El Paso Civil Service Commission sustains city on multiple disqualification appeals; elects chair and vice chair

The El Paso Civil Service Commission on Feb. 13 unanimously approved routine business, elected leadership for 2025 and sustained the city’s qualifications-based disqualifications in several promotion appeals.

The commission approved the consent agenda — which included minutes from Dec. 12, the 2025 meeting schedule and assignment of hearing officers for two disciplinary appeals — by voice vote with no recorded opposition. Vice Chair Victor Vasquez presided and said the motion passed unanimously.

The body then held elections for its chair and vice chair. Commissioner Victor Vasquez (District 2) accepted nomination and was elected chair by voice vote. Romero Lucero (District 7) accepted nomination and was elected vice chair; commissioners voted in favor without recorded opposition.

The commission considered six scheduled disqualification appeals and related items. Several appellants were not present and the commission treated their absence as withdrawing the appeals (items 7, 8 and 11 on the agenda). For the in-person appeals, commissioners heard brief presentations from Human Resources and department representatives, questioned applicants, and voted on the city’s determinations.

- Steven Flores (Capital Improvement Department, engineering specialist recruitment) — HR told the commission Flores met the educational requirement (associate’s degree) but lacked the stated minimum of six years’ paraprofessional engineering, construction or project-management experience; HR totaled 3 years 8 months of qualifying experience. Flores presented letters and supplemental forms describing about 2 years of private construction experience and roughly 11 months as an electronics technician with Streets & Maintenance. HR and the department’s subject-matter expert said the submitted documentation did not meet the position’s minimum “paraprofessional engineering” requirement. After discussion a motion to sustain the city’s disqualification was made and seconded; the commission voted in favor and sustained the city’s decision.

- Alyssa (Elisa) Gallegos (Parks & Recreation, Community Center Supervisor) — HR said the posted minimum required a bachelor’s degree plus two years’ supervisory experience; Gallegos has relevant supervisory experience but does not yet hold the bachelor’s degree. Gallegos told commissioners she is about 90% complete in a University of Phoenix degree program and expects to finish on April 21. Commissioners and counsel discussed precedent, consistency and the department’s salary/grade structure; the commission voted to sustain HR’s disqualification recommendation.

- Luis (appeal listed as “Luis Muncie Weiss” in the agenda packet; applicant addressed the commission under a form of the surname presented at the hearing) — HR told the commission the applicant had convictions that the department found disqualifying under Civil Service Commission Rule 5 and the city’s application standards for positions that require a Texas peace-officer license. HR advised that state licensing rules (Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, TCOLE) and Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) clearance would prevent the applicant from obtaining the necessary peace-officer license. The commission sustained the city’s disqualification.

For absent appellants (Benjamin Mancares, Kenneth Antuna and Jose Ramirez) staff recommended treating the appeals as withdrawn; the commission voted to sustain the city’s decisions for those items as well.

No commissioner votes or roll-call tallies were recorded in the public transcript beyond unanimous voice approval on the items noted above.

The meeting concluded after final procedural items and an adjournment vote at 7:39 p.m.

Votes at a glance: consent agenda — approved (unanimous); Chair — Victor Vasquez elected (unanimous); Vice Chair — Romero Lucero elected (unanimous); Appeals sustained for the city — Steven Flores (sustained), Elisa Gallegos (appeal denied/sustained), Luis (agenda listed as “Luis Muncie Weiss”) (sustained), and three absent appellants treated as withdrawn and sustained (Benjamin Mancares, Kenneth Antuna, Jose Ramirez).