Steve Trowbridge’s decision to leave the Las Cruces City Council means District 4 is the only seat for which voters won’t be able to pick an incumbent on Nov. 6.
Three relatively young but experienced candidates are vying for the right to replace Trowbridge on the council.
Isaac Chavez, 35, ran unsuccessfully last year against state Rep. Andy Nuñez. He’s also a member of a number of community boards and chairs the Citizens Review Board for Child Abuse and Neglect.
Steve Montaño, 39, runs the state’s Economic Development Department office in
Nathan Small, 25, works for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and is a member of the Doña Ana County Planning and Zoning Commission.
Though in most districts the city’s growth is the hottest topic of the election, Chavez said it isn’t on the forefront of the minds of voters in his district. He said residents are more concerned about water quality and the stink from the city’s sewage treatment plant.
“The anti-growth message doesn’t work here,” Chavez said, noting the attempt by galvanized citizens who believe growth is out of control to defeat some incumbents. “Here it’s about jobs and education and the nuts and bolts stuff.”
Montaño agreed that residents of the district are more concerned with their infrastructure needs than development in other areas of the city. He called District 4 “a forgotten district,” and said some streets haven’t been repaved in 20 years.
“They want to ensure that their basic services are being met,” Montaño said of the district’s residents. “They don’t care about growth on the
To address the unique issues in District 4, Small proposes “investing in existing neighborhoods” and pledges to be a fighter for “refocusing” the budget to address infrastructure needs in established areas.
“That is my No. 1 priority,” Small said. “People want livable neighborhoods.”
More on existing neighborhoods
Small has made specific proposals to improve living conditions and infrastructure in existing neighborhoods. He wants to allocate funding through the use of tax increment financing or another method for improving infrastructure in specific, established neighborhoods. He also wants to establish a job-training center in District 4 that will help its residents improve their financial situations.
Small also spoke about improving security in existing neighborhoods, and said he thinks the city probably needs to add police and firefighter positions.
Montaño said some candidates talk about creating new, peripheral programs, such as a recycling program, when the city still has problems with its trash collection. He said he recently saw a city garbage truck spill trash all over a residential street.
Some District 4 neighborhoods are evidence that the city isn’t adequately keeping up with basic services, Montaño said, and that situation must be improved before the city considers adding new programs.
Chavez said the district is populated by people who have experienced the prosperity that has come with a decade of moderate growth, but the infrastructure needs in existing neighborhoods must still be addressed along with the growth that is more prevalent in newer areas of the city. He plans to improve water quality and reduce the sewer plant’s smell.
“The question of how we deal with these infrastructure needs is the question in this race,” Chavez said.
Public input
All three candidates agree that the city must change some policies and practices to increase the public’s ability to access and participate in the work of the council.
Montaño said the city needs to improve use of its public access television channel. One suggestion, he said, is running fewer public service announcements, which are often used to fill time, and instead creating a message board to announce upcoming public meetings and other events.
He also said he wants to see more community meetings televised.
Chavez said he wants the council to meet twice each week instead of once, and hold one of its weekly meetings in the evening to allow those who can’t attend during business hours a chance to see the council in action. In addition, such a change would shorten meetings and make it easier for people to wait for the chance to speak on a specific agenda item.
“This is the next, common-sense step,” Chavez said.
Small said there is a difference between allowing “public comment” and encouraging “public involvement” in decisions, and he wants to enact policies that encourage the latter. He said he wants to ensure the public plays a “substantial role” in decisions related to growth and other issues.
“It’s in everybody’s minds that we have to address development issues and I think, first and foremost, it has to be done in an open manner,” Small said.
About the candidates
Small said he’s the right candidate to represent District 4 because he has “a wide diversity of experience… the energy to get things done… (and) the openness to think there’s a new way to do things.”
Small, who is not married, is an avid outdoorsman who helps care for and train horses at Shining Heart Farms. He’s from Los Lunas and also has family in Grants. His job with the wilderness alliance is what brought him to
Small said his background, which includes a focus on land management and conservation, gives him a “commonsense approach” on growth and other issues. He said, though some would try to oversimplify issues, development is more complicated than being “pro-growth” or “anti-growth,” and he pledged to work hard to find solutions to complex issues.
Montaño said he should be elected because he has the experience to understand and navigate government and has good relationships with others who hold government positions. He said the district needs representation from someone who knows how to solve problems.
Montaño is a graduate of
Montaño said he’s excited about the position because, while he works in state government, city council is “where the rubber meets the road. There’s a real opportunity to make a difference.”
Chavez said he should be the District 4 representative because he has spent months at city council and committee meetings learning the system, and he plans to be a full-time councilor, like Trowbridge, if he’s elected.
Chavez grew up in
Chavez said his experience sets him apart.
“I’m able to look at things from a local perspective and a wider perspective that gives me a different view,” he said.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 6. Early and absentee voting are underway at the city clerk’s office.
This article has been updated slightly to clarify a comment from Montaño.