Meet the candidate: Pedro Fernandez Jr., City Council District 6
Age: 26
Occupation: Since transitioning out of my former role in Washington, D.C. and looking for job opportunities in El Paso, I’ve been an independent delivery contractor to continue to pay bills while also devoting time to caring for my grandparents at home. However, if elected, I would devote my time to being a full-time city representative for the residents of District 6.
Please describe your personal and professional background.
I've lived in El Paso most of my life, and that's where my commitment to this community comes from. Over the past decade I've built a career in grassroots organizing, campaign operations, events and logistics planning, and federal outreach work. I started as a campaign volunteer in 2016 and went on to serve in several
campaign staff roles from 2020 until 2022. From 2023 until earlier this year, I served as Events and Outreach Coordinator, then Manager, for a non-partisan non-profit headquartered in Washington, D.C. focused on federal policy pertaining to Western and Rural America, planning events and working directly with policymakers on issues that matter to communities like ours. That decade of hands-on experience organizing and getting things done is what I'll bring to District 6.
Describe your political identity.
I consider myself to be fiscally conservative and a pragmatic administrator, focused more on real policy solutions that reinvest in the community as well as accomplish much-needed budgetary and governmental goals rather than focus on political ideology.
Questions related to El Paso City Council District 6 race
Do you support the proposed Downtown I-10 Deck Plaza project? Why or why not? If elected, would you support using city funds to help finance the project?
I do not support the proposed Downtown I-10 Deck Plaza project. There are too many vague goals and assurances, much akin to those we saw with the META 380 agreement, which the incumbent continues to support, and a potential need for more public money that is currently not sustainable with the City’s existing budget constraints. The project has yet to meet its funding goal, which has an October deadline, with no publicized extension as of the time of my writing this answer. As much as I appreciate the thought behind the project and the work that was invested in putting it together, the more realistic goal is to continue to find other ways to revitalize/develop Downtown and provide for more recreational greenspaces in other ways that don’t further burden El Paso taxpayers. I would not commit city funds to help finance the project.
Property taxes remain a top concern for many El Paso homeowners. What specific actions would you support to slow the growth of property tax bills or reduce services?
I would vote against issuing non-voter approved debt to finance projects that don’t focus on emergency infrastructure, further adding to our debt service obligations in the city budget, costing the City of El Paso and potentially raising taxpayer bills down the road, without their say so. Additionally, I would rigorously review the City’s budget book and focus on government waste/redundancy to find expenses to cut in the next fiscal year’s budget and proactively work to avoid budget proposals that include tax increases before the day of a vote on the budget. Any major proposed cuts should constitute a need to hold public comment or community meetings to discuss with residents whether they would be supportive or against such cuts to adjust accordingly.
Road conditions continue to be a major concern for voters. What steps would you take to ensure adequate and sustainable funding for street maintenance and repairs across El Paso?
At present, the city utilizes a pay-go system which provides for the same amount of funding, year after year, for street maintenance/repairs. However, with the use of 2022 Quality of Life Bond funds, roads across the city are already being replaced and repainted that covered roads with much-needed repairs. Going forward, more direct conversations regarding the budget should include the creation of a dedicated road fund from property taxes or sales tax revenue to invest in paving future-proofed/damage resistant roads, utilizing methods other desert cities use such as Phoenix, Tucson, and more.
What is your assessment of the city's Data Center Policy Framework? Does it strike the right balance between economic development and protecting community resources, or would you propose changes?
I believe the framework should have been in place before to prevent the damage we are currently seeing to the public trust and prevent AI hyperscale data centers from being built in El Paso altogether. The mayor has said it provides for having more authority in the event of future AI data centers, which he has said he and no one else on council wishes to see [more AI data centers] but, it doesn’t provide reprieve for the erroneously negotiated and hastily approved Chapter 380 agreement with Wurldwide/META, which has now become a joint-venture with Blackrock, changing the nature and scope of the original agreement. To be clear, I would not support further construction of hyperscale AI data centers in El Paso and do not support Project Seafox.
Should the city continue offering tax abatements and other incentives to attract profitable corporations or industries? Under what circumstances, if any, should those incentives be approved?
Under very strict circumstances, I believe that some incentives would be acceptable. However, I’d automatically propose an amendment to all future incentive agreements that includes a need for higher wages, pay for their own infrastructure, electricity, and water, community benefits commitments, and shorter-term tax abatements that provide for further property tax relief quicker and expand our commercial property tax revenue to the general fund. I would vote against any tax abatements/incentives that do not provide for the proper community investment and upward mobility we need in El Paso.
Public safety remains a core city responsibility. What are your top priorities for police, fire and emergency services, and how would you pay for them?
For police, I would prioritize continued appropriations for EPPD's collaboration with the Sheriff's Department and Texas DPS on curbing drunk driving, including public education on the toll of alcohol and drug related crashes, and continued pursuit of DOJ grants and microgrants to help fund that work outside of the city budget.
For fire and EMS, El Paso already has mutual aid arrangements with the county and Fort Bliss, along with informal cross-border cooperation with Doña Ana County during major incidents. I would build on the foundations of that and find ways to formalize it in order to get the quickest response to incidents in that area.
