EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — In an unusual display of political alignment, the El Paso Democratic and Republican parties have found common ground on a major community issue: opposing the use of taxpayer dollars to fund the proposed Downtown Deck Plaza.

Over the last month, both parties have passed similar resolutions with overwhelming support from their members, that assert each parties opposition to the project.

During the March 3 primary elections, El Paso Republicans passed a ballot resolution with over 75 percent of the vote. The measure explicitly stated that the party does not want the El Paso City Council or El Paso County Commissioners Court to spend money on the deck plaza without first allowing residents to vote on the issue.

“The GOP, the Republicans, and just people out in the community don’t like it. Everybody’s fed up with it,” said Michael Aboud, Chairman of the El Paso Republican Party.

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Local Democrats followed suit just this past weekend during their biennial convention. Members passed a similar resolution by a staggering 9-to-1 margin, cementing the party’s stance against using public funds for the project.

Don Driscoll, Precinct 70 Chair for the El Paso Democratic Party, noted the financial strain on residents.

“People are sick and tired of having their pockets picked by the richest people in this community and in the country,” Driscoll said. “We don’t believe that public money should go into a deck park. It’s a lovely idea, but El Pasoans are heavily taxed.”

Leaders from both sides of the aisle hope their unified stance serves as a wake-up call to local government officials.

Driscoll suggested that the city’s leadership needs to pay attention. “It tells me that the city’s ruling class should perk their ears up and listen,” he said. “The fundamental arrogance of assuming that the dollars of working-class people in this community… should go to things that fundamentally enhance the wealth of the wealthy is just wrong.”

Aboud echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the need for fiscal responsibility.

“I’m glad to see that the local Democrats are also sick and tired of the tax and spend behavior of both City Council and County Commissioners Court… It’s our money, and we get to decide what it gets spent on.”

As political opposition mounts, the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation continues its push for a blended financial model.

Nichole Ruiz, Communications and Engagement lead for the foundation, stated, “Our goal is to fund this project through a mix of funding resources—private and public funding.”

The Foundation provided a statement defending the project as a long-term investment meant to drive downtown growth, investment, and overall quality of life. Acknowledging the pushback, the statement read in part:

“We recognize that El Pasoans have a range of perspectives, including differing views on priorities and how they should be funded. We welcome those conversations… A balanced approach that includes both private and public funding has proven successful in El Paso and in cities across the country with similar projects, and we believe it offers the strongest path forward.”

While earlier assessments projected the total cost of the deck plaza at around $270 million, there are growing concerns that additional expenses could push the final price tag closer to half a billion dollars.

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Currently, the Deck Plaza Foundation has secured just over $74 million for the project. Almost half of that total stems from private donations, while the remainder is made up of a combined $35 million from the El Paso MPO and the Texas Legislature, various federal grants, and $1 million from El Paso County.

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