I asked candidates running for the open District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council to fill out the following questionnaire. I intentionally gave them no word limit, so as you read through their answers, you can consider not only what they said but how much space they took to say it and what that means.
For those of you living in District 6, I hope this helps you decide how you’ll vote on Jan. 15 (or sooner if you vote absentee or early).
The candidates
Patrick J. Curran, Ph.D.
• Age: 76
• Family: Married 47 years to Eileen D. Curran, four grown children, 22 grandchildren
• Education: Doctorate in administrative leadership from University of North Texas, master’s degree in secondary education from Columbia University, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in history and government from Fordham University
• Profession: Currently president of a real-estate holding company, also founded My Favorite Place child-care centers in
• Political experience:
• Other relevant experience: None listed
• Age: 45
• Family: Married to Nancy Joy for more than 21 years
• Profession: Owner of Advanced Target Marketing, Inc., since 1995, a direct mail advertising service provider for clients in
• Political experience: Advanced Target Marketing provided service to our first candidate client in 1996 and has since provided campaign production services to numerous elected officials such as Mayor Ken Miyagishima, City Councilor Miguel Silva, District Attorney Susana Martinez, State Senator Lee Rawson and numerous others. There have been many important meetings of elected officials discussing policies and strategies in my office of ATM in the last 12 years. State Representative Ed Boykin is my political hero and the person I most aspire to be like in office. I was an active member of the Republican Party of Doña Ana County, Ward 35 chairman from 2000-2006, and was also a member of the New Mexico State Central Committee. I was the Republican candidate for state representative in District 35 in 2004 and 2006, coming in second to the Democratic incumbent. As a result of local and state party strategies I left the party and I am now independent. I have worked closely with many elected officials from the local to national level. I have lived and worked in Las Cruces for 25 years and have great working relationships with members of the Las Cruces City Council, judicial branch, county officials, local business owners, local state legislators and NMSU officials. I look forward to serving my friends and neighbors in City Council District 6.
• Other experience: I serve at the request of Postmaster Legretta Ross-Rawlins on the Las Cruces Postal Consumer Advisory Council along with City Councilor Dolores Archuleta.
Berchard Ray Shipley
• Age: 64
• Family: Married to Jean Ann Shipley for 41 years, daughter Wendy, son John
• Profession: Retired from the U.S. Army in 1989 and retired as a commercial property manager in 2005
• Political experience: Served the mayor and city council for the City of Brentwood, Calif., as a planning commissioner for six years and was the chairman of the commission for three years. Developed and implemented a revised general plan and three specific plans for three critical areas in the city. The city grew from 20,000 residents to more than 50,000 residents in eight years. The city planning staff and the planning commission revised the written guidelines, the city code and the general and specific plans to develop improved building standards and transition strategies to effectively and efficiently manage the growth.
• Other relevant experience: Attended all city council meetings for six years to respond to inquiries about planning issues that were before the council. Served on committees to review and make recommendations for the site selections for two high schools and five elementary/middle schools, a new police department facility, three fire department stations and a major medical facility. As each new or infill project was planned the impact to the existing support agencies was evaluated and recommendations were developed to either modify existing or build new facilities, add new or additional staffing, new schools, new fire stations, etc.
Sharon Thomas
• Age: 67
• Family: Married to Dick Thomas for 45 years, son Severn lives in
• Profession: Retired educator – elementary school teacher, English as a Second Language teacher, college professor and administrator
• Political experience: Have not held public office, but have been an elected official in state and national professional organizations, director of a writing center, director of an ESL program and associate chair of a department
• Other relevant experience: In addition to my experience detailed above, I have lived in District 6 for several years and I have owned a business in District 6. I have been studying the issues that are important to District 6 – traffic congestion, the VISION 2040 planning project, the
Karen Rachel Trujillo
• Age: 32
• Family: Married with 3 sons
• Profession: Real estate broker
• Political experience: None
• Other relevant experience: I am a concerned citizen of
Questions
What issues would you focus on as a city councilor?