I also want the city to modernize how it publishes department staffing, response time, and performance data, since much of what's public now is outdated, and to hold regular public safety listening sessions in District 6 with EPPD and EFD district commanders so resident concerns directly inform my votes on department priorities.
On funding: public safety costs are already growing faster than city revenue. I would direct the city, through budget priorities and council resolutions, to pursue outside funding first, including DOJ COPS grants and microgrants, FEMA SAFER and Assistance to Firefighters grants, and cost-sharing with the county and Texas DPS, before drawing further on the general fund.
What do you see as El Paso's biggest economic challenge, and what specific policies would you pursue to address it?
El Paso is facing a declining, aging, and underpaid population. On council, I would draft legislation, within proper legal authority, to focus the attention of council on awardingcompetitive bids to those with higher wages for their employees. Henceforth incentivizing having more competitive contract bids that focus on raising wages for El Pasoans with companies who bid on these contracts with the City of El Paso. Additionally, as mentioned previously, any incentive agreements should also include provisions providing for higher wage floors, as suggested by a city-commissioned report in 2022, and ensure that jobs being provided by the company that is entering into the agreement have a local-hire preference or provision (if existing State law allows), ensuring that El Pasoans are receiving first-preference on the jobs being created and the pay that comes with them. Further, I would be an advocate on council to support existing private-public partnerships on building more affordable housing within City limits and revisit the discussions from 2025 in regard to affordable housing. These policies would allow for providing better paying jobs for El Pasoans and make the city more affordable for El Pasoans and those who are looking to become El Pasoans.
Have you read the City Charter? What did you learn is the top City Council priority?
Yes. Under Section 3.15 of the El Paso City Charter, Conservation [of Natural Resources] is listed as a top priority of the City Council, along with Section 3.16 which is Border Relations, enhancing relations with our sister city of Ciudad Juárez. Unfortunately, I do not believe council, previously and currently, has conducted itself in a way that reflects prioritizing conservation.
City leaders often face divisive issues. How would you work with colleagues, stakeholders and residents to find common ground and build consensus on major city decisions?
I believe the work of the City Council should be above personal conflicts and standoffs. In my previous roles, I have always conducted mediation from a place of respect, active listening, compromise and ensuring that at the end of the day, all parties to the conflict or issue have a positive takeaway from the conversation/negotiation. I would apply that same conduct to work on council, ensuring that I have productive conversations with my colleagues, provide perspective to stakeholders, and inform as well as actively listen to residents on their thoughts of the decision-making process and direction of whichever issue council is facing.
What should be the city's next big civic project?
Expanded improvement on roads and modernized infrastructure.
Learn more about Pedro Fernandez Jr.
Do you plan to continue in your current employment if elected?
If elected, I would devote my time to being a full-time city representative for the residents of District 6.
What experiences in leadership do you have that qualify you for this position?
Two of my most recent roles have helped me develop more leadership skills that I believe would best help me if elected to City Council. In Washington, D.C., I was the Events and Outreach Manager for a 501(c)(3) non-partisan non-profit that worked closely with a congressional caucus focused on issues affecting Western and Rural America, providing me with a better understanding of federal discussions on policy, with much overlap on issues that El Paso currently faces, along with utilizing my skillset on providing educational and D.C.-renowned events and domestic congressional delegations (CODELs) for Members of Congress, congressional staff, and issue stakeholders. In a previous grassroots Latino engagement State Director role out-of-state, I gained experience in delegating to and managing staff, presenting at community events, interacting with local electeds, establishing relationships across the state, and utilizing that network to have a successful program. Along with previous work in congressional and statewide campaigns in El Paso, and these two most recent roles, I’m confident in my abilities to serve the residents of District 6 on the City Council
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime? Have you ever had a civil judgment against you? Have you ever been in arrears on local, state or federal taxes? If so, please provide an explanation.
No.
If elected, would you have any potential conflicts of interest that you are aware of that would impair your ability to serve? Please explain what they are and how you would avoid the conflict.
No.
What does transparent government mean to you? Will you be personally accessible to answer questions while in office?
To me, transparent government means residents get a real voice before a vote, not just a chance to react to it afterward. That starts with regular town halls, regular updates, and detailed communication residents can actually rely on to provide their input. I will make myself personally accessible to answer questions while in office.
What distinguishes you from the other candidates in this race, and why should voters choose you?
My life has been in District 6 since my family moved here in 2004. I’ve attended SISD public schools here along with other members of my family, grew up biking at Marty Robbins Park with my sister and grandfather on the weekends during my childhood, and my family and I shop locally in District 6 almost daily. I grew up loving and continue to love this neighborhood and community. I know that with my skillset and experiences, I can devote myself and every fiber of my being to serving District 6 for my neighbors, my friends, and my family who live here. “Pedir perdón y no permiso” [“Ask for forgiveness not permission”] will NOT be my guiding philosophy while in office, which is something we have seen in the past. I’m running to be an alternative to the status quo, to restore the public trust in City government, and offer myself as the facilitator to the demands of residents in District 6 on City Council and hope to earn the vote of every one of my neighbors.
The candidates' responses are being published largely as they were submitted.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Meet the Candidate: Pedro Fernandez Jr. seeks City Council, 6 seat
