Blog

Last week I had a blast volunteering at El Caldito Soup Kitchen!

This all volunteer organization feeds needy people everyday of the week and they love what they do. Everyone working at the place had a smile on their face and were excited to be there. It is amazing how happy and well run they are. 

It was an honor to be volunteering there at the same time as the 2nd Engineer Battalion from White Sands. While peeling tomatoes with a couple soldiers we talked about economic development and helping the people we were watching come in for free lunch. It ... Continue Reading

This year Dona Ana County is opening 39 Voting Convenience Centers. These centers are different than the traditional centers in that you can vote at any of them. However, your traditional voting center may not be one of them so be prepared.

Here is a list of all the centers that will be open on Election Day. Remember, you can vote at any of these locations:

ANTHONY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 609 Church St  Anthony, NM  88021   BRANIGAN LIBRARY 200 E Picacho Ave  Las Cruces, NM  88001   CAMINO REAL MIDDLE SCHOOL 2961 Roadrunner Pkwy  Las Cruces, NM  88011   CHAPARRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL 290 Lisa Dr  Chaparral, NM  88081   CORBETT CENTER NMSU 2nd Floor Art Gallery  Las Cruces, NM ... Continue Reading

A few weeks ago someone asked me what I've learned as a commissioner. I told them that the most important thing I've learned is how difficult it is to incorporate public input into county decisions. 

That's something that we need to fix. Your input should be incorporated into every decision. 

Simply put, Your Input Matters.

The county has started comprehensive planning and we need to ensure that meaningful public participation is involved in the process. If your representative is effective, it will happen. 

With your help I will make your opinions a priority to the county. As a Commissioner, I’ve done it before.

In the last ... Continue Reading

I recently teamed up with Commissioner Billy Garrett to review and propose changes to Dona Ana County's code of conduct. Commissioner Garrett and I have decided to make short-term and long-term proposals. 

 

A Better Plan for Dona Ana County. 

The short term changes will slightly modify the existing code. This will allow us to solve some immediate problems that arose when investigating allegations against Commissioner Benevidez, and give us time to think through a more thorough revision of the code. 

These short term changes focus on cutting out generalizations and making it more clear what is expected from employees and elected officials. 

Fortunately, for ... Continue Reading

Since being elected to the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners in 2008, I've made plenty of difficult decisions. In each case, I strove to put the greater good of my constituents above any personal feelings I might have had about the issue at hand. A lot of politicians say they do this, but to me they were never empty words.On July 6, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners met in work session to hear the recommendations of our Redistricting Advisory Committee. That committee was appointed precisely to take the political interest of the commissioners out of the redistricting ... Continue Reading