Runoff election: Alejandra Chavez, Monica Reyes face off in District 1

If anything defines El Paso’s West Side, it’s an explosion of growth within an area not landlocked like other areas of the city, boasting pristine views of the Franklin Mountains and a border along the Rio Grande.
Whether it’s the landscape or the shared economic status, the residents of District 1 have created a sense of community unique to any other part of the city.
“Really, there’s a sense of community and neighborliness,” said Tiffany Somers, co-chair of the Coronado Hills Neighborhood Association. “There’s good people.”
Somers recalled baking cookies for her daughter and running out of eggs. She contacted a neighbor who was not home and watched as the neighbor opened her garage door remotely and invited Somers to grab some eggs.
Another neighbor, she said, constantly patrols for water leaks, likely saving community members hundreds of dollars, while still another spends time keeping an eye on neighbors’ wandering pets.
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But as subdivisions and new businesses continue to sprout up in El Paso’s wealthiest part of town, so too do the woes, concerns and expectations of the people living there.
Those troubles are top of mind for candidates Alejandra Chavez and Monica Reyes in the Dec. 14 runoff election. The winner will replace city Rep. Brian Kennedy, who is leaving his seat after only two years to pursue the top seat in City Hall.
Somers launched her neighborhood group as a way to address the lack of sidewalks in her area, which is bordered by Broadmoor, Thunderbird and Pinehurst drives. When the neighborhood was originally built in the late-1950s, developers were not required to install sidewalks — or public parks — so Somers and her group went to work to fix that.
Somers and her association have successfully had speed cushions installed to slow traffic in an area where one person was permanently disabled after being struck by a car near the Coronado Country Club. They have likewise gotten new striping and reflective markers installed elsewhere.
“There are some really dangerous curves in our neighborhood and there have been many instances of mailboxes getting destroyed by speeding cars, especially at night,” she said. “Imagine if someone had been out getting their mail, imagine if you had sent your child to get the mail.”
“So, we’re making progress,” Somers added. “It’s not perfect, but we’re making progress.”
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For nearly two decades, residents of District 1 have enjoyed a stability in City Hall representation that Chavez and Reyes would surely like to continue.
Ann Morgan Lilly was first elected to represent the district in 2005 and served 10 years before passing the gavel to Peter Svarzbein in 2015. He served a full two terms before Kennedy was elected in a 2022 runoff.
Like the candidates now vying for the seat, both Lilly and Svarzbein campaigned on economic development and infrastructure upgrades. That work paid off handsomely with some of El Paso’s newest neighborhoods, the West Towne Market Place on Paseo del Norte and the luxury apartments at Las Mansiones at Cimarron.
Interstate 10 and many of the offramps are being modernized to handle the flow of new traffic in anticipation of a continued boom in the area.
Chavez was the top vote-getter on election night with 37% of the vote followed by Reyes with 27% of the vote.
Little separates the candidates in terms of District 1 priorities as both are focused on basic services like better streets, more police officers and property tax relief.
El Paso City Council, District 1 runoff candidates respond to election 2024 questionnaires
For Reyes, the wide-open landscape that still defines much of El Paso’s West Side provides a wealth of opportunity both for the district and the city at large. She wants to see nature adapted even further to provide more recreation for residents of District 1, where already hiking and bike trails can be found.
“Is there a lot more that we can do,” she asked. “Absolutely.”
But like other areas across the city, District 1 is plagued with public safety concerns largely due to an understaffed El Paso Police Department constantly struggling to keep up with the needs of residents living beyond the city center.
“Public safety is a situation across the entire city because we don’t have enough officers,” Reyes lamented. “We have not been able to obtain the number of law enforcement officers that we need to make sure that we’re able to respond.”
Solving that problem, however, is not as simple as installing another regional command center, which simply shifts officers around and leaves another portion of the city unprotected, she reasoned.
Where crumbling roads are concerned, Reyes said she specifically heard complaints about Pascal Street, Borderland Road and Frontera Road where area residents are persistently tormented with shoddy streets.
“These residents are very frustrated and they continue to ask, ‘Why can’t we get our infrastructure up to par? Why is it that we continue to just patch?’ It doesn’t take care of the situation,” she said.
Chavez, a former restaurant owner, also marvels at the natural beauty of El Paso’s West Side but said the thing that sets it apart from the rest of the city is the people.
“As I’ve literally walked all the areas of District 1, I am continuously inspired by its nature,” she said. “The most beautiful thing about the district, in my opinion, are the residents that reside in it.”
For Chavez, the precipitous growth of the area is already causing problems for residents and, if nothing is done, will continue to for years to come. Whether it’s the communities around Artcraft Road or Enchanted Hills, or along Resler Drive or in the Desert Springs community, Chavez said an effort has to be made to address traffic flow issues
“Most important, if elected as representative to these constituents specifically, it is important that they feel heard and that they have access to a representative that will actually … champion these projects,” she said.
Additionally, Chavez noted the public safety concerns cropping up as Texas state troopers mount high-speed chases through neighborhoods in pursuit of human smugglers preying on migrants, something that will likely only be exacerbated by President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for a mass deportation program.
“There are other specific safety concerns in the district that we need to address,” Chavez said. “There are other specific things to neighborhoods that I’m very well aware of that I will take with me, if elected, all the way to City Hall.
“I have heard them loud and clear at their front doors and, if elected, know exactly what needs to get done on day one.”
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at [email protected].