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Gilbert Guillen
Gilbert Guillen was a candidate for District 8 representative on the El Paso City Council in Texas. He was defeated in the special election on June 10, 2017.
Guillen was also a candidate for the District 8 seat in 1998.[1]
Biography
Guillen earned a B.A. from the University of Texas at El Paso. At the time of his 2017 run for office, he was retired. His professional experience includes work as the president of The Guillen Corporation, the president and CEO of United Way of Southwest New Mexico, the CEO of the Border Health Institute, a program director for Big Brothers Big Sisters, an assistant vice president of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, the vice president of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the owner of the Comedy Defensive Driving School and Guillen Properties Management & Investments.[2][3]
Guillen has served as a member of the El Paso Five Year Economic Development Plan Executive Committee and the Mayor's Economic Development Lyceum's Medical Cabinet and on the boards of the El Paso Union Plaza Board of Appeals, the El Paso Building Board of Appeals, the Texas Youth Commission, Viva El Paso, the Sacred Heart Parish Council, the Juntos Art Association, and U.S. Border Patrol Community Relations. He has also served as the planning chair for Centro De Salud Familiar La Fe, the chair of the El Paso Youth Network, and the director of the Cathedral High School Development Association.[4]
Elections
2017
Robert Cormell and Cecilia Lizarraga defeated Gilbert Guillen, Adolfo Lopez, and Trinidad Acevedo in the special election for the District 8 seat on the El Paso City Council.[5]
| El Paso City Council, District 8 Special Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Robert Cormell |
42.25% | 1,724 |
| Cecilia Lizarraga |
25.25% | 1,030 |
| Gilbert Guillen | 15.61% | 637 |
| Adolfo Lopez | 13.19% | 538 |
| Trinidad Acevedo | 3.70% | 151 |
| Total Votes | 4,080 | |
| Source: El Paso County Elections, "Official Final Election Results," accessed June 29, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2017
In a NewsChannel9 candidate forum, Guillen expressed opposition to a proposed mixed-use development project on Shadow Mountain Drive in West El Paso. He also opposed building an arena in the Duranguito neighborhood of El Paso's Union Plaza. Guillen, who owns property in Union Plaza and who was involved in establishing the Union Plaza Entertainment District in 1994, said, "The arena does not belong in that small neighborhood it doesn't fit."[6][7] El Paso Inc. reported that Guillen would prefer to locate the arena at the former Asarco site.[1]
Endorsements
Guillen received endorsements from the following in 2017:
See also
| El Paso, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
- City of El Paso
- Personal website
- Social media
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 El Paso Inc "City to Hold June Election for Niland Seat," April 10, 2017
- ↑ Gilbert Guillen, "Education," accessed May 25, 2017
- ↑ Gilbert Guillen, "Professional Background," accessed May 25, 2017
- ↑ Gilbert Guillen, "Community Involvement," accessed May 25, 2017
- ↑ City of El Paso Municipal Clerk, "June 10, 2017 District 8 Special Election," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ El Paso Inc. "Gilbert Guillen: Watching over Union Plaza," October 17, 2011
- ↑ El Paso Proud, "District 8 Forum Recap," May 17, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Gilbert Guillen on May 20, 2017," accessed May 25, 2017
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