Veterans advisory panel elects Ron Jackson chair, names Donna Juarez vice chair and George Ellis Esser secretary

The City of El Paso Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Jan. 16 elected Ron Jackson to serve as chair for the 2025 calendar year and approved two other officer appointments.

In a contested chair vote, Ron Jackson won 4–3 to become the committee’s chair. Ron Jackson accepted the nomination, saying, “I do.” The committee also voted to appoint Donna Juarez as vice chair and George Ellis Esser as secretary; both accepted their nominations during the meeting.

The elections followed oral nominations from committee members and an open roll-call-style vote. The committee approved the minutes for its Nov. 21, 2024 meeting by voice vote earlier in the session.

Nut graf: The officer elections set leadership for the committee’s work this year on employment, homelessness and mental-health subcommittees and on its April briefing to city council. Members said they want new leadership to accelerate work on homelessness and the committee’s priorities for 2025.

Committee members discussed duties for each post before voting. The veterans program coordinator’s staff described the secretary role as largely administrative support — drafting minutes and agendas and stepping in if both chair and vice chair are absent. Donna Juarez said she would “accept” the vice-chair nomination and George Ellis Esser took the secretary role after a second and voice vote.

The chair vote was conducted openly after members asked about an anonymous ballot; staff said Texas open-meetings law requires an open vote for this body. Individual members announced their choices when called on by the chair. After tallying votes, the chair declared Ron Jackson elected with a 4–3 tally.

Ending: With the new officers in place, members moved to set subcommittee leadership and continue planning for the committee’s annual presentation to city council in April.