reyes’ Deputy Chief of Staff, Sal Payan, lost all control at the regular monthly meeting of City Council Rep. Susie Byrd whose guest was candidate Beto O’Rourke. The meeting happened on November 3^rd at Tierra del Sol Mexican Restaurant. It’s sad to report that a tax payer-paid staff member of Congressman Reyes verbally assaulted Mr. O’Rourke. Since the elpasonaturally post about this matter, I’ve interviewed five other people who were witnesses. All told the same story about Mr. Payan’s rudeness and incivility which even caused kitchen staff to come into the dining area to see what was wrong. The behavior of a Chief of Staff says a great deal about the caliber of representative we currently have.

There is a story that you will read in the Times probably on Sunday and it will be worthwhile to read. It is great news about Castner Range, Frontera Land Alliance and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. I’ll let top-notch reporter, Chris Roberts, tell it. The Castner Conservation Conveyance Report is now published. The study was done by CALIBRE Systems, Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia with funding from a $300,000 Office of Economic Adjustment/Department of Defense grant.

If you want to give input and suggestions for projects for the 2012 bond election, visit the home page of the City of El Paso. Here’s the message:

“City and County Officials and downtown business leaders have announced the beginning of the public process for a November 2012 bond election. Our city is constantly changing, lifestyles are shifting and the needs and opportunities are abundant. The proposed election will create new ideas for bold economic development and quality of life initiatives.

“The call for community projects is the beginning of a public process to provide voters the opportunity to request projects to improve the quality of life in El Paso and recommend key signature projects to create a more dynamic environment for downtown.”

Of course, voters may still be in a foul mood in a year for anything having to do with “spending”. They certainly were with regard to Propositions in the last election. Although a majority of people in El Paso County who voted last Tuesday wanted the kind of Regional Park District as recommended by a Blue Ribbon Committee for the City and championed by all of El Paso’s State representatives, a majority of Texans probably saw the words “ad valorem taxes” in Proposition 7 and voted it down as if what happens in El Paso will affect their jerking knees. Those same Texans favored big contractor water projects (Proposition 2) but opposed the conservation efforts of Proposition 8.

There seems to be a real effort to encourage American consumers not just to buy American but buy local during the upcoming holidays. “Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition” is the subject of an email that has gone viral and is being picked up by web sites and blogs of all varieties and persuasions. The opening paragraph reads:

“As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!”

If you haven’t gotten the message in your e-mail, read it here.

Buying local is living sustainably. Get a copy of the El Paso Scene or visit it online. You'll find a list of bazaars and fairs on their Round-Up page. You can get a list of local El Paso businesses at Homegrown El Paso. Do check out Craig’s List for El Paso. El Paso has a great bilingual publisher for your holiday shopping: Cinco Puntos Press.

Also for sustainable living, check out the El Paso Freecycle Group. It’s part of the Freecycle Network, a “grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills.” Many thanks to Judy Ackerman for this link. Check it out, folks.

Finally, here’s a dream for the City of El Paso’s open space policies and programs: Visit the Open Space page for the City of Albuquerque. Imagine.