DIGNIFIED COMMUNICATION
Divisive politics is tearing the country apart. I decided to run for office to fix this by reminding people that fellow New Mexicans in a different political party are not our enemies, they are literally our neighbors. I spent over 22 years serving the nation in the military. I deployed overseas, doing my part to keep the nation safe. This is where I learned how effectively communication across cultures and political divides.
Currently, many of our neighbors see the opposing political party as the enemy to an American way of life. This is not helping the country or New Mexico. Enough is enough. There are good people and bad people in any large organization. The real questions are: Will we work together where and when we can find common ground, or will we choose to focus only on the differences that prevent progress? I will work together.
Implement Ballot Initiatives: New Mexico residents cannot petition the government for changes in the State Constitution. All changes must originate from the citizen legislature and be ratified by the people. I will champion ballot initiatives that allow New Mexicans to force the State to address often ignored needed change.
End Political Gerrymandering: Political gerrymandering is horrible. It allows self-serving politicians to choose their voters rather than constituents to choose their elected officials. It's backwards and counterproductive to democracy.
Professionalize the Legislature: New Mexico citizen legislators only receive per diem (Living expenses while the Legislature is in session). For most New Mexicans, it would actually be more expensive to be a lawmaker than the per diem compensates. This deters many who are not wealthy from pursuing a seat in the legislature and in many cases the legislators do not understand the concerns of regular people. Another negative side effect is the New Mexico legislature regular session is only during the beginning of the year for alternating 30 and 60 day sessions. New Mexicans deserve legislators that focus on issues and challenges year-round, like I will.
Petition Signature Reform: Do you know that in New Mexico, candidates running independently from a political party for an elected office must acquire more petition signatures than a candidate running with a political party, while candidates running within a political party can only count signatures from registered members of that political party? This hinders candidates with cross party appeal from getting on the ballot in the first place before the primary election.
These systematic changes will help bridge the political divide. Regardless, I will listen to anyone in any political party. I pledge to address everyone's needs. Together, we will move forward as New Mexicans.
HEALTHCARE
New Mexico needs to improve access to healthcare. Too many rural residents have to travel hours for life-saving medical care. I will champion:
Emergency Services: Develop infrastructure in rural areas to ensure speedy access to emergency service
Reduce Drug Abuse: Focus on programs with proven records to rehabilitate victims of drug abuse.
Mental Health: Facilitate programs that successfully improve mental health for New Mexicans.
Reproductive Healthcare: Maintain access for women to have essential reproductive care.
Supporting Rural Healthcare: Implement subsidies and benefits to support healthcare providers in rural areas.
As we move forward to a safer and more prosperous New Mexico, let's ensure all New Mexicans have necessary medical care.
EDUCATION
I am appalled and embarrassed by New Mexico’s poor education performance. Our children are just as smart as children in other states. I will fight to:
Support educator professional development.
Continue opportunity scholarships for higher education.
Ensure students throughout the state have access to trade school professional development opportunities.
Increase educators’ salaries and benefits to recruit and better retain them.
Expand preschool education.
Balance charter school opportunity with public education.
Ensure students get at least two healthy meals throughout the school day.
Fund extracurricular activities and school supplies.
Fund school and library construction, maintenance, and operations.
Education is the cornerstone to any successful society. Let's focus on giving New Mexico's future the best tomorrow possible.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Rural New Mexico needs big infrastructure improvements. Aging and deteriorating roadways can lead to safety hazards. Our water delivery systems are outdated, and we need to improve water conservation measures. Poor broadband access limits economic development, access to education, healthcare services. We can promote more and better leverage the following infrastructure enhancements:
Ensure that every household and business in rural New Mexico has access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet to support education, healthcare, effective communications, and economic opportunities.
Transportation: Invest in paving and maintaining roads to improve transportation safety and accessibility, making it easier for residents and businesses to thrive.
Water Management: Develop effective water management systems to ensure sustainable and equitable distribution of this vital resource, crucial for both daily life, agricultural activities, and firefighting.
Residential Solar, Wind and Energy Storage: Promote the use of renewable energy by providing credits for residential solar, wind power, and energy storage installations, to reduce energy costs and environmental impacts, while improving resilience.
Smarter, New Mexico-Specific Building Codes: Implement building codes tailored to New Mexico’s unique environment, ensuring safer and more efficient structures that are more resilient to extreme weather and fire safe.
Implement Proven and Emerging Technology: Leverage proven and emerging technologies to make the best use of our limited resources, save money, while ensuring sustainability and resilience.
Close the Rural/Urban Resource Divide: Work to close the resource gap between rural and urban areas, ensuring that rural communities receive their fair share of state and federal resources.
Sustainable Agriculture: Support sustainable agricultural practices that protect our land and water while promoting economic growth for our farming communities.
Community Support: Support the construction, maintenance, and operations of Community and Senior Centers because they insure safe places for children, adults, and the elderly.
By addressing these key areas, we will significantly improve the quality of life in rural New Mexico, fostering economic growth and sustainability.
CRIME & ECONOMY
High violent crime and poor economic conditions are so interlinked that we cannot consider them separate issues. To truly address violent crime, I will work across the aisle on preventing the conditions that draw people into violent or criminal behavior.
High crime levels prevent industry from investing in our region, and poor economic conditions prevent individuals from prospering, making them more likely to commit crimes. No amount of policing will stop a criminal from stealing, committing domestic violence, buying stolen goods, or attacking someone in a private space, or falling into drug use.
To tackle these challenges, we need to develop tools to ensure that everyone feels important and cared for. This includes, to name a few; parenting interventions, family interventions, wellbeing campaigns, better mental health treatment, and early childhood education. Community policing, swift accountability, and improving the criminal justice system are keystones to lowering crime. Additionally, we must:
Ensure the universal provision of high-quality, affordable childcare for all.
Encourage business investment in New Mexico.
Narrow the earnings gap between the highest and lowest earners.
Rebuild the link between economic prosperity and wages.
Fight white-collar crimes.
By addressing both violent crime and economic conditions together, we can create a safer and more prosperous New Mexico for everyone.