Curran: If elected, I will represent the residents of District 6 to the best of my ability. I will approach each issue in the same commonsense approach that I brought to the magistrate court. The last municipal election was truly only about growth and many nuts-and-bolts issues were not addressed. My first three issues are stated in my attached announcement to the voters of District 6. (In the letter, Curran stated that he is concerned about the city’s growth, in addition to city cases being filed in district court instead of municipal court, resulting in lost revenue for the city, and said he wants to ensure repainting of lane-boundary lines on roads and medians in the city.)
Joy: My priorities in the Las Cruces City Council are open and active communication in District 6 with more neighborhood meetings, increased funding for building new roads and improving city streets, construction of NMSU solar energy technology in all Las Cruces municipal projects, all without the influence of special-interest groups. I will focus on returning to the city charter to provide maximum self-government in
Shipley: 1. Growth: economic and managed growth/smart growth: Infrastructure in place timed with all new development or infill development, includes roads, utilities, schools, police, fire, medical, parks, trails, open space, etc.
2. Transportation master planning to resolve the traffic congestion at key areas of the district and city such as Telshor and Lohman, the completion of Sonoma Ranch Boulevard from U.S. 70 to University and the key arterials that move traffic from east to west Las Cruces.
3. Safety for the members of the community. Emphasis on police, fire and medical service to our citizens by ensuring that funding is in place to staff, train and maintain an effective and efficient operation.
Thomas: Growth management, infrastructure maintenance, deteriorating existing neighborhoods, incomplete and poorly planned/constructed new neighborhoods, the VISION 2040 planning project (our first regional comprehensive plan) and implementation of VISION 2040.
Trujillo: As a city councilor I would focus on all issues with an emphasis on fiscal responsibility, improvement of city services and increased communication from city council to residents of District 6.
What policies/actions of the city council are currently producing positive results?
Joy: The growth of neighborhood meetings is helping but needs to be expanded in order to be more effective and more inclusive. There is a big difference between public comment and public participation and I will work hard to make sure that the people that live and work in District 6 have greater access to public participation and decision-making.
Shipley: During past years the policies/actions of the city council regarding economic development, tourism and safety have resulted in
Thomas: The
Trujillo: The actions of the city council that are currently producing positive results include their current work with the City of Las Cruces leadership and management team to address citywide beatification, infrastructure improvements, conservation and growth-management policies and principles.
Curran: No answer provided
What policies/actions of the city council need changes? How would you change them?
Shipley: I believe that the current policies/actions of the city council can be effective when properly administered. I would insist on open meetings with ample input from the citizens of District 6 and the city to make sure that all the facts were presented and considered before a decision was made. The policies/actions of the city council should represent the majority of the constituents, their safety and their concerns. If they don’t, they should be revised or eliminated.
Thomas: The city council needs to do more than tinker with current policies and requirements. We need a whole new approach to planning, one that is built on studying our current activity centers, connecting corridors and transportation needs so that we can better plan for our future needs.
Trujillo: I have faith in our current city council to act and create policy with
Curran: No answer provided
Joy:
What is you stance on the city’s policies and actions related to growth and development?
Thomas: We are at a critical juncture. Growth is inevitable, but we must guide our growth. We seem, mostly, to wait until growth happens. Then, we try, later, to put in the schools and the roads and, maybe, a few pocket parks and call it a neighborhood, or a city, even. Many studies have been done on the way other fast-growing cities in the west have handled the problems we are currently facing. It’s time for us to pay attention and learn from our neighbors. We have the opportunity to plan ahead, to avoid the mistakes made by other cities, and to become a model for others to emulate. I want to establish a community course on urban planning and make it available to everyone who wants to learn more about planning. I also want to see the current Las Cruces Country Club preserved in some way – a premier park or a public golf course or some combination thereof. That kind of attractive green space takes decades to develop. We cannot afford to miss the opportunity to preserve it.
Trujillo: The city’s actions related to growth and development must be a direct reflection of the policies created by the city council. My stance on the growth and development policies is that they should be reviewed and modified to ensure that the needs of the citizens are being met.
