Pete Campos
Government is big business in New Mexico, directly accounting for one out of every four jobs and supporting countless secondary jobs in our state. As the largest “industry” in New Mexico, it is critical that the industry’s leaders – local, state and federal government officials – recommit themselves to working together to improve government efficiency without compromising the delivery of needed services to New Mexicans.
Government undoubtedly plays a vital role in the life of our state, including educating our children, ensuring our safety, promoting economic development and tourism, protecting our natural resources and providing vital services to our elderly, to the developmentally disabled and to those without food or a place to sleep. Yet those services must be provided in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Today’s tough economic times demand much of our elected and appointed leaders. As elected leaders, we are faced with balancing the New Mexico budget while ensuring that essential services continue to be provided. It is difficult, but not impossible.
In these times, what is critical is frank dialogue: We must agree to stop the rhetoric. The catchiest slogan never caught a criminal, processed a driver’s license or vaccinated a child. We must also make the tough decisions that come with tough times. We must decide which costs to cut, which services to scrap and how to raise the additional revenue needed to ensure that the people of New Mexico – our “customers” – receive the services they need and deserve.
All avenues to balancing the state’s budget must also be carefully reviewed to ensure that child care, education, health care, economic development and jobs creation programs thrive in all regions of our state. Honest discussion is indispensable to reaching that challenging goal.
Just as the leaders of the automobile, construction, technology and other industries have regrouped, retooled and adjusted their business plans in the face of economic challenges, so too must we as policymakers make those same tough decisions. An additional challenge is that we must make our decisions in the face of the unrelenting fact that no matter how sour the economy, the people of New Mexico still need and deserve decent and better-than-adequate services from their state government.
Now more than ever, all levels of government must work closely together, starting with the governor and Legislature. These demanding times require nothing less. We must also work with the state’s congressional delegation in advocating for additional federal support of a spectrum of vital services and programs, including scientific research, human services programs, protection of our precious natural resources, military veterans and military bases.
Specific steps
Although we must keep the branches of government separate, we must work closely together to address our economic deficit. I call upon the governor, key legislators, statewide elected officials, including the state treasurer and representatives from the judicial branch and all other forms of government, to commence regular meetings to discuss the best use of taxpayer dollars. With that in mind, I offer the following specifics as a new administration prepares to take office and as a new legislative session begins.
- It is important to ensure continuity in governance and preservation of our knowledge base by not unnecessarily replacing members of various state boards and commissions.
- We must continue to analyze state investments with a goal of strategically investing our funds to maximize our financial return.
- The government should spend the next several months educating the public on the state’s tax base and on how the tax dollars are spent.
- The public’s ideas should be actively solicited so that we can develop a shared vision of New Mexico’s future.
- We must strengthen and unite, not weaken and separate, New Mexico’s entire educational system. Virtually all our strengths and shortcomings as a state can be traced to our educational system.
The days ahead are going to require all of us – legislators, the executive branch, the judicial branch and the people of New Mexico – to create a bold pathway toward financial solvency while maintaining vital services. When we care for each other, I am positive we can work together to make our state better.
Campos is a Democratic state senator from Las Vegas and president of Luna Community College.