Mayoral candidates share vision for El Paso ahead of Nov. 5 elections

Three sitting city representatives and five others are vying to be El Paso's next mayor, a figure who will set the vision and tone of city government for the next four years as well as serve a leadership role in decisions impacting key city functions.

City Reps. Cassandra Hernandez, Brian Kennedy and Isabel Salcido join businessman Renard Johnson, restaurateur Marco Antonio Contreras, Army retiree Steven Winters, mediator and consultant Ben Mendoza, and magazine owner Elizabeth Cordova in the mayoral candidate pool for the Nov. 5 elections. The winner will succeed Oscar Leeser, who has served two terms and cannot run for reelection.

The next mayor will preside over what could be a largely new council: Four City Council district seats are generally up for election at one time, but with Kennedy and Salcido resigning to run for mayor halfway through their terms, voters will decide who fills six representative seats. Hernandez's representative seat is one of four that was scheduled for election this year.

With eight candidates seeking the mayoral office, a runoff between the top two vote-getters in November is likely. A runoff election would be Dec. 14, with the elected mayor and council candidates taking office in January. The mayor serves a four-year term with an annual salary now set at about $95,000. City elections are nonpartisan.

Although sitting members of City Council frequently run for mayor, only two council members have been elected mayor in the past 50 years – Suzie Azar in 1989 and John Cook in 2005.

While the mayor is not a voting member of the City Council, he or she can break ties, veto legislation, propose legislation and appoint members to powerful boards and commissions with council approval. The only time the mayor cannot break ties or have veto power is when it comes to removing the city manager or city attorney.

Mayoral candidates' vision for El Paso

The mayor can influence policies and people, including members of council charged with setting budgets and taxes, providing public safety, basic and quality of life services and implementing economic development strategies.

In the first of a series on the mayoral race, El Paso Matters talked with the eight candidates about their vision for the city in the next decade.

Renard Johnson

Johnson, a 58-year-old political newcomer with a background in business, said his vision for the city heavily involves economic development.

"My father has always taught us that you don't only just take from a community that you love, but you have to give back your time, your resources," Johnson told El Paso Matters. "I've decided that I'm at a point where my company turned 30 years old in February, and I'm at a point now where I want to give back to this community."

Johnson said he wants to use his experience as a CEO to draw economic development from the commercial, aerospace and medical technology sectors to help shift the tax burden from homeowners to commercial property owners.

He founded METI Inc., a systems engineering and information technology company, as well as the El Perro Grande tequila brand. He's also developed real estate projects.

"For too long, El Paso has been passed over for opportunities that have gone elsewhere. As a result, those higher wages, and our local graduates, have also gone elsewhere. Meanwhile, our property taxes continue to increase," Johnson said in his response to El Paso Matters' candidate questionnaire.

"My vision relies heavily on economic development in industries like aerospace, tech and medical to bring higher wages and opportunities to help us create a more vibrant and competitive El Paso. With an additional commercial base, we can ease the burden of residential property taxes," Johnson said.

Cassandra Hernandez

Hernandez, 37, said her vision for the city developing into a global hub of economic and cultural strength.

"By unlocking the socioeconomic value within our community, we will capture the wealth that comes from our strategic location and diverse talent. Through affordable housing and economic independence, we will ensure every El Pasoan thrives. With transparent governance we will build a city that commands attention on the world stage," Hernandez said in her El Paso Matters candidate questionnaire.

Hernandez was elected as city representative for District 3 in the city's East Side and Lower Valley in 2016. She'll remain in office through January, when the new city representative for the district is sworn in.

Hernandez was reprimanded by the city's Ethics Review Commission for misusing a city gas card last year and faced criticism for voting to extend the former city manager's contract in 2022. Hernandez also voted against firing then-City Manager Tommy Gonzalez in 2023. She has maintained her use of the gas card was justified and that the contract for a city manager should remain competitive.

"I am your only candidate that has over 15 years of government experience (including work at City Hall prior to being elected), also working in the private sector," Hernandez said during a candidate forum hosted by the Central Business Association on Sept. 25. "I understand the unique challenges of El Pasoans, businesses, our economy and our government. I have the temperament, I have the skill sets, I have the qualifications and education to better lead El Paso to become a globally competitive economy and workforce."

Brian Kennedy

Kennedy, 68, an attorney and events and entertainment consultant, said his vision for the city includes one of an ethical, financially stable, safe city that is well-run.

"City government manages $1.3 billion. It's your money, it's property taxes, it's streets, it's everything we do and the question is, how are we doing and how can we make it better?" Kennedy said during the business association luncheon.

Kennedy has twice voted in favor of adopting the no-new-revenue rate, which is the tax rate that brings in the same amount of revenue from properties that were on the tax roll the prior year. Kennedy also serves as chair of the Financial Audit and Oversight Committee. He spearheaded the effort to have a City Charter amendment go to voters that ultimately removed the city manager's oversight over the city's chief internal auditor. The amendment, which was approved by voters, gave the City Council and chair of the FOAC direct oversight of the internal auditor.

Kennedy was elected to represent portions of the city's Westside and Upper Valley for District 1 in the December 2022 runoff. His term was set to expire in January 2027. Because he had more than a year left in his term, he'll have to resign his city representative seat in January even if he doesn't win the mayoral election.

Kennedy's vision for the city builds on what he said has been done during his short tenure as a city representative, saying economic development deals approved the past two years will translate to $112 billion in economic development and 5,200 new jobs in the future.

