Friday, November 8, 2024

El Paso realtor targets safety, property tax and infrastructure in city council campaign

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An El Paso realtor with more than 15 years in the industry will run for the District 2 City Council seat on a platform that prioritizes “public safety, streets and property tax relief.”

Isabel Ceballos, an El Paso realtor with more than 15 years in the industry, filed to run for the District 2 City Council seat currently occupied by first-time city councilmember, Josh Acevedo.

Acevedo’s term expires in January 2025.

Ceballos said that her experience as a realtor has taught her a lot about property tax, zoning laws and urban development — all areas that will take center stage in her platform.

“I wanted to be a part of city council because I want to be the solution to our city’s needs,” said Ceballos. “Some things that I want to focus on is public safety, I want to focus on infrastructure and our streets, I also want to focus on affordability.”

Ceballos said that because El Paso consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in the nation, we “tend to forget” why that is.

“Our officers, they work hard, they work timelessly, to make sure that our friends, our neighbors, our communities are safe,” said Ceballos. “Therefore I want to make sure that the El Paso Police Department is adequately staffed, and that they have all the necessary resources that they need to continue to keep us a safe community.”

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Meanwhile, Ceballos said that in addition to repairing El Paso’s crumbling streets, the city also has to prioritize green space, which she said goes “hand-in-hand” with stress levels.

“From the National Library of Medicine, sources show that streets and stress go hand-in-hand,” said Ceballos. “Therefore, if we focus on our streets and we focus on green space…our stress levels go down, our quality of life increases.”

Lastly, Ceballos said that as a realtor she sees first-hand how high property taxes can impact El Paso homeowners.

“I want to make sure we hold the line on taxes, and that we are able to live within our means as a city and make choices that make sense financially for us, that way we can grow but we’re growing within the budget,” said Ceballos.

Asked why she’s running, Ceballos said she “values El Paso” and “wants to be part of the solution.”

“I value El Paso, I’m a lifelong resident of El Paso, I wanted to make sure that I step up and be part of the solution for not only our community, [but] for my neighbors as well,” said Ceballos.

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