Thursday, June 6, 2013

Tania Chozet’s Platform is Pure Fantasy and Fiction


Photo downloaded from Facebook 
Tania Chozet’s Platform is Pure Fantasy and Fiction



Editorial

 

District 7 Needs Intelligent Decisions in this post-Steve Ortega District 7 era.

 

Ask any private sector employer if they hire people who make intelligent decisions or “tough decisions”.

 

Hands down, they will pick intelligent decision makers because informed and thoughtful decisions are successful.

 

After a review of Tania Chozet’s campaign mailers for District 7 City Representative, it is painfully obvious she either has no clue what a City Representative does or she is hoping the District 7 voters do not.  

 

District 7 has suffered through 8 years of Steve Ortega who only represented and defended special interests while ignoring and harming the people he was supposed to represent.

 

Tania Chozet will continue to represent the same special interests as Ortega and not the interests of the people in District 7.

 

How do we know? --- Look at her record on County Commissioners Court

 

Chozet’s voting record as a County Commissioner shows she was nothing more than a rubberstamp vote and part of a 3-person majority voting bloc for the County Judge.

 

So What Does Chozet Claim?

 

Better Transparency and More Accountability

 

1. Chozet claims “She knows transparency in government means more than being informed after the fact. She believes the best decisions are made when the public has a chance to be heard first. She will make sure every voice is heard. She will make sure the bureaucrats at city hall are held accountable for every dollar they spend. She will keep all our taxpayer money from going towards administration and salaries”

 

Bull!

 

Without holding a single meeting in the district, she was appointed to represent to get input, feedback, or to hear all those voices before her vote:

 

  1. Chozet rubberstamped County Judge Veronica Escobar’s raise;
  2. Chozet voted for 110 million in Certificates of Obligation, non-voter approved debt;
  3. Chozet voted to raise the county tax rate 14.67%. The maximum allowed by Texas law that would not require voter approval. Anything above would have had to gone to voters –
    1. 40% of the increase was for - you guessed it – an increase in salaries of elected officials and employees -- 40% of the increase was to pay off the 110 million in non-voter approved debt she voted for.
    2. 20% was to reduce the County’s reliance on debt which means she shifted an increase to property taxes instead. Not exactly a watchdog for the taxpayer or a way to help local businesses thrive.

 

Chozet rubberstamped money in the County Capital Improvement Plan for $16,000 printers, $2000 trash cans, and a $1500 chair for the County Judge without question! Not exactly a watchdog for the taxpayer.

 

2. Chozet claims “In just a short time as Commissioner she was able to improve the QOL for families and make government more accountable to the people. She’ll do the same as District 7 Representative.”

 

Chozet never once initiated or hosted a community meeting!

 

How did Chozet make government accountable and transparent to the people when she did not hold herself accountable to those she was supposed to represent?

 

She never met with constituents to ask what their needs were much less initiate or fund any projects.

 

How did Chozet improve Quality of Life when she accomplished nothing?

 

More Jobs

 

3. Chozet claims “She will use her experience working with Fortune 500 companies to highlight our positive points and create new opportunities for companies to visit El Paso.”

 

Is Chozet inflating her resume? Is she exaggerating her experience?

 

According to her resume, as a new psychology graduate, she was employed by The GAP, a Fortune 500 company. She worked for a Fortune 500 company not exactly “with Fortune 500’s.” That statement is beyond misleading!

 

4. Chozet claims “She has a 3 point job plan to identify companies looking for expansion or new headquarters, promote El Paso as a relocation option, and work with existing companies to expand and bring better jobs.”

 

If Chozet has the skills, experience, and contacts to accomplish this then why is she a 37 year old unemployed lawyer living at home with her parents?

 

Chozet’s 3-point job “plan” is not exactly a plan and not a function of a City Representative.

 

Even the El Paso Times stated creating jobs is not within the realm of possibilities as a valid platform point for a City Representative.

 

Job creation and promoting the city are primarily a private sector and somewhat a Mayoral function.

 

Makes one wonder why the Times endorsed her.

 

The job of a City Representative is to work with and for the residents in the District they were elected to represent to improve quality of life in neighborhoods which in turn improves the city as a whole.

 

5. Chozet says “she’s going to partner with State and Federal governments for jobs.”

 

Seriously????

 

Did she sleep through both the State and Federal Legislative sessions? Or is she simply out of touch with reality?

 

Both the State and Federal government are furloughing and reducing their work force.

 

There is no money!

And if there were money, an entire City Council much less a City Representative has ZERO influence on how that money is spent.

 


El Paso already has too many government jobs and not enough private sector jobs.

 

Taxpayers pay the salaries of government employees and these jobs do not generate revenue and are not sustainable.

 

6. Chozet has stated she supports Downtown.

 

There are 630 properties in the Downtown district.

Half the properties are publically owned and not on the tax roles.

The taxable value of the all the property in Downtown was $282 million in 2009 and $285 million in 2012.

After the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in forced taxpayer investment, subsidies, and 10 year tax rebates all the Downtown properties combined only increased by $3 million dollars since 2009!

 

And Chozet wants to continue robbing revenue from the taxpayers for the benefit of a few ?????

 

Tough decision” - too bad it’s not an Intelligent or Informed one.

 

District 7 needs an honest and legitimate Representative and clearly Chozet’s record and “platform” proves she is neither.