El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser
After winning with 76 percent of the vote in the June 11 runoff election, Mayor Oscar Leeser is finally in office.
Moving from car dealership owner to mayor calls for some learning on the job, he said. Leeser said his first goal is to become more familiar with the city departments and what they do for residents. After that, the budget will be a primary focus.
With less than one week on the job and a little under four more years to go, Leeser talked about being El Paso's new mayor.
Q: What has the transition been like?
A: You know it's been great. We had our first City Council meeting on Tuesday. It went real well; we set a good tempo.
I really like the City Council we have. I think the voters have put a good council together, and in just one meeting alone you can see how well we are working together, and I was real impressed with that.
Q: After your first meeting, what did you think? Was it easier to be up there? Harder?
A: You know what, harder, it was basically what I thought. I've been on boards with different organizations, so I knew what to expect.
Q: Now that you are in office, what is the first issue you want to tackle?
A: The first thing we needed to do and we've been doing that, when you showed up I was in a meeting, is we want to meet with department heads; we want to meet the people that work for our city.
We have great, great people, and that's been the best part
so far. The people who are here are excited, and that's the best thing so far.Q: How long will that take? Are you seeking feedback from them or setting a new direction?
A: I want to introduce myself to them and I want to learn what they do. I don't have a time limit because I want to take my time and meet everybody and understand their role in bettering our city.
Q: Are there any issues that have come up in City Hall in the past six months that you want to bring back or place on an agenda?
A: You know, not at this point. We've only been in office a little bit. You're here on day three, and you are my first interview. We're just kind of going in and doing what we said we are going to do and take our time and meet the people and understand their needs and wants.
Q: A big part of your campaign was financial responsibility. Have you started to look at budgets and thinking about adjustments?
A: We're starting on that. Mid-July is when we go into budget negotiations, so we are getting ready to start that. That is going to be one of our priorities, to look at the budget and make sure that we do the right thing going forward and try to balance it.
Q: Is there anything off the top of your head that you want to focus on going into the budget meetings?
A: Until I see it, I really don't have one item I want to look at.
Q: One of the things Mayor John Cook left behind was the beginning of the mass transit system. Do you have any plans to continue in that direction, adjust or add to it?
A: Again, until I really look at it I can't tell you what I need to adjust. Looking at it is a great thing because we are going to look at every department. We are going to look at everything and make sure that it is working efficiently. And that's the key, making sure everything is working the right way. Every time we do something, we want to make sure we are maximized.
Q: Is there anything externally that you have on your agenda in the next few weeks?
A: No, not really.
Q: Is there any new direction that you would like the City Council or city staff to take or at least start researching?
A: No. You know right now the key is to work together and that we work toward the same common goal. It is really important to me to make sure we respect each other, respect our employees and respect the community. And for the community to respect us. So it's really important that we work in a professional manner.
Q: Asking City Manager Joyce Wilson to stay was a move you made before you even took office. For some, it was a move met with praise, and for some it was met with criticism. What was your response?
A: It's really important that we continue with continuity, and we have a lot of open projects. We have the baseball park, we have the quality-of-life bonds and we have a lot of things that we want to make sure are executed and executed properly. And it was really important to have continuity. So it's a plus. Plus, we don't want to rush into looking for a new city manager. That gives us a year or so to start the process and make sure the process is done properly and we pick a person that will fit in perfect for our community.
Q: And is there anything else you would like to add or let the community know about yourself as the new mayor?
A: My commitment is to work hard and to bring trust and honesty.
We will do that. We will work hard and make sure that we work as a unit, work as one and make sure we have a common goal for the community of El Paso.
Aaron Bracamontes may be reached at abracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6156. Follow him on Twitter @AaronBrac
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