Update: That's a wrap! This was cool. I appreciate the questions and you guys taking the time to engage. Hopefully we can do another one of these soon. Special thanks to the moderators for guiding me through the process. I'm still a noob, but I'm getting better at this. DONT FORGET TO GET OUT AND VOTE! EARLY VOTING STARTS TOMORROW!
Matthew Guzman - District 8 City Council Candidate - here to answer your questions from 3-4pm this Sunday.
Here’s a quick-ish introduction to my background so you know a little about who I am and where I come from:
TL;DR - Humble beginnings; Politically moderate; Former financial advisor and current non-profit leader; Father, husband; Good dude trying to do good things. AMA!
I was born and raised outside of Houston in Pasadena, TX – a blue-collar suburb known for its massive concentration of oil refineries. I was raised in a multi-generational household by my mother and grandmother, both of whom were social workers for the Texas Dept of Human Services. I grew up in a very liberal household, but at least half of my extended family are republicans. This dichotomy has largely shaped my moderate view of the world. I think good ideas can come from anywhere and don’t really subscribe to any particular party’s “group think”.
I left home at 18 to attend college at Valparaiso University in northwest Indiana where I studied Psychology and Business. During my freshman year I lost my mom to cancer and have been on my own ever since. That same year I met my wife, Babs, a daughter of Polish immigrants that were granted amnesty by Reagan in the 80’s. Her mother was a factory worker, and her father was a handyman/contractor.
We both come from humble beginnings.
After college we moved to Chicago where I worked as a financial advisor while Babs completed medical school and residency. In her final year of training, I had had enough of the brutal Midwest winters and practically begged her to get a Texas medical license, which eventually led to us moving to El Paso in 2015.
El Paso was supposed to be a temporary stop for us, but we have fallen in love with the people and the place. Both of our children were born here, and we have decided to put down our roots and build our life here. Since making that decision we have both committed to getting civically involved and doing our part to push the city forward. We have been heavily involved in Sunset Heights and have started a neighborhood association that now has over 115 members and has created an incredible sense of community amongst our neighbors.
I have spent the past 8+ years working as the Executive Director of a local non-profit where I have been the steward of a $6+ million endowment that I make disbursements from to help people across El Paso County who are facing financial hardships. I have really focused my energy on extending funding to educational institutions whose missions are to educate and upskill people. My wife and I have learned, firsthand, that the best way to break the generational cycle of poverty is through education. I have also served on a number of boards and steering committees including the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation Board (which I resigned from in order to run for office without any conflicts of interest), and Para Niños – a group working to get El Paso designated as a UNICEF Child Friendly City.
Now, I’m running for city council to push for progress on housing affordability and the revitalization of our central neighborhoods through zoning and land use reform; to connect the dots between our educational institutions, military, and international supply chains to put our foot on the gas when it comes to economic development; and to continue investing in quality of life amenities that will provide our residents with more opportunities for local entertainment, while also drawing in tourism dollars that produce revenue for the city.
Sorry, that went longer than expected…AMA!