BY ROBERT MORALES
Cody Davis is running for one of two seats on the city council. He is attempting to unseat one of two incumbents: Cheri Friday or Domingo (Mingo Corralez) for the at-large position. His opponents include Rudy Hinojos, Ryan Martinez and Isaac Badillo.
Mr. Davis is a Van Horn native, and he graduated in 2011 from Van Horn High School. After high school, he attended Odessa College and earned a certificate for Emergency Medical Technician. He is currently employed by Culberson Hospital. He also served as jailer and dispatcher for Culberson County Sheriff’s Office.
Mr. Davis didn’t waste time telling the Advocate why he is running for city council.
“It’s time for the younger generation to step up,†said Mr. Davis. “With the new generation come new ideas and thoughts. I would really like to see more citizens my
age doing whatever they can do to become engaged.†He explained that it can take the form of volunteering, running for an elected position and otherwise getting involved.
Mr. Davis said that one of his top priorities, if elected, would be to establish a police department.
“I don’t think that having four [sheriff’s] deputies is enough to cover not only the town, but as well as the county,†he said. “Granted, I know we’re a small town, but Presidio is also a small community, and they have a police force. If everything we have been hearing and reading about the oil and gas industry, then we are going to need more help. Having a police force brings revenue to the city by issuing [moving violation] citations and the police officers can also help enforce code enforcement by issuing citations to those persons that violate city ordinances.â€
He added that there is plenty of blame to go around when it comes to the sheriff’s office not having a sufficient number of officers.
“I don’t blame any of the current commissioners, but past commissioners imposed a hiring freeze. When I was hired by the county in 2011, there was a hiring freeze. The sheriff’s four deputies cannot take care of the entire county plus the town of Van Horn. Now, they’re doing the best they can, but with the four deputies and sheriff, it’s not enough manpower.†He added that part of the funding problem for the county failing to hire additional personnel at the sheriff’s office lies with the county treasurer and the county auditor. In his words, he said that the treasurer and the auditor tend to block any request from Sheriff Oscar Carrillo for not only more officers, but for overtime pay as well for the four deputies.
Mr. Davis said he knows that bringing up this topic will likely cause controversy. “I know I’ll be told that it’s not affordable,†he said, “but I know there are grants for all kinds of things for police departments, such as for the officers’ fleet.†He said that the current police and deputy structure in Presidio works because the sheriff’s department has an adequate number of deputies serving the county, and the police force is sufficient in number to take care of matters inside the city limits. He conceded that the larger number of deputies in Presidio is attributable to Presidio being a border town.
He said that once a police department was established, that the lines of demarcation between sheriff’s deputies and police officers would be clearly drawn. “In reality, law enforcement officers want to help other law enforcement officers.†He was referring to whether there would be a territory war as to which department enforces a specific area. He said that police officers would generally be assigned to areas within the city limits and sheriff’s deputies would be assigned to all areas of the county. Even with those lines drawn, he said, there would be times that both departments would need to work together, especially if there was a major emergency.
How does he expect his idea of having a police department to go over with other council members if elected?
“I’m prepared to hear that we can’t afford a police department,†he said. “I love this town very much, but Van Horn has always been stuck on ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mentality. I would really like to see this attitude change. There’s only so much one person can do, but I’m willing to try.â€
Besides wanting a police department, Mr. Davis said another item on his to-do list is sanitation.
“Who’s going to want to come to a town that looks bad?†asked Mr. Davis. “I know there’s a lot of eyesores here, and I would like to see us take more aggressive action against landowners that don’t take care of their properties, especially on Broadway. He said that the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has taken the first steps to beautification of downtown by painting the exteriors of new businesses on Broadway. “I would like to see Van Horn become a Main Street town.â€
Mr. Davis said he would like to see more street lighting in the Rivas subdivision as well as around City Park.
He said that if elected, he will pour all his energies to work with other city council members and county officials for the benefit of the town.