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Residents of Anthony, N.M. will decide today whether to incorporate.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Anthony Water and Sanitation District office, 1155 North 4th Street, and at Anthony Elementary School, 609 Church St.
Anthony residents are divided over whether to become an official city, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported over the weekend.
From the newspaper:
“Proponents of incorporation contend the community has languished over the years under the jurisdiction of Doña Ana County government and that forming a city will give residents more direct control over their fate. They feel the move would result in economic development, better services and a reduction in crime.
“… But a number of residents worry about increased government involvement in their lives and higher taxes.”
Juan Acevedo is one who favors incorporation.
“We don’t have adequate parks in Anthony,” the Sun-News quoted Acevedo as saying. “We need our roads fixed. We need more lighting, sidewalks. We see, almost every day, people on wheelchairs using the same street the cars use because there’s no sidewalks for them to commute. And mostly, we need to bring some businesses into our area.”
Armando Anchondo opposes incorporation, telling the Sun-News that he suspects taxes would increase if the area becomes a city. And, he told the newspaper, too many people in the area already rely on government aid.
“There’s a lot of people up here that are low-income people who live on (food) stamps; they’re taking from the government and are not contributing to society,” the newspaper quoted Anchondo as saying.
Early voting has been light in the election. The Sun-News reported that, as of Wednesday, 64 of 2,627 eligible voters had cast ballots.
Anthony is a community of almost 8,000 residents, and 38 percent of them live below the poverty level. The proposed new city would encompass a little more than 2.5 square miles.