By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek
“New Mexico? What part of Mexico is that?” – Unidentified corporate executive
During my tenure as executive director of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, I heard that question several times at business trade shows or when we contacted companies to try to get new and better jobs for our area. New Mexico wasn’t on the maps or corporate radar screens of many.
No more. Bill Richardson has put us on the map.
When I was doing economic development work, the previous governor – his name was Johnson – didn’t really believe in marketing the state to job-creating companies. Ideologically, he didn’t believe government should be involved in private-sector stuff.
As a result, the state’s economic development program was weak, understaffed and not competitive with other states. Richardson, on the other hand, understood that government and business are linked, each sector dependent upon the other. He knew that if this state is to make progress against poverty and the social ills that accompany it, it must improve in three areas (the three “E’s,” I call them): economic development, education and the environment.
Richardson pushed the state in a positive direction. I didn’t always like his style or his political tactics, but he understood what needed to get done and moved the state forward economically and educationally. I would have liked to see him be more aggressive in environmental and health care matters but, all things considered, he was a positive force in this state.
Richardson is essentially gone
I’m writing about Richardson in the past tense because, as we all know, he’s essentially gone already. His mind and energies are focused on the presidency. And, even if he does not succeed, most of us believe he will have a prominent role in the next federal administration.
So, economically, Richardson has set us in motion and on the right course. For Southern New Mexico, where the economy and social issues are somewhat unique, what next?
Here in Doña Ana County, we have the beginnings of a solid economic development program with MVEDA, a good partnership between private and public organizations and the university. It needs to be much bigger and more involved outside Las Cruces, and it needs to focus on goals that can be measured economically, such as wage rates, poverty and per-capita and household incomes. It could also be a convener, an entity that brings together the people and institutions that collaboratively can solve problems and make a difference.
For example, Bill McCamley used this covening-collaboration approach to problem-solving on the Sunland Park utility dispute, and he has convened the heath care alliance. But now, he’s diverted as he runs for Congress. That’s a good example of why this role of policy-problem solving leadership needs to come from an organization where it can be institutionalized.
As a community and a county tied to border and El Paso economics, we need to develop more productive business, political, environmental and educational partnerships with our Texas and Mexico neighbors. Our future is directly connected to theirs. We need to acknowledge that we are part of a huge metropolitan area of some 3 million people (Cuidad Juárez, El Paso and Doña Ana County-Las Cruces). Like it or not, their problems are, to a large degree, our problems.
Confronting the most important issues
Most importantly, in my view, we also need to acknowledge our area shortcomings and form strategies to deal with them. It may be good public relations to brag about the ratings that say Las Cruces is a great place to retire or have a business, but let’s not forget the real “people” issues that confront us as a state and county.
For example, the 2005 update to the Census indicates that 27 percent of our county population lives below the poverty level, compared to 13 percent nationwide. Consistent with that, per capita income is nearly $10,000 less in Doña Ana County than the nation overall ($15,878 compared to $25,035).
These numbers are unacceptable, and we know from many socioeconomic studies that this contributes to our negative statistics on school dropouts, educational attainment, teen pregnancy, child abuse and violent crime. The connection is obvious.
We rank 45th in the nation in average annual pay. We are 5th in the nation in violent crimes per 100,000 people. Forty percent of the population in Doña Ana County has no health insurance. Ten percent of our teens are high school dropouts. Thirty-eight percent our children live in single-parent households. The recently released Kid’s Count ranked New Mexico 47th when 121 socio-economic measures were tabulated.
So, as a community (and a state), we have a lot of work to do. It can be done with the commitment of the governmental, business, non-profit and educational institutions of the area, and some solid leadership. Martin Luther King, Jr. had some good advice for people who want to improve their situation: “If you want to move people, it has to be toward a vision that’s positive for them, that taps important values, that gets them something they desire, and it has to be presented in a compelling way that they feel inspired to follow.”
Kadlecek has lived in Doña Ana County since 1996, served in the Colorado Legislature and holds a doctorate in public administration. He’s the author of the book “Capitol Rape.” His column runs on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month and other times that he gets fired up about something.
By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek