Michael Ray Huerta
We need policies that encourage growth and job creation. We also need my opponents in the Las Cruces mayoral race to join me in making this the fairest, most transparent campaign in our city’s history.
Bill Clinton once said that in America, if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to get ahead. Unfortunately, in Las Cruces, if you work hard and play by the rules, you just might find yourself being run out of business.
We need jobs in Las Cruces. The poor are getting poorer, the middle class is shrinking, and the disparity between those who are “making it” and those who are not is growing every day. But instead of embracing economic policies that encourage growth and job creation, the city council, lead by Dolores Connor and Ken Miyagishima, has voted for job-killing and anti-business policies. The city council’s recent decision to condemn Moongate Water Company is a perfect example.
In a time when we should be sending a positive message to small and family owned businesses, the City Council instead made it clear that working hard and playing by the rules just won’t cut it anymore. With their votes, Ken and Dolores used the power of big government to bully a private small business into submission. Why? Because they could.
In Las Cruces, far too many small-business owners don’t feel supported by their city elected officials. And rightly so. For far too long now, working hard and playing by the rules hasn’t been as important as knowing one of the good ol’ boys. And the vote against Moongate Water Company clearly shows you don’t have to be a man to be a member of the club.
Maybe that good ol’ boy government worked in the past when our city was smaller. But it’s failing our families as we grow into a contemporary community.
My opponents fail to realize that in the 21st Century economy, we must remain competitive at every level. In our fight to bring jobs to Las Cruces, we are no longer just competing with our neighboring communities. Instead, businesses have the choice to set up shop in Las Cruces or Mumbai. Las Cruces or Taiwan. Las Cruces or Houston.
Our citizens are counting on us to move in a better direction. We must fight to make Las Cruces a place where anyone who works hard and plays by the rules can get ahead. But in order to do that, we must get rid of the same career politicians who have been a part of the problem.
A basic problem
Many Las Crucens don’t realize that the position of mayor is, according to our city charter, a “ceremonial” role that “shall not have any administrative duties.” Contrary to the inaccurate hype the current mayor often bestows upon his office, he has no “administration” and instead, is the head of our legislative body of government.
In short, the mayor should be a coalition builder while serving as the chief advocate, lobbyist and spokesperson for the city.
Both of my opponents have failed at this crucial role. Coalition leadership isn’t merely showing up to a photo-op – a skill my opponents have mastered. Instead, it takes genuine intellectually curiosity toward complex issues, an ability to prioritize results above ideological rhetoric, and a real sense of personal and political confidence that allows for genuine debate.
This is why, in the time that my opponents have served together, we have seen no real action toward combating the good ol’ boy system. But the three of us can take action right now.
A real challenge
In Las Cruces elections, working hard and playing by the rules is easy – because there are no real rules. If we want fairer, more transparent government, we should expect fairer, more transparent campaigns. That is why I am challenging Councilor Connor and Mayor Miyagishima to join me in taking actionable steps toward the fairest, most transparent campaign in our city’s history.
First, it makes no sense that in our city elections there is no limit to the amount of money an individual or political committee can contribute to a candidate. That is why I am asking my opponents to join me in implementing a crucial element of state fundraising laws as guidelines in this race. My campaign won’t take more than $2,300 from any individual, nor will I take more than $5,000 from a political committee.
Ken and Dolores, will you join me?
Second, I strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, allowing corporations the ability to spend as much money as they would like to support or attack a candidate. But in Las Cruces, businesses and corporations have long been able to donate –without limit – to city candidates. That shouldn’t be the case. That is why I will not take a penny in direct contributions from any business or corporation.
Ken and Dolores, will you join me?
Finally, when our campaigns release ads in the coming months, we should have the responsibility of taking ownership for the ad we fund. Unfortunately, in Las Cruces, there is no requirement for political ads to display or disclose who paid for them. That shouldn’t be the case. That is why every ad or piece of literature I create and fund will disclose my campaign as having paid for it – negative or positive.
Ken and Dolores, will you join me?
These are three simple steps that should have been in place long ago, and when I’m elected mayor, these are three simple steps that I will fight to put into local law. But right now, we don’t need the city council to do this. We candidates can show true leadership and put real action above simple rhetoric.
Ken and Dolores, will you join me?
Huerta is a candidate for mayor of Las Cruces in the November election.