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Teran and Sarinana say goodbye
December 16, 2008 |
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December 16, 2008
Teran and Sarinana say goodbye
Longtime County Commissioner Miguel Terán started saying his goodbye to county politics after the Dec. 8 Commissioners Court meeting when a retirement party was held in his honor.
He was also wished well by many at the county during the Dec. 15 meeting.
Although there is a special meeting scheduled for Thursday, Monday’s meeting was the last regular meeting of the year.
The next time the court gathers for a full agenda of county business, Terán will be replaced by Commissioner-elect Willie Gandara.
Seated to his left will be Commissioner-elect Anna Perez, who will replace Luis Sariñana on the court.
Terán joked on Tuesday during a dedication ceremony for the county’s new Ysleta Annex that three such ceremonies in two weeks was too much. In a whirlwind of activity to formally mark several projects he has worked on during his tenure, Terán hosted that ceremony, a groundbreaking for the highway that will connect to the coming international port of entry and the dedication of a new Lower Valley park.
“I have really enjoyed serving,” Terán said to the court during public comment on Monday.
He said he joined the court 12 years ago with the intention of getting water and sewer service to some colonias, and providing street paving to overlooked outlying areas. He said he was happy with his accomplishments during office.
“Commissioner Terán has a huge heart. He has given so many years to the most disadvantaged parts of the county of El Paso,” County Judge Anthony Cobos said during Terán’s retirement party last week. “You gave your time and energy to the people who had little voice.”
Also during his retirement party, Terán wished the new commissioners luck.
“Hopefully they will be as concerned about the Lower Valley as I am,” he said.
During Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting, Sariñana took a moment to address his own departure.
“It’s been a pleasure. Time flies when you’re having fun,” he said. “It’s been a great two years. Having spent eight years in city council, I can tell you the county is more friendly than the city.”
He also joked about growing more gray hairs in his time as a commissioner than as a city representative.
“It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster,” he said.
The offices of Sariñana, Terán and Cobos were raided in May 2007 as part of the FBI’s ongoing public corruption investigation, and the three have undergone intense community scrutiny since then.
Sariñana said El Paso should not consider him out of politics.
“I do have aspirations of running again,” he said. “I have politics in my bloodstream.”
Posted by Erica Molina Johnson |
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