Unlike Republican Colette Chandler, The Incumbent District 2 County Commissioner, I will Actually Try To Do Something About All The Dust!

Only God can stop the wind from blowing, but Luna County can help stop the dirt from flying!

Luna County can certainly do a number of things to cut down on the amount of dust being thrown around by the ever increasing number of storms moving through our community. Dust that finds it way into every nick and cranny of your home. Dust that closes down portions of Interstate 10 and NM 11 - the crucial highway connecting Deming, Columbus and Palomas. Dust that stops all outdoor activities including school sports. Dust that sickens the elderly and children with asthma.

Right now, the Luna County Ranchettes have hundreds of miles of loose, dirt roads. Every time the wind blows or a car drives by, a thick cloud of dust hits our community. This dirt chokes our kids during sports, makes people sick, and shuts down our schools. I am proposing a plan to pave the dirt roads in the Ranchettes. Paving these roads locks the dirt down under solid asphalt. The wind won't be able to lift it, and cars won't kick it up anymore. This simple fix will give us cleaner air to breathe, safer roads to drive on, and fewer canceled school sports.

65 Years of "Not Our Problem" — It’s Time for a Change!

For the last 65 years, Luna County Commissioners have looked at the families in the Ranchettes and said: "Those unpaved roads are your problem, not ours."

They claim their hands are tied because of a loophole from 1961. But while they ignore our neighborhoods, they choose to spend our tax dollars maintaining over 1,600 miles of dirt roads for farms and ranches.

The truth is simple: past politicians chose to help those farmers and ranchers and they chose to leave Ranchette families stuck in the dust.

I say 65 years of waiting is enough!

As your County Commissioner, I will work to change this selfish policy. I will stop making excuses for a 1960s mistake. I will work with my fellow commissioners to accept these roads into the county system and use state grants to pave them. No extra taxes. No more excuses. It is time to make the Ranchettes a priority!

Legally, the county has the full power to accept the roads in their current condition and cover 100% of the paving and drainage costs without adding a single cent to the Ranchette property owner's tax bill. 

The current rule requiring Ranchette families to pay an extra tax is not a state law. It is just a local choice made by past county commissioners. If a new board of commissioners votes to change that policy, they can fix these roads using the county's general fund and state grants.

🛠️ How the County Can Pay For It Without Taxing Ranchette Property Owners

1. Changing the Local Policy: The County Commission has the power to amend the Luna County Roads Policy. They can pass a resolution stating that due to severe dust storms and public health dangers, the county will automatically absorb specified Ranchette roads into the main county system.

2. Using NMDOT State Grants: New Mexico has a special fund called the Local Government Road Fund (LGRF). The state regularly gives millions of dollars to counties specifically to pave dirt roads and fix drainage. A proactive County Commission can apply for these grants specifically for the Ranchettes, meaning state money pays for the asphalt and drainage, and not local property owners. 

3. The "Discretionary Clause": The county's own rules state that the commission can choose to maintain or build any road at "county expense whenever it is deemed appropriate and beneficial to the overall county road network." Stopping dust storms that shut down local schools and roads is absolutely beneficial to the whole county.

4. Populated Corridors: The county would pave the main arterial dirt tracts leading into the ranchettes, and then branch off into specific residential areas where clusters of homes have been built. This approach would create a cohesive, dust-capped network of main arterial roads and side roads where people currently live.

5. Elect two new County Commissioners: In order to get the Ranchette roads paved two new commissioners need to be elected come November, one in District 1 and one in District 2. I am running to replace the Republican incumbent in District 2 and Mary Meade, an Independent candidate, is running for District 1. Together we can get those Ranchette roads paved.