Present were City Manager Gloria Barrientos, Gabriel Bustamante, Head of the Maquila Association, Mike Garcia, Ismael Naveja, Mexican Consulate, Raul Perez, Executive Director of the Maverick County Development Council, Saul Fernandez, President of the MCDC, Raul Treviño, CPA, Leticia and Keith Ayers of TH Gonzalez, US Custom Brokers, local businessman Werner Johnson, Terry Rawlins of the KLEC Hotel, Mario Pola of United Medical Centers, Margie Montoya of the COC, EPISD Superintendent Gilbert Gonzalez, Mayor Pro-Tem Luis Sifuentes among other concerned citizens wishing to see how one of the Republican party's favorites, Ted Cruz, Junior United States Senator for the State of Texas and loud voice of the Republican sentiment of the ongoing economic malaise in the US stemming from what the senator considers are the misguided economic policies of our current administration is leaning.  Cruz is believed to have been a major force behind the US Governmental shutdown in 2013.  This conversation allowed us to see how Cruz is thinking as Garcia made her viewpoints on key issues very clear criticizing the Affordable Care Act among other key issues of the day. 

           "A lot has been going on in DC as you know such as the Affordable Care Act, how does it affect small businesses, the National Security Act, the minimum wage increase and a bunch of key issues, Obamacare and education is very important overall," said Garcia.

         "We are opening a district office in McAllen to sit down and find out and see what concerns and issues we've got going on in key cities around Texas and what we can do to improve on in DC," she added.

Chamber of Commerce Directress Sandra Martinez graciously introduced, Ted Cruz' Regional Director who works out of McAllen and promised to take our concerns to the Senator tonight as Martinez asked us to "Fire away!"

         Garcia opened her Community Conversation by asking those in attendance of the importance of having an open line of communication with our legislators, "I urge you to work with your local congressmen," she began.

One of the most passionate conversations was in reference to wait times on the international bridges by several local businessmen as well as by Chamber of Commerce Directress Sandra Martinez who stated, "At the Chamber, one of our pet peeves is cross border trade and the delays at the international bridges.  Wait times are up to two to three hours."

           "There's got to be a better way to optimize the checkpoint.  I know that we need to stop the flow of drugs, but there are better ways of of doing so," stated ___ Gutierrez, Head of the Maquila Association, "These are the things we need to improve."

           "This is big government.  More regulations.  Their using the flag of Homeland Security to make things worse instead of trying to make things better," said Saul Fernandez, President of the Maverick County Development Council, "From their side legislatively, they don't have the slightest idea as to what's going on down here.  If they would talk to us, they've got the resources to help."

           "Yesterday while the Super Bowl was going on there was a three hour wait and there was no commercial traffic.  Think about it.  We're here the Maquila Association, MCDC, the Chamber of Commerce, US Custom Brokers, we have people that are going through this every day and we're not getting asked what we need or 'How can we make it better?' The government has to work with us to help us."

Cassandra Garcia on the Affordable Care Act:

           "I've already signed up.  Some communities have mobile units to sign people up for the ACA.  If people aren't knowledgeable, they're not going to know what to sign up for and if they don't have a decent job, they're not going to sign up at all."

            On the economic boom about to hit EP:

           This reporter made a case for the infrastructure we are seeing implemented in and around our fair city and the impending economic boom we are about to see hit our city much like it did Laredo thirty or forty years ago which led to its growth and subsequent expansion.  The recent reforms made by the government of Mexico to allow private oil companies to drill for oil and search for natural gas will make Eagle Pass aviable gateway for the companies of the Eagle Ford Shale Project.

Mayor Pro Tempore Luis Sifuentes, a counselor at Eagle Pass High School mentioned a need for more certification courses to be opened at the high school level to train future supervisors for the companies in the Eagle Ford Shale Project.

           In reference to my statement on the ever-improving infrastructure in Eagle Pass, Sifuentes had the following to add, "We've spent millions on our infrastructure over the last five years and if we get this economic boom, it's going to tear up this infrastructure our taxpayers have paid for.  Is the government ready to provide funds to repair this so we don't have to go back to our taxpayers to make these repairs?"

This was the type of dialogue which was taken in and taken down by Garcia who said she was going to report back to the senator that evening after a visit to the heart of Eagle Ford Shale Country, Carrizo Springs.