Was I Mean To City Rep. Eddie Holguin This Morning? [OPINION]

This morning during one of my newscasts, I went off on a rant that focused on City Representative Eddie Holguin.  I got a very interesting phone call about it later in the morning...

To be honest, I don't remember what got Mike and I talking about City Council, I only know that Mike said his standard, "Just let them do their jobs because they know what's best for you."  He does that whenever he wants to poke the crazy person, i.e., me!

I got a little perturbed because, in my humble opinion, there is one Council member who consistently refuses to do his job, which is, man up and vote.  That person is Eddie Holguin.

He is notorious for voting no on just about everything that comes up.  He'll vote no and then stand in front of the media and say, "I think this should have been put before the voters."

That's all well and good, Representative Holguin, but the voters already did that, a couple of times, as a matter of fact.  They went to the polls and elected you to be their voice at City Council.  What they've gotten is someone who lacks the guts to say, "I vote yes, or no, on this matter because.....", and then tell us why you made that decision.

Sir, you were not elected to vote no because the voters don't have a say about every item that comes before Council.  I've been to Council meetings.  They are interminable.  They can go on for 8 hours and after all that time, very often items are moved to another meeting and another before they are finally decided on.  Would you like us to have voters go to the polls for every item, or just the ones you are too scared to take a stand on?

The new baseball stadium was more contentious than even the domestic partner benefits, I daresay.  People are just as divided on that topic as they were about Pastor Tom Brown and his minions.  But, whether a voter in your district wanted the baseball stadium and team or not, what they got was you being wishy-washy AGAIN, and not representing anything other than the politicially safe zone of, "I think the voters should have a say."  They put you in office a couple of times, Mr. Holguin, and you failed them again.  Your no vote wasn't made because you didn't like the stadium or the funding or the people behind it, you voted no because you can go back to you constituents and say, "See?  I told everybody you should be making these decisions, not the person you elected to do as you ask."

Anyway, a  woman called about 9:45, told me she was part of the Holguin staff, and told me off!  She said I had a big mouth and a microphone and who the hell was I to question a man who has bothered to run for office?  She went on to say, "Why the hell don't you run for office so stupid radio people can laugh at you?"

Well, ma'am, you're right.  I am a chicken.  I don't want to run for office because there is no dirtier business than politics.  Yes, Representative Holguin had the guts to run a couple of times for office, something that I would hope he would realize would put him under the media microscope of "stupid radio people" like me.

Am I sorry that I was hard on Mr. Holguin?  Nope.  Because I'll do it again, and I'll do it to any other elected official - you know why?  Because they are citizens, like you and me.  They pay taxes, they make mistakes in their job, they do wonderful things in their jobs every day, they slog along and hope that doing their best is good enough.

But they better get a thicker skin.  I've had to!  When I was called a "stupid radio person", I didn't freak out, I said I was sorry that the caller didn't agree with my take on Mr. Holguin.  I listened as she slung her verbal arrows at me, and even thanked her for listening and calling, to which she said, "I won't ever do either again!"

I am sorry to hear that, and I don't know if you really do work for Eddie Holguin, dear caller, but I hope you do because chances are, it won't be long before you hear me rant about another elected official!

And be warned ALL elected El Paso officials - I'M WATCHING YOU!!!!!!!