El Paso City Council District 2 candidate Josh Acevedo raised nearly twice as much in campaign funds than his opponent, Veronica Carbajal, ahead of Saturday’s runoff election – a majority of which came from area developers.

“Development has always been a mainstay in El Paso politics,” said Richard Pineda, chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at El Paso. “In recent years, that started to take on an environmental angle, so I think that you are seeing some lines drawn in terms of who these entities are wanting to support.”

Carbajal, an attorney and longtime advocate for environmental justice, and Acevedo, an El Paso Independent School District board trustee who is a program coordinator for a national nonprofit that supports elected officials, are vying to represent portions of Central and Northeast El Paso. The winner will replace city Rep. Alexsandra Annello, who resigned in October to run for state office. 

Early voting ended Tuesday, with 1,497 people casting ballots. Election Day polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The winner will be sworn in before the Jan. 30 City Council meeting.

According to campaign finance reports, Acevedo raised about $16,000 during the latest filing period ahead of the runoff. Carbajal raised about $8,600 during the same period.

About $11,000 of Acevedo’s contributions came from well-known land developers who frequently donate to local candidates, including $2,000 from the owners of Tropicana Homes, $500 from Douglas Schwartz, CEO of Southwest Land Development Services, Inc., $500 from Scott Schwartz, president of Southwest Diversified Holdings, $2,000 from the El Paso Association of Contractors, and $5,000 from the Texas Association of Realtors PAC. The El Paso Electric Company Employee PAC, which opposed a city climate charter initiative, contributed $750 to Acevedo.

The realtors PAC also contributed $2,500 to Acecedo prior to the Dec. 9 election.

The recent round of fundraising puts Acevedo’s total for the race at about $30,000, campaign finance reports show.

“In some ways, they’re looking to have some influence on what that person in that seat looks like and where they might stand on issues,” Pineda said.

Acevedo said his donors will not influence his decisions if elected.

“I’ve been in an elected office for four and a half years – my donors have never influenced any decision that I’ve made at the school district,” Acevedo said.

Carbajal raised about $19,300 over the entire election cycle.

In her recent report, Carbajal noted donations ranging from $20 to $1,000, with the highest contribution coming from her campaign treasurer, Kitty Spalding. Carbajal also received about $1,600 from in-kind political contributions for consulting, postage from an El Paso Independent School District teacher, and $1,000 for printing expenses from the Justicia Fronteriza political action committee, which she co-founded. Carbajal resigned from the PAC board before announcing her candidacy. 

The PAC also gave a $785 in in-kind political contribution for the use of a van in the previous filing period.

Carbajal recently made a public push for the city and county to fight the renewal of a permit for Marathon Petroleum’s midtown refinery. Carbajal also supported Proposition K, a charter amendment that aimed to insert controversial policies designed to address climate change into the city’s charter. Voters overwhelmingly rejected Prop K during the May 6 election.

Pineda said Prop K, regardless of anyone’s stance, would have impacted city policies on permitting, zoning and development – policies that developers would have had to adhere to in future projects.

“I think it is disappointing to see that a candidate that is community- and neighborhood-oriented is seen as an enemy by developers,” Carbajal said. “That shouldn’t be the case, especially in a district like ours, that needs redevelopment and needs infill.”

Part of Carbajal’s campaign has been aimed at addressing empty and vacant buildings in the district with possible redevelopment incentives as a solution. Carbajal said she is not sure why the developers are backing her opponent, but she did say she told the Texas Association of Realtors PAC she would not accept donations from them.

“I told them ‘I will take your endorsement, but I will not take your money,’” Carbajal said, adding that may have influenced their decision to support Acevedo.

Jobe Materials LC, who has worked on multiple city projects, also donated $2,500 to the El Paso Progress political action committee formed in opposition to Carbajal and led by Ysleta Independent School District trustee Christopher Hernandez. The PAC reported spending about $2,800 from political contributions and also spending about $2,200 on credit cards during the current filing period.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Josh Acevedo’s role with a national nonprofit that supports elected officials.