![\"Gregory](\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Smith-Gregory-336x224.jpg\")
<\/a>Courtesy photo<\/p>
Gregory Z. Smith<\/p><\/div>\n
Final numbers aren’t in, but official tallies had Smith leading challenger Philip VanVeen with 52 percent of the vote. Smith said his tally had him ahead with about 55 percent of the vote, and he expects that to hold.<\/p>\n
“I really do appreciate\u00a0the support from the community,” Smith said. “I appreciate the fact that people are paying attention and voting thoughtfully, and I look forward to serving this district, the city, and all the existing things we have\u00a0ahead of us — because Las Cruces really\u00a0is at a critical point.”<\/p>\n
Las Cruces continues to struggle economically. The city\u00a0remains in recession<\/a>, and\u00a023 percent of it\u00a0residents live in poverty<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The whole country is not in a very strong recovery from the 2008 recession,” Smith said. Typically New Mexico,\u00a0and typically Las Cruces,\u00a0lag behind what you have nationally.”<\/p>\n But Smith said Las Cruces is in the middle of a region with strong potential. He mentioned the industrial park and border crossing at Santa Teresa and Spaceport America.<\/p>\n “We really\u00a0do have sort of a confluence of really strong opportunities,” Smith said.\u00a0“I do think if we’re being thoughtful\u00a0and we’re looking at what we’ve got, we do have that chance to do something really exciting\u00a0here.”<\/p>\n