Coming in September: Relaunch of La Politica New Mexico
The election season is beginning! A new governor in New Mexico will be elected next year; 435 members of Congress, and 70 seats in the New Mexico legislature. The mischief of the 2016 presidential election will surely continue to scandalize even the most jaded, and the soap opera melodrama of the appalling occupants of the White House will surely keep us entertained.
How does this affect New Mexico? As we recoil against the dysfunctional national scene, we are also reminded daily of the deterioration of New Mexico. The economy is stagnant. We are last in public education. Our higher education system has been in decline for decades: the best students are voting with their feet and going to better colleges in neighboring states. The Albuquerque Police Department has become a poster child of why you shouldn't move to Albuquerque, while a transportation system nobody seems to really want continues to clog up the downtown area. Northern New Mexico still has no economic base for job growth, continuing a long decline that no one even bothers to mention anymore. Daily we are reminded of what appears to be increased corruption. Coleen Heild, an investigative reporter for the ABQ Journal, recently uncovered a whole industry of rip-off artists in the legal guardianship industry in New Mexico, stealing millions of dollars from their clients, and seemingly impervious to any semblance of judicial control. Our mental health care system has been eviscerated by state government. Which institutions have not failed us?
Do any candidates running for governor have serious credentials for turning this around? Have any of them ever proven they can actually work with a team--the legislature, executive agencies, the public at large--to produce results? Do any of them show signs of true leadership, not just good campaign skills? Do any of them deserve your vote? How about your own state senator or legislator? Have you ever held them to account? Tune in during the next few months to get our take on all of this. We will continue to emphasize the struggles of self-governance in the small communities in Dona Ana County. Like the voters in Trumpolandia (largely uneducated white males whose fathers had better paying jobs and voted Democrat) voters in Anthony, Sunland Park, and other communities in Dona Ana County (overwhelmingly they speak Spanish at home, have limited job opportunities and education, and are poor) have been much taken for granted at election time. What is on their mind? How do they view the political scene in New Mexico? What do they want from a Governor or state legislator? Watch this space.
