Trinidad Aguirre Entered Mayor’s Race At Last Minute

Trinidad Aguirre comes across as a ball of energy. The child of migrant workers, he was born in Eden, Texas. His family moved to San Angelo when he was very young in order to make a better life. He graduated from Lakeview High School and went into the Navy. After completing his time in the Navy Aguirre attended and graduated from Angelo State with a degree in computer science. He later received his Master’s Degree in Telecommunications from the University of Dallas. He had a successful career with Verizon ultimately serving as President over the vast region including Texas.

Since retiring to San Angelo he has continued to be involved in local business as an entrepreneur, starting and selling a roustabout business and a real estate investor. He has a great deal of experience as a leader and volunteer in San Angelo. He served as Chair of the most recent City Charter Review Committee, on the Executive Board of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, the City of San Angelo Planning Commission among others. Aguirre ran previously for the Single Member District (SMD) 1 on City Council in 2014 and 2016. He ran again for that seat briefly in 2017 before withdrawing from the race.

Aguirre – Better Late Than Never

This time Trinidad filed on the very last day of filing when there was already a field of five candidates. He attributes his decision to run to all the calls he received from people urging him to run. He said the great blessing he received from all of the calls put him over the top. When he asked his wife if he should run she said, “Get in the car.”

Aguirre is running a campaign focused on running a fiscally responsible city. “Less government is key.” He said. “But we can’t forget the people.” “What about the handicapped, our Seniors, small business?”

What Sets Aguirre Apart?

Asked what sets him apart from the other candidates, Aguirre said it is his transparency, and his ability to bring groups together. He said he was very successful at doing that in a multi-million dollar company like Verizon with over 12,000 employees. He believes he can also do that for the City of San Angelo.

One example of the need for more transparency he mentioned was the proposed Coliseum bond and expansion. He does not believe that the City has told the public the real impact of the increase in ad valorem taxes will be. “It was a little bit misleading.” He said.

He is also concerned that the City has not plan for the growth that will come with the new Interstate Highways 27 and 14 that will come through San Angelo. Aguirre believes the impact on the Eastside of San Angelo will be huge and we need to “shovel ready” for it.

Aguirre Proposes PILOT Fees To Help Ease Tax Burden

He wants to address high property taxes by addressing the huge institutions in San Angelo that are tax exempt, contributing nothing to the tax base, yet still depend on the City for essential services, like police, fire, sewer and water. These include Goodfellow Air Force Base, Angelo State University, Howard College and Shannon Medical Center. I asked him if he was proposing some sort of Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) be made the City by these institutions? He said, “yes.”

PILOT fees are a common mechanism used by other cities to have large organizations who do not pay property taxes contribute their fair share of the cost of providing essential city services. The San Angelo City Council did away with collecting its PILOT fees when J.W. Lown was Mayor. It has not charged or collected PILOT fees since then.

Trinidad Aguirre also wants to address the pay disparities with the police and fire departments so that the City can hire and retain the officers and firefighters it needs. Addressing affordable housing in the City is another of Aguirre’s priorities. One thing he wants to look at is if any of the City’s ordinances, policies or practices in planning are impacting the ability to construct more affordable housing.

Ultimately, for Aguirre, is all about the people. “People are not voting because their voice is not heard. People feel we are not listening. We must drive that the other way.”