Curran: As to growth, I support the efforts of our new mayor. Like it or not, cities do grow, but we must also note that in
Joy: As a home-rule municipality the policies of the city are set and rules are in place. It requires the vote of the people to change many of the policies as evidenced by the recent tax-district vote for downtown. The city departments involved in planning and zoning have specific guidelines to follow as well as the city council for final approvals. Citizen review boards, inclusion of neighborhood associations, plus more accountability of developers and city departments need to increase. Accountability of the mayor and city council is only happening at election time but the people in this city need to know where the influences of special-interest groups are compromising the best interests of this wonderful city. It is time for real open government in
Shipley: I fully understand that properly managed growth is a must for every city. No growth means a dying/decaying city with a corresponding loss of economic vitality, a loss of services such as parks and recreation as a result of a declining tax base, housing foreclosures because of an inability to make mortgage payments or pay taxes, and business downturn due to the corresponding loss of income sources. I favor managed growth that plans for a complete process for the life cycle of the development, i.e., “cradle to grave” and economic growth to support the urban development. I support pedestrian oriented neighborhoods, mixed-use developments with key services within the development to minimize the use of the automobile. Depending upon the size of the development, there should also be open space, pocket parks, neighborhood or regional parks to offer ample opportunities for the families living nearby to be able to enjoy outdoor activities that enhance the quality of life in our district and city.
Is the city adequately planning and building infrastructure to keep up with growth?
Trujillo: Yes, the City of
Curran: No answer provided
Joy: The growth of cities in the southwest has happened very quickly in the past 20 years.
Shipley: The city is adequately planning for the infrastructure; however the timing for the completion of the infrastructure could be improved by time-phasing the construction. For example, a development would be required to have the infrastructure completed by a specific date, before a building permit would be pulled to start construction or before a use and occupancy permit would be issued. A simple example would be if a 900-lot subdivision were being built, the developer would be required to complete all the basic infrastructure before the first housing permit was pulled (utilities, streets, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, light poles, etc.) Once construction of the homes began a limit would be set for the initial number of building permits that could be pulled, so that if a piece of the infrastructure was not complete, say a bridge, by building permit 100, then no other building permits would be issued. Once the bridge was complete, then permit 101 through xxx could be issued. This concept also works for schools, fire stations, parks or other time-sensitive requirements.
Thomas: This question is backwards. It assumes that growth occurs on its own and we have to work to “keep up with the growth.” The city council and staff, with input from all stakeholders (developers, realtors and citizens), should be planning the growth (including the use of state trust land) and, therefore, the infrastructure. Then, the development that occurs will fit the planned infrastructure.
Has the city’s growth in the last decade been well-planned?
Curran: No answer provided
Joy: It is too easy to look back from our perspective and find fault or errors that may have been made in the past. Ten years ago the City of
Shipley: I have lived here for the past two years, and during that time I would say the planning is more than adequate. I have talked to many friends and neighbors from District 6, and they have expressed that their major concern is with the amount of traffic that they have to contend with to move about the city. We agree that the increase in population was at such a rate during recent years that the development of some of the key road infrastructure did not keep pace with traffic requirements.
Thomas: On the one hand, yes. We have chosen, for the most part, to build on the mesas, rather than in the agricultural valley, thus saving valuable farmland. Recently, however, more and more farmland is being converted into “house farms.” We must find a way to preserve our agricultural community. On the other hand, much of District 6 lacks connectivity, retail services, adequate parks and open space and set-asides for transit. Why are most of the schools on the east mesa located on busy thoroughfares with little or no pedestrian or bicycle access? How much would traffic on Roadrunner be reduced if the students were able to walk or bike to school? Are there so many people on the Roadrunner median because they have no other place to walk and jog? How much could traffic congestion be reduced if residents of District 6 had access to nearby employment, recreation centers, retail opportunities and a district-wide pedestrian and bicycle route? Why do residents on the
Trujillo: In my opinion, the city’s growth in the last decade has been well planned. Hindsight is always 20/20; thus, we can easily point out any deficiencies in the process. As long as we move forward to improve these processes, we can look toward the future with a positive outlook.
