Richardson promotes spaceport tax increase

Gov. Bill Richardson was one of a number of high-profile public officials who urged residents of Doña Ana County to approve a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America during a pep rally today at Vista Middle School in Las Cruces.

“I’m here to ask all Doña Ana County residents, voters, to support this spaceport initiative,” Richardson said. “The spaceport is about creating opportunity, research, creating jobs, creating a reason for our young people to graduate from high school and college and find good paying jobs and exciting jobs here in Southern New Mexico.”

Richardson said the project will also help create a better future for America through the commercialization of space.

“It’s America’s future, and it’s going to be here in Southern New Mexico,” he said. “We’re making history here in Doña Ana County.”

The event was sponsored by People for Aerospace, the group formed to promote approval of the tax increase on April 3, when the question will be asked of voters. Richardson and other leaders spoke to dozens of dignitaries, members of the media and hundreds of middle school students.

Doña Ana County Commissioner Kent Evans, making his first public appearance since having a cancerous tumor removed from his colon last week, said he believes Spaceport America will be the birthplace of an industry that sends mankind into the “final frontier.”

“Its birthplace will reap untold economic benefits for the people of Southern New Mexico,” Evans said. “Let there be no mistake. I support this 100 percent.”

Commissioner Bill McCamley, co-chair of People for Aerospace, asked the students in attendance to urge their parents to vote for the tax increase.

“There are very few times in the history of a community when a decision will so affect its future,” he said. “Voting yes means voting for jobs, voting for education, and voting for the future.”

Las Cruces Mayor Bill Mattiace agreed.

“We need a ‘yes’ vote on this spaceport initiative,” he said.

Opponents protest outside rally

As the pep rally went on inside the school’s gymnasium, about a dozen protesters stood on the shoulder of nearby Elks Drive urging passers-by to vote against the tax increase.

“No new taxes,” Vado resident Mitch Boyer yelled at passing motorists.

Arturo Uribe, a resident of Mesquite and community organizer, said a tax increase would be better spent on improving infrastructure.

“You’ve got people for aerospace. We’re people for a safer place,” he said. “We support a spaceport. What we don’t support is a 1/4 percent for it when we have communities with no basic services.”

McCamley and other supporters cite two studies that predict the spaceport will create thousands of jobs, bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy and increase the tax base in Doña Ana County, which would allow it to spend more money on infrastructure. They also argue that the spaceport will create high-paying jobs that will allow students to stay in the area after they graduate from college.

Richardson made such arguments during Monday’s speech, citing a study done by New Mexico State University.

“This is going to be 5,000 new jobs, and up to $1 billion in new revenue from this new industry, and this is good news because Southern New Mexico, many times, many years, has been neglected, and now the anchor of the space age is going to be right here,” Richardson said. “It’s going to transform our economy and improve our quality of life.”

Uribe doesn’t buy it, and told that to passing motorists.

“You ain’t going to space. I ain’t going to space,” he shouted at a group of students leaving the school on a bus following Richardson’s speech.

Here’s video of Richardson’s speech. It’s about 8.5 minutes long.