Key Characteristics of El Paso’s Government:

Manger-Council System with an independently elected Mayor

On February 7^th, 2004, El Paso approved a city charter which would allow the city to be operated under a Council-Manager system of government.  This allows El Paso to have a strong political body (the City Council) to be combined with a non-political and highly organized government Manager.  The Manager is hired by the City Council, which gives them a lot of power. 

Non-Partisan Elections:

Another key aspect of El Paso’s government is that all elections are non-partisan.  This allows a variety of opinions to be expressed without an association of a political party.

Government Structure:

As you can see, the Mayor and Council work together to produce legislation, while the City Manager works with the administrative and organizational work.  The Manager and Deputy Managers are working with the various departments, which allows the Council to focus on creating legislation and policy.

The People:

The Mayor

(At-Large election)

John Cook

Duties:

• To lead the City Council Meetings

• Work within the City Council to prepare legislation

John Cook was elected to the position of Mayor in 2005, right after the transition to the Manager-Council system had occurred.  Before being Mayor, he had held a position on the City Council.

The Manager

(appointed by the City Council)

Joyce Wilson

Duties:

• To serve the Council as their chief advisor

• To supervise and carry out projects, programs, and policies which the council has approved

• Prepare the budget for the Council to approve

Joyce Wilson has been the Manager of El Paso since 2004.  Because the Manager-Council system first began in 2004, she has been part of the major change in El Paso.  She is the head of 26 departments, and was able to propose the first balanced budget.

The Deputy Managers

Deborah Hamlyn (Quality of Life Services)

William Studer, Jr. (Financial and Administrative Services)

Patricia Adauto (Development and Infrastructure Services)

Duties:

• To coordinate and work with the City Manager

• Analyze cost-effectiveness of initiatives

• Working with other leaders to plan, develop, and organize policies and strategies to benefit El Paso

• Lead their own departments

These Deputy Managers are in charge of the three departments of the city.  This allows for the City Manager to divide the work evenly and efficiently.

Duties:

• Approves budget

• Determines the tax rate

• Responds to Citizen concerns

• Represent specific parts of the El Paso community

• Appoints the City Manager

• Directs the City Manager

• Creates ordinances and resolutions to benefit El Paso

The majority of the Council are of Latino origin, which means that the “minorities” (in actuality the majority) of El Paso are being represented through the City Council, which is the most powerful political group in El Paso’s government.

Municipal Clerk

(hired by the City Manager)

Richarda Duffy Momsen

Duties:

• Keeps record of all City Council Meetings and stores them for the public to view

• Conducts all city elections

• Keeps archives of government publications and papers, along with records of Board appointments

• El Paso Municipal Court of Appeals Archive

• Lobbyist registration and reporting

All information on this page is referenced from El Paso’s City Website

 

This page was created by Hannah Lott - University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

       
             Page created for: POLS 350: Group and Minority Politics. 
              Professor Rodd Freitag. University of Wisconsin Eau Claire