Is the council adequately involving the public in its decisions? If not, what changes would you propose?
Joy: The city council is receiving public comment but needs to improve public participation. As city councilor for District 6, I will open the process as wide as it can be to involve the public in decision-making activities. I will encourage local participation and feedback from our community on all activities in the Las Cruces City Council and make all records public along with all information possible so the people of this district have complete access to the city council process. I own a communications business and communication is my expertise. As an example, my campaign Web site votejoy.com has been up since Nov. 27 for people to learn about me as a candidate, and has had over 200 visits. I intend to use a combination of public service announcements, local press, direct mail and the Web to create open and active communication with the people who live and work in District 6. If you want to be involved in
Shipley: There seems to be controversy regarding the input by the public regarding city council decisions. Some of that is caused by the fact that the city council holds most all of its meetings at 1 p.m. on Mondays, and most of the city’s population works during the day and cannot attend the meetings. Many city councils hold their meetings during evening hours so that citizens have an opportunity to attend and participate in the meetings. I understand that the city staff works a normal daily schedule, and evening meetings would require either overtime or compensatory time; however, it is prudent to hold evening meetings.
Thomas: The public needs more than the opportunity to pass the microphone for two minutes of input. We need to have a procedure for public participation in the planning of our community. I think every neighborhood should have its own association and we should also have a council of neighborhood associations (one representative from each neighborhood association) that has an actual role in the planning process.
Trujillo: The city council through the professional staff at the public information and clerk’s offices provide adequate and legal notice of public meetings from using the local media to broadcasts on the Internet and on cable television. Every resident chooses their level of involvement as issues of personal concern arise. It is the duty of that councilor to be the source of information and to report to his or her residents.
Curran: No answer provided
Do you support the creation of a citizens review board to consider complaints against city law enforcement officers? Why or why not?
Shipley: The citizens’ review board shall review and evaluate serious complaints brought by the public against the police department. Furthermore, the board shall review whether or not a complaint has been filed, and/or all police actions that result in the death of a person. The board may also refer complaints to the grand jury, district attorney or any other governmental agency authorized by law to investigate the activities of a law enforcement agency. The board shall submit semi-annual reports to the city manager and city council concerning its evaluation of the police department’s investigation of citizens’ complaints; provided, however, that such reports shall not disclose any information required to be kept confidential by law. I support the creation of a citizens’ review board to serve as a non-partial body to insure that acts of wrongdoing by our law enforcement agency are not hidden or swept under the carpet.
Thomas: We clearly need to investigate the complaints being made. Initially, we might want to consider bringing in outside evaluators, a team of people who are trained to do this kind of assessment. In the future, we might want to establish some kind of a citizens review board to handle complaints.
Trujillo: The Las Cruces Police Department currently has a professional standards unit that is comprised of the different ranks within the department. I do not support a citizen review board because law enforcement is a unique profession; it should be reviewed and critiqued by those who not only understand the stresses and triumphs of the job, but have also lived through those stresses and triumphs.
Curran: With regard to a police review board, I have seen both good and bad ones in cities in which I have lived. I would need to know the size, composition and guidelines of the plan before I could comment further.
Joy: I support a citizens review board of all the departments including the city attorney office, codes enforcement, animal control, as well as law enforcement. The people of this city need to have access to arbitration and problem resolution that does not belong in the court system. Professional mediators such as Mr. Curran would be excellent candidates for this type of community service.
Any other comments?
Thomas: Other cities in the West have taken control of their growth through thoughtful, comprehensive, regional land-use planning and the ordinances needed to implement that planning. I have studied these models and know where to find the tools and “best practices” we need to build a more livable, sustainable and successful city. Sprawl is expensive and backtracking to fix our mistakes is costly. Planning ahead is the fiscally responsible thing to do.
Trujillo: None provided
Curran: None provided
Joy: The issue of growth is taking on many forms in the City of
Shipley: I truly appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of District 6 and the city. I have the hands-on experience to provide leadership with ideas and possible solutions to manage the growth issues that the city staff and city council face.