{"id":609,"date":"2006-09-22T14:42:00","date_gmt":"2006-09-22T20:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2006\/09\/commission-district-3-hopefuls-say-theyre-both-good-choices\/"},"modified":"2006-09-22T14:42:00","modified_gmt":"2006-09-22T20:42:00","slug":"commission-district-3-hopefuls-say-theyre-both-good-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2006\/09\/commission-district-3-hopefuls-say-theyre-both-good-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"Commission District 3 hopefuls say they’re both good choices"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The candidates in the Do\u00f1a Ana County Commission District 3 race agreed during a candidate forum Thursday that either would serve residents well. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Because Republican Paul Curry opted against seeking re-election to the position, Republican Mack Haley is facing Democrat Karen Perez on Nov. 7.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

District 3 encompasses much of Las Cruces<\/st1:city>\u2019 East Mesa, the New Mexico<\/st1:placename> State<\/st1:placetype> University<\/st1:placetype> area and south from there through Mesilla<\/st1:placename> Park<\/st1:placetype> and Mesquite<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Community empowerment<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Both candidates were asked during the forum in Mesquite<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> how they would help empower communities. Haley said it\u2019s already happening.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen, you people have a good start down here,\u201d he said, referring to efforts in the Vado and Mesquite<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> area to hold polluting companies accountable. He said one thing he would do to help is push for the gathering of facts, including scientific studies, to help find solutions.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Perez said she agreed, and added that one important aspect of empowerment is \u201cworking with people to develop their systems\u201d so they can \u201crepresent themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI see myself as the one being the go-to person,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Quality of life<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The candidates were asked how they would help with projects that would improve the quality of life of residents. Haley said the best opportunity is in the growing aerospace industry, which has the potential to create more high-paying jobs and keep college graduates here.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cDo\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> has a tremendous opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Perez said many companies bring in workers from other places, rather than providing jobs for locals. She said she wants to see companies \u201cinvest in the communities,\u201d and cited the Anthony casino proposal as a model.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThey are part of the community. They are invested in the community,\u201d Perez said, adding that she wasn\u2019t endorsing the proposal, but was pointing out that they have committed to paying 100 percent of health insurance costs for workers, hiring locals, and pumping millions of dollars into a community foundation. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the kind of precedent I want to see these companies follow,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Regulating growth<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In response to a question about the unregulated growth that led to the development of poorly planned colonias in Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename>, Perez said one problem is that the City of Las Cruces<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, the county, and the joint extraterritorial zoning authority each have their own comprehensive plans, rather than having one regional plan. She said all three plans have \u201choles\u201d and are \u201cesoteric,\u201d rather than containing specifics and practical guidelines.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

That must change, she said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Haley said \u201cthere have been some disreputable things that have happened in the county in the past, and what we can do today is make sure that doesn\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He said he wanted \u201cteeth\u201d added to county ordinances to ensure smart growth.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Haley said he opposed Commissioner Oscar Vasquez Butler\u2019s proposal for a temporary moratorium on development in and around arroyos and canals.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cYou drive housing prices up so high that eventually you start seeing the Santa Fe effect in Las Cruces,\u201d Haley said, adding that a moratorium would also leave construction workers unemployed, at least temporarily.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Perez said she agreed with Butler<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>\u2019s proposal, and said development in and along arroyos and canals must stop.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re dumb enough to buy a piece of property with a bunch of arroyos, no, you are not going to develop on it,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Pollution<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Speaking in Mesquite<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, where there have been problems with pollution created by some companies, Perez said many companies are trying to be responsible but are hampered in their efforts by frequently changing regulations. She pointed out that the state spends $14 million each year monitoring nitrate levels in water in Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve watched your nitrates escalate for 17 years,\u201d Perez said, suggesting that the state could instead spend that money to clean up the problem.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cStop watching them go up. Take your money and be proactive,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Haley said he has seen material on the ground and smelled foul odors in the air in Mesquite<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, but he doesn\u2019t know whether they are harmful. He stressed the need for more study.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s dangerous, then it needs to be stopped,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to quantify the problem. We\u2019ve got to identify what this stuff is. Is it dangerous? Is it not dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Partisan politics<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In response to a question about how she would bridge the gap created by partisan politics, Perez said she believes she and Haley are both talented people who want to serve.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI almost think that\u2019s not an issue,\u201d she said of partisanship. \u201cI think you lucked out this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Haley agreed.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cYou all have a very good choice,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I got some votes tonight, that\u2019s great, and if I didn\u2019t, I\u2019m confident you\u2019re going to vote for the right person.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The candidates in the Do\u00f1a Ana County Commission District 3 race agreed during a candidate forum Thursday that either would serve residents well. Because Republican Paul Curry opted against seeking re-election to the position, Republican Mack Haley is facing Democrat Karen Perez on Nov. 7. District 3 encompasses much of Las Cruces\u2019 East Mesa, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}