Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who limns himself as the champion of the downtrodden, had a problematic history when it came to barrio residents of his constituency. His father-in-law, a billionaire real estate developer wanted to redevelop a downtown section of El Paso and possibly displace barrio residents, businesses in the neighborhood, and Jesuit priests working with immigrants at Sacred Heart Church.
The New York Times reports that in 2006, developer William D. Sanders, O’Rourke’s father-in-law, proposed building restaurants and an arts walk to replace an area in downtown El Paso. O’Rourke represented the targeted area, including a historic Mexican-American neighborhood, at the time.
As Sito Negron reported in El Paso’s Newspaper Tree in April 2006, “O’Rourke, who is the son-in-law of Sanders, made the motion to begin the process of adopting the Plan, calling Downtown ‘one piece of El Paso that was missing on the road back to greatness.’”
The New York Times continues, “Over the next two years, Mr. O’Rourke would defend the plan before angry barrio residents and vote to advance it. At other times, he would abstain. Business owners who opposed the plan accused Mr. O’Rourke of a conflict, citing the involvement of his father-in-law, the billionaire developer William D. Sanders.” – READ MORE