"We held the line on no new tax revenue two years in a row; tripled the number of police recruits with changes in pay and benefits; held people accountable on tax breaks. Now we work towards retail/sports tourism opportunities that have huge potential," he said.

Kennedy previously served as president and CEO of the El Paso Sports Commission that managed the El Paso County Coliseum and director of El Paso Events Inc. He served in the role until 2021 following the restructuring of the contract. He was paid more than $366,000 annually according to tax filings for the last full two years in the position. He also consulted for the commission for about $55,000 per year.

The positions on the commission and as director led to questions about whether he had a conflict of interest in issues related to the proposed Downtown arena. Kennedy has said he never believed there was a conflict of interest and the city's ethics commission found there was not a conflict.

Isabel Salcido

Salcido, 39, a former bar owner who has a real estate license, said her vision for the city is to see the region thriving with diverse industries.

"I'm a big proponent for El Paso, I go (out of town) and I'm the biggest cheerleader for El Paso," Salcido said during the business association candidate forum. "I think it's important to be out in the community and telling them why we are proud to be from El Paso."

Salcido in September loaned her campaign $100,000.

She is facing a court judgment of more than $200,000 over an unpaid debt in Harris County from a 2017 loan. Salcido filed an appeal of the judgment on Oct. 1, alleging she was not properly notified of the lawsuit.

She said her vision for El Paso over the next 10 years is to create a thriving, inclusive city characterized by sustainable growth and diverse industries, including tech and logistics.

"Through responsible governance and active community engagement, we aim to create opportunities for all residents. Together, we will make El Paso a model of innovation, progress, ensuring a prosperous future," Salcido said in her El Paso Matters candidate questionnaire.

Salcido initially agreed to an interview with El Paso Matters for this story, but did not follow through.

She was first elected in 2019 to represent District 5 on the city's Far Eastside, mostly east of Loop 375, and re-elected in 2022.

Ben Mendoza

Mendoza, 69, who unsuccessfully ran for District 2 city representative in a 2023 special election, said his vision for the city over the next 10 years is for El Paso to become a retirement community for senior citizens and former military.

"We're going to get there simply by offering people that are over age 65 and that are retired military, a moratorium on city property taxes," Mendoza said. The city couldn't institute such a moratorium without authorization from the Texas Legislature. Exempting people older than 65 from property taxes would raise property taxes for younger residents unless the city also greatly reduced services.

Mendoza said that would entice retirees to stay in El Paso or move to El Paso because they would have extra income to spend. He said a model community is like Sun City, Arizona, a 55-and-older development with recreational activities, restaurants and amenities.

Marco Antonio Contreras

Contreras, 50, said his vision for the city is to bring development projects across the city, including creating a "new Downtown" in El Paso.

Contreras touted his idea for "Project Metropolis" – a new Downtown-like development with major corporations in West El Paso near the Outlet Shoppes and Transmountain area.

"We would bring in outside corporations like Wrangler, Toyota, Levi's," Contreras said in an interview with El Paso Matters. "We have El Paso, Las Cruces (and) Juárez and all the cities in the city and in the county and in the region – we're already a metroplex area, but we're underserved because we don't have an economic Downtown area."

Contreras said the city needs to start thinking like a large metroplex area and get the large corporations to do the same. He didn't offer any details on how he might develop the metropolis.

Elizabeth Cordova

Cordova, 57, also a political newcomer, said part of her vision for El Paso in the next 10 years is having the right leadership.

"It's time for women. It's time for women for leadership," Cordova said in an interview with El Paso Matters. "If I can inspire young ladies and they see me up there, that 57-year-old woman – maybe they want to run (for office). Maybe it might pave the way for the next person to enter into a male dominated profession."

Azar was the first and only woman to serve as mayor of El Paso. She served from 1989 to 1991.

Cordova said if the city isn't improving and there are no positive results, leadership needs to change.

"I see El Paso in the right leadership in 10 years prospering in all aspects of the word. Vibrant, thriving, safe, and (an) excellent quality of life for all," she said in her candidate questionnaire.

Steven Winters

Winters, 57, is a political newcomer and retired Army sergeant major.

"I'm not too fond of politics," Winters said, adding he is running for mayor because he wants to involve more constituents in the decision-making process at City Hall.

Winters said he was also inspired to run by former city representative and county commissioner Carl Robinson, who was his mentor and who suggested that Winters should run for the office. He said while he may not have a lot of political experience, his service in the Army will translate in the role as mayor.

"I've served my country very well and very proudly," Winters said during the CBA candidate forum. "I've been in more than seven deployments of actual combat. I understand how to run things. I understand what it is to be a person. I understand what it is to be a person who serves Americans."

His vision for the city includes eliminating property taxes for those age 70 or older. State law currently doesn't allow governments to eliminate property taxes for people based on age. Reducing or eliminating taxes for one group would raise taxes for everyone else unless a government also significantly reduced expenses.

He said El Paso could grow its tax base by helping younger El Pasoans become property owners and get higher paying jobs. His vision also includes working with the governor in helping migrants have an opportunity to be able to work and gain a path to citizenship, but also help those that want to stay in El Paso become homeowners. Gov. Greg Abbott opposes a path to citizenship for people who entered the country illegally.

"I want to develop programs that find them jobs in our local area that citizens in America won't do," Winters said. He didn't identify those jobs.