There was some sparring and a lot of discussion of serious issues at Tuesday’s forum involving 13 candidates running for City of
The forum got off to an interesting start during opening remarks when Melissa Miller-Byrnes, the presiding judge of the Las Cruces Municipal Court, questioned whether her challenger could be impartial because he was a police officer for 20 years. She also pointed out that he has been an attorney for only two years.
“Will he be fair? Will you have meaningful participation?” Miller Byrnes asked. “… My challenger lacks administrative experience. What barrier will that create to your access to justice?”
In his opening remarks, Conrad F. Perea didn’t directly respond, but instead said he will “repair the broken relationships” that exist between the court’s two judges and the law-enforcement community. There has been a long-standing fight between the judges and city police and prosecutors, and the city recently began filing most drunken driving and domestic violence cases in district court.
The other assault came from District 6 Councilor Ken Miyagishima, who attacked incumbent Bill Mattiace in response to a question about what
“If the mayor’s re-elected it’s going to look like a big, sprawling city,” he said. “… This is not smart growth. This is not careful growth. When Mr. Mattiace had the chance to put people first, he did not. This has been the case time and time again. When I’m mayor, it will be different.”
Mattiace, for the first time at a public event related to the election, didn’t spend a great deal of time responding to Miyagishima’s accusations. In addition, he made a point of talking about issues other than growth, and listed affordable housing and senior and youth services as priorities.
“I’m not just a single-issue mayor,” Mattiace said.
You can watch the entire forum on the Internet by clicking here. Here’s a rundown of some of the discussion that took place:
Mayoral candidates
Mattiace, in his opening remarks, pointed to all the positive recognition the city has received in recent years, and said the city is in great shape. He took some of the credit and gave the rest to the council.
“I didn’t make it happen alone, but I led the way and I’m proud of what we’ve done in the last four years,” Mattiace said.
Miyagishima said he’s running “to propose a different agenda” that includes all residents in decisions.
“I will take public service to its highest level,” he said. “… I will treat you as my boss.”
He also said he wants “responsible growth, not haphazard growth,” and said the city needs “roads first, not people first” – an apparent reference to building the infrastructure to accommodate a growing population before those people move to Las Cruces.
In response to the question about what
“I think this city will be as successful in five years as it is today,” he said.
Asked about what the mayor can do to help combat domestic violence and child abuse, Miyaghishima pointed to his wife, former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Susana Chaparro, who has a lot of experience in dealing with domestic violence.
“My wife has pointed out some inefficiencies in our ordinances, and so why not lean on her experience?” he said, adding that such violence “will not be tolerated.”
Mattiace pointed to city support for the local domestic violence shelter and a group that aims to combat child abuse.
“I think the city has to be a leader in social sensitivity, and not just worry about development, development, development,” Mattiace said. “There are so many issues and the city must take care of all those issues.”
Asked what he would plan to change if he is re-elected, Mattiace said there isn’t much.
“Not too many changes. It’s already a great city,” he said. “… I think the future of
Miyagishima said the city “is a great place to live, but if we’re not careful, we’re going to turn into a big, sprawling city.” He said he wants the city to grow with quality, not quantity, in mind.
Council candidates
While the majority of candidates for three seats on the council said they support the downtown revitalization plan, a couple weren’t too excited about it and three said it needs to be expanded.
District 1 candidates Conrado Guerra and Ron Gurley said the current plan needs careful review. Guerra said the recently opened section of
Gurley said the project, in the minds of those he’s speaking with, is “a big question mark.”
“It’s kind of like the street to nowhere right now,” he said, adding that the city needs to “seriously consider where we’re really headed with this.”
District 1 candidate Miguel Silva said revitalization needs to be expanded to include surrounding neighborhoods. So did District 4 candidates Steve Montaño and Nathan Small.
“We cannot forget the older, established neighborhoods,” Montaño said.
Asked about whether the city should implement a curbside recycling program, District 2 incumbent Dolores Connor and District 1 incumbent Jose Frietze said they favor implementing a program that won’t cost residents – a goal both said is accomplishable. Connor’s opponent, Vince Boudreau, said he would be “willing to pay a lot more than $10 per month,” if necessary, to fund the program.
“I’m strongly in favor of a recycling program and I’m sure most residents of
Montaño was the only candidate for any council seat who didn’t sound enthusiastic about implementation of a curbside recycling program. He said the city still has problems running its trash program, noting that he saw a city garbage truck spill trash all over the street the other day, and said the city needs “to ensure that the basic services are conducted in a professional fashion first.”
Asked if they support a proposal to create a number of wilderness areas around
Chavez said wilderness is “one option” for preservation and said each area should be considered individually, rather than as part of an all-or-nothing proposal. He also pointed out that wilderness designations are made by Congress, not the city council.
Small pointed out that he works for the organization, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, that is leading the push for approval of the wilderness plan, and while he supports the plan, he said he would recuse himself from any vote on whether to support it. The council did pledge such support last year.
Gurley said the proposal needs “a little bit more discussion,” especially with ranchers, because many oppose the current plan. Frietze, on the other hand, pointed out that he voted to support is last year. Connor also voted to support it and traveled to
Asked about water use and quality, Chavez said the main concerns of residents in his district are the stench from the city’s treatment plant and water quality. He said many have install filters at their house because of poor quality.
Silva took the question to a broader level, saying the city must “take a more regional approach” to dealing with water availability. He said such discussion should include cities as far away as
Boudreau said the city should consider getting rid of some 2,000 septic tanks, but said it would be expensive. Connor pointed out that the city is working on a plan to get rid of them and seeking outside funding to help.
She also said the city has enough water for decades, but needs to focus on conservation “because it’s the right thing to do for our city and state and nation.”
Small said water “is the single most important issue” in the city’s future, and said the city must consider not only how much water is available, but who is providing it, adding that private water companies, if they ever had financial problems that affected their ability to deliver, could have a drastic effect on city residents.
Municipal Judge
Asked what would make him a good judge, Perea pointed to his experience as a police officer, saying he worked on the streets with people and “learned how to deal with every situation as it comes up.” As a former magistrate judge, he said he learned how to listen, gather evidence, and then evaluate the evidence and apply the law, and said the most important characteristic that makes a good judge is knowing how “to apply the law appropriately.”
Miller-Byrnes pointed to the fact that she was a city prosecutor for 10 years before being elected judge, a position she has held for eight years. She also pointed to her experience as the court’s administrator.
“I believe I am fair, I am impartial, I am patient, and I believe I make a good judge,” she said. “I am a good listener.”
Asked if she supports the creation of a metro court that would consolidate the magistrate and municipal courts into one, Miller-Byrnes said she served on the committee that studied the issue a couple of years ago and its findings indicated there could be some benefit to a metro court. She said citizens and the Legislature will decide whether one is created.
Perea also didn’t indicate whether he supports such a plan, but said he believes a metro court may be created eventually. He also said magistrates “work very hard, they are trained well, and they apply the law based on common sense and fact, and I believe that is what a good judge must do.”
A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that Miller-Byrnes said she supports the creation of a metro court.