The cell phone ordinance should hereon be called the Dr. Noe ordinance. After all lets be real, this was his effort to try to stick it to Ordaz, which explains his really emotional outburst during the meeting.
Lets also be real about something else. There are a couple of city reps that purposely do not have a city issued cell phone or lap top. Ask yourself why? Actually the media should ask them why and I'll be interested to hear their answers. Would it have anything to do with the fact that the city can go through a cell phone or laptop any time they want to but they can't do that to a personal device?
Lets hear what they have to say.
And for whatever reason, Noe has become VERY emotional over the last few months. Maybe its because he's so stubborn about being tied to the city manager, but whatever the reason is, he has really become almost a different person.
But he's also the guy in the room who came up with the idea about the cell phone policy, and then at the last minute wants the rule to basically apply to everyone but him.
Its typical elitist bullshit. Do as I say, not as I do.
And why didn't this policy apply to the City Manager, City Attorney, and other staff that sit in on council meetings? Council should fix that. They should also clarify that notes that are handed to city reps from staff, and to and from other reps, which are really no different than text messaging should also be banned.
I'll get to that in a minute, but let me layout some stuff I've been thinking but biting my tongue about for awhile.
Lets start with where all this really comes from. After Ordaz was reelected by a very large margin, I wrote one line in a blog post that set everybody off. I said that I could envision Ordaz as mayor one day and that made everyone lose their shit.
Probably because they are intimidated that Ordaz is an educated Chicana who is younger than all of them, is articulate, and represents barrio communities. Essentially time is on her side.
I never even talked to her about being mayor one day. It was just something that popped in my head while I was writing my piece and then boom, all hell breaks loose. Which is hilarious to me because most of the time people talk about how I'm just a blogger with no credibility but if I say something they don't like they all have a shit-fit.
Any who, it really bothered a few people whose mayoral aspirations might be side-tracked by even the mention of what I wrote. And that is when all the ill-will toward Ordaz started. Good ol' fashioned hater-aide.
Emma Acosta, Cortney Niland, and possibly even Michiel Noe himself are all entertaining mayoral aspirations.
Too bad Team Forma is probably going to run Dee Margo for mayor. I've now heard that from three different places and it starting to look more and more true.
But behind the curtain of two of the possible mayoral hopefuls is someone who's been asking for me to write about her for a couple of months now, so today you get your wish Dora Oaxaca.
Dora is a staffer for Acosta. But what most people don't know, is that she is also a staffer for Noe.
Noe way!
Yes way.
That brings me to the first little bit of hypocrisy in all this city council BS. Just before Noe's little emotional outburst Ordaz, who decided to take things a step further in the cell phone ban conversation to ban all cell phones during meetings, said that there was communication that happens before meetings too and that "I voluntarily gave over all that information because I believe in transparency".
That's went Noe lost it. And the things he said are particularly interesting. He said, "I would take offense to that. She, she actually did not turn over her text voluntarily. She originally said that she didn't have any, it wasn't until the city attorney said, well you better find some because one of them is posted on a blog so the public knows its out there, thats when she turned them in."
Ordaz was obviously angered at Noe insinuating she was lying.
And she should be, because that isn't how it happened. I take offense to the fact that either Noe was hall-of-fame-wrong on this one or he deliberately tried to mischaracterized how it went down. The truth is, and this is a bitter pill for all the hater-nation out there, Ordaz not only released what was requested, but she released everything having to do with city business.
Ordaz is the only member of council to do so. Sure, it was probably a little embarrassing to do so, but she was the only one that has done so. Noe, Acosta, et al haven't done so.
And here's were Ordaz really separated herself from her colleagues on council. She was so committed to being transparent that she took the step of finding software to actually recover text messages.
She proved that if you REALLY WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT there exists the software to recover messages that have been deleted for what ever reason. I know for a fact that multiple news outlets have made text message requests and were told that there were no responsive documents.
But how can that be if the software exists to recover them? Because the reps can't be compelled to go through the effort.
The fact that Ordaz has, and they haven't, speaks volumes about who really is, and who really isn't, transparent.
