New city leaders must deliver on promise of change

A well-organized group of local activists, aided at least in part by outside help, caused the shift in power on the Las Cruces City Council that was capped off on Tuesday when District 6 voters picked Sharon Thomas to represent them.

But the work of the activists was only successful because they spoke to the concerns of voters in the city.

Many who helped Thomas, Miguel Silva and Nathan Small win council seats and Ken Miyagishima win the mayoral race are involved in the Quality Growth Alliance and Progressive Voter Alliance. Thomas and Small won open seats, and Silva easily defeated 12-year incumbent Jose Frietze. Miyagishima won a narrow victory against incumbent Bill Mattiace, a likeable man wit a lot of friends.

Now, those like-minded candidates who pledged to change the city’s growth policies constitute the majority on the seven-member council.

The only candidate aligned with Miyagishima who was unsuccessful was Vince Boudreau. He was going up in November against District 2 Councilor Dolores Connor, a much more moderate voice in the debate over growth than Mattiace and Frietze.

The reality, which became crystal clear on Tuesday when Thomas won 54 percent of the vote in a five-way race, is that the majority of residents were fed up with the previous city council’s attitude toward growth. They voted in the regular election in November and the special election on Tuesday to take Las Cruces in a new direction.

On the East Mesa, infrastructure and commercial development haven’t kept pace with home construction. That means residents have had to frequently travel to the Telshor area, creating traffic nightmares.

In the inner city, residents are also dealing with the traffic snarls caused by the lack of services on the East Mesa. In addition, the city hasn’t kept up with infrastructure needs in their communities, at least to their satisfaction.

Meanwhile, residents are watching the city invest millions of dollars in downtown revitalization and a new city hall, events center and aquatic and recreation center. Many would rather see street improvements, new parks in their neighborhoods and the completion of bridges like the one that is delaying the opening of Sonoma Ranch Boulevard south of U.S. Highway 70.

Some may think these complaints are unfair. Fair or not, they’re reality. The voters have spoken, loudly.

So what happens now?

That means some things are going to change. In the immediate future – it’s already started to happen – look for a city council that makes some policy changes related to public input and participation in its decisions.

In the long-term, look for more focus on avoiding sprawl and ensuring that commercial and industrial growth keeps pace with residential growth. Look for more parks, walking paths and open spaces. Look for more attention to infrastructure in existing neighborhoods.

Over time, we should see a gradual shift in the way Las Cruces grows. At least, that’s what the city’s new leaders have promised. They know what their followers are capable of doing if they don’t deliver.

Some think the shift will be devastating, that it will drive up costs and slow or halt development. Others think it’s simply the smart way to keep the community cohesive and improve the lives of residents.

Time will tell. These are complex issues that are being debated in communities across the West. One thing is certain: The new council has promised a lot that will be difficult to accomplish. It will be under a great deal of pressure to deliver.