League of Women Voters: City Council Candidate Questions

1. What in your background uniquely qualifies you to be on the City Council? (50 word limit)

A proven record and experience: District One Councilor, 18 years; legislative experience local, state, and federal levels; small business owner for 25 years, and water conservation educator for the State; BA University of Maine, Political Science, economics at George Washington University, and year at University of Seville, Spain. Speak Spanish.

2. What are the three biggest problems facing the City of Santa Fe today? (75 word limit)

1) The greatest challenge we face is creating a vibrant, diverse, local economy assuring the next generation can earn a livable wage and afford a home in Santa Fe.
2) We have a high crime rate for a city of our size, with the majority of our public safety officers living elsewhere.
3) Managing our already limited natural resources, now pressured by a changing climate with increasingly severe drought cycles, and a growing population.

3. Do you support the proposed bond issues? Why or why not? (75 word limit)

I am grateful that the citizens of Santa Fe will have a chance to vote on the bond issues on March 6th. I had hoped for a better process of prioritizing the bond projects, with more community input. While I voted for a new fire station on the Southside, I am concerned that we currently do not have the operating funds to staff or maintain that facility or a number of the other bond projects.

4. What are the most important steps the city should take to balance its budget? (75 word limit)

These are not expansive times. The growth of city government cannot exceed our dwindling revenue stream. We must restructure our long-term debt to take advantage of better rates, conduct an efficiency audit to see how we can restructure City Hall to achieve cost savings, continue to maintain vacancy savings, by only filling positions that are absolutely necessary, and further examine the potential of revenue-generating fees or passing on the true cost of some services.

5. Should the next planned annexation (Phase 2) go forward soon and if so, how do you propose paying for it? (75 word limit)

In the current economic climate, the City cannot afford to deliver the level of services in the next phase of annexation, given that there is no new development to pay for those projected costs.
I introduced a resolution calling for negotiations with the County to amend the phasing of the delivery of City services such as water, wastewater, law enforcement, and fire protection, that had been agreed upon in a 2008 Settlement Agreement.

6. What can the City Council do to make Santa Fe a more sustainable community, particularly for water resources? (75 word limit)

Santa Fe’s water security increased when the Buckman Direct Diversion delivered our San Juan-Chama water, allowing us to mine our aquifer less. However, we must pursue further conservation measures/incentives (our most cost-effective source of supply), and implement smart land-use policies tied to our water supply. We must also prioritize the uses of our treated effluent, and consider the option of “direct reuse” by pumping effluent a short distance for additional treatment at the Buckman Plant.