The nation’s eyes may have been on the Democratic Candidates meeting at their first debate last night, but in Las Cruces both Mayoral and City Council Candidates met up at NMSU to debate local policy.
Both students and community members gathered at NMSU to hear both the mayoral candidates and city council candidate’s debate. Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima says students are an important part of the Las Cruces Community.
“It’s important to be able to give them an opportunity to have interaction with the elected officials,” Miyagishima said. “You know I was a young student here once upon a time and I had illusions of holding elected office and a few years late sure enough there I was.”
Incumbent City Councilor Greg Smith says it’s especially important for him to interact with students because NMSU is part of his district.
“District 2 wraps around NMSU,” Smith said. “There are a lot of students who live in the district, and the reality is that as voters the 18,19, 20,21, 22 year olds these young people have an opportunity to be a part of what goes on in the city that they live.”
His challenger in District 2, Philip VanVeen says he hopes to engage students more than they are now.
“I think that students are actually underappreciated when it comes to voters,” VanVeen said. “You know I go out door knocking every day and I talk to people at the doors and the biggest response I get with real serious positive questions are from NMSU students.”
Some of the topics covered at the debate included police reform, public transportation, and public engagement in local politics, but the majority of the questions centered on economic development and job creation. Mayoral Candidate Councilor Miguel Silva said it’s time to get honest about the economic situation in Las Cruces.
“We need to take an inventory of where we are at,” Silva said. “And we have to stop denying the fact that we are in this recession. You know the Mayor continues to paint a pretty picture that we’re not in this recession. We are, we do need jobs. And I plan on getting jobs by becoming part of the regional economic development effort that’s happening just south of us.”
One of his challengers, Mayoral candidate Gina Montoya Ortega, says she wants to help make Las Cruces more business friendly.
“We are not a business friendly city,” Ortega said. “I encountered that being a small business owner. City Hall makes it almost impossible for somebody to come in and open a business, it took us almost 2 years to open our business, I think we need to relook at that policy, as far as when a company does want to come in here can we shorten that process. So, that people who do want to come in here they don’t have two years to waste.”
District 4 Candidate Jack Eakman says he wants to focus on improving infrastructure to help draw in new businesses.
“Number one is infrastructure,” Eakman said. “We have so many opportunities to invest in infrastructure where we have local jobs, local contractors who can do those jobs, and invest in ourselves for the future. And then when it comes to economic development work on the strengths we have here in Las Cruces. Which includes the university, which includes the aerospace, agribusiness, our location within the United States.”
One of his challengers, Gilbert Vasquez also wants to use the city’s location to help improve economic development.
“I would love to tap into our Mexican neighbors,” Vasquez said. “The history of this city has been trade with Mexico. That’s how Las Cruces was born, and this pipeline that was established from Mexico City to Santa Fe. Now Santa Teresa is reaping the benefits over there. I think that there is a lot of trade going on and I would love to bring some of that here.”
District One City Council Candidate Eli Guzman and District 4 candidate Richard Hall both were not present at last nights debate. Early voting is currently underway, and Election Day is November 3rd.