More on this particular point on another day...
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Noe Says No to Banning All Phones; Limón Calls Him Out
So Rep Noe says that he's special and that all cell phones shouldn't be banned because he's a doctor and there may be life and death issues that require his attention. Dr. Noe is a damn good OB. In fact, the best in town. He delivered my own grandchildren. So he's got an important job.
But that isn't the point.
Rep Limón said that he had an obligation to his constituents to be doing the people's business. Emergencies happen and I don't think there is anyone that thinks that they shouldn't be able to use the phone for family emergencies.
But Noe's emergencies aren't family emergencies, they are work emergencies. I'm not saying he shouldn't attend to them, I'm just saying that he told the constituents he could do both jobs. His practice shouldn't be more important than his job doing the people's business. A point the Mayor made very eloquently himself.
Noe can't have it both ways. But really the ordinance by Noe, Acosta, and Robinson was aimed at Ordaz. They should be, oh whats the word I'm looking for here...oh yes, "transparent" about that.
They basically don't want her to text on a personal device. So Ordaz says I will see your ordinance about personal electronic devices and raise you a complete ban for the sake of transparency. Ordaz probably did so because she knew there was a loophole that members of council have been enjoying about text messages. Even on their public phones, there is no central server that the City has access to independently of the city reps. The messages only live on those cell phones and its really up to the city rep what they do, and do not want to turn over (as a practical matter).
She called their bluff and as much as Noe tried to get out of it, the three will now have to live with the Draconian rule they came up with just to try to score political points.
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Dora Oaxaca & The MPO Thing
Noe has been pissed that since Ordaz's other half, Commissioner Vince Perez became the Chair of the MPO (before Ordaz was even elected if memory serves) he and others began a series of reforms that would allow other communities in the county a chance to compete for infrastructure project dollars. The City of El Paso basically monopolized all the money for many years. So that has been a sore point for Noe and others for awhile. That is probably yet another reason Noe wants to stick it to Ordaz.
So when the City kept continuously demonstrating that they couldn't get their shit together for the projects Ordaz - rightfully - demanded answers because the city was screwing up on projects that affected her constituents.
Ordaz was basically singled out by the rest of council because she was asking questions. I mean God forbid a rep from the wrong side of the tracks dare stand up for her constituents who have been getting hosed for years right?
Ordaz sought help from an expert on transportation issues, Jose Landeros. And Noe and others on council have been critical of her doing so. Which is funny because the city council members on the MPO have city staff that will help them with the complexities of the MPO. Council members who are not on the MPO don't have that advantage and so in order to effectively advocate for their communities have to get help somewhere.
You know who else did that?
City Rep Michiel Noe, even though he has staff from the city that can help him because he sits on the MPO.
Oh hell Noe!
Oh hell yes!
He has been paying Rep Acosta's staffer Dora Oaxaca, I believe with discretionary funds, to help him with issues pertaining to the MPO. Oaxaca mentioned it to me the last time she asked me to write about her in my blog. I'm sure my friends on the mighty mighty eastside would love to know that there's no money for projects that could've been covered with discretionary funds because the money is allegedly going to supplement Oaxaca's income.
But hell, Oaxaca and Forma Group are the ones who got him into office in the first place if you 'memmer. Oaxaca was his campaign manager the first time he ran for office.
Oh, and how's this for a funny little coin-qui-dink? Even Noe acknowledges Landeros' talent because guess who he turned to when he needed to upgrade his campaign talent in his re-election bid?
You guessed it, Jose Landeros.
But hey, lets not forget that Forma isn't just going to let one of their clients fly too far away from the roost. Check out this interesting little tidbit from the 8 day finance reports.
Looks like Dr. Noe dropped a G to Forma's candidate to replace out-going State Rep Marisa Marquez, Adolfo Lopez.
Oh Noe!
Oh yes.
In conclusion, I want you all to remember this quote from yesterday's council meeting from Dr. Noe. to Rep Limón.
"Don't tell me to grow up, you're asking us to break law!"
Keep that one in your back pocket, you'll need it later. It'll be on the test.