Letters

The Los Alamos County Clerk race has drawn very little attention.  But it should.
In addition to keeping and providing records, the county clerk is responsible for ensuring fair elections and fair initiative, referendum and recall petition processes.  The county clerk, an elected position, is responsible to the New Mexico Secretary of State, not to the county council.
As such, the  county clerk must be fair and independent of the Council.
Sharon Stover, currently chair of the county council, showed a strong council bias in leading a 2009 ruling (that took a judicial matter into their own hands) against a certified citizen petition, citing logrolling (later refuted by the Attorney General’s office).
Now Chair Stover has led the council in ruling that the four Charter amendment ballot questions, a bundling of 15 clarification ordinances and six substantive change ordinances, were not logrolling, despite the request that the six substantive change ordinances be separated out to be voted upon separately.  Councilor Ron Selvage actually explored the proposal to separate thesix substantive changes, but Chair Stover dismissed it, citing lack of time.
Political bias in the petitioning process is unfair and has no place in the clerk’s office.

I hope the voters of Los Alamos County are carefully considering their vote in the House District 43 race. As we look to the future, Stephanie Garcia Richard has proven herself to be the better candidate for all of us.
She has run a positive and ethical campaign. For example, Ms. Richard has never had to apologize to Mr. Hall for anything. Mr. Hall has had to publicly apologize to Ms. Richard for implying he had the endorsement of two Democratic senators when he did not.
Ms. Richard answers hard questions asked at forums with clear, concise facts. When Mr. Hall was asked if he supports a woman’s right to choose, he states it’s a law and wants parental notification, but he is not clear if he supports women’s choice.
However, he is endorsed by extremist groups that want to outlaw abortions and he is against Marriage Equality, so he supports putting the “One Woman One Man” question to a state vote. Do you want others to vote on whether you can get married in the future?
Ms. Richard has been endorsed by our local fire fighters, Senator Bingaman and Senator Udall, and teachers.

If you admire Donald Trump, voting for the Charter Amendments is the thing to do.
They will make it harder for citizens to influence the vast building program of the county government, which has included the Municipal Building, Justice Center, White Rock Fire Station, Visitor Center, attempts at a Civic Center with internet café, a Bypass Road to the ski hill, and innumerable roundabouts. Trump would not be dismayed to learn that our building costs are about twice the national average ($400 vs. $200 per square foot).
The county government suggests that citizens can make their voices heard at public meetings, but hardly anyone wants to participate. Better tests of public opinion are the ballot box and petitions.
However, the purpose of the Charter Amendments is to make it hard for citizens to petition. This purpose is concealed in the proposed amendments within language about clarifying the Charter, and in letters, advertisements and columns in our newspaper.
What is written can be totally misleading.
A story in the June 13 Los Alamos Monitor quoted John Hopkins, who stated that five attorneys gave opinions that there is no logrolling in the amendments.

As the former State Representative in House District 43 (1971-1986) I would like to solidly endorse Representative Hall for election to that seat in the legislature.
We are lucky to have a person with the experience and knowledge that Jim possesses. He has been a leader in the district he represents. He has deep roots in New Mexico where his grandfather was the legendary “Cowboy Preacher” Ralph Hall that carried the gospel to the little ranching communities around Roswell, Fort Sumner, Ruidoso, Pie Town and others. His father managed Ghost Ranch.
Jim has the experience as an executive as well as a policy maker for he has served as a school board member, a county councilor, a cabinet secretary and as a state representative. That is a lot of what it takes to serve the people in District 43.
As a former representative, I know what that experience means when it comes to working as a legislator.
One has to be able to analyze the multitude of bails and to be able to negotiate compromises to make things work.  Jim Hall has what it takes.  He has a very good reputation with members of both parties and can be effective with both the Democrats as well as with